Editing Shojo Beat (section)

==Reception==
''Shojo Beat'' was nominated for a 2008 [[Anime Expo#Organizational structure|Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Award]] in the category of "Best Publication", but lost to Japan's ''[[Newtype]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-03-27/society-for-the-promotion-of-japanese-animation-announces-spja-industry-award-finalists-at-tokyo-international-anime-fair |title=Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Announces SPJA Industry Award Finalists at Tokyo International Anime Fair |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=March 27, 2008 |access-date=July 4, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903091144/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-03-27/society-for-the-promotion-of-japanese-animation-announces-spja-industry-award-finalists-at-tokyo-international-anime-fair |archive-date=September 3, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-07-04/anime-expo-2008-announces-the-2008-spja-award-winners |title=Anime Expo 2008 Announces the 2008 SPJA Award Winners |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=July 4, 2008 |access-date=July 4, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727063534/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-07-04/anime-expo-2008-announces-the-2008-spja-award-winners |archive-date=July 27, 2009 }}</ref>

In reviewing the premiere release of ''Shojo Beat'', ''[[IGN]]''{{'s}} [[Jessica Chobot]] sharply criticized the magazine. She felt it looked and read "like a teenie-bopper magazine" and referred to the issue's cover as a "bright, hot-pink, migraine-inducing, bubble-lettered spectacle". She considered the contents boring, and disagreed with Viz's selection of series, noting, "it's as if Viz had taken everything from their backed-up reject pile and tried to pull one over on the female populace. 90% of what I was reading was either poorly drawn or poorly written (more often than not, it was both)."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://comics.ign.com/articles/632/632083p1.html |title=Shojo Beat: The Verdict |first=Jessica |author-link=Jessica Chobot |last=Chabot |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=July 5, 2005 |access-date=September 30, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205184730/http://comics.ign.com/articles/632/632083p1.html |archive-date=December 5, 2008 }}</ref> ''Comic World News''{{'}} David Welsh disagreed, as he felt that the magazine had several good series, with ''Nana'', ''[[Absolute Boyfriend]]'' and ''[[Crimson Hero]]'' as his version of the top three series of the initial issue.<ref>{{cite web|last=Welsh|first=David|date=February 14, 2008|title=Title Pun Shortage Strikes Manga Columnist|url=http://www.comicworldnews.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?column=flipped&page=26|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214070659/http://comicworldnews.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?column=flipped&page=26|archive-date=December 14, 2010|access-date=September 30, 2008|work=Comic World News}}</ref> Greg McElhatton, co-founder of ''[[Wizard: The Guide to Comics]]'' and former reviewer for iComics.com, praised the magazine's mainstream appearance, calling it a "smart" decision, as it would draw in its target audience by visually showing them that it's a magazine for teenage girls. While he felt that two of the manga titles in the premiere issue had weak openings, he found that the magazine was "off to a good, if not great start".<ref>{{cite web|last=McElhatton|first=Greg|date=June 15, 2005|title=Shojo Beat Vol. 1, Issue 1|url=http://www.readaboutcomics.com/2005/06/15/shojo-beat-vol-1-issue-1/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922142233/http://www.readaboutcomics.com/2005/06/15/shojo-beat-vol-1-issue-1/|archive-date=September 22, 2012|access-date=October 1, 2008|website=Read About Comics}}</ref>

After its cancellation, ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''{{'}}s [[Heidi MacDonald]] reported that the common response she saw from fans was that "everyone liked it but nobody paid for it". She noted that many fans expressed sorrow over the magazine's demise while indicating that they did not subscribe to it.<ref name="Publishers Weekly Demise">{{cite web|last=MacDonald|first=Heidi|author-link=Heidi MacDonald|date=May 20, 2009|title=Shojo Beat cancellation reax|url=http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/05/20/shojo-beat-cancellation-reax/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527125740/http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/05/20/shojo-beat-cancellation-reax/ <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=May 27, 2009|access-date=May 21, 2009|work=[[Publishers Weekly|Publishers Weekly: The Beat]]}}</ref> Katherine Dacey, the former senior manga editor for [[PopCultureShock]], remarked that the magazine had offered "just the right mixture of new stories, continuing series, and articles" and praised it for having a "funky, [[DIY]] vibe".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mangacritic.com/?p=542 |title=R.I.P. Shojo Beat |first=Katherine |last=Dacey |work=The Manga Critic |publisher=Manga Bookshelf |date=May 19, 2009 |access-date=October 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090526090715/http://mangacritic.com/?p=542 |archive-date=May 26, 2009 }}</ref> The staff of the ''[[School Library Journal]]'' called the magazine "one of a kind" and felt that its loss would leave a void for female fans, a generally under-acknowledged group of comic and manga readers. Staff member Brigid Alverson felt ''Shojo Beat'' was a great overall package that "featured intelligent articles that allowed the reader to be enthusiastic about Japanese pop culture without being geeky" making it distinct from other magazines for girls that were normally "filled with brainless celebrity stories or service articles tied to commercial products". Other participants praised the magazine's fashion articles for its educational articles on Japanese culture and for featuring girls of a variety of [[Body shape|body type]]s wearing affordable fashions. Two staffers questioned Viz's decision to drop the magazine and wondered if the company had unrealistically expected the magazine to have the same circulation numbers as ''Shonen Jump''.<ref name="SLJ">{{cite web |url=http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/540000654/post/1810044981.html |title=Roundtable: Farewell to Shojo Beat |first1=Brigid |last1=Alverson |work=[[School Library Journal]] |publisher=[[Reed Business Information]] |date=May 26, 2009 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605091053/http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/540000654/post/1810044981.html <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=June 5, 2009 }}</ref>