Shojo & Tell: A Manga Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode discusses the first half (volumes 1-6) of Hot Gimmick by Miki Aihara

It's here. It's finally here. Shojo & Tell host Ashley has been trying to make this episode happen for at least two years. And now, here we are. We're talking about the first half of Hot Gimmick, aka, Hot Trash, aka Hot Mess. Seriously: Content warning for basically everything. Ashley was prepared to have nothing nice to say about this series (she's read it before and thought it was the worst shojo series ever), but it's surprising what reading something 12 years after your initial encounter with it can do... Naja of Blerdy Otome is a big fan of Hot Gimmick, despite also recognizing that it's extremely problematic. There's underage sex and drugs, there's blackmail, there's demeaning servitude, there's gang rape. And that's just the first three volumes. Hatsumi's a doormat, Ryoki's bad, Azusa's bad, Shinogu's bad trying to be good, Akane is the reason we're in this mess. Only Subaru is good. Team Subaru! Let's talk it through.

REFERENCES

• Hot Gimmick is available from Viz Media in English
• Hot Gimmick S is a reimagining of the ending
• Other anime/manga mentions
  • Chobits
  • Cardcaptor Sakura
  • Gundam
  • Red River
  • Basara
  • From Far Away
• Archive of Our Own
• Wattpad
• Story of NHL player who Ashley went to college with
• Misc. media mentions
  • Gossip Girl
  • You
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Find Naja's work on her website, Twitch, Twitter, and BlueSky
• Shojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter
• Ashley on Bluesky

This episode discusses all of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days (volumes 1-6) by Fumino Hayashi.

Shinji, get in the robot! Shojo & Tell host Ashley and the guy previously known as Ashley's "Cyborg 009 buddy," Josh McHugh, delve into this version of the beloved series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which is an alternate universe of the video game Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd (a PlayStation 2 game, and yes there is first Girlfriend of Steel before this entry), which is an alternate universe of the events in the final episode of the original anime. The main plot is mostly about whether Shinji will pick Rei or Asuka to be his life partner while they're all still in high school. Are you keeping up? Great!

Ashley and Josh do a sort of cultural exchange in this episode: Ashley doesn't really like Evangelion (ikr?), and Josh, like many a millennial, thinks Eva is the GOAT and is very hype to discuss the Instrumentality sequences; Ashley is over 100 episodes deep on a shojo manga podcast, while Josh hadn't read a shojo manga before this. The two talk about how, in Angelic Days, Rei is a completely different person from her beloved anime self; the shortcomings of the backstory about Shinji's parents, Gendo and Yui Ikari; what punk bands Gendo would be into; and much more. And if you're wondering: There ARE still mech fights in this, but there shouldn't have been. So on second thought: Shinji, don't get in the robot!

REFERENCES

• Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days is out of print.  You can find used copies on resale sites. It was published by ADV manga in English.
• Other anime/manga mentioned:
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion
    • Rebuild movies
    • End of Evangelion
  • Cyborg 009
  • The Vision of Escaflowne
  • Cowboy Bebop
  • Serial Experiments Lain
  • Soul Eater
  • Neo Yokio
  • Your Name
  • My Hero Academia
  • Hot Gimmick
• Punk bands named
  • Linkin Park
  • Fall Out Boy
  • Panic at the Disco
  • Yellowcard
  • Hawthorne Heights
• Misc. other mentions
  • The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
  • xkcd
  • Red oni/blue oni
  • Manic pixie dream girls
  • Controversy over Netflix's translation of Eva
  • BattleTech /  MechWarrior
  • Three Wise Men
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Josh wants you to check out his Soundcloud because we're both stuck in the year 2005: https://soundcloud.com/j_m_p_h
  • Listen to his Serial Experiments Lain OP a capella version in particular: https://soundcloud.com/j_m_p_h/boa-duvet-a-cappella
• Shojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter
• Ashley on Bluesky

This episode discusses volumes 1–7 of Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts by Yu Tomofuji.

Sariphi goes from ritual sacrifice to acting queen consort in the span of only a few volumes. The real problem? She's a human living among beastkind, hiding the secret of the part-human beast king while trying to win over the hearts and minds of people who look nothing like her. Tomofuji's series pushes boundaries, and Mackenzie from Mac Loves Manga is here to fully break them down. Mackenzie joins Shojo and Tell host Ashley to discuss the political intrigue of this series, how refreshing Sari is as a heroine, how endearing the tsundere boys Anubis and Lanteveldt are, and, as is only natural, make inevitable comparisons to Beastars and Zootopia.

