Shojo & Tell: A Manga Podcast
Ashley McDonnell
A manga discussion podcast focusing on shojo (and josei!) series that make your heart go doki-doki. Covering classics like CLAMP’s “Cardcaptor Sakura” and Yuu Watase’s “Fushigi Yuugi” to newer favorites like Kazune Kawahara’s “My Love Story!!” and Hiro Fujiwara’s “Maid Sama!” Shojo & Tell host Ashley McDonnell discusses one series per episode with a rotating shojo superfan. (And sometimes, a shoujo superfan.) Shojo [or shoujo] manga: Japanese comics made for young women. A breath of fresh air after reading 72 volumes of “Naruto.” The underappreciated sibling of all those same-y never-ending shonen titles.
- 2 hours 14 minutesJosee, the Tiger and the Fish Discussion (crossover with Shoujo Sundae)
Welcome to the special collaboration episode between Ashley of Shojo & Tell and Chika and Giana of Shoujo Sundae (hereby dubbed the "shojo trio"). In this episode, we talk everything Josee, the Tiger and the Fish: the animated movie version (amazing!), the manga (basically the same as the movie but taking things at your own pace can be helpful!), the live-action movie (oh no!), and the original short story (very Japanese!). Josee, the Tiger and the Fish follows Josee, a sheltered, curmudgeonly wheelchair user, and Tsuneo, a try-hard college boy who loves diving, as they both come out of their shells to meet each other and the sometimes scary, sometimes harsh, occasionally beautiful outside world. Let's dive!
REFERENCES
- You can watch the animated movie on Crunchyroll
- You can read the manga version, published by Yen Press
- You can read the original short story, also published by Yen Press
- You can watch the live-action version on RetroCrush
STAY IN TOUCH
23 March 2025, 4:00 am - 1 hour 33 minutesSnow White with the Red Hair Manga Discussion Part 1 (with Asher Sofman)
There are few contemporary shojo manga that are more popular and beloved that Sorata Akizuki's wholesome fairy-tale-inspired story Snow White with the Red Hair. The protagonist, Shirayuki, has apple-red hair that attracts attention from unsavory characters and noble princes alike, and the story follows her as she becomes a court herbalist and a worthy bride-to-be for Prince Zen Wisteria. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her husband Asher delve into why this story is so special, while walking through the highs (and the lows) of the first 10 volumes. Asher expresses his undying love for Obi, while Ashley pledges allegiance to Prince Izana. But in the end, it's all about the best ZenYuki moments.
REFERENCES
- Buy Snow White with the Red Hair from MangaMart, a family-run manga store offering some of the most competitive prices around (affiliate link)
- Snow White with the Red Hair is published by Viz Media's Shojo Beat line
- Other manga/anime mentioned
- WHYY: "How experiments with gila monster venom led to blockbuster weight loss drugs like Ozempic"
- Outro: "Tokimeki no Doukasen" (Fushigi Yuugi ending theme) + Fruits Basket (2019) episode three dialogue
CONTACT US
- Shojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter
- Ashley on Bluesky
11 March 2025, 12:00 pm - 1 hour 20 minutesMy Love Mix-Up! Manga Discussion (with novelist Megan Frampton)
This episode discusses all 9 volumes of the My Love Mix-Up! manga by Wataru Hinekure and Aruko, and contains comparisons between it and the Japanese live-action adaptation.
My Love Mix-Up! (not to be mixed up with Aruko's other work, My Love Story!! .... deep sigh) tells the story of Sota Aoki, a seemingly happy-go-lucky boy who has a crush on a female classmate, Mio Hashimoto, but winds up in a relationship with male classmate Kōsuke Ida. It sure is all mixed up, and it's a pure delight. Romance novelist Megan Frampton joins Shojo & Tell host Ashley to discuss what makes the series so funny, how that does or does not translate to the Japanese live-action screen adaptation, and the surprising amount of character growth the main cast goes through. Jump into the fluff and feels with us!
