In the past two weeks, the world has lost many stars: Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, Billy Mays, and Michael Jackson were all tragically taken from us. Now another star has been lost as Viz Media’s Shojo Beat has just released Volume 5, Issue 7, and the magazine’s final issue.
[hidepost]Shojo Beat is a shojo manga magazine formerly published by Viz Media in North America to be the sister magazine to their previously running publication, Shonen Jump. The magazine featured segments from six different manga series at a time, as well as articles on Japanese culture, anime, fashion, and beauty. The manga series featured in Shojo Beat were romance and fantasy series and included: Absolute Boyfriend, Baby and Me, Backstage Prince, Crimson Hero, Gaba Kawa, Godchild, Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~, Honey and Clover, Honey Hunt, Kaze Hikaru, Nana, Sand Chronicles, Vampire Knight, and Yume-Kira: Dream Shoppe.
Viz Media released the first issue of Shojo Beat in June of 2005 with the image of Nana Komatsu from the manga NANA featured on the cover. The magazine started with six manga titles: Crimson Hero, Kaze Hikaru, Baby & Me, Godchild, NANA, and Absolute Boyfriend. Moko, the magazine’s famous panda mascot was first introduced in the October 2005 issue of Shojo Beat.
Shojo Beat was a great magazine that brought previews of excellent manga series as well as gorgeous and hopelessly romantic animated men right to our front doors. It kept us all “in the know” and well informed about all the trends that came straight from the land of the rising sun. The magazine will be missed by thousands of loyal readers who all share the hope that when the recession recedes, Viz Media will reconstitute the publication and bring a little romance back into our lives.[/hidepost]
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