Into the Shoujo-Verse

The girls reflect on ways in which shoujo has impacted their decisions, views, and personally held beliefs. Or...just their wallet. Its Summosa, Azayan, Bees, and Nikki closing out Season 2 of Into the Shoujoverse! Thank you, as always, for listening and supporting us.

Why does this shoujo podcast keep reviewing shounen? Because women can enjoy shounen, too. Join Sho-chan, Miso, and Azayan for a thorough review of the latest JJK movie with spoiler and spoiler free sections. 

Bees and Summosa sit down and review a shoujo-verse favorite, Promise Cinderella by Tachibana Oreco. If you haven't been reading this romance shoujo, you should fix that! This episode covers chapters 1-74. It is currently licensed and translated by Comikey.

It's time to talk about the hugely popular BL webnovel/webtoon/anime series! But first, is it Heaven's Official? Heaven Official's? Huh? Miso, Nikki, and Bees straighten that out first and then go on to discuss their impressions of the various iterations of the series. For perhaps the first time, the girls are not unanimous in their views! Bonus: Aza's fiancee, Serg, reveals some behind-the-scenes information on the Chinese web novel translation and editing process.

What a treat we have for you today, friends. Aza is joined by her fiancee, Serg, to review a treasure from the golden days of anime. Or is it? Please enjoy this nostalgic episode from out of nowhere.

We got all your deres here, tsundere, yandere, the rare dandere. Instructors Nikki, Summosa, and Miso give us the rundown on the standard character types with plenty of examples, especially from Gakuen Alice. They even give themselves and the other girls the dere treatment. Are they right? What type of dere are you? Find out now! P.S. I am absolutely a tsundere you guys don't know me at all. -Aza

Bees is back with a review of Demon Slayer season 2, accompanied by Aza. Don't worry, if you haven't seen or finished it yet you can listen to the beginning for a spoiler free analysis. Once you have, please join us for the rest of the episode where we express strong feelings. Yes, good and bad.

You 18 yet? We're asking in a not creepy way. Bees and Nikki have a very sophisticated discussion on the world of adult manga aimed at women. With the help of alcohol they break down smut tropes, why its enjoyable to read, and what disgusts them. Please join us for this titillating topic if you are of legal age~

Is it a bizarre aesthetic or just poor execution? Or both? Azayan, Bees, and Summosa rip in to some...interesting art style choices we commonly see in shoujo manga and anime. Some of these artists may never have seen a naked body before??? Today's episode is extra special as you can follow along with the link below and judge the images we discuss for yourself!  https://imgur.com/a/Y9cU3yc

A new BTS-inspired webtoon has appeared! Our local K-Pop stans Nikki and Miso are here to talk about their initial reactions to the first three chapters, as well as discuss the culture around K-Pop groups more broadly. K-Pop idols are just people, after all, is it weird to base a whole fictional story around their personas?

Join Miso, Nikki, and Summosa for the all-things-webtoons episode! What is a webtoon? What's the correct term for what...don't worry, we break it down. And of course, favorites and popular series, which can't be mentioned without mentioning drama adaptations. If you haven't stumbled into the world of webtoons, here is your intro!

Into the Shoujoverse is officially one year old! To celebrate, we've decided to each share our favorite and least favorite series of 2021 (or at least that we read during the last year). Join Azayan, Bees, Summosa, Sho-chan, and briefly, Miso for some casual conversation, silly tangents, and of course, shoujo. Thank you so much to all of our listeners. We look forward to another year in the shoujoverse with you!

One of the most popular and epic shoujo series out there gets a well-deserved review episode. Bees, Azayan, and Summosa offer a thorough summary, character analysis, series comparisons, and overall impressions from this sure-to-be-classic. If you haven't read or watched it yet, here's why you should! Bonus thunderstorm ambience~

Such a complex topic requires a complex approach...do Nikki, Bees, and Sho-chan think any shoujo accomplish a balanced portrayal of mental health?

Meeso (Miso), Neight (Nikki), and Ojou (Azayan) managed to defeat the individual behind the case of the missing boys. With the great evil eliminated, there's only one thing left to do: solve the puzzle to free those beautiful boys. This proves to be more difficult for them than DM Bees was anticipating. 

In a world where people can't reincarnate or transmigrate into their favorite otome games, three women come together to discuss their thoughts on the Isekai genre. It's taken the entire anime community by storm for the past few years. Some is good, some is bad, but most of it is just the same. Summosa, Nikki, and Miso are here to reveal it all.

It's time for the BOSS FIGHT. Meeso (Miso), Neight (Nikki), and Oujo (Azayan) discover who is behind the disappearance of the school's prettiest boys. Can they save them?! DM-ed and written by the glorious Bees. Music in the background from https://www.FesliyanStudios.com

Summosa, Miso, and Azayan dunk on the garbage of the shoujo world, the stuff that makes our skin crawl. Join us in our assault on what should never have been put on paper. Disagree with our assessments? Give us your defense on any of our social media sites @theshoujoverse.

