She lives and works in Japan and has previously had her work published in Lala magazine as well!
Here’s an interview she did with Anime Feminist: https://www.animefeminist.com/interview-minami-sakai-independent-manga-artist/
Her Blue Sky account: https://bsky.app/profile/sakaimii.bsky.social
To celebrate the kickoff of autumn spooky season, I decided to do a bit of a retrospective across mang different horror shojo/Josei manga magazine covers I’ve posted over time!
I feel like light novel licenses can sometimes get lost in the deluge of various news and announcements coming out, especially when said light novels don’t have an associated anime or licensed manga, so I wanted to highlight some cool-looking Josei-muke light novels Yen Press has licensed and released (as found on their website). Some of these have Shojo/Josei manga adaptations, while others released under explicitly women-targeted imprints (or have no adaptation or imprint but are written by an award-winning female author in the case of “Lila”)
“My Birthday” was a considerably popular girls’ culture magazine that began in 1979 and ran until 2006 published by Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha (who also published Shojo manga magazines like Shojo no tomo, various My Birthday spin-offs, and notably currently publish the Josei webmagazine label Comic Ruelle).
My Birthday was envisioned as a successor to Shojo no Tomo, and published a wide variety of articles, especially ones centering around astrology, spells, fortune-telling, advice columns, reader submissions, and manga as well which released under the MB Comics imprint! Beyond these things, it held a reputation among female readers as a place to share in everyday troubles and joys with other readers.
Its heyday was in the 80s and early 90s among junior high and high school girls, and it currently has an exhibit going on at the Yayoi-Yumeji museum along with an upcoming Collector’s Edition compilation anthology for some of its articles and all 332 magazine covers. My Birthday spawned several spin-off magazines including MISTY, Bessatsu My Birthday spell comic, Pal, MoniQUE, and Petit Birthday. Most recently, MyCalendar magazine was launched in 2019 as a sister magazine to speak to the grown up female readers who hold nostalgia for My Birthday.
There is considerably little information about this magazine in English despite its popularity during its heyday, and that includes very few of its manga works being published in English. However, we do have a few titles released digitally or which are long out of print from Central Park Media including:
I realized that I’ve been making introduction write-ups about various Shojo and Josei manga magazines for a while now (we’re up to 18!), so I wanted to share a post compiling them for those new to manga magazines!
What are your favorite Shojo or Josei magazines? Did any surprise you?
Mystery Bonita Shojo Magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1jm0iia/a_love_letter_to_the_mystery_bonita_shojo_manga/
Feel Young Josei Magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1lfrntb/a_brief_introduction_to_feel_young_magazine/
Cocohana Josei Magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1lcuk72/a_brief_introduction_to_cocohana_formerly_chorus/
Ciao Shojo Magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1lsl83q/a_brief_introduction_to_ciao_shojo_magazine/
Wings Shojo Magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1lg9py6/a_brief_guide_to_wings_manga_magazine/
Princess Shojo Magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1li4ylf/a_not_so_brief_introduction_to_monthly_princess/
Flowers Shojo/Josei Magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1lkmw20/a_brief_introduction_to_flowers_magazine/
Comic It Josei Magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1o2j3ha/a_brief_introduction_to_josei_magazine_comic_it/
Sylph Pixiv Shojo magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1nz8gts/a_brief_introduction_to_shojo_magazine_sylph_now/
Halloween/Nemuki Shojo magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1qzhlxt/a_not_so_brief_introduction_to_the_monthly/
Mugen Anthology/Haruca Shojo magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1qm6y76/a_brief_introduction_to_haruca_magazine_formerly/
Lala Shojo magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1qlb7jf/a_brief_introduction_to_the_lovely_shojo_magazine/
Hana to Yume Shojo magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1qfldaj/a_brief_introduction_to_the_legendary_hana_to/
Be-Love Josei magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1qd123y/a_brief_introduction_to_be_love_magazine/
Elegance Eve Josei magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1uwhi0u/a_brief_introduction_to_elegance_eve_josei/
Dessert Shojo/Josei magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1uvh4al/a_brief_introduction_to_dessert_magazine/
Itan Josei magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1uxdu8l/a_brief_introduction_to_itan_magazine/
Monthly Asuka Shojo magazine: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1vvoj4x/a_brief_introduction_to_asuka_magazine/
I just wanted to share the light novels that I’ve read which I enjoyed and think are worth checking out for others!
