Bessatsu Margaret

Bessatsu Margaret (別冊マーガレット, Bessatsu Māgaretto, lit. Margaret: Additional Volume), known as Betsuma (別マ) for short, is a monthly shōjo magazine published in Japan by Shueisha. Issues typically release around the 13th of each month.

First published in 1963, the magazine targets primarily adolescent and young adult women. It is known for housing some of the more well-known shōjo manga serializations, including Ao Haru Ride, Kimi ni Todoke, High School Debut and My Love Story!!.

History

“

When I was a kid, I used to read Bessatsu Margaret as early as Shonen Jump, or even earlier! When I went to visit my relative's sister, I would find an issue of it in the bathroom and read it.

”

—Hirohiko Araki, TSKR Volume 2 commentary of Deoxyribonucleic Acid

Bessatsu Margaret first launched in 1963 as a New Year's special edition of Shueisha's Japanese bi-weekly publication, Margaret. In 1965, it would gain independence as a separate monthly magazine with little relation to the original. It has since then published numerous shōjo manga series with more than half of its readers being over twenty-four as of 2020.^[2]

My Love Story!! × JoJolion

In December 2013, a special tribute booklet was published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bessatsu Margaret. It featured illustrations and comments from shonen manga artists, including Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), Yusei Matsui (Assassination Classroom), Tadatoshi Fujimaki (Kuroko's Basketball), Hideaki Sorachi (Gintama), Kenichi Tachibana (Terra Formars), Hiroya Oku (Gantz), and Hirohiko Araki.^[3] For Araki's tribute illustration, he drew Takeo Goda, the protagonist of the popular romantic comedy manga My Love Story!!.^[4]

That same month, there was a collaboration between My Love Story!! and JoJolion in Tokyo, also to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the magazine. The collab featured original illustrations by Aruko of protagonists Takeo Goda and Rinko Yamato dressed as Josuke Higashikata and Yasuho Hirose. From December 16, 2013 to February 7, 2014, a huge display was put up in front of the Shueisha Jinbocho building showcasing these illustrations. Small cards featuring these illustrations were also given out to those who purchased Volume 5 of My Love Story!!, which released on February 25, 2014.^[5]

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan

Back Cover of September 2017 Issue

On August 12, 2017, an entry of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series titled Deoxyribonucleic Acid was published in Bessatsu Margaret's September 2017 issue.^[6] The back cover of the issue featured an original drawing of Rohan Kishibe by Araki and includes stickers related to the one-shot.

JoJo's Bizarre Movie Report

Alongside the release of Deoxyribonucleic Acid in Bessatsu Margaret's September 2017 issue, a two page story by Ayuko Hatta titled JoJo's Bizarre Movie Report (ジョジョの奇妙な映画レポート, JoJo no Kimyō Eiga Repōto) was published in commemoration of the soon release of the live-action Diamond is Unbreakable movie. Ayuko Hatta is known for being the author of Wolf Girl and Black Prince and Bye-bye Liberty, both of which were published in Bessatsu Margaret. The story tells of her visit to the film studio in Tokyo during the making of the movie and her thoughts on the finished movie.

Kimi ni Todoke Finale

To commemorate the finale of Karuho Shiina's Kimi ni Todoke, a bonus booklet was included with the January 2018 issue of Bessatsu Margaret, released on December 13, 2018. The booklet featured congratulatory messages and illustrations from a total of twenty-eight manga creators, such as Osamu Akimoto (KochiKame), Gosho Aoyama (Detective Conan), Sui Ishida (Tokyo Ghoul) and Yumi Tamura (Basara). Araki's tribute featured a drawing of the series protagonist, Sawako Kuronuma.