Its time to find out what our brave adventurers found in the room in the book! Dungeon Master Bees takes Neight (Nikki), Oujo (Aza), and Meeso (Miso) into a secret lair and they experience their first combat. Its a bit rough due to some bad rolls, but they pull through in the end. And we added combat music!

Buckle in, this is a long one. Bees, Miso, Nikki, and Aza talk about beauty in manga; what constitutes beauty and how it can be harmful. As always, the girls provide series that push harmful beauty tropes and ideas and series that turn those ideas on their head. Does it always lead back to male dominance....?

Believe it or not, some people think so, and we have the MAL forum posts to prove it. Bees, Summosa, and Nikki talk about why certain people seem to hold this view and combat the nonsense. After explaining what it is that "feminists" are complaining about in anime and offering examples, they also provide some recommendations for those who haven't given shoujo or even just non-shounen a try. Also for some reason learn all about vanity license plates.

Part 2 of the Dungeons and Dragons adventure run by Bees! The investigation continues as Ojou Sama, Neight, and Meeso (Azayan, Nikki, and Miso) head to Professor Respect's classroom to look for clues to find the missing boys! 

A very special DnD adventure begins! Don't worry if you aren't familiar with Dungeons and Dragons- its easy to follow along as Dungeon Master Bees guides adventurers Azayan, Nikki, and Miso through a magical academy full of ikemen, crazed fangirls, and of course, tropes!

We're back with season 2 and we're kicking it off with Summosa and Miso in a very intellectual and not at all giggly episode about BL. The girls discuss some notable series and tropes of the genre as well as some juicy drama about Lehzin, a notable site for BL manga. And for some reason waterpolo...

Wow, everyone. Thank you so much for sticking with us through our first season! We've got the whole crew together here (except for Summosa, sadly) to entertain you with life updates and a ridiculous game of Marry/Kiss/Kill. Stay tuned through the end for info on Season 2! Its been our pleasure entertaining you, we look forward to continuing to do so.

We're finally here at the finale, everyone. Azayan, Sho-chan, and Nikki dump all their final feels, reacting to each character's arc wrapping up, what worked, what didn't. And of course, we address the MAL controversy and general attitudes towards shoujo anime lately. Its been a long journey, thank you so much for joining us! Goodbye, Furuba.

At last, Kyo and Tohru, Yuki and Machi: confession time! Azayan, Miso, and Nikki review the penultimate episodes of the last season of Fruits Basket. Its been a long journey. The girls give their final impressions on the show's key relationships, especially Shigure's and Akito's, as well as postulate on what we'll see in episode 13. 

One episode just wasn't enough. We're back to bashing tropes with Nikki, Bees, Aza, and Sho-chan, and this time its personal. Bonus PSA on contraceptives....?...!...?

We're so close to the finale, only 3 episodes left! Sho-chan and Nikki discuss all of the lovely Kyoru content we've been given and what more is to come, as well as all the loose ends that are tying themselves up.

Its a more serious episode today as Bees, Azayan, and Summosa discuss their own disabilities and how various disabilities are represented in shoujo manga. Key works discussed are Perfect World, A Silent Voice, and A Sign of Affection. Is there enough representation of physical disabilities in shoujo? Is the representation quality? Why do we need this representation? Consider these critical questions and more with us through a shoujo lens.

Akito has a knife and Bees and Miso can't remember anyone's name because these episodes are just TOO. PAINFUL. Are you brave enough to see this show through to the end?! If not, we got you covered with our summaries but please try, everyone. Please suffer with us.

Let's talk about that genre that often gets lumped in with and confused for shoujo. Our girls break down some key differences and why despite being full grown adults, we still enjoy reading shoujo. We also get some great recs and some series to steer clear of (unless you want the train wreck) in today's episode from Nikki, Miso, Bees, and Summosa.

Halfway through the season! Sho-chan offers a little empathy for Akito and a lot of love for Momiji and his glow up. Azayan tries to defend Shigure but she just can't. Both of them bask in the warmth of the sunset that sets the scene for some TohruxKyo action. Enjoy this latest praise for and analysis of Furuba!

Azayan, Summosa and Nikki breakdown the past 100 years of shoujo content, citing significant authors, their works, and other events that shaped shoujo into what it is today. We learned a lot in our research for today's episode and so will you! You might just want to get a tattoo after this? Articles used in research: https://www.yuricon.com/oldessays/10-minute-shoujo-history-lesson/ https://epicstream.com/features/The-History-and-Importance-of-Girls-Manga https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1480887 Images mentioned in episode: http://www.callenreese.com/fire8.jpg https://64.media.tumblr.com/3ff9ceac57042dd97708009ef5d0594d/531ed916b5efdb21-72/s1280x1920/4c7d93caa86a07c4fcc5dab53f177cbfc5161be2.png

Wow, a lot to unpack here. Nikki, Miso, and Azayan discuss the dynamics of the Soma family and their feelings about Akito. Love her or hate her, she is a piece of work. We ask for your understanding with background noise as we all in live in situations where it is unavoidable. Thank you!

