Didn't expect to be here today, honestly, but when our fans ask, we deliver. This time around we're leaving the fields of Weekly Shonen Sunday to visit the sister magazine (and I mean this almost literally) to hop over to Shogakukan's shojo magazine Sho-comi. As such, a (very brief) introduction is in order. As well as talking about Mizuho-sensei's work, and of course what brought them to us today. Let's dig right in!
Issue #18 of 2024 of Sho-comi featuring Marina Umezawa's Tsugi wa ii yo ne Senpai.
Sho-comi started came into the world on April 1968 as Shojo Comic or very simply “Girls Comic.” a name that gets the point across of whom it's meant for. Since then, it's hopped from being a monthly magazine to a weekly magazine in the 70s then bi-monthly in 1978 and eventually gained it's current name “Sho-comi” in 2008. The magazine is aimed at junior high school and high school girls, and in the 80s housed authors such as Moto Hagio, Mitsuru Adachi, and Yuu Watase. It's also got a bit of a spicy reputation, as in 2007 it was ranked first by the PTA among “magazines parents do not want their children to read” due to it not shying away from depicting sexual situations. (It also explains a bit why not many series from the magazine get licensed....) Around the 15th of every odd numbered month there's a special edition of the magazine that's released. Despite the raunchy sounding name, most of what's in the magazine is one-shots and sometimes side stories from series printed in the main magazine.
As of now, there are 19 series in the magazine (Not including our subject today) which are extremely varied, from Re-Gloss Bad de Good na Nichijo which is a manga version of the Vtubers Re-Gloss to Tokyo Kami Okami (Tokyo Wolf God), a fantasy series about beast people fighting demons. There's more to look forward to in Sho-comi than the romance manga that tend to represent the shojo demographic. (Though there is a lot of romance in this magazine!) Also worth noting is the oldest series in the current lineup began in 2020.
Now that introductions are out of the way, let's get to---
The Author
Kaeru Mizuho.
From the little I was able to dig up, Kaeru Mizuho-sensei is relatively new to the manga scene, with only one short story and a oneshot to their name: Koibumi iki douchuu which ran in Sho-comi and Ryuugami-sama ha nakenai or (The Dragon God won't cry) which was published under Shueisha's Jump Plus imprint.
From “Koibumi iki douchuu”
From “Ryuugami-sama ha nakenai"
The first I couldn't find anything for, but from the description I read, it sounds like a three part story that centers around love letters. Meanwhile, the latter I found on Jump Plus's site here, which follows a young girl who's supposed to be sacrificed to a dragon god. But he's an otaku who'd rather play video games and surf Amazon reviews than have anything to do with her.
She could leave well enough alone, but she kind of needs the dragon god to shed some tears (hence the title) to save her little village. The Dragon God's got no interest in helping her, so she inserts herself into his life until he has no choice but to back down.
It's the kind of story that's a little predictable as the girl endears herself to the Dragon God who has reasons for not crying (a past trauma) but as she continues to live with him he grows fond of her until an accident leaves him thinking she's died. She turns out to be all right, and the twist is he ends up crying tears of joy, saving the village. Nothing amazing, but what sells it is Mizuho-sensei's art sensibilities, this being an online manga so they're able to insert color into the latter part of the chapter, which is impactful (see above) and of course how silly yet heartwarming the character interactions are.
From “Hobo Jitsuroku! Genkai otaku daigakusei no nichijo”
Serialized simultaneously in Sho-comi with Mahou Shoujo Dandelion is an almost true account of Mizuho-sensei's college otaku life entitled Hobo Jitsuroku! Genkai otaku daigakusei no nichijou or “Basically true! An Otaku's overlimit daily life!” Which takes an often humorous look into Mizuho-sensei's life. They describe themselves as a woefully hopless otaku, and don't hide from this as they get hyped over seiyuu, video games, and Boys Love. (BL).
I personally love these almost true accounts of mangaka life, as it's just important to see the person behind the art, as it is the series we love from them. Maybe moreso, as it grounds these creators and creates a level of relatability that simply reading or watching their works doesn't, and it helps that these vignettes into Mizuho-sensei's life are hilarious.