REFERENCES

• Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts is available from Yen Press in English
  • Shop small businesses and buy from MangaMart!
• Be sure to follow Shoujo Sundae and Colleen's Manga Recs
• Other anime/manga mentioned
  • Alice 19th
  • Romantic Killer
  • Yona of the Dawn
  • Skip Beat!
  • Gakuen Alice
  • Tears of a Lamb
  • Sukeban Deka
  • Kill la Kill
  • Bibliophile Princess
  • Bleach
  • Naruto
  • Mob Psycho 100
  • Beastars
  • Demon Slayer
  • Oshi no Ko
  • Takane and Hana
  • A Centaur's Life
  • Monster Musume
  • Darling in the Franxx
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Other media mentioned:
  • Beauty and the Beast
  • Zootopia
  • Balto
  • The Hunger Games
  • The Matrix
• Anime Feminist review of Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts episode 1
• Hana to Yume magazine
• Mackenzie's video on Romantic Killer/performative shojo
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Mackenzie on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr
• Mackenzie's YouTube channel
• Shojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter,

Covers volumes 9 to 17 of Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura

Don your armor (read: your prettiest, frilliest dress) and get ready to defend Tsukimi and all the residents of Amamizukan from corporate kidnapper Kai Fish. Guest Carrie McClain (an editor at Black Nerd Problems) and host Ashley list off the moments that made them cry in the second half, what clothes come to mean for the Amars, who has agency (and who doesn’t), and have one of the most epic Shipping Corners on the podcast yet. (Shu!! How dare you worm your way into our hearts like this?! HOW DARE YOU make us doubt Kuranosuke x Tsukimi for even a minute?!) Plus, in an author’s note, Higashimura questions why Princess Jellyfish is so popular in America, so Ashley and Carrie, as Americans, provide personal (and speculative) answers.

LINKS

• Princess Jellyfish is available from Kodansha USA physically and digitally
• You can watch the 11-episode anime over on Funimation
• Higashimura also did Tokyo Tarareba Girls, which was a digital-first initiative from Kodansha that's now getting a print run. Listen to our episode about it here.
• Kuranosuke still does not identify as an okama
• What is a fujoshi?
• Hana-Kimi is available from Viz Media
• Harajuku and fashion
• Correction when talking about Maid-sama: Takumi Usui is actually 3/4s Japanese, 1/4 English, and his half-brother Gerald Walker is the reverse. Which just makes their genetic stereotypes even more ridiculous in the manga. (To show that Takumi is mixed-race, he has blond hair and green eyes, both recessive genes.) This was mentioned at some point during our Maid-sama coverage. Listen to our first Maid-sama episode here. The manga is also available from Viz Media.
• Higashimura’s divorce news
• Deb Aoki’s article in Publisher’s Weekly about why manga is booming in the West right now
• Outro song: “Kokodake no Hanashi” by Chatmonchy (the opening of the Princess Jellyfish anime)

SOCIAL

• Find Carrie's work on Black Nerd Problems, where she writes lots about comics
• Follow Carrie on Twitter @DivineBlkPearl
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Twitter @shojoandtell
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Instagram @shojoandtell
• Follow Ashley on Twitter @AshMcD00

Comments, questions, constructive criticism, concerns? Want to tell us what made you cry? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers volumes 1 to 8 of Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura

Chances are you’ve heard heaps and heaps of praise bestowed upon this manga about a jellyfish otaku whose life is changed forever by a crossdresser. That praise is HELLA ACCURATE. Carrie McClain (an editor at Black Nerd Problems) and host Ashley reveal how much they’ve become Princess Jellyfish otaku by fangirling all over the Amars and Kuranosuke, dissecting how Higashimura explores identity politics through the narrative and motifs in the art, and remind you that everybody, EVERYBODY, is an otaku. Yes, even straight-laced, stuffy Shu. He’s a Tsukimi otaku.

LINKS

• Princess Jellyfish is available from Kodansha USA physically and digitally
• You can watch the 11-episode anime over on Funimation
• Higashimura also did Tokyo Tarareba Girls, which was a digital-first initiative from Kodansha that's now getting a print run. Listen to our episode about it here.
• Tokyopop had a line of comics back in the day called Chix Comics. Groan.
• Are you living the NEET life?
• Kuranosuke does not identify as an okama
• Records of the Three Kingdoms, aka what Mayaya's always going on about
• Princess Jellyfish Nomu is probably insulted to be lumped in with My Hero Academia Nomu. Maybe.
• What is a fujoshi?
• Don't let your party get petrified in Final Fantasy
• Tenryū Arashiyama from Maid-sama, the much more problematic version of Kuranosuke. Listen to our first Maid-sama episode here. The manga is also available from Viz Media.
• Outro song: “Kokodake no Hanashi” by Chatmonchy (the opening of the Princess Jellyfish anime)

