Guide 03 Independent notes
The history of shoujo manga
Shoujo manga grew out of illustrated magazines for girls, passed through a period when most creators were men, and then became a field led by women who reshaped it.
Before manga: magazines for girls
Magazines written for girls appeared in Japan in the early 1900s. Shōjo Kai began in 1902 and Shōjo no Tomo in 1908. They printed fiction, advice and illustrations, and their pictures helped set a visual image of girlhood that later manga artists inherited.
The 1950s: the first story manga for girls
After the Second World War, manga for girls took the form we know. Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight began in 1953 in the magazine Shōjo Club, and it is often named as an early story manga for girls, with a heroine who lives as both princess and knight. Nakayoshi launched in 1954 and Ribon in 1955, and both are still known names.
In these years most creators of girls' manga were men. That changed through the 1960s as more women artists joined the magazines, and by the end of the decade women drew a large share of the field.
The 1960s: weekly magazines and magical girls
Weekly magazines such as Margaret, first published in 1963, widened the audience and sped up the pace. In the same decade Ribon serialised two early magical girl stories, Himitsu no Akko-chan in 1962 and Sally the Witch in 1966, which started a line that leads straight to later series about girls with powers.
The 1970s: the Year 24 Group
The name Year 24 Group refers to a loose circle of women artists named after Shōwa 24, the Japanese year that corresponds to 1949, when many of them were born. It includes Moto Hagio, Riyoko Ikeda, Keiko Takemiya and Yumiko Oshima, among others. Not every member was born in that year, and the name was applied afterwards.
- Riyoko Ikeda's The Rose of Versailles ran in 1972 and 1973.
- Moto Hagio's The Poe Clan began in 1972, and her The Heart of Thomas followed in 1974.
- Keiko Takemiya's Toward the Terra began in 1977.
These artists brought long form storytelling, science fiction, historical drama and psychological depth to girls' magazines. Hana to Yume (1974) and LaLa (1976), both from Hakusensha, added new places for such work.
The 1990s: Sailor Moon and a global audience
In the 1990s, series such as Sailor Moon, which ran in Nakayoshi from 1991 to 1997, and its anime brought shoujo to a worldwide audience. Cardcaptor Sakura (1996 to 2000) and Fruits Basket (1998 to 2006) followed. These series became the door through which many readers outside Japan met the genre.
The 2000s and after: translation and digital reading
In the 2000s English-language publishers built shoujo lines. Viz Media launched the magazine Shojo Beat in 2005, and its print run ended in 2009. The market since then has moved towards collected volumes and digital editions from licensed publishers. New series keep appearing, and older ones return in new editions.
For the best known titles from each era, see classic shoujo manga. For the magazines themselves, see shoujo manga magazines.