Juline Manga Discussion (with Megan DeYarman of Manga Test Drive)

This episode discusses all volumes (1-5) of Juline by Narumi Kakinouchi.

When you think "shojo manga," you typically don't think "ninjas." But that's just a stereotype, and we're here to defy stereotypes. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and Megan DeYarman, of the sites Manga Test Drive and Renaissance Josei, talk about Juline, a manga series from animator Narumi Kakinouchi (of Vampire Princess Miyu fame). The titular Juline, along with other young female ninjas Bakuya and Seika (and inevitable male love interest Kio), are looking for male relatives and lovers who have disappeared. They encounter a mysterious foe in Black Pearl (also known as Tamayo, also known as Mei). Is Tamayo a woman or a man? Can Juline, Bakuya, and Seika undo the spell that's been put on their loved ones? Ashley and Megan dive into the art style (and unfortunate lack of lettering skills from Tokyopop), the gender representation, and the overall ~vibes~ of this strange little series.

REFERENCES

Juline is out of print. It was published by Tokyopop.There's a sequel called Shaolin SistersMegan has been on episodes for The Key to the Kingdom and The Full-Time Wife EscapistOther anime/manga mentioned:Revolutionary Girl UtenaSailor MoonSpace Runaway IdeonDr. SlumpUrusei YatsuraMacrossMegazone 23The Pilot's Love SongAldnoah.ZeroLupin the 3rd Part IV: The Italian AdventureApocalypse ZeroMagic Knight RayearthVampire Princess MiyuRyoko's Case FileNarutoTail of the MoonMaid-Sama!Gundam WingStu Levy is why everything is badArchive of Our OwnOutro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

Follow Megan on BlueSky @brainchild129.bsky.socialFollow Manga Test Drive on BlueSky @mangatestdrive.bsky.socialSupport Megan on PatreonVisit Renaissance JoseiShojo & Tell on Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, and TwitterAshley on Bluesky