SOCIAL

• Find Carrie's work on Black Nerd Problems, where she writes lots about comics
• Follow Carrie on Twitter @DivineBlkPearl
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Twitter @shojoandtell
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Instagram @shojoandtell
• Follow Ashley on Twitter @AshMcD00

Comments, questions, constructive criticism, concerns? Want to tell us who your favorite member of the Amars is? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers all 9 volumes of The Full-Time Wife Escapist by Tsunami Umino

What would it be like to get married as a job? Megan DeYarman (of The Manga Test Drive) and host Ashley dive into The Full-Time Wife Escapist’s (very good) takes on alternatives to traditional marriage, family generally, and employment in particular (scheduling out twice-monthly hug dates may not be as weird and emotionless as it seems!). Plus, there’s plenty of gushing about the respectful representation of older virgins, a nice in-depth character walkthrough of the main cast (Mikuri, Hiramasa, Kazami, Yuri), and a helpful quiz to figure out what job Mikuri should be pursuing with her psychology degree.

EPISODE CHAPTER TIME CODES

• Intro: 0:00 to 5:19
• SPOILERS AFTER 5:19
• Character walkthrough: 5:30 to 21:15
• Proverbs: 21:16 to 23:45
• Alternative relationship structures: 23:45 to 29:45
• Alternative business ideas: 29:45 to 35:10
• Alternative family structures: 35:10 to 38:10
• Art corner: 38:10 to 42:35
• Quiz: 42:35 to 50:00
• Shipping corner: 50:00 to 57:30
• Final thoughts/outro: 57:30 to end

LINKS

• This series is available from Kodansha USA
• This manga was the basis for a very popular drama in Japan that, at the time of this podcast episode’s publication, isn’t available in English. But you can watch a trailer from the TBS Company (with subtitles) here.
• Also you may remember some “koi dance” videos from a few years ago. Those were based on the ED for the above-mentioned drama. Definitely check out this one done by folks working at the American Embassy in Japan for Christmas 2016.
• If you don’t like reading manga digitally, tell Kodansha which of their digital-first initiatives you’d like to see in print via this survey. (Be sure to include The Full-Time Wife Escapist!)
• Mitsurou Kubo (creator of Yuri on Ice)
• Tokyo Tarareba Girls is a Kodansha digital-first series that is now getting a print run. Volume 1 came out recently. Listen to our episode about this amazing Akiko Higashimura work (creator of Princess Jellyfish).
• Quiz: This quiz will show you the job that best fits your work style (Quartz at Work)
• Outro song: “Koi” by Gen Hoshino

SOCIAL

• Read Megan’s manga reviews on The Manga Test Drive
• Follow Megan on Twitter @brainchild129
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Twitter @shojoandtell
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Instagram
• Follow Ashley on Twitter @AshMcD00

Comments, questions, concerns? Want to tell us how cute you think Mikuri and Hiramasa are? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers volumes 10-18 of Fushigi Yugi by Yu Watase

We’re back to talk about the strange saga of Fushigi Yugi’s ending and how Tamahome became Taka, or Taka was always Taka but he allowed Tamahome to exist, one’s a shadow, something like that. Just trust us on this one. Ashley, Caitlin, and Jess also discuss how Miaka and Yui have matured after one of them was consumed by a dragon god (oh, they also graduated middle school), how a young Yu Watase may have been underestimating the power of shojo manga, and, most importantly, everybody weighs in on which of the Celestial Warriors has the best hair.

LINKS

• Fushigi Yugi (and Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden) is available from Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line
• Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki is currently running in Japan
• Request Viz to pick up Byakko Senki
• So here’s why Ashley butchered Caitlin’s intro: Ashley’s partner Jeff (who works at Viz) has a sibling who had a blog called Heroine Sheik, and Caitlin runs a site called I Have a Heroine Problem (link below), and Ashley’s brain conflated those two and then her mouth said the wrong thing. So there you go.
• Watase’s negative experiences with her editor working on Arata: The Legend
• The Byakko warrior whose name we couldn’t remember was Tokaki
• Anime Feminist also did watchalong podcasts for the FY anime if you need more FY talk
• Outro song: “Itoshii Hito no Tame ni” by Akemi Sato (Fushigi Yugi opening theme), which you can buy in Japanese iTunes

SOCIAL

• Follow Caitlin on Twitter @alltsun_nodere
• Check out Caitlin’s blog, I Have a Heroine Problem
• Find Caitlin’s writings on Anime Feminist
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Twitter @shojoandtell
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Instagram @shojoandtell
• Follow Ashley on Twitter @AshMcD00