REFERENCES
- My Love Mix-Up! is available from Viz Media's Shojo Beat line
- Watch the My Love Mix-Up! Japanese live-action version on Viki
- There is also a My Love Mix-Up! Thai live-action version
- Other manga/anime mentioned
- Outro: "Tokimeki no Doukasen" (Fushigi Yuugi ending theme) + Fruits Basket (2019) episode three dialogue
CONTACT US
- Find Megan on BlueSky and Instagram
- Check out Megan's books https://www.meganframpton.com/
- Subscribe to Megan's Substack
- Shojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter
- Ashley on Bluesky
11 January 2025, 5:00 pm - 1 hour 37 minutesMars Manga Discussion (Pt. 2) [with Lucy of CLAMPcast in Wonderland]
This episode discusses MARS volumes 9-15 and the prequel story, "Horse with No Name"
How many suicide attempts can happen close to Kira and Rei? How many car crashes and motorcycle accidents? Shojo & Tell host Ashley and CLAMPcast in Wonderland co-host Lucy are back to discuss the second half of the melodrama MARS by Fuyumi Soryo, and their biggest question is about whether the series accurately portrays the way trauma stacks (both Ashley and Lucy lean toward no). Ashley and Lucy share their thoughts about Kira seeming to give up her dreams to be with Rei, and so Rei can pursue his, what they wish "Horse with No Name" had been about instead, how they're glad Tatsuya made it out unscathed, and more.
REFERENCES
- MARS is available from Kodansha Comics digitally
- Listen to Ashley's MARS DJ set!
- Read Robin's book!
- Other manga/anime mentioned
- Songs mentioned:
- Misc. mentions:
- Outro: "Tokimeki no Doukasen" (Fushigi Yuugi ending theme) + Fruits Basket (2019) episode three dialogue
CONTACT US
31 December 2024, 5:00 am - 1 hour 39 minutesMars Manga Discussion (Pt. 1) [with Lucy of CLAMPcast in Wonderland]
This episode discusses volumes 1-8 of MARS by Fuyumi Soryo.
We continue our melodrama mood with the late 1990s/early 2000s series, MARS. Kira Aso is a quiet girl who loves to paint. Rei is a bad boy who loves to race motorcycles. Naturally they fall in love, and all the dark secrets come out about them both. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and Clampcast in Wonderland co-host Lucy discuss what makes this series so gripping despite it being over the top, how iconic the art is, the portrayal of America, how cute Rei and Kira are, and much more.
REFERENCES
- MARS is available from Kodansha Comics digitally
- Colleen's MARS retrospective video
- Other manga/anime mentioned
- Songs mentioned:
- Outro: "Tokimeki no Doukasen" (Fushigi Yuugi ending theme) + Fruits Basket (2019) episode three dialogue
CONTACT US
15 November 2024, 2:00 am - 1 hour 44 minutesHot Gimmick Second Half (Pt. 2) Discussion (with Naja B. of Blerdy Otome)
This episode discusses the second half (volumes 7–12) of Hot Gimmick by Miki Aihara.
Oh, so you thought the first half of Hot Gimmick contained the worst of the problematic hot trash? Think again. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and Naja of Blerdy Otome are back to talk about this wild, wild ending to a wild, wild series where all the content warnings apply. Who does Hatsumi end up with in her triangle of horrible choices? Why are Tachibanas like this? What are you doing, Shinogu? Who is THE worst character in the entire series (on a scale of constant abuse and gang rape to actually why the heck isn't this series about cuties Subaru and Akane?)? What are the most popular ships on Ao3/FF.net for this series, and do the people writing it know they're wrong? All that and more is touched on in this podcast episode. You've been warned.
REFERENCES
- Hot Gimmick is available from Viz Media in English
- Hot Gimmick S is a reimagining of the ending
- Other anime/manga mentions
- Gundam
- My Hero Academia
- Archive of Our Own
- FanFiction.net
- Misc. media mentions
- Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs
CONTACT US
- Find Naja's work on her website, Twitch, Twitter, and BlueSky
- Shojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter
- Ashley on Bluesky
11 October 2024, 4:00 am - 1 hour 52 minutesHot Gimmick First Half (Pt. 1) Discussion (with Naja B. of Blerdy Otome)
This episode discusses the first half (volumes 1-6) of Hot Gimmick by Miki Aihara
It's here. It's finally here. Shojo & Tell host Ashley has been trying to make this episode happen for at least two years. And now, here we are. We're talking about the first half of Hot Gimmick, aka, Hot Trash, aka Hot Mess. Seriously: Content warning for basically everything. Ashley was prepared to have nothing nice to say about this series (she's read it before and thought it was the worst shojo series ever), but it's surprising what reading something 12 years after your initial encounter with it can do... Naja of Blerdy Otome is a big fan of Hot Gimmick, despite also recognizing that it's extremely problematic. There's underage sex and drugs, there's blackmail, there's demeaning servitude, there's gang rape. And that's just the first three volumes. Hatsumi's a doormat, Ryoki's bad, Azusa's bad, Shinogu's bad trying to be good, Akane is the reason we're in this mess. Only Subaru is good. Team Subaru! Let's talk it through.
