Mini Shojo Manga Reviews: Cinderella Closet & My Girlfriend’s Child
I went to my local B & N this week to pick up the debut novel of a friend and pick up some volumes of Shojo manga that I had been eyeing and waiting to read. One of the releases here runs more rom-com feels with lots of humor and the other has all the vibes of drama complicated by a teen pregnancy. In regards to tone, both manga series are totally different yet made for excellent reads.
I wanted to buy both in print and review them after I finished reading as I am a big Shojo head and wanted to go back to my roots as a manga reader. I also wanted to highlight two new series by way of Shojosei/Shoujosei!
*Minor spoilers to come for both series below*
Cinderella Closet
Story & Art by:
Wakana Yanai
Localization Team: Faye Cozy (Translator), Elena Pizarro (Letterer), M. Lyn Hall (Adaptation) H. Qi (Cover Design & Logo)
Recommended Age: TEEN 13+
When I first saw the license announcement for this series from Seven Seas on Twitter, I thought to myself, “This series looks like so much fun”. And I was right! Cinderella Closet follows the big city adventures of Haruka from the countryside who comes to Tokyo for college. At her high school graduation, she made a to do list that included going to the city, being a fashionable it girl and having a grand romance. Reality sinks in and a year later she’s barely surviving with working part time and going to school part time. She has no time time for romance or even a clue where to start to figure out her personal style.
The two major players in Haruka’s story are Kurotaki, her sweetheart of a co-worker, a handsome guy that she’s been crushing on but has never worked up the courage to tell him — and Hikaru, a gorgeous, confident fashionista who gets roped into giving our plain Jane a makeover. The big spoiler here is that Hikaru, in true Princess Jellyfish fashion, is actually a young man who loves fashion and ends up as a fairy god-mother character to Hiakru. And people start to catch feelings. Wakana Yanai gives me classic Shojo feels with this series about being more than meets the eye and how makeovers are not all created equal. Cinderella Closet is really silly at times and a lot of fun (with super cute artwork) which is why people might associate it with being on the “fluffier” side of the spectrum of Shojo (more Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love than Ao Haru Ride).
There is very much a Gap Moe element in the story with Haruka being a plain Jane type of girl with a big heart who is very earnest and Hikaru who time after time, is a bit heavy handed with his advice on fashion, men and relationships. Through their interactions, the commentary on a young woman’s agency is interesting to read and endearing. This first volume sets the stage for a possible love triangle between Haruka, Kurotaki and Hikaru along with some surprising heartfelt moments that took me by surprise. Cinderella Closet uses a formula that has been done before yet has a solid start for those who love romantic comedies and the hilarity of coming of age that only comes from the house of Shojo.
TLDR: Cinderella Closet is tropey, very cute and a very fun read! The first volume has some serious moments that might take you by surprise along with social commentary that is not out of touch. I’m super curious as I speculate on a few characters and will be waiting to read more!
My Girlfriend’s Child
Story & Art by:
Mamoru Aoi
Localization Team: Hana Allen (Translator), Phil Christie (Letterer) H. Qi (Cover Design)
Recommended Age: OLDER TEEN (15+)
Every now and then I hear or read about an upcoming manga release that I know will leave an impact on me for years to come, once I finally gain a chance to read it. My Girlfriend’s Child is such a manga and I must tell you about it now so that I can get all my thoughts together on the page. Sachi and Takara are a teenage couple with a year to go before high-school ends. Sachi, nicknamed Fuku is a cheerful girl who is well loved and doesn’t wish for anything–other than having the pet cat she adopted as a child to stay at her family’s home and not at the home of her boyfriend’s grandfather. A wave of concerning symptoms has her gather enough courage to buy a pregnancy test and the positive test result means her life is changed forever, along with her boyfriend’s.
My Girlfriend’s Child features artwork that strikes me as soft and dreamy which makes pages of Sachi being comforted by others or wandering around by herself as it snows, look poetic. The manga is rated for older teens which feels appropriate for the subject matter. Sachi and Takara have a few pages in the first chapter where they are intimate and discuss condoms. I imagine as the series features a teenage pregnancy more terminology and discussion about bodies and sexuality will further come into play. The pacing of the manga feels perfect in chronicling the days and nights that almost blur together for Sachi as she slowly comes to a realization that something is not right and how she’s battling what she feels is an impossible reality.
My Girlfriend’s Child is a stunning manga that quietly weaves together a gripping story about choices, anxieties and comforts of teenage life. It is a manga that feels incredibly hopeful despite the subject matter. Reading just volume one reveals that mangaka Mamoru Aoi is handling these characters with care that I don’t always see with stories that include young adults, especially teenage girls at the helm. The titles of the chapters in this first volume titled, Omen, Future, Responsibility and Conflict all point to the range of emotions felt by not just Sachi but Takara, her college aged big brother who is more insightful than she gave him credit for. The protagonist is a young woman being confronted by the life she’s helped create and this new entry of existence that makes her feel small and unprepared. Confusion, guilt and despair all find themselves on the page as well as determination, resolution and motivation.
TLDR: My Girlfriend’s Child is what I want to see more of in Shojo manga: a stunning and meticulous tale on body autonomy and the lives of teenage girls changed forever. It may emotionally devastate me later down the road but I want to read more.
Carrie McClain is a Californian native who navigates the world as writer, editor, and media scholar who firmly believes that we can and we should critique the media we consume. She once aided Cindi Mayweather in avoiding capture. See more of her on Twitter and other places she can be found online.
