Girl talk: Newsarama talks to VIZ's Erik Jansen about the appeal of shojo comics:

"Since the main characters of shojo are almost entirely female, it's natural that women and girls will identify with them and the struggles they face. In shojo, many of the questions and struggles depicted have to do with day-to-day issues like love, family, responsibility and identity. Regardless of the level of fantasy, artifice or artistic ambition involved, most shojo stories remain endearingly grounded in such universal concerns.

"Love is a constant theme throughout almost every shojo story and the genre focuses strongly on what modern sensibilities view as the most important part of it - how one’s choice of who you love defines you. Many popular VIZ shojo titles, like Sensual Phrase, Maison Ikkoku and Boys Over Flowers heavily explore topics like love, relationships and coming of age."