Muse: When looking for a title to read in a genre as wide as shoujo manga, it’s hard to know where to start.
Helen: Especially when a lot of the titles look so similar!
Muse: And despite stereotypes, not all shoujo manga is all sparkles and “boy meets girl” stories either. However, with the wide amount of titles available, some true gems get swept under the rug or have started to fade from memory.
Helen: So this is where we come in: The two of us have loved shoujo for a long time and we’re a little sad that we don’t see as much discussion about the series we used to love, both the “boy meets girl” romances and many other kinds of stories. So, let’s tell people about them!
Muse: During the summer, we’ll be sharing those titles in this column, which we’re calling Shoujo You Should Know!
Helen: And since this is going to be a collaborative project, we’re going to have two types of reviews: joint reviews between the both of us for series that are near and dear to both of us, and then separate reviews for some others. It’ll be enough for a full summer of shoujo because who DOESN’T want to sit in air conditioning and read manga all summer?
Muse: We’re hoping that through this column you will discover not only series that you’re never read before but will also remember some old favorites.
Helen: This is totally not an excuse for me to binge re-read some of my favorite magical girl series this summer, nuh-uh!
Muse: Nope, not at all!
Helen: So look forward to one or two reviews each week and if you think we’ve missed something great, recommend it to us, we’re always looking for new reads too!