REFERENCES
- Hot Gimmick is available from Viz Media in English
- Hot Gimmick S is a reimagining of the ending
- Other anime/manga mentions
- Archive of Our Own
- Wattpad
- Story of NHL player who Ashley went to college with
- Misc. media mentions
- Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs
CONTACT US
- Find Naja's work on her website, Twitch, Twitter, and BlueSky
- Shojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter
- Ashley on Bluesky
1 July 2024, 4:32 am - 1 hour 29 minutesNeon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days (with Joshua McHugh)
This episode discusses all of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days (volumes 1-6) by Fumino Hayashi.
Shinji, get in the robot! Shojo & Tell host Ashley and the guy previously known as Ashley's "Cyborg 009 buddy," Josh McHugh, delve into this version of the beloved series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which is an alternate universe of the video game Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd (a PlayStation 2 game, and yes there is first Girlfriend of Steel before this entry), which is an alternate universe of the events in the final episode of the original anime. The main plot is mostly about whether Shinji will pick Rei or Asuka to be his life partner while they're all still in high school. Are you keeping up? Great!
Ashley and Josh do a sort of cultural exchange in this episode: Ashley doesn't really like Evangelion (ikr?), and Josh, like many a millennial, thinks Eva is the GOAT and is very hype to discuss the Instrumentality sequences; Ashley is over 100 episodes deep on a shojo manga podcast, while Josh hadn't read a shojo manga before this. The two talk about how, in Angelic Days, Rei is a completely different person from her beloved anime self; the shortcomings of the backstory about Shinji's parents, Gendo and Yui Ikari; what punk bands Gendo would be into; and much more. And if you're wondering: There ARE still mech fights in this, but there shouldn't have been. So on second thought: Shinji, don't get in the robot!
REFERENCES
- Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days is out of print. You can find used copies on resale sites. It was published by ADV manga in English.
- Other anime/manga mentioned:
- Punk bands named
- Misc. other mentions
- Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs
CONTACT US
- Josh wants you to check out his Soundcloud because we're both stuck in the year 2005: https://soundcloud.com/j_m_p_h
- Listen to his Serial Experiments Lain OP a capella version in particular: https://soundcloud.com/j_m_p_h/boa-duvet-a-cappella
- Shojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter
- Ashley on Bluesky
29 May 2024, 4:00 pm - 52 minutes 48 secondsMiyuki-chan in Wonderland and The One I Love (with Asher Sofman)
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.
REFERENCES
- Miyuki-chan in Wonderland is available from Viz Media
- The One I Love is available from Viz Media
- You should probably listen to CLAMPcast instead
- Other Clamp works mentioned:
- Other manga/anime mentioned
- Back in our Digimon podcasting days...
- Read Miyuki-chan while listening to Miami 2 Ibiza by Swedish House Mafia
- Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs
CONTACT US
17 April 2024, 4:00 am - 58 minutes 18 secondsLegal Drug (with Asher Sofman)
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).
REFERENCES
- Legal Drug is available from Dark Horse Comics
- You should probably listen to CLAMPcast instead
- Other Clamp works mentioned:
- Other manga/anime mentioned
- Figs need wasps
- The Ashes love Tales of games maybe too much
- There is only hitsuzen
- Archive of Our Own
- Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs
CONTACT US
27 March 2024, 4:00 am - 1 hour 19 minutesThe Poe Clan (with Vrai Kaiser and Megan DeYarman)
Covers all of the original The 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.
REFERENCES
- The Poe Clan is available from Fantagraphics
- As mentioned in the episode, there is a rebooted Poe Clan series that Hagio started in 2016. Fantagraphics will also be releasing that starting in 2025.
- Other Hagio works mentioned:
- Previous podcasts with Megan and Vrai:
- Other manga/anime/artists mentioned:
- Vampires
CONTACT US
- Follow Vrai on Blue Sky @writervrai.bsky.social
- Read Vrai's work on Anime Feminist
- Support Anime Feminist on Patreon
- Follow Megan on BlueSky @brainchild129.bsky.social
- Follow Manga Test Drive on BlueSky @mangatestdrive.bsky.social
- Support Megan on Patreon
- Visit Renaissance Josei
- Read Megan's work on Anime Feminist
- Shojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter
- Ashley on Bluesky
6 March 2024, 4:00 pm - The Poe Clan is available from Fantagraphics
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