Shonen (少年), also translated as Shōnen and Shounen is a popular genre of anime and manga. The genre is named after its target-demographic, boys between the ages of 12 and 18, however more modern Shonen titles have resonated with and were created with more diverse audiences in mind. Sub-genres like Action (Battle), Adventure, Mecha, and Sports are heavily associated with the broader shonen genre.
History[]
Shonen is one of the oldest genres in manga and first appeared when manga publications began targeting specific demographics. The first known manga magazine to brand itself as a shonen publication is Shōnen Sekai, which premiered in 1895.
The United States occupation of Japan following World War Two had a profound affect on shonen manga, as well as Japanese culture as a whole. During this period in the 1950s, the traditional shonen manga format emerged. Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy manga is widely regarded as creating the basis of this format and many of the elements that define the genre. The manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump, largely considered to be pinnacle of shonen manga if not the entire medium, launched in 1968, and continues to release some of the most popular shonen series in the manga medium.
As anime became an increasingly popular entertainment medium in 1960s and 70s Japan, shonen manga were often adapted into the medium. Once again, Astro Boy paved the way for shonen's success in anime, with the 1963 series being the first popular animated program on Japanese television.
In Western territories, the shonen genre grew to popularity thanks to the tremendous success of the Dragon Ball Z anime in the late 90s and early 2000s. Since then, the shonen genre has also become one of the most types of anime in the west, with programs like Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon, Naruto, and Yu-Gi-Oh becoming sizable cultural staples.
Contemporary Shonen Media[]
The shonen genre remains the most popular category of anime and manga today. Influential titles like Fist of the North Star, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Dragon Ball, Yu Yu Hakusho, and One Piece continue to influence the genre today and are generally responsible for creating many of the formats and story structures common in the genre. With the conclusion of Naruto and Bleach, two of the Big Three shonen series that defined the genre in much of the 2000s and early 2010s, the future of the genre has only grown and expanded it’s definition.
Weekly Shōnen Jump and other shonen outlets have largely responded to this development launching series that generally go against the shonen mold. Chainsaw Man is far more graphic and existential than most shonen series, Act-Age focuses on a high school girl's journey to become a professional actress, and Hunter x Hunter regularly subverts the tropes and expectations of the shonen genre. However, newer and more traditional shonen series are still incredibly popular, including My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Black Clover.
Notable Examples[]
- This is the Police Station in Front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward
- We Never Learn
- Dr. Stone
- Fairy Tail
- Baki the Grappler