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Shojo Beat is a former shojo manga magazine published by Viz Media in North America. It was first released in June 2005 as a sister magazine to Shonen Jump, it featured serialized chapters from six manga series, as well as articles on Japanese culture, manga, anime, fashion and beauty. Viz launched related "Shojo Beat" imprints in its manga, Japanese light novel, and anime divisions to coordinate with the magazine's contents.
Targeted at women ages 16–18, the first issue of Shojo Beat launched with a circulation of 20,000. By 2007, the average circulation was approximately 38,000 copies, with half coming from subscriptions rather than store sales. In May 2009, Viz announced that it was discontinuing the magazine; the July 2009 issue was the last released. Fans were disappointed at the sudden news. Industry experts felt its loss would leave female comic fans without a magazine of their own, but praised Viz for its choice to continue using the "Shojo Beat" imprint and branding for its shōjo manga and anime releases.
History[]
In February 2005, Viz Media announced the creation of a new manga anthology, Shojo Beat. Marketed as a sister publication of Viz's existing Shonen Jump, the magazine started with six manga titles: Crimson Hero, Kaze Hikaru, Baby and Me, Godchild, Nana, and Absolute Boyfriend The first issue, released in June 2005, featured Nana Komatsu of Nana on its July cover.
Yumi Hoashi was the publication's original editor-in-chief. In November 2006, Hoashi left Viz, and Marc Weidenbaum replaced him as the magazine's editor-in-chief. Weidenbaum remained the magazine's editor until February 13, 2009, when Viz announced that he had left the company, though the magazine continued to list his name in the role through the May 2009 issue. Starting with the June 2009 issue, publisher Hyoe Narita was listed as the editor-in-chief.
With the magazine's first anniversary issue, dated July 2006, Shojo Beat switched to using cyan and magenta ink tones for the manga pages rather than black-and-white. Though this mirrors the format of Japanese manga anthologies, it was a first for manga anthologies published in North America. Shojo Beat launched another redesign with the January 2007 issue. The new design included more vivid color schemes and fonts and introduced a new "Girl Hero" column to spotlight women Viz felt were charitable and selfless and who would inspire readers. The existing columns were also expanded.
In May 2009, the magazine stopped accepting new subscriptions and ceased publication with the release of the July issue. Existing Shojo Beat subscriptions were transferred to Viz's Shonen Jump magazine. With the first copy of Shonen Jump sent to former subscribers, a letter informed them of the transfer and how to request a refund for the unfilled portion of their subscriptions if they would prefer. In a press release, Viz stated that the "difficult economic climate" was behind the magazine's cancellation.
Serialized titles[]
| Title | Author/Artist | Genre | First issue | Last issue | Completed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Boyfriend | Yuu Watase | Science fiction, Romantic comedy | July 2005 | March 2008 | Yes |
| Baby and Me | Marimo Ragawa | Slice of life | July 2005 | September 2007 | Yes |
| Backstage Prince | Kanoko Sakurakoji | Romance | October 2006 | March 2007 | Yes |
| Crimson Hero | Mitsuba Takanashi | Sports, Romance | July 2005 | July 2009 | No |
| Gaba Kawa | Rie Takada | Fantasy, Magical girl | April 2008 | August 2008 | Yes |
| Godchild | Kaori Yuki | Gothic fiction, Mystery | July 2005 | June 2006 | Yes |
| Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time | Tohko Mizuno | Fantasy, Romance | October 2007 | July 2009 | Yes |
| Honey and Clover | Chica Umino | Comedy-drama, Slice of life | September 2007 | July 2009 | No |
| Honey Hunt | Miki Aihara | Romance, Drama | September 2008 | July 2009 | No |
| Kaze Hikaru | Taeko Wantanabe | Historical drama | July 2005 | September 2006 | Yes |
| Nana | Ai Yazawa | Drama, Romance | July 2005 | August 2007 | Yes |
| Sand Chronicles | Hinako Ashihara | Drama, Coming-of-age | August 2007 | July 2009 | No |
| Vampire Knight | Matsuri Hino | Supernatural, Romance | July 2006 | July 2009 | No |
| Yume Kira Dream Shoppe | Aqua Mizuto | Fantasy | April 2007 | July 2007 | Yes |
Covers[]
See also[]
| Viz Media manga magazines | ||
|---|---|---|
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