I found how she draws people very beautiful for Nana. Why would she need to use photos? Her work speaks for itself.
Speaking of art, I guess you have a point. I think shoujo is the only type of publication where one can litter the page with flowers (or leaves or feathers or bubbles) everywhere. Once I saw a dress covered in flowers and I called it the "shoujo flowers" dress. Some art utterly repels me (like Naruto and Claymore), but most art I am fine with. Although the extreme shoujo styling in Vampire Knight initially didn't look enticing, but I guess I got used to it and it does not look so severe to me now, and I actually like the art. (Although curse you LaLa and Shoujo Beat for publishing your anthologies in bright pink!!
My eyes!!! )
Some of the story conventions in shoujo gets me at times. Like possible incest. Why?
I don;t care how pretty, romantic and heroic they are, incest or perceived incest does not work for me. Heck even older/younger sometimes look odd since girls look very umm young. Like in VK there is a kiss between 2 characters who are probabaly like 3 or 4 years apart, but since the guy is supposed to be romantic and heroic looking, so he looks like he's 25 (
very adult) although he is probably 19 or 20. There is a 16 year old and she looks like she is 15. So although there isn't a huge age difference it certainly looks like it. I thought I could get over it but I just can't see them actually be together. It just feels wrong, like the guy is taking advantage of a teenage girl. Maybe I would feel better if the girl looked more mature. Even though I love the series. I am pretty unsure about that part. That, and why some girls seem to love it so much.
(Although I don't get yaoi either, lets just the manga-ka opened the door for a lot of yaoi fanfic.
)