Mizuho-sensei upon realizing they misread a deadline and thus missed a chance to be an assistant to one of their favorite authors. (Ouch.)
The Serial
Mahou Shojo Dandelion.
Starting in issue #18 of Sho-Comi is Kaeru Mizuho's first long term serial Mahou Shoujo Dandelion. The original billing states that it's a series about a magical girl and the demon who saved her.
The Premise
In Mahou Shoujo Dandelion or “Magical girl Dandelion” a girl --Tanpopo (which is the word for Dandelion in Japanese) has found herself being protected by a mysterious shadow figure named Shade since she was a child.
In this world, Magical girls fight against kaijin (which literally means “mystery people” but I'll refer to them as “shadow people” for clarity) who steal the energy from ordinary people. However, Shade seems to be different and instead protects Tanpopo from other shadows and well, herself sometimes, as she nearly falls flat on her face as a teenager, but Shade keeps her from eating pavement. Luckily, no one else can see or hear him but her.
I already dig their relationship, as Shade loves poking fun at Tanpopo for her clumsiness, and despite his appearance, he's a pretty nice guy who goes out of his way to help people. Though, when Tanpopo goes off to school, he says he's going to the movies. Seems simple enough, but Tanpopo can tell Shade is lying to her and furthermore his reasons for it.
What the series does well --aside from Mizuho's artwork, is taking the familiar and wrap it in something new while keeping a shady enigma. (Hah, see what I did there?) as when Tanpopo gets to school she's asked by a member of the Special Magic Warrior Management organization, Kujaku Mayuyama, and a magical girl named Peony if she too wants to be a magical girl. --It's nothing new, but I like it when magical girls are seen as an organization. They don't ask Tanpopo to join by chance though --rather she has a power level that's not quite over 9,000 but very high for someone who's not on the front lines. It also sets up a sense of lore from the beginning which I appreciate.
When she tells Shade, his reaction is at first kinda like “That's a funny joke” to “Oh you're serious?” and he then shows her mercilessly what she's up against by using his powers to choke her without making contact. He then calmly tells her that while they've been buddy buddy up until now, and he's taken a shine to protecting her from other shadow people, should she take this job that'll make them enemies.
And by his very nature, he's a villain not a hero, despite what Tanpopo has fooled herself into thinking. What happens from there is a My Hero Academia esque sequence where Tanpopo takes on a shadow monster despite not having any power of her own, simply because her body lept into action due to her seeing someone who needed help. Shade comes in for the save, but he realizes that this can't continue, forcefully ending their friendship.
Mizho-sensei's art then really blooms as Tanpopo makes the decision to beome a magical girl to stay by his side, and man, the dual page spreads in this series are chief's kiss good. Everything about these spreads, and the emotions running through them are anime ready and most of all very familiar, yet fresh.
One can tell Mizuho-sensei has a love for the anime medium through each and every lovingly drawn page. I know I keep saying it, but it bears repeating that something doesn't necessarily have to be novel if it's good, and the potential for this series is off the charts. By the end, Shade is attacked by Peony, but despite her power, she's not able to defeat him. Shade cheekily says that if they can't even cut him down, they don't deserve Tanpopo as the first chapter ends on an ominous note -- Tanpopo now unconscious says she doesn't yet know what the price is for choosing to become a magical girl, as she knows nothing about the shadows they chase, or the organization itself.
The Verdict
Mahou Shoujo Dandelion doesn't reinvent the wheel. Yet, it resonates as well because it is written from a place of enthusiasm for the genre and demographic. I don't want to pigeonhole shojo manga artwork as looking a specific way or telling a specific story, but I get why this series had such a huge response on our X (formerly known as Twitter). It's taking the best of many inspirations and weaving its own path into something that may not be unique, but is personal, fun, and most importantly fresh. I can't say I know where the story is going from here, but that's what's most exciting to me. I believe Mizuho-sensei is telling a story that will likely start in the confines of it's chosen genre/demographic, but ultimately will have the potential to be something for all manga fans. If nothing else, it's encouraging to see a series like this in the pages of Sho-comi. I hope this bodes well for the future of the magazine and it's creators if talent like Mizuho-sensei can be fostered to tell stories that they're enthusiastic about, just as we've come to expect from Shogakukan as a brand.
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