Shoujo manga magazines

How serialisation works

A series usually begins in a magazine, one chapter at a time, weekly, every two weeks or monthly. When enough chapters exist, the publisher collects them into a volume called a tankōbon. This is the book that licensed publishers in other countries translate. The magazine decides the label, so the same artist can be shoujo in one magazine and josei in another.

The main magazines

• Nakayoshi (Kodansha, 1954): Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Revolutionary Girl Utena and Candy Candy.
• Ribon (Shueisha, 1955): Marmalade Boy and the magical girl series Himitsu no Akko-chan and Sally the Witch.
• Margaret (Shueisha, 1963) and Bessatsu Margaret (1964): The Rose of Versailles, Hana Yori Dango and Kimi ni Todoke.
• Hana to Yume (Hakusensha, 1974): Fruits Basket, Angel Sanctuary, Glass Mask and Yona of the Dawn.
• LaLa (Hakusensha, 1976): Ouran High School Host Club, Skip Beat! and Vampire Knight.

Nakayoshi and Ribon are often described as aimed at younger readers, and the others at older girls. Treat that as a loose guide, since each magazine has run a wide mix of stories over the years.

Shojo Beat in English

Viz Media launched Shojo Beat in 2005 as an English-language magazine that carried translated serials. Its print run ended in 2009, and the shoujo imprint of the publisher continued with collected volumes. Magazines of this kind are rare outside Japan, so most readers meet shoujo through volumes.

Reading magazines today

Many Japanese magazines now have digital editions and apps. Whether you can read them depends on region and licence. The easiest route for most readers is collected volumes from licensed publishers and library loans. To place magazines in their historical setting, see the history of shoujo manga.

To find a series to try, look at the classic list or the beginner picks.