Light novels are a great way to get used to reading more prose if you’re looking to read more but mostly stick to manga and/or find reading full-length novels difficult for various reasons (time, length, etc).
The world is a better place with more people reading, and I hope more people can check out these books I’ve enjoyed too😊
I read a lot of these through my library on Hoopla and Libby, so if you’re uncertain about them it’s definitely worth checking out what your library offers!
What are your favorite light novels?
I thought it would be cool to get an overview of which shojosei anime have received sequel seasons/multiple cours post-2020!
Some of these are borderline (eg ramparts was explicitly made in collaboration with Margaret’s editorial department but had the physical vols release inder the JC imprint).
Others are Josei-Muke anime-originals (eg Precure), based off of otome games, etc beyond just anime adaptations. I included short-form anime as well.
What are your favorites here? Any major missed opportunities?
For me, my favorites are My Happy Marriage and Natsume’s book of friends! The biggest missed opportunity imo was Requiem of the Rose King.
With the modern trend of anime seasons being 9-15 episodes long typically compared to the mid-2010s and earlier trends of much longer seasons, it’s tough to find a longer watch these days.
With that said, some series DO still get runs of 20+ episodes or modern follow-up seasons post-2020. Although it’s unfortunate that a chunk of the Shojo anime that do get that follow-up seasons or longer runs have downright bad animation and/or poor writing and adaptation of the source material, there are still some modern gems out there as well as some overlooked older Shojo anime with longer runs worth checking out.
To that end, this list is a combo of the shows which have received a follow-up season post-2020 or which are underrated older shows that don’t get brought up as much as the perennial favorites. Obviously the room on this list is limited, so if I left off an underrated Shojo anime with 20+ episodes you’d like to recommend, definitely do so in the comments!
In her autobiographical manga Blank Canvas, she discussed how much she loved this magazine to the point it was the one she submitted her debut one-shot manga to!
2026 marks the 50th anniversary of Cobalt, a major light novel magazine and imprint from Shueisha for literary fiction aimed at girls and women! Earlier this year they held an exhibit February-May to mark this anniversary.
The Literary magazine itself ran from 1982 to 2016, while the novel imprint is still up and running. Additionally, Shueisha launched Cobalt’s successor light novel imprint Orange Bunko in the 2010s.
Cobalt published works in a wide variety of genres including Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Contemporary, School Life, Yuri, BL, Mystery, and more. It helped launch the careers of several award-winning authors including Shinobu Suga, Fumio Yamamoto, etc.
Several anime based on works from this imprint have been made including: Earl and Fairy, Maria Watches Over Us, and Mirage of Blaze!
In honor of her being the guest-of-honor at Anime NYC 2026, I wanted to ask what fellow fans’ favorite manga of hers is?
Mine is “Blank Canvas” as it really moved me with its autobiographical nature and the very real ups and downs of normal people’s lives it portrays. From the struggles with motivation to wondering about one’s career/future to the changing nature of relationships and friendships, this manga both made me laugh and cry with equal measure 😊
I actually became curious about this after some conversations I’ve had with other fans, so I wanted to pose this question to the community!
I had initially watched TAD because I was already a fan of the Mysteries in the Imperial Court subgenre from other asian tv shows (both live-action and anime), and TAD executed its premise really really well much to my pleasure!
But in talking to other fans, I was a bit surprised that a lot of them had never really checked out this subgenre of mysteries/court intrigued in the imperial court.
So that led me to wanting to pose a question to the larger community: Was TAD your first foray into the imperial court mystery subgenre, or were you influenced to check it out because of its setting?
Asuka magazine is a Shojo manga magazine targeting 20s and older women (I could have sworn it skewed a bit younger back in the day, but this is the official demographic target as of 2026 per Kadokawa’s Kadocomi editorial team lol) published by Kadokawa that began life as “Monthly Asuka” in 1985, although it became bi-monthly as of July 2021 releasing on odd-numbered months after that. Notably, many works were transferred into Asuka when Kadokawa’s Beans Ace, Ultima Ace, and Comic Kai magazines closed in the 2010s.
The magazine runs a lot of supernatural, action and fantasy titles as well as a lot of game and light novel adaptations (eg Angelique, Psychic Detective Yakumo, Trinity Blood, Romeo x Juliet, Story of Saiunkoku [transfer from Beans Ace], Kyo Kara Maoh, The Case Records of the Biblia Bookstore, etc)
Its catchphrase is “Celebrating its 41st anniversary! ASUKA is a manga magazine that depicts tomorrow. We create a wide range of manga targeting women!”