Comments, questions, concerns? Need to gush about your OTP? Want to tell us who you think has the best hair? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers volumes 1-9 of Fushigi Yugi by Yu Watase

Watase’s classic stirs up a lot of feelings in this first Shojo & Tell episode to have three people voicing their opinions. The nostalgia goggles are definitely on for Ashley, Caitlin, and Jessica as they debate who the best celestial warrior is (NURIKO IS THE GREATEST! NO! TASUKI!), ponder the strange choice to have the Seiryu warriors be evil, and discuss how the isekai genre has evolved over the years since Fushigi Yugi (ugh, Sword Art Online). Other questions answered: Should FY get a new anime adaptation? Do luck and privilege intersect? Is Genbu Kaiden the superior FY? Is love really war?

LINKS

• Fushigi Yugi (and Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden) is available from Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line
• Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki is currently running in Japan
• Request Viz to pick up Byakko Senki
• Read more of Caitlin’s thoughts on FY in her Anime Feminist posts
• "Education mothers"
• Isekai genre
• Watase updating FY characters to her new art style
• Anime Feminist also did watchalong podcasts for the FY anime if you need more FY talk
• Outro song: “Itoshii Hito no Tame ni” by Akemi Sato (Fushigi Yugi opening theme), which you can buy in Japanese iTunes

SOCIAL

• Follow Caitlin on Twitter @alltsun_nodere
• Check out Caitlin’s blog, I Have a Heroine Problem
• Find Caitlin’s writings on Anime Feminist
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Twitter @shojoandtell
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Instagram @shojoandtell
• Follow Ashley on Twitter @AshMcD00

Comments, questions, concerns? Need to gush about your OTP? Want to tell us your favorite Celestial Warrior? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers all ten volumes of Strobe Edge by Io Sakisaka

First: Strobe Edge is an amazing title, and we take many opportunities to remind you of this throughout the episode. How do you not want to read a manga called Strobe Edge? If you need more convincing about how great this work from Io Sakisaka is, Alyssa (who runs the YouTube channel Anime Intensity) and Shojo & Tell host Ashley do a character conflicts rundown, discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of love triangles as a trope (also: Team Ren? Team Ando? Team Daiki? Why not... all of them? Or maybe we should be Team Ninako?), and gush about Sakisaka’s simple yet gorgeous art.

LINKS

• Strobe Edge is available from Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line
• Yano from Kimi ni Todoke
• So it turns out Strobe Edge isn’t about disco, but After Hours is a dope EDM yuri manga available from Viz
• Viz announced that they have licensed Sakisaka’s series Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride)
• If you would like to read some more about the “dire geometry of the love triangle”
• Manga ranking cited for the popularity of Sakisaka’s series Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare
• Heart of Manga licensing information page currently listing Ao Haru Ride on the wish list
• The anime version of Blue Spring Ride is available on Crunchyroll
• Love Quiz: Which TV Love Triangle Are You? [Buzzfeed]
• Outro song: “Like Swimming” by Broke For Free, a really awesome electronic music producer your should support!

SOCIAL

• Check out Alyssa’s YouTube channel, Anime Intensity
• Follow Alyssa on Twitter @AnimeIntensity
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Twitter @shojoandtell
• Follow Shojo & Tell on Instagram @shojoandtell
• Follow Ashley on Twitter @AshMcD00

Comments, questions, concerns? Need to gush about your OTP? Need to rant about how excited you are for Ao Haru Ride? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers volumes 9-16 of We Were There by Yuki Obata

Ultra super special guest Nancy Thistlethwaite, a senior editor for Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line, returns to do an in-depth character analysis of Nanami, Yano, Takeuchi, Yuri, and the rest of the crew in We Were There (Bokura ga Ita). (Host Ashley and Nancy may talk a little too much about Take, against their better judgment. Stop it, Take! Get out of here! Team Yano forever!) Memories, dreams, and metaphors like the internal compass are analyzed, Yano's t-shirts are harshly judged (Yano! You have better shirts than that!), and Ashley definitely overuses the word “poignant.” But seriously, this manga is really really poignant!

LINKS

• We Were There is available from Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line (obviously!)
• Other series Nancy has worked on: Vampire Knight, Ouran High School Host Club
• Outro song: “Kimidakewo” by Mi (opening to the We Were There anime)

SOCIAL

• Follow Nancy on Twitter @nthistlethwaite
• Follow Shojo Beat on Twitter @shojobeat
• Follow Shojo Beat on Tumblr
• Follow the podcast on Twitter @shojoandtell
• Follow the podcast on Instagram @shojoandtell
• Follow Ashley on Twitter @AshMcD00

Comments, questions, concerns? Want to tell us how unfair we’ve been to Takeuchi? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.