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Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Timothy Georgi

Features Editor
Jonathan Mays

Anime Editor
Timothy Georgi

Manga Editor
Ben Nunez

Staff Writers
James Alsup
Jonathan Cook
Michelle Villanueva
Jenny Williams
Dennis Carr
Hank Wong
Amber Tamosaitis
Andrea Nelson
Dana Georgi
Melissa Louie
David Andrews
Emily Snodgras
Michael Moore
Sam Aquino
Timothy Georgi

Design/Programming
Timothy Georgi

Interior Artwork
All images are the copyright of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

All contents ©1999-2003 Animetro Studios. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form, without prior written permission, is prohibited.

@anime!, @a!, atanime, the atanime logo and "Where anime and manga are @" are trademarks of Animetro Studios, a division of Skyfall Communications LLC. All rights reserved.

All articles are the property of the respective writers. Opinions expressed are solely those of the authors.

Over the years, it's been one of the most ignored segments of the anime world. Typically the masses figure that if it isn't full of action and killing, it's not worth watching. Back in the ancient of days, a.k.a. the 70s and 80s, we had the likes of Rick Hunter and his Veritech fighter in Robotech. You could join the fight on distant planets with Keith and the crew of the Voltron Force. Then as things progressed, we were treated to the likes of Ranma 1/2 and Tenchi. Action, martial arts and comedy were everywhere.

But in recent years, the proliforation of shoujo anime and manga has started to make its way into the "mainstream". As I've looked at the acquisitions of some of the big anime companies, things like Ai Yori Aoshi, Sugar, Chobits, and this month's feature, Angelic Layer, are being picked up more and more. I think it's a good thing to see happen as the amount of anime that's being released is reaching astronomical levels.

Personally, I'm a big shoujo fan. True, I love a good action or comedy story just like most people do, but there's just something about shoujo that you can't get anywhere else. Sometimes a good dose of kawaii is in order and you just can't get it anywhere else. There are times when you just have to have a super sugar overdose and floof is in order. It's times like this that I'll pull out something cute, like I was able to do this month with Angelic Layer, and just veg. It can be a good pick-me-up remedy.

Of course, shoujo isn't for everyone. It has historically been created by female artists and writers and aimed at female audiences. But more and more variety is being provided to anime fans of all ages. That's allowing a whole other segment of the market to create a fan base which is good for all anime fans. It gives us all an opportunity, no matter what our tastes are, to have something that we can get interested in and be fans of. It's great to see the companies releasing things from a wider range of interests.

And it's not just the companies. Shoujo is growing so much that it has an entire convention devoted to the growing segment of the anime world. (Want more info? Go to Shoujocon's website at www.shoujocon.com.) It all has to start somewhere and the industry seems to be more than happy to oblige. Shoujo is growing slowly, but it is growing.

And the world could definitely use a good dose of cute. Grab some sugar and get ready to OD. You know you want to.

Yep, I'll see you in 30. After I watch some more Angelic Layer. ^_-

 
 
   
 
 

 

 
   
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