It's entirely likely that the subject of this issue of the Journal will attract one or two manga fans who've never previously read the magazine. I'd like to take a moment to tell you a few things about The Comics Journal that might enhance your reading.

First, the writing that you find in this issue is likely to be a little more critical than you're used to seeing in such publications as Anime Insider or the English-language edition of Newtype. While we commission work from writers because they've demonstrated a knowledge of the comics art form and a familiarity with comics as an industry, we don't disqualify them merely because they can occassionally be mean, elitist bastards. Our reputation in this regard is perhaps a bit overstated among comics fans, but it would be a lie of omission not to acknowledge the occasional grain of truth to the charges. In our defense: We feel that the application of critical standards is important to the ongoing dialogue about comics as an art form, and given the natural tendency among even the most enlightened reader to dispute exactly what those standards are, the broadest possible range of opinions can only increase this publication's utility as a cutting stone upon which minds may be sharpened. We hope that the opinions you find in these pages provoke thought even when they prod you to disagreement.

Also: Because our critics are assigned the task of finding meaning and nuance within whole works, there will be the occasional plot spoiler. For heaven's sake, if you haven't read Chobits or Love Hina, for example, and are planning to do so, please steer clear of my review of same. I don't need the resulting letter-bombs, I promise you. (And yes, I know full well that they aren't shoujo manga -- well, one of them isn't, anyway.)

Names in this issue are presented in the Western style, with given name followed by surname. So: Jack Kirby, not Kirby Jack as is the norm in Japan.

A word about language: As anybody fluent in Japanese will tell you, "shoujo" means "girl," not "girl's manga." The word has nonetheless gained traction among readers in the English-speaking West as a catch-all for Japanese comics made by and for female readers. This issue is no exception. We briefly toyed with changing every last reference to shoujo in this issue to something more grammatically appropriate, but the results sometimes looked too stiff and formal; we're therefore going with the flow and allowing the term to be used in its colloquial form. Language is a living, breathing thing, and never moreso than when words leap from one to the next... or at least, that's what we've decided to tell ourselves any time our Inner Language Nazis start getting uppity.

Manga in America has been reproduced in both the original, "unflipped" format -- that is, read right-to-left, like the Japanese language itself - and in the traditional, Western left-to-right fashion. Where artwork is reproduced in this issue, we've decided to present it as we found it, and thus you will find examples of both. Because of this, you'll find little arrows near the starting corner of every manga sequence reproduced in this issue, as an aid against the inevitable confusion. Please look for this before you read, as it will save you the annoyance of reading the comics backwards. Our comics section for this issue, Moto Hagio's revered short story, "Hanshin," has been flipped for Western eyes, and is read in the traditional left-to-right fashion.

While we're billing this as "the shoujo manga issue," it must be noted that we've actually wandered pretty far afield from that narrow mandate. Within these pages you'll find criticism and commentary on everything from kodomo to josei, even venturing into yaoi territory. While our primary focus may be on Japanese comics for teenage girls, we've also gone out of our way to provide coverage of comics for other ages of womanhood, as well. Technically this makes this issue's title something of a fib, but then you can't judge a woman by how she was for a few years when she was young; to understand her, you must take the entirety of a woman's life into account. How could you do any less with the comics she reads?

If this were all Ms. Hagio had done, she'd be a memorable chapter in the history of manga. She's more than that, however: Moto Hagio is a challenging, provocative and influential artist above and beyond her status as an industry pioneer. She's blazed any number of trails in her chosen turf over the years; her work shows a maturity, depth and personal vision found only in the finest of creative artists, and her influence upon those who've followed in her footsteps has been enormous. Without her, women's comics in Japan would be profoundly diminished as a creative force. Moto Hagio is a master cartoonist and storyteller on the level of an Hergé, a Carl Barks, a Will Eisner or a Jack Kirby, and it is my honor and privilege to present her life and work to you.

For many readers, however, this magazine may well be your first exposure to Ms. Hagio's cartooning. Despite her prodigious output both past and present, only two of her works have previously been translated into English: the short-story collection A, AŽ and the science-fiction novella They Were 11, a bare handful of stories from early in the artist's career, which were published by Viz in the mid-1990s and then allowed to lapse out of print. The greatest triumphs of her legendary career -- works like The Heart of Thomas, Marginal, Otherworld Barbara, Mesh and A Savage God Reigns -- have largely yet to be seen by Western eyes. Indeed, this issue's translation of "Hanshin" is, unbelievably, the only Moto Hagio story commercially available in English as this issue hits the stands. In familiarizing myself with Ms. Hagio's work over the past year, this gaping hole in the proud body of manga available to American readers has become more and more incomprehensible to me, and it is my sincere wish that this issue of the Journal will provide a second opportunity for devotees of the form to come to know one of the true giants of women's manga. Here's hoping there are many more such opportunities to come.

This issue of the Journal has been in the planning stages for over a year, and has become very much a labor of love on the part of Kristy Valenti, Adam Grano, Michael Dean and myself. My thanks to all of our contributors for their assistance in realizing this issue. Special thanks are owed to Matt Thorn, Associate Professor at Kyoto Seika University, and one of the most knowledgable Westerners in the world on the subject of shoujo manga. Without Matt, this issue simply wouldn't have been possible, and his contributions, advice and assistance have been invaluable in guiding us towards whatever modest success it enjoys as an overview and investigation of one of the most important and creatively flush artistic environments in the world of comics. Thanks also to the fine folks at Shogakukan for their generous assistance.

Finally, my sincere and humble thanks to Moto Hagio for agreeing to participate in this issue, giving freely of her time and providing generous access to her art -- including the many rare works reprinted here for the first time. Words fail me in describing how honored I am to have been so blessed, both as an editor and as an unabashed fan of comics as an art form. I only wish the printed page allowed me to bow.

(Click here to read the essay which preceded these notes in The Comics Journal #269.)