Shojo Beat's J-Pop Music Poll, Plus Sakura-Con Giveaway

First came anime. Next came video games. Then came manga. Duking it out for the next big trend of Japanese pop culture is J-Lit (books and light novels), J-Fashion (Gothic & Lolita style, Harajuku girls) and J-Pop / J-Rock. The February issue of Shojo Beat magazine is devoted to introducing manga and anime fans to the bands, singers and pop idols that are burning up the charts in Japan with numerous profiles, articles and contests.

Their 3rd annual music poll invites fans to visit the Shojo Beat music Web pages to hear songs, watch videos and read profiles of hot and up-and-coming bands, including Puffy Ami Yumi, L'Arc~en~Ciel, Polysics and more. Once you get a taste of J-Pop/J-Rock, cast your vote! Besides declaring your love for your faves, you'll be entered in a drawing to win 100 free song downloads from JapanFiles.com, or a copy of Dance Dance Revolution, SuperNOVA2 video game.

Shojo Beat is offering fans a chance to see J-Pop and J-Rock bands ketchup mania, Ali Project, Smile DK and The Slants with their Sakura-Con Contest. One lucky winner will get free passes to attend Sakura-Con in Seattle, Washington on March 28 - 30th and a fan goodie pack featuring goodies from Asian-American pop band, The Slants. Ten additional winners will score The Slants / Shojo Beat fan pack, which includes a t-shirt, water bottle and other fun stuff. All you have to do is visit Shojo Beat's Sakura Con contest page and enter your "dream J-Pop / J-Rock concert line-up" of the bands you're just dying to see live. Entries are due by February 28, 2008. But one bit to add here: The Sakura Con prize doesn't include airfare or hotel in Seattle, so if you're entering, be sure to keep that in mind.

There's lots more to enjoy in this month's issue too, including a preview of a new shojo manga series, Monkey High by Shouko Akira, which will go on sale in March. You can also checkout a free online preview of Monkey High too.

Other bits of manga fun in this issues include the latest installments of Vampire Knight, Crimson Hero, Haruka: Beyond The Stream of Time, Honey and Clover, Absolute Boyfriend and Sand Chronicles. It's also worth noting that this month's episode of Absolute Boyfriend mentions that the next episode in the March issue will be the last installment of this popular series! I wonder what will replace Absolute Boyfriend in the Shojo Beat line-up in April?

Image credit: © VIZ Media LLC / © Sony Music Entertainment