Jinhee Choirather than sonyeo (shōjo), as a socially privileged position, encouraging schoolgirls to be aware
of their social responsibility as the principal agent to enlighten fellow women subjects who
could not afford to participate in higher education (Heo 1925, 2–5). The visual aesthetic of
shōjo illustrations in Japanese shōjo magazines is rather unique, and it is difficult to find Korean
counterparts.
A brief historical survey of the formation of modern shōjo culture shows that across East
Asia, there was a tendency towards transnational imagination and the development of homo-
social relationships. These were considered an alternative social formation that could defy, albeit
temporarily and symbolically, the patriarchy that enforces the heterosexual norms and threatens
the viability of the shōjo and its elongation. As will be discussed in what follows, it is fascinat-
ing to witness how the contemporary shōjo culture and writings in East Asia mirror so many of
the characteristics of its modern counterparts, channeled through various media, including the
novella, manga, television series and cinema.
an interlude—shōjo manga
The prewar shōjo aesthetic lingers and evolves after World War II in the 1950s and 1960s—
its primary descendant is, of course, shōjo manga. Yet in Japan, shōjo manga saw its golden age
in the 1970s when magazines such as Good Friend (Nakayoshi) , Chao (Ciao) , Ribbon (Ribon), and
Margaret (Magaretto), were dedicated to publishing shōjo manga. Further, the Year 24 Group
(Nijuyo nen gumi), consisting of female shōjo manga writers who were all born in Showa 24
(in 1949), enriched shōjo manga by creating psychologically more complex narratives and
innovative framing, as exemplified in the work of Hagio Moto (Thomas’ Heart [Toma no shinzō],
1974), Ikea Riyoko (The Rose of Versailles [Berusaiyu no bara], 1972–1973) and Takemiya Keiko
(The Song of the Wind and the Tree [Kaze to ki no uta], 1976). The prewar transnational imaginary
and narrative tropes of shōjo writings also pervade 1970s shōjo manga. Shōjo manga is often set
Figure 11.2 Dust cover for the 1939 edition of Flower Tales (Copyright Jun’ichi Nakahara)