What Happened to Shojo Beat??

History of Shojo Beat

Shojo Beat Magazine was the gateway to manga and the Shojo manga genre for many teenage girls, and I am no exception. I was always excited about a trip to the grocery store because it meant I would pick up the latest issue of Shojo Beat. Crimson Hero, Nana, and Absolute Boyfriend were some of my favorite stories. Each issue was filled with the latest (US Market) chapters from six manga series, articles about anime recommendations, and insight into Japanese culture. A treat for many who starved for Anime and Manga in the 2000s.

Shojo Beat was a North American magazine published by Viz Media as a sister company to Shonen Jump. Introduced in 2005, Shojo Beat targeted Teenage women as opposed to Shonen Jump’s male-centric series. The magazine was received positively, with its first issue circulating 20,000 copies and 38,000 copies by 2007. So what happened? Why did it end in 2009?

There are a few speculations, but there is no definitive answer to the cancellation in 2009. Viz Media stated the discontinuation was due to “the difficult economic climate” (whatever that means). I suspect this is jargon for the magazine not bringing in numbers. Still, it came as a shock to many fans and industry professionals. The loss of Shojo Beat would leave its female-focused fanbase without a magazine.

But the name of Shojo Beat isn’t completely dead. Viz Media uses the Shojo Beat imprint and branding for its Shojo manga and anime titles. Meaning, that any new shojo titles and re-releases will have the Shojo Beat emblem on it. Which is nice.

Were you an avid reader of this magazine? What was your favorite series?