Bessatsu Friend (別冊フレンド, Bessatsu Furendo), formerly known as Bessatsu Shōjo Friend (別冊少女フレンド, Bessatsu Shōjo Furendo), is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Kodansha. It was originally conceived as a bessatsu, or companion magazine, to Shōjo Friend, which is no longer published. Bessatsu Friend is commonly known by the abbreviated name Betsufure (別フレ) and is published on the 13th of each month.[3]
 | |
 Cover of the January 2007 issue of Bessatsu Friend | |
| Categories | Shōjo manga[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Circulation |
|
| First issue | March 1965 |
| Company | Kodansha |
| Country | Japan |
| Based in | Tokyo |
| Language | Japanese |
| Website | betsufure |
The magazine originally featured manga focused on romance; however, with the start of publications by manga artists like Keiko Suenobu, it began publishing such that moved away from that main focus. Betsufure publishes manga by many well known manga artists, such as Miwa Ueda, Satomi Ikezawa, Ayu Watanabe, Fuyumi Soryo, Nanba Atsuko, and Keiko Suenobu.
In October 2005, a manga serialized in Bessatsu Friend titled Flower of Eden was pulled from publication and recalled by both Kodansha and North American publisher Tokyopop, after it was revealed that the manga artist, Yuki Suetsugu, had copied art directly from Slam Dunk and Real by Takehiko Inoue.[4] After that, official imports of Bessatsu Friend publications became scarce.
Serialization
editCurrent
edit- Hana-kun to Koisuru Watashi (2011–present)
- A Girl & Her Guard Dog (2018–present)
- Yamaguchi-kun Isn't So Bad (2019–present)
- My Girlfriend's Child (2021–present)
- Gazing at the Star Next Door (2022–present)[5]
- L DK Pink (2022–present)
Past
edit1977–1989
edit- Akogare (1970)
1990–1999
edit- Mars (1996–2000)
- Peach Girl (1997–2004)
- Guru Guru Pon-chan (1998–2000)
- Girl Got Game (1999–2002)
2000–2009
edit- Flower of Eden (2000–2004)
- The Wallflower (2000–2015)
- A Perfect Day for Love Letters (2001)
- Othello (2001–2004)
- My Heavenly Hockey Club (2002–2005)
- Life (2002–2009)
- Senpai to Kanojo (2004–2005)
- Peach Girl: Sae's Story (2004–2008)
- Drowning Love (2004–2013)
- Love Attack! (2005–2009)
- A Song to the Sun (2006)
- Minima! (2006–2008)
- Papillon (2007–2009)
- Love's Reach (2008–2011)
- L DK (2009–2017)
- Limit (2009–2011)
2010–2019
edit- Kyō no Kira-kun (2012–2014)
- P and JK (2013–2020)[6]
- Kiss Him, Not Me (2014–2019)[7][8]
- Defying Kurosaki-kun (2014–2021)
- Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight (2015–2020)
- Star-Crossed!! (2019–2020)[9][10]
Related magazines
editReferences
edit- ^ Thompson, Jason (2007). Manga: The Complete Guide. Del Rey Books. p. xxiii-xxiv. ISBN 978-0-345-48590-8.
- ^ a b "Girl's Manga" (in Japanese). Japanese Magazine Publishers Association. September 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^ 別冊フレンド. Digital Daijisen Plus (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved May 5, 2021 – via Kotobank.
- ^ Macdonald, Christopher (October 19, 2005). "Yuki Suetsugu Copies Art From Other Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
- ^ Tai, Anita (11 December 2024). "Gazing at the Star Next Door Manga Gets Live-Action Film". Anime News Network. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (February 14, 2020). "My Boy in Blue Manga Ends". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (January 14, 2015). "Kodansha USA Licenses Maria the Virgin Witch Exhibition, Appleseed α, Fairy Tail Spinoff Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ^ "Watashi ga motete dôsunda vo". Manga-News.com (in French). Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (May 10, 2019). "Kiss Him, Not Me's Junko Launches New Manga in June". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn. "Kodansha Comics Licenses Kakushigoto, My Roomie Is a Dino, Orient, 5 Other Manga for Digital Release". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
External links
edit- Official website (in Japanese)
- Bessatsu Friend at Anime News Network's encyclopedia