Covers all ten volumes of Strobe Edge by Io Sakisaka

First: Strobe Edge is an amazing title, and we take many opportunities to remind you of this throughout the episode. How do you not want to read a manga called Strobe Edge? If you need more convincing about how great this work from Io Sakisaka is, Alyssa (who runs the YouTube channel Anime Intensity) and Shojo & Tell host Ashley do a character conflicts rundown, discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of love triangles as a trope (also: Team Ren? Team Ando? Team Daiki? Why not... all of them? Or maybe we should be Team Ninako?), and gush about Sakisaka’s simple yet gorgeous art.

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Comments, questions, concerns? Need to gush about your OTP? Need to rant about how excited you are for Ao Haru Ride? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers volumes 9-16 of We Were There by Yuki Obata

Ultra super special guest Nancy Thistlethwaite, a senior editor for Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line, returns to do an in-depth character analysis of Nanami, Yano, Takeuchi, Yuri, and the rest of the crew in We Were There (Bokura ga Ita). (Host Ashley and Nancy may talk a little too much about Take, against their better judgment. Stop it, Take! Get out of here! Team Yano forever!) Memories, dreams, and metaphors like the internal compass are analyzed, Yano's t-shirts are harshly judged (Yano! You have better shirts than that!), and Ashley definitely overuses the word “poignant.” But seriously, this manga is really really poignant!

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Comments, questions, concerns? Want to tell us how unfair we’ve been to Takeuchi? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers volumes 1-8 of We Were There by Yuki Obata

Super special guest Nancy Thistlethwaite, a senior editor for Viz Media’s Shojo Beat line, discusses the first half of the beautiful and devastating series We Were There with host Ashley. Nancy and Ashley get into why Obata’s work didn’t take off in America, which scenes punched them in the gut the most, why people who don’t ship Yano and Nanami just don’t get it, and find out which Disneyland Land Nanami is. Plus, you find out that Ashley really loves Yano’s t-shirts.

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Comments, questions, concerns? Want to tell us how much you also love Yano’s t-shirts and think Take lacks a personality? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

We’re going on a Japan trip! Ashley’s been on vacation in Japan for the past two weeks, and has gone on some manga-related adventures (and many non-manga-related adventures). She and her romantic partner/Viz Media employee/travel companion Jeff Ruberg discuss the Kimi ni Todoke exhibit at Tokyo Anime Center, how it compares to the ongoing Shonen Jump exhibit, what it’s like seeing the spring cherry blossoms and going to themed cafes, and generally what their favorite activity on this trip has been.

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Comments, questions, concerns? Want to let us know which city is better, Kyoto or Tokyo? Have a manga you really want us to get to sooner rather than later? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com, leave a comment on the episode page, or tweet us.

Covers all three volumes of QQ Sweeper by Kyousuke Motomi

Spring is finally here! So Ashley and Laura prepare to start spring cleaning by first reading QQ Sweeper. Which is legit about sweeping. Like, with a broom. A plain old broom. Sure, it's also about exorcisms and supernatural stuff and punching giant centipedes, but mostly, it's about sweeping. And it is SO GOOD. Ashley and Laura get to the heart of what a Cinderella story even is, why this series has a sequel called Queen's Quality, the power of cleaning in real life and in metaphor, and take a quiz on how to properly clean your kitchen. (Sorry. Only your kitchen will be spotless. Kyutaro is very disappointed.)

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Comments, questions, concerns? Want to give us your speculations on why QQ Sweeper stopped after three volumes and has a sequel? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers: I.O.N., Short-Tempered Melancholic and Other Stories, and Mistress Fortune, all by Arina Tanemura

Put on your frilliest dress and lace up as Loyola and Ashley discuss a bunch of one-volume manga from the author of Full Moon O Sagashite. Which of these six short stories was the best? Why exactly did Tanemura think having a lecherous 14-year-old character would be fun? Should you forget your umbrella every time it rains so your crush will be forced to share theirs with you? All that and much more is discussed in this whacky episode. Spoilers: Ashley's favorite characters were definitely Tagosaku and the infamous Truck-kun. Also, Loyola and Ashley would like to apologize to any listeners who speak Japanese; Loyola and Ashley are definitely not good at pronouncing Japanese names and terms.

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Comments, questions, concerns? Want to give us your ranking of these six short stories? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers all 6 volumes of THE KEY TO THE KINGDOM by Kyoko Shitou

Megan and Ashley discuss a very underappreciated title published by the now-defunct CMX. Many comparisons to The Vision of Escaflowne are made as discussions about dragons and fate ensue. Are the dragons a metaphor for nuclear weapons? Do Gaius and Badd have a thing for each other? Just what kind of leader is Asta, anyway? Why the heck did you never hear about this gorgeous manga?! All your pressing questions about just what the heck the Key to the Kingdom even is will be answered here.

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Comments, questions, concerns? Want to gush about your OTP and favorite series? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Shojo is sweet

Here are strange ships

Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a bonus episode where we asked various people to answer this question: If you could ship any characters across shojo series, who would you ship and why? The answers may surprise you. Especially since Ashley cheats and takes protagonists from a shonen manga instead.

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Comments, questions, concerns? Want to let us know who you would ship across shojo canons? Have a suggestion on what to do for a special White Day episode? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com, leave a comment on the episode page, or tweet us.

Covers all 9 volumes of TOKYO TARAREBA GIRLS by Akiko Higashimura

This episode, Ashley and Amelia discuss a josei series for the first time on the podcast. What if, what if, we told you “Tokyo Tarareba Girls” is one of the best manga of the decade? What if, what if, you’ve never read a more relatable manga than this in your life? What if, what if, we told you to stop lollygagging around and read this manga right now? As you’ll find out from our heartfelt and earnest discussion, this story about women looking to settle down before they reach 40 will hit you hard in the feels. Also KEY SUCKS, Team Hayasaka forever!

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Comments, questions, concerns? Want to gush about your OTP and favorite series? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.

Covers all of MILLENNIUM SNOW by Bisco Hatori

In the 10 years between the publication of the second and third volume of “Millennium Snow,” Bisco Hatori went off and wrote this little-known manga called “Ouran High School Host Club.” How did that affect this short and sweet four-volume manga? How does this vampire and werewolf love triangle compare to the infamous Twilight Saga? (Hint: It's much better.) How does it handle the themes of morality and time? Ashley and Caitlin discuss all that, and much, much more.

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Comments, questions, concerns? Want to gush about your OTP and favorite series? Have suggestions for the show? Email shojoandtell [at] gmail.com or simply leave a comment on the episode page.