Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! Today feels like a good day to feature the manga magazine, 別冊マーガレット(Bessatsu Margaret), also known as Betsuma (別マ). This shoujo magazine is owned by Shueisha and is released monthly in Japan. It’s been in circulation since 1964, and it is currently running 14 ongoing series (according to their website). It began as a companion to Margaret (マーガレット)1A bi-monthly shoujo magazine, which I’ll eventually cover here too I’m sure!magazine, publishing one-shots I believe, but then developed into a full publication. But it is still under the Margaret Suieisha umbrella. As I explained in my Dessert thread, every manga magazine has a kind of vision, a point of view, a vibe, so to speak. Betsuma is all about the romance. Usually, but not always, slice-of-life, character-focused stories, with plenty of interpersonal drama and angst. This is the home of one of my favorite mangaka, Io Sakisaka. If you’ve read any of her work, you know that she is the queen of desperate longing, which I absolutely love, so this is the first thing I think of when I think of this magazine. But Betsuma is also where you would find things like…Lovely Complex, My Love Story!!, Cinderella Closet, My Love Mix-Up!, and, of course, one of the greatest manga of all time, Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You. So while romance is definitely their bread and butter, it’s varied in the kind of romance you’ll find. Whenever my heart is looking for a layered and compelling romance, this magazine is there for me. Want to learn more from someone who actually knows what they’re talking about? Check out Colleen’s video!
And, as always…
What have you been watching/reading/playing/eating/listening to lately?
Happy Wednesday! 🍙