Four Shojo Stories
Encyclopedia
Four Shōjo Stories is a shōjo manga anthology
released by Viz Media
in February 1996. It contains two stories by Keiko Nishi, and one each by Moto Hagio
and Shio Satō
. This was one of the first (if not the first) shōjo titles released in English
in North America
.
The brother and father of Reiko, a teenage girl, died not long after she was born. She must cope with her mother neglecting her, including her mother's decision to remarry. Reiko begins skipping school and she often meets by chance a boy who had helped her when she was little. He helps her get used to her new situation.
They Were Eleven
Ten young space cadets are put onto a decommissioned spaceship as their final test. If they pass this test, their lifelong dreams of being valued people in their respective societies will come true. They find upon reaching the ship that they have an eleventh member. The crew suffers hyperthermia
because their ship is too close to a star, and they must find out which of their number is the spy.
The Changeling
In the distant future, Lin is employed to check up on Earth's terraforming
efforts. She runs across a peaceful-seeming world, but her ship is nearly sabotaged.
Since You've Been Gone
An unfaithful husband is with his lover as an earthquake devastates his home. His wife refuses to be evacuated, as she wants to find a purse with "deep sentimental value".
, a noted anthropologist, translated all four stories in the anthology. This anthology is unusual in the fact that Viz did not ask permission to publish the four stories as an anthology, and they had to pull it from the shelves when the original rights holder (Shogakukan
) found out what they had done. Of the four stories, They Were Eleven was distributed separately by Viz as a "monthly comic series" in 1995, and The Changeling was serialised in Animerica
.
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
released by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
in February 1996. It contains two stories by Keiko Nishi, and one each by Moto Hagio
Moto Hagio
is a manga artist born on May 12, 1949 in Ōmuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, though she currently lives in Saitama Prefecture. She is considered a "founding mother" of modern shōjo manga, especially shōnen-ai. She is also a member of the Year 24 Group...
and Shio Satō
Shio Sato
was a Japanese manga artist. Satō was a member of the Post Year 24 Group, a group of female manga artists considered influential in the development of shōjo manga. She also wrote under the pen name . She made her professional debut in 1977 with the publication of Koi wa Ajinomono!? in Bessatsu...
. This was one of the first (if not the first) shōjo titles released in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Plot
PromiseThe brother and father of Reiko, a teenage girl, died not long after she was born. She must cope with her mother neglecting her, including her mother's decision to remarry. Reiko begins skipping school and she often meets by chance a boy who had helped her when she was little. He helps her get used to her new situation.
They Were Eleven
They Were Eleven
is a manga by Moto Hagio which ran in Shōjo Comic for three issues from September through November 1975. It was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen in 1976, and a sequel Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West was produced in 1976. It was published in English as part of the anthology...
Ten young space cadets are put onto a decommissioned spaceship as their final test. If they pass this test, their lifelong dreams of being valued people in their respective societies will come true. They find upon reaching the ship that they have an eleventh member. The crew suffers hyperthermia
Hyperthermia
Hyperthermia is an elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation. Hyperthermia occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate...
because their ship is too close to a star, and they must find out which of their number is the spy.
The Changeling
In the distant future, Lin is employed to check up on Earth's terraforming
Terraforming
Terraforming of a planet, moon, or other body is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying its atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to those of Earth, in order to make it habitable by terrestrial organisms.The term is sometimes used more generally as a...
efforts. She runs across a peaceful-seeming world, but her ship is nearly sabotaged.
Since You've Been Gone
An unfaithful husband is with his lover as an earthquake devastates his home. His wife refuses to be evacuated, as she wants to find a purse with "deep sentimental value".
Releases
Matt ThornMatt Thorn
Matt Thorn is a cultural anthropologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Manga Production at Kyoto Seika University's Faculty of Manga in Japan. He is most well known in North America for his work dealing with shōjo manga. He has appeared at multiple anime conventions, including...
, a noted anthropologist, translated all four stories in the anthology. This anthology is unusual in the fact that Viz did not ask permission to publish the four stories as an anthology, and they had to pull it from the shelves when the original rights holder (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...
) found out what they had done. Of the four stories, They Were Eleven was distributed separately by Viz as a "monthly comic series" in 1995, and The Changeling was serialised in Animerica
Animerica
Animerica is a quarterly digest published by Viz Media. It initially started as a monthly magazine featuring reviews of anime and manga titles, as well as related works. After a preview issue was released in November 1992, the magazine's first issue was released in February 1993 with a March 1993...
.
- Four Shōjo Stories, ISBN 1-56931-055-6, Viz Communications, February 1996