This episode discusses Miyuki-chan in Wonderland and The One I Love by Clamp A short episode to discuss two short Clamp works. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her husband/journey-through-all-of-Clamp-buddy Asher recognize that hentai Miyuki-chan was perhaps.... just not at all for them. And also isn't meant to be taken seriously anyway. Which is good, because neither Ash really enjoyed it. Then there's The One I Love, which feels like a strange gender experiment gone wrong. To quote Asher: It feels gender essentialist and "homework-y." The best we can say is we did our homework assignments of ..read more

Covers all three volumes of Legal Drug by Clamp Get ready to get high. And horny. And gay. And paid. Okay, to be honest, we're not sure what the drug is, or that it's legal, but hey, we're here to talk about it anyway. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her husband Asher continue their Clamp journey with Legal Drug, which is technically complete, in the same way that QQ Sweeper is complete (which is to say: Not at all, because there's a sequel, Drug & Drop, and it's been on hiatus for forever). None of the central mysteries of Legal Drug is solved within the confines of the volumes. Well, wh ..read more

Covers all of the original The Poe Clan series by Moto Hagio It's time to talk about the gay vampires who built shojo manga. Year 24 author Moto Hagio, one of the most influential names in shojo, tells the tale of the Poe clan, a group composed of immortal vampirnella who turn the young siblings, Edgar and Marybelle, into one of their kind. Edgar turns his classmate, Alan Twilight, into a vampire, and the two go gallivanting through the forest like fairies. (Okay, they go on other adventures over the decades, too.) Vrai Kaiser, a managing editor at Anime Feminist, explains The Poe Clan's place ..read more

This episode discusses all volumes (1-5) of Juline by Narumi Kakinouchi. When you think "shojo manga," you typically don't think "ninjas." But that's just a stereotype, and we're here to defy stereotypes. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and Megan DeYarman, of the sites Manga Test Drive and Renaissance Josei, talk about Juline, a manga series from animator Narumi Kakinouchi (of Vampire Princess Miyu fame). The titular Juline, along with other young female ninjas Bakuya and Seika (and inevitable male love interest Kio), are looking for male relatives and lovers who have disappeared. They encounter ..read more

We discuss the two shojo manga versions of Cowboy Bebop: Cowboy Bebop by Hajime Yatate [Sunrise staff] and Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star by Cain Kuga Ask an anime fan above the age of 30 what their favorite anime is, and chances are high they'll say Cowboy Bebop. The music, the animation, the mood — it's iconic. And then there are the two shojo manga iterations of Cowboy Bebop, which have largely been lost to the sands of time (and then, there's the Netflix live action version...). Shojo and Tell host Ashley and her husband, Asher, read both of these severely out of print manga adaptations, and ..read more

This episode discusses all volumes (1-8) of The Vision of Escaflowne by Katsu Aki The Vision of Escalfowne is the anime that got Shojo and Tell host Ashley into anime. It sparked one of only a handful of great obsessions in Ashley's life. It's probably the reason this podcast exists at all. Katsu Aki's shonen manga version of the story is..... not like the anime you know and love. It's explicitly billed as a shonen series, and it's all downhill from there. Instead of being a badass track and field star with short hair who saves Van and Allen more times than anyone in the series bothers to coun ..read more

Wondering if you should pick up Lord Hades' Ruthless Marriage by Ueji Yuho? Ashley and Asher discuss the first volume of this new manga published by Yen Press, in which Lord Hades has been shot by one of Eros' arrows and thus is fated to fall in love. But not without a lot of hijinks happening first, harem manga style. This is a short review of Lord Hades' Ruthless Marriage volume 1. REFERENCES Lord Hades' Ruthless Marriage is available from Yen Press Other Greek mythology-inspired media we mentioned: Percy Jackson series Circe by Madeline Miller The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Neon ..read more

This episode discusses volumes 8–15 of Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts by Yu Tomofuji. Sariphi has gone from ritual sacrifice to acting queen, but she's still working to gain the respect of members of beastkind. In this episode about the back half of Tomofuji's series, Mackenzie from Mac Loves Manga and Shojo and Tell host Ashley break down the highlights. We get to talk more about our favorite hyena boy, Lante, and his heartwarming worldviews; crotchety Anubis and the amazing journey he went on (where he got stabbed at least twice); the power of Sariphi, particularly in the arc wi ..read more

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 ..read more

Discusses all of the manga Codename: Sailor V by Naoko Takeuchi. Before there was Sailor Moon, there was Sailor V. Or... maybe? Is that how the timeline lines up? Well, anyway. We're continuing our journey with the Sailor Guardians by discussing the prequel/sequel/???? to Sailor Moon, which is all about Minako/Sailor Venus. Minako superfans Honey and Vixen explain how Usagi and Minako differ, why Sailor Venus is their favorite Sailor Guardian, and why everyone should be on Team Minako. Shojo & Tell host Ashley has to admit that Minako makes a lot more sense after reading this superhero gag ..read more