Shojo & Tell: A Manga Podcast Ashley McDonnell

This episode discusses MIYUKI-CHAN IN WONDERLAND and THE ONE I LOVE by Clamp

A short episode to discuss two short Clamp works. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her husband/journey-through-all-of-Clamp-buddy Asher recognize that hentai MIYUKI-CHAN was perhaps.... just not at all for them. And also isn't meant to be taken seriously anyway. Which is good, because neither Ash really enjoyed it. Then there's THE ONE I LOVE, which feels like a strange gender experiment gone wrong. To quote Asher: It feels gender essentialist and "homework-y." The best we can say is we did our homework assignments of reading these for our Clamp 101 course.

Covers all three volumes of LEGAL DRUG by Clamp

Get ready to get high. And horny. And gay. And paid. Okay, to be honest, we're not sure what the drug is, or that it's legal, but hey, we're here to talk about it anyway. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her husband Asher continue their Clamp journey with LEGAL DRUG, which is technically complete, in the same way that QQ SWEEPER is complete (which is to say: Not at all, because there's a sequel, DRUG & DROP, and it's been on hiatus for forever). None of the central mysteries of LEGAL DRUG is solved within the confines of the volumes. Well, whatever. We're all just here for Kazahaya and Rikuo being in provocative poses, right? The biggest question of the episode is: Is this queerbaiting? Get ready to hear our thoughts about Clamp's fiftymillionth JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE fanfic (this one is basically the crappier version of XXXHOLIC).

Covers all of the original POE CLAN series by Moto Hagio

It's time to talk about the gay vampires who built shojo manga. Year 24 author Moto Hagio, one of the most influential names in shojo, tells the tale of the Poe clan, a group composed of immortal vampirnella who turn the young siblings, Edgar and Marybelle, into one of their kind. Edgar turns his classmate, Alan Twilight, into a vampire, and the two go gallivanting through the forest like fairies. (Okay, they go on other adventures over the decades, too.) Vrai Kaiser, a managing editor at Anime Feminist, explains THE POE CLAN's place within vampire literature, while Megan DeYarman, of the sites Manga Test Drive and Renaissance Josei, explains THE POE CLAN's and Moto Hagio's impact on the history and trajectory of shojo manga. Shojo & Tell host Ashley is just here to look pretty and facilitate.

This episode discusses all volumes (1-5) of JULINE by Narumi Kakinouchi.

When you think "shojo manga," you typically don't think "ninjas." But that's just a stereotype, and we're here to defy stereotypes. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and Megan DeYarman, of the sites Manga Test Drive and Renaissance Josei, talk about JULINE, a manga series from animator Narumi Kakinouchi (of VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU fame). The titular Juline, along with other young female ninjas Bakuya and Seika (and inevitable male love interest Kio), are looking for male relatives and lovers who have disappeared. They encounter a mysterious foe in Black Pearl (also known as Tamayo, also known as Mei). Is Tamayo a woman or a man? Can Juline, Bakuya, and Seika undo the spell that's been put on their loved ones? Ashley and Megan dive into the art style, the gender representation, and the overall ~vibes~ of this strange little series.

We discuss the two shojo manga versions of Cowboy Bebop: COWBOY BEBOP by Hajime Yatate [Sunrise staff] and COWBOY BEBOP: SHOOTING STAR by Cain Kuga

Ask an anime fan above the age of 30 what their favorite anime is, and chances are high they'll say COWBOY BEBOP. The music, the animation, the mood — it's iconic. And then there are the two shojo manga iterations of COWBOY BEBOP, which have largely been lost to the sands of time (and then, there's the Netflix live action version...). Shojo and Tell host Ashley and her husband, Asher, read both of these severely out of print manga adaptations, and discuss here. Topics of discussion include: Ed and gender, why the heck is SHOOTING STAR the way it is, and why was it decided that this seinen anime needs not one, but two shojo manga adaptations?

This episode discusses all volumes (1-8) of THE VISION OF ESCAFLOWNE by Katsu Aki

THE VISION OF ESCAFLOWNE is the anime that got Shojo and Tell host Ashley into anime. It sparked one of only a handful of great obsessions in Ashley's life. It's probably the reason this podcast exists at all.

Katsu Aki's shonen manga version of the story is..... not like the anime you know and love.

It's explicitly billed as a shonen series, and it's all downhill from there. Instead of being a badass track and field star with short hair who saves Van and Allen more times than anyone in the series bothers to count, Hitomi is now a busty babe with glasses who's necessary to pilot the giant mech, Escaflowne. Prince Van is an annoying uncouth and unskilled swordsman. Sir Allen is a knight who is nothingness. Dilandau is — well okay, Dilandau is still a pretty crazy delight, honestly. But a different kind of crazy delight.

The Ashes discuss what this iteration of ESCAFLOWNE has to offer in comparison to the beloved TV anime and the gritty movie adaptation of the series.