Over the last few weeks, I asked you to choose your favorite new shojo manga of 2008. While the poll was open, the race was pretty much a coin flip between High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara and Sand Chronicles by Hinako Ashihara, both from Shojo Beat Manga / VIZ Media. When the votes were tallied in our 2008 Best New Shojo Manga Reader's Poll, a last minute surge of support pushed High School Debut to its first place win.
It's a bit gratifying for me to see that shojo manga fans agreed with my pick for 2008's Best New Shojo Manga, since High School Debut was my personal favorite as well. With its unconventional but loveable tomboy heroine and her crabby yet charming love interest, High School Debut just left me with a goofy grin every time I read each new volume.
But I have to admit, Sand Chronicles is a worthy second place pick. This touching, slice-of-life romance about childhood sweethearts who go from puppy love to a complex, more enduring relationship isn't flashy or filled with bishies, but it's still an addictive read.
The suprise 3rd place pick? Your and My Secret by Ai Morinaga from TokyoPop. If you're talking unconventional shojo heroines, look no farther than the very cute and very crass Momoi, a girl who ends up switching bodies with her shy, sweet (and male!) classmate Akira. It's a surprisingly clever comedy that mercilessly tweaks gender stereotypes in a way that American comics would never, ever dare to attempt.
See the full results of the 2008 New Shojo Manga Readers Poll, and the rest of teh winners in the other 10 categories in the 2008 Manga Readers' Polls. Thanks for voting! More results to come!
Image credit: KOKO DEBUT © 2003 by Kazune Kawahara / SHUEISHA Inc.
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