When reading shoujo manga, there's a certain amount of suspending disbelief, but we can only go so far with that, right? Summosa, Miso, Sho-chan and Azayan break down the unrealistic, and often baffling aspects of shoujo that we just can't translate to reality. This episode features plenty of juicy anecdotes, Tiktok conspiracies, and as always- man hating. No no, just kidding. We aren't manhaters, we swear.

A special review episode for a record-breaking movie! Bees breaks down her thoughts on the shounen hit. Haven't seen it yet? Don't worry, the first part is spoiler-free for anyone still on the fence or unable to watch it yet, and the second part dives into the details for those who have already had the pleasure of watching.

At last, it's time to review the final season of Fruits Basket! Bees and Sho-chan dive in to the dramatic opening of the final season with enthusiasm. If you listened to our review of Horimiya, you'll notice a stark contrast to today's episode. Our girls are all in on this one. Jump on the pain train with us as we explore the simultaneously wholesome and cruel exploits of Furuba's cast.

Nikki, Miso, and Bees take a look at what shoujo manga can teach us. From practical skills, like cooking, to good mental health practices, like recognizing a toxic relationship, they cover it all. And of course, we have to point out manga that have no business teaching anyone anything. Bonus: Nikki shares a wholesome story about a cardboard man and we learn a new vocab word- "queer baiting."

This is it, everyone. The final roast of Horimiya. Our girls Nikki, Sho-chan, and Miso unleash their harshest criticisms yet. Sort of. As usual, they offer detailed analysis of episodes 12 and 13 and final impressions, good and bad, of the series as a whole. How does your rating compare to theirs? Be sure to share your thoughts with us on any of our social media platforms!  https://shoujoverse.carrd.co/

Why are there so few shoujo anime? Miso, Nikki, Sho-chan and Summosa discuss the lack of anime adaptations for our beloved genre, which ones have been adapted and which ones we want to see adapted. With the recent reboot of Fruits Basket, we have hope we'll get more in the future. 

Miso and Summosa begin by addressing the controversy over homophobic comments made in episode 10 with help from Bees. We have no tolerance for jokes made at the expense of the LGBTQ+ community. The girls found episode 11 much more enjoyable, getting back to their critical but fair analysis of the show. Today's tangent features relics of the early 2000's, such as fax machines and everyone's favorite paper clip. 

We all know them and love them...or do we? Today, Bees, Aza and Miso rip apart our beloved(?) shoujo manga cliches, starting with a hefty discussion on age gaps. By the end of the episode, we may have just written the outline for the ultimate shoujo manga and simultaneously convinced our viewers to get vaccinated! ........???????

At last! An episode the girls seemed to thoroughly enjoy?! Join Summosa and Sho-chan for an unusually positive review of Horimiya episodes 8 and 9. At the end, the two provide several recommendations that are similar to Horimiya. And then they try to remember what our social media tags are. Seriously. Its hilarious.

A continuation of episode 3 resumes with Azayan, Sho-chan, and Summosa getting into modern era shoujo. Once again, they debate which manga deserve the title of "classic" vs "popular," while thoroughly exploring the genre as a whole. Did your favorite series make the cut? 

This time, Sho-chan and Nikki continue their thorough analysis of each episode. While some moments in Horimiya cause them to scratch their heads, other moments cause their hearts to go kyun! They also reveal their preferences in men's hair length...are you into long-haired men like Miyamura?

The shoujo girls take us back to the roots of shoujo manga, naming and evaluating works that have shaped the manga industry and continue to rank in the top shoujo of all time. Sho-chan, Summosa, and Aza also break down "classic" vs "popular" and debate which manga are deserving of these titles. We also got on a tangent about Madoka Magica for some reason.

Nikki and Summosa review Horimiya episodes 4 and 5, offering insight into differences between the manga publication and anime as well as detailed analysis of character growth and pacing. Has their opinion changed at all since episode 1?

In this episode, Bees, Azayan, and Sho-chan discuss what a shojo title is comprised of and offer series that might interest those who are new to shoujo and fans of shounen anime. Bees and Azayan have a diplomatic disagreement?!

Miso and Sho-chan discuss their thoughts on the latest Horimiya episodes. Enjoy their in depth analysis and manga comparisons as they struggle to find something they actually liked, while Azayan ignores their pleas to edit out an embarrassing moment.