Did I ever tell you the story of an ill-fated trade paperback titled “Four Shōjo Stories”? Published in 1996, it contained the first #shōjo #manga stories I translated for #Viz Comics (now Viz Media, LLC). In late 1995, Viz’s Editor in Chief, the late FUJII Satoru, called me and asked if I would write an introduction for a trade paperback collecting #HAGIO Moto’s “They Were Eleven!,” NISHI Keiko’s “Promise” and “Since You’ve Been Gone,” and SATOH Shio’s “Changeling.” I immediately said, “Wait, you mean #Shogakukan green-lighted an anthology like this?” Anthologies mixing works by different manga artists is all but unheard of in Japan, partly because of egos, partly because royalties become very complicated. (1/4)