Shojo Friend
Encyclopedia
was a shōjo manga magazine formerly published by Kodansha
, beginning in 1962. Kodansha used the knowledge gained from publishing magazines aimed at young girls, including Nakayoshi
and Shōjo Club, as well as the experience from publishing Weekly Shonen Magazine
. Shōjo Friend is considered the successor to Shōjo Club. In 1963, Shueisha
began publishing Margaret
, and the two magazines became fierce competitors. Shogakukan
entered the market competition in 1968 with Shōjo Comic
.
During this time, popular series such as Haikara-san ga Tōru
(by Waki Yamato
) and Seito Shokun!
(by Yōko Shōji
) were published in Shōjo Friend. Despite the popularity of these series, the circulation began to decline and the magazine dropped from weekly to bi-monthly publication, and then finally to monthly publication.
The final issue was released in September 1996, an event which surprised many people as Shōjo Friend had been ranked third, following Nakayoshi and Ribon
. The cessation of publication was reported widely in the TV news as well. The remaining content which was supposed to have been published in Shōjo Friend was absorbed in Dessert and The Dessert as special inserts through 1999.
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
, beginning in 1962. Kodansha used the knowledge gained from publishing magazines aimed at young girls, including Nakayoshi
Nakayoshi
is a shōjo manga magazine published by Kodansha in Japan. First published in December 1954, it is a long-running magazine with over 50 years worth of manga publication history. The target demographic for Nakayoshi is aimed at young girls between...
and Shōjo Club, as well as the experience from publishing Weekly Shonen Magazine
Weekly Shonen Magazine
, also known as Shōnen Magazine, is a shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, first published on 17 March 1959. Despite some unusual censorship policies , it's mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college...
. Shōjo Friend is considered the successor to Shōjo Club. In 1963, Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
began publishing Margaret
Margaret (magazine)
is a biweekly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha, primarily for girls from 11 to 15 years old, although some stories are read by adult women. It was first released as a weekly magazine in 1963. In 2009, the circulation was 154,584...
, and the two magazines became fierce competitors. Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
entered the market competition in 1968 with Shōjo Comic
Shojo Comic
is a shōjo manga magazine published twice monthly in Japan by Shogakukan since 1968. It was originally published weekly and it continued to be published weekly until the 1980s. Many influential shōjo manga ran in Shōjo Comic during the 70s. Moto Hagio's works and Keiko Takemiya's works in...
.
During this time, popular series such as Haikara-san ga Tōru
Haikara-san ga Toru
, also known as Smart-san or Mademoiselle Anne, is a Japanese shōjo manga series by Waki Yamato. It was serialized by Kodansha in the magazine Shōjo Friend from 1975 to 1977...
(by Waki Yamato
Waki Yamato
is a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in 1966 with the short story Dorobou Tenshi.Since this debut, Yamato steadily created and published a variety of works in the genre of shōjo manga...
) and Seito Shokun!
Seito Shokun!
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yoko Shoji. It is serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo Friend from 1977 to 1984. The individual chapters were published into 24 tankōbon by Kodansha between February 1978 and June 1985...
(by Yōko Shōji
Yoko Shoji
is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for writing Seito Shokun! , for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1978.- External links :*...
) were published in Shōjo Friend. Despite the popularity of these series, the circulation began to decline and the magazine dropped from weekly to bi-monthly publication, and then finally to monthly publication.
The final issue was released in September 1996, an event which surprised many people as Shōjo Friend had been ranked third, following Nakayoshi and Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
. The cessation of publication was reported widely in the TV news as well. The remaining content which was supposed to have been published in Shōjo Friend was absorbed in Dessert and The Dessert as special inserts through 1999.
Manga serializations
- Akane-chan (Tetsuya ChibaTetsuya Chibais a Japanese manga artist famous for his sports stories.He was born in Tokyo, Japan, but lived most of his early childhood in Manchuria when it was still a Japanese colony during the Second Sino-Japanese War. His father was working in a paper factory during that time they lived in China. One of...
) - Haikara-san ga TōruHaikara-san ga Toru, also known as Smart-san or Mademoiselle Anne, is a Japanese shōjo manga series by Waki Yamato. It was serialized by Kodansha in the magazine Shōjo Friend from 1975 to 1977...
(Waki YamatoWaki Yamatois a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in 1966 with the short story Dorobou Tenshi.Since this debut, Yamato steadily created and published a variety of works in the genre of shōjo manga...
) - Misokkasu (Tetsuya Chiba)
- Princess KnightPrincess Knightis a Japanese manga that ran through four serializations from 1954 to 1968, as well as a 1967 Japanese children's animated series. It was dubbed into English and brought over to Western audiences in 1970, where it was called Choppy and the Princess. In 1973, this series was dubbed in Portuguese and...
(Osamu TezukaOsamu Tezukawas a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
, 1967 version) - Seito Shokun!Seito Shokun!is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yoko Shoji. It is serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo Friend from 1977 to 1984. The individual chapters were published into 24 tankōbon by Kodansha between February 1978 and June 1985...
(Yōko ShōjiYoko Shojiis a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for writing Seito Shokun! , for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1978.- External links :*...
)