And now let's switch things around to the opposite: an old-school series set in (what were then) modern times. A series that's literally as...
May 22, 2023 • Subscribe
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Merry Month of Shojo Review #15: CIPHER
And now let's switch things around to the opposite: an old-school series set in (what were then) modern times. A series that's literally as...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #3: CANON
It figures when I need to talk about a good but overlooked shojo manga from the past, I can always turn to CMX. CANON ( Kanon ), by…
Merry Month of Shojo Review #13: OTOMEN
Shojo manga's relationship to gender performance can sometimes be kind of fraught, but this series strives to be a little more understanding...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #3: CANON
It figures when I need to talk about a good but overlooked shojo manga from the past, I can always turn to CMX. CANON ( Kanon ), by…
Merry Month of Shojo Review #13: OTOMEN
Shojo manga's relationship to gender performance can sometimes be kind of fraught, but this series strives to be a little more understanding...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #1: SKIP BEAT
The Manga Test Drive turns 11 this year! To celebrate this blog's entry into its pre-teens, we're once again going to enjoy an entire Merry...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #9: CROSS
Shojo manga loves to play with Christian imagery, but that doesn't always means it's tasteful about it. CROSS ( Juuji Kurosu ), by Sunuko A...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #19: CHERRY JUICE
It's weird to come across a shojo manga that feels so much like a shonen ecchi manga without actually being an shonen ecchi manga. CHERRY JU...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #19: PRINCE FREYA
Do you like shojo adventure stories? Are you up to date on Yona of the Dawn and seeking something else in a similar vein? This series is…
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #9: CROSS
Shojo manga loves to play with Christian imagery, but that doesn't always means it's tasteful about it. CROSS ( Juuji Kurosu ), by Sunuko A...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #20: SHIRAHIME-SYO
Let's wrap things up with a beautiful little oddity from CLAMP's library of works. SHIRAHIME-SYO, by CLAMP. First published in 1992 and fi...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #4: KARAKURI ODETTE
Sci-fi and shojo is a combination we don't see a lot of in English, and that's a real shame because this series demonstrates just what kind...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #18: CHERRY JUICE
It's weird to come across a shojo manga that feels so much like a shonen ecchi manga without actually being an shonen ecchi manga. CHERRY JU...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #19: PRINCE FREYA
Do you like shojo adventure stories? Are you up to date on Yona of the Dawn and seeking something else in a similar vein? This series is…
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #10: UNICO
Let's look at a slightly unconventional bit of old-school shojo, one that's better known for its animated adaptations than the original sour...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #1: SKIP BEAT
The Manga Test Drive turns 11 this year! To celebrate this blog's entry into its pre-teens, we're once again going to enjoy an entire Merry...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #20: SHIRAHIME-SYO
Let's wrap things up with a beautiful little oddity from CLAMP's library of works. SHIRAHIME-SYO, by CLAMP. First published in 1992 and fi...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #10: UNICO
Let's look at a slightly unconventional bit of old-school shojo, one that's better known for its animated adaptations than the original sour...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #4: KARAKURI ODETTE
Sci-fi and shojo is a combination we don't see a lot of in English, and that's a real shame because this series demonstrates just what kind...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #8: FLOCK OF ANGELS
I'm sure that the mangaka had nothing but good intentions with this one, but good intentions only get you so far with metaphors handled thi...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #8: FLOCK OF ANGELS
I'm sure that the mangaka had nothing but good intentions with this one, but good intentions only get you so far with metaphors handled thi...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #7: KAZE HIKARU
There are few Shojo Beat releases as notorious as this - not because of its content or quality, mind you, but because of how poorly it has ...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #16: STELLAR WITCH LIPS
This titles is a veritable mash-up of shojo sub-genres, along with influences both old and new. If only that mash-up were as graceful as t...
Wedding Peach, Magic Knight Rayearth, Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #7: KAZE HIKARU
There are few Shojo Beat releases as notorious as this - not because of its content or quality, mind you, but because of how poorly it has ...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #17: NEW VAMPIRE MIYU
It's time for me to take a look at a once-beloved shojo horror franchise, long forgotten but not unloved. NEW VAMPIRE MIYU ( Shin Kyuketsu H...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #17: NEW VAMPIRE MIYU
It's time for me to take a look at a once-beloved shojo horror franchise, long forgotten but not unloved. NEW VAMPIRE MIYU ( Shin Kyuketsu H...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #16: STELLAR WITCH LIPS
This titles is a veritable mash-up of shojo sub-genres, along with influences both old and new. If only that mash-up were as graceful as t...