(Funnily enough, I was inspired to make this post while browsing Comitia 2026’s Traveling Manga Editorial Department featuring editors with 100+ manga magazines giving advice to mangaka attending Comitia [https://www.comitia.co.jp/html/hensyu.html] after an author I liked linked to it, and seeing Asuka’s tagline inspired me to write more about it as I don’t think it gets mentioned often enough here).
Interestingly, we have insight into the reasoning and inspiration behind the cover revamp that occurred in 2023 from the editor-in-chief. In a quote from Natalie (machine translated), he stated “We haven't changed the logo, and we haven't really ‘renewed’ anything, including the lineup of works and the direction of the magazine. However, when I thought about what kind of cover would make me want to display it in my room, or say ‘I love this!’, and make me want to buy it just for the cover, I thought, how about having the characters have a fashion show (dress up!?)? Clothing and accessories really reflect the personality, preferences, and sense of style of both the characters and the manga artists, so I think it can bring out the charm of both the characters and the artists.”
Some notable artists/authors who have published in the magazine include CLAMP, Keiko Takemiya, Aya Shouoto, Kaoru Kurimoto, Yumiko Igarashi, Ryoko Yamagishi, Satosumi Takaguchi, Yumi Tada, Moto Hagio, Yumiko Ooshima, Akaza Samamiya, Mayu Shinjo, Yuu Morikawa, You Higuri, Sumomo Yumeka/Mizu Sahara, Chiho Saito, etc.
This helpful MAL user made a pretty comprehensive 2 part list of the Asuka Magazine series which have been published in English: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/71727 (my own personal recs for Asuka series are DNAngel, Momochi house, Bloody Mary, Hachioji Specialty, My Gemini, Guide to Monster Girls, Hades’ Ruthless Marriage, and Eccentric Doctor)
Anime adaptations:
Live-Action adaptations:
Decided to make a combined post since none of these had been posted yet and I figured 1 larger post was better than 3 smaller posts.
As a reminder, Kodansha print club is a print-on-demand imprint they have that focuses on bringing digital-only titles to print (though they also do original licenses that aren’t digital-only to start with as well).
link: https://bsky.app/profile/mangaalerts.com/post/3mtlyn77hsk2f
some other shojosei licenses from them:
- The One Within the Villainess
- Hotel Astrology
- Antengai
- My Dear a Mystery for You
I came across this screenshot of art from the “Innocent“ manga and everything about it really reminded me of Sugar Sugar Rune’s heart capture magic. Does it strike anyone else that way?
What releases are you most excited for? Did any of these surprise you?
She is best known for her work “Beyond Twilight” which runs in Nemuki+ for which she won the Japanese Media Arts Festival’s excellence award in 2006. Beyond Twilight has received 2 stage plays, a 1 season live-action andaptation, and a short-form anime adaptation. The series has sold 6 million copies as of June 2025.
Exhibit link:https://www.koshibun.jp/en/?tid=101098
Ima’s Wikipedia page:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichiko_Ima
We talk a lot about the big English manga publishers, but there are some smaller publishers putting out hidden gems in print as well! Companies for these 9 titles include Crossed Hearts, Denpa, Living the Line, Titan comics, One Peace Books, eManga/DMP, and Star Fruit Books/Glacier Bay Books (who took over Star Fruit’s catalog when its founder passed away).
Others smaller manga publishers (even if they’re part of larger companies) not featured here include Udon, Aloha Comics, Kodama Tales, Kana, Uncivilized Books, BDP Press, Inklore, Harper Alley (very large company but only 1 manga license so far), and Manga Mavericks!
What are the Shojo/Josei titles from smaller publishers you feel are underrated/lesser-known? (please try to avoid highlighting the titles that are already perennial favorites😉)
Here are my other themed posts about this:
Viz: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1vdo639/underrated_shojojosei_titles_english_publisher/
Yen Press: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1vjqzy5/underrated_shojojosei_titles_english_publisher/
Seven Seas Entertainment: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1vg9jbr/underrated_shojojosei_titles_english_publisher/
Tokyopop: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1vnaunx/underrated_shojojosei_titles_english_publisher/
Kodansha/Vertical Print: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1vp4syq/underrated_shojojosei_titles_english_publisher/
Kodansha/Vertical digital dungeon: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1vq03ko/underrated_shojojosei_titles_english_publisher/