Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Animerica Extra cancelled, but new shoujo anthology may take its place
So, word is out that the long-running manga anthology Animerica Extra has been cancelled. While I never subscribed to it myself, this offshoot of Animerica magazine has been going for quite a few years and recently re-made itself to be an all-shoujo anthology.
At first glance, its cancellation would seem like very bad news, but it seems like there is a lot of signs pointing in the direction of Viz having some sort of new shoujo anthology in the works. Personally, I thought keeping the thing called Animerica Extra wasn't a good idea when it switched to all-shoujo. I mean it had a reputation, but not necessarily for shoujo and frankly anyone seeing it for the first time on a shelf wasn't going to think shoujo or even manga from the name. Plus, it was also a bit on the thin side, especially compared to Shonen Jump. I'm not sure if they could pull off a shoujo anthology at the same size as Shonen, but something inbetween the two I think would have good possibilities.
But between a recent Viz poll on having a new shoujo anthology, "this isn't really the end, keep your eyes open" on the farewell page of Extra, and a radio snipped that said "Shonen Jump is Stage One.", I'd say things are looking pretty promising for the future. I'd certainly consider subscribing to a shoujo anthology that was more like Shounen Jump (minus the editing controversies of late).
At first glance, its cancellation would seem like very bad news, but it seems like there is a lot of signs pointing in the direction of Viz having some sort of new shoujo anthology in the works. Personally, I thought keeping the thing called Animerica Extra wasn't a good idea when it switched to all-shoujo. I mean it had a reputation, but not necessarily for shoujo and frankly anyone seeing it for the first time on a shelf wasn't going to think shoujo or even manga from the name. Plus, it was also a bit on the thin side, especially compared to Shonen Jump. I'm not sure if they could pull off a shoujo anthology at the same size as Shonen, but something inbetween the two I think would have good possibilities.
But between a recent Viz poll on having a new shoujo anthology, "this isn't really the end, keep your eyes open" on the farewell page of Extra, and a radio snipped that said "Shonen Jump is Stage One.", I'd say things are looking pretty promising for the future. I'd certainly consider subscribing to a shoujo anthology that was more like Shounen Jump (minus the editing controversies of late).