Magic Knight Rayearth, Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Wedding Peach
Merry Month of Shojo Review #5: MAID IN HEAVEN
I swear, I'm not always trying to pick on Kodansha and their digital shojo offerings. It's just that they keep picking up the most questio...
Merry Month of Shojo Review: JOSEPHINE THE FRENCH ROSE
It's hard to believe that the only Yumiko Igarashi manga available in English is this curious little digital artifact, a shojo manga that fe...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #5: MAID IN HEAVEN
I swear, I'm not always trying to pick on Kodansha and their digital shojo offerings. It's just that they keep picking up the most questio...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #6: JOSEPHINE THE FRENCH ROSE
It's hard to believe that the only Yumiko Igarashi manga available in English is this curious little digital artifact, a shojo manga that fe...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #2: THE FIANCEE CHOSEN BY THE RING
One of the few upshots of the rise in villainess isekai stories is that it's allowed a small but particular subset of romance manga to get ...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #2: THE FIANCEE CHOSEN BY THE RING
One of the few upshots of the rise in villainess isekai stories is that it's allowed a small but particular subset of romance manga to get ...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #14: GOLDEN JAPANESQUE: A SPLENDID YOKOHAMA ROMANCE
And now here's a modern manga with an old-fashioned setting. GOLDEN JAPANESQUE: A SPLENDID YOKOHAMA ROMANCE ( Kin'iro Japanesque: Yokohama ...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #14: GOLDEN JAPANESQUE: A SPLENDID YOKOHAMA ROMANCE
And now here's a modern manga with an old-fashioned setting. GOLDEN JAPANESQUE: A SPLENDID YOKOHAMA ROMANCE ( Kin'iro Japanesque: Yokohama ...
Merry Month of Manga: TOMCATS
One of the advantages of a month of one-shots is that it gives me a chance to do some deep diving in my piles of BL books, since…
Merry Month of Manga: SMUGGLER
And now we switch gears hard, going from a sensitive and accomplished coming-of-age drama to a messy seinen crime story. SMUGGLER, by Shohe...
Merry Month of Manga: TOMCATS
One of the advantages of a month of one-shots is that it gives me a chance to do some deep diving in my piles of BL books, since…
Merry Month of Manga: SMUGGLER
And now we switch gears hard, going from a sensitive and accomplished coming-of-age drama to a messy seinen crime story. SMUGGLER, by Shohe...
Merry Month of Manga: RADIANT
Well, since I talked about Beyond the Clouds I might as well cover the other recent fantasy manga with French origins. RADIANT, by Tony Val...
Merry Month of Manga: ORFINA
It's time to take a look at another failed fantasy manga from CMX, although this one is less about fairy tale romance and more about epic ba...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #12: THE SAVIOR'S BOOK CAFE STORY IN ANOTHER WORLD
You'd think I would have loved this series, considering its older heroine and appreciation for reading as a hobby. Alas, it's an idea that'...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #12: THE SAVIOR'S BOOK CAFE STORY IN ANOTHER WORLD
You'd think I would have loved this series, considering its older heroine and appreciation for reading as a hobby. Alas, it's an idea that'...
Manga of the Month: Kageki Shojo!!
Kageki Shojo!! by Kumiko Saiki This month’s manga is about the dramatic world of theater and takarazuka! Learn more! Get it! Join our Discord!
Merry Month of Manga: DRAGON HALF
This month marks the ninth anniversary of The Manga Test Drive. It's honestly kind of fantastical that I've been doing this for so long, mu...
Merry Month of Manga: HETEROGENIA LINGUISTICO
There's a lot of fantasy manga out there, but this is the first one not to focus on a traditional hero's narrative or even fantasy food, but...
Merry Month of Manga: BLACK CLOVER
Weekly Shonen Jump doesn't dabble too much in fantasy these days, and the most recent example is...divisive, to say the least. BLACK CLOVER ...
Merry Month of Manga: INTERSPECIES REVIEWERS
Well, I guess I would have to reckon with this series someday, so I might as well take advantage of this month's theme and do so now. INTER...
Merry Month of Manga: PRINCESS PRINCE
Once upon a time, if you wanted a fairy-tale-style shojo fantasy, you had to settle for books like this. Thank goodness for progress. PRINC...
Merry Month of Manga: BEYOND THE CLOUDS
Thankfully, there are more recent fantasy series that is not only appropriate for kids, but also legitimately good all on its own. BEYOND TH...