Giant Robot (issue 43)

Giant Robot tags itself as “Asian Pop culture and Beyond” and it definitely delivers. This magazine has lists of music, books, and movies as well as in-depth articles about film festivals, researchers in Antarctica and more. This magazine managed to balance its representations of Asian culture very well featuring people from a variety of countries. I feel that this magazine would be good for people of Asian background or just those interested in the culture, which is very hot right now.

I enjoyed this magazine and I think that I may even consider buying a subscription. It was accessible to non-Asians but was true to its mission. There was a real variety of information given and some very interesting articles. I think that this magazine is aimed at the slightly older teens because of the content.

Age Range: 15+
Ranking: Quality – 4.5/5 Popularity – 4/5 (perhaps a little nichy)

Teen People (April 2006)

This magazine had an interesting mix of articles. This issue featured an interview with Nick Lachey but also had interviews with teens who were trying to change the world. There are fashion hints and tips as well as a fair number of ads. I really liked the two page spread on “The best bands from before you were born” which includes Queen, The Jackson 5 and Rolling Stones.

Teen People seems to be pretty balanced between fun stuff, fashion, serious articles and star power. I have to say that I preferred Teen People to People, which often seems more vapid or reactionary. I would probably have this as a staple teen mag but I’m sure the level of the content does shift throughout the year.

Age Range: 13+
Ranking: Quality – 3.5/5 Popularity – 4/5