Shnen manga

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Shnen, shonen, or shounen manga $ shnen manga
?
% is manga aimed at a male audience. It appeals to
a large age group, ranging from about 78 to 65 years old, though its primary audience stays roughly bet3een the
ages of 78 and 79. The 2an(i characters $% mean :boy: or :youth:; the characters $% mean :cartoon: or
:comic:. The complete phrase literally means :young person<s comic: or simply :boys< comic:. Sh'nen manga has
been said to be the most popular form of manga.
=7>
The female e?uivalent to sh'nen manga is sh'(o manga.
Contents
7 Summary
o 7.7 Sh'nen manga today
5 History
o 5.7 )efore World War II
o 5.5 Post*ccupation
@ Women<s roles in sh'nen manga
6 "ist of sh'nen manga
A See also
B 1eferences
C 0Dternal links
Summary
Sh'nen $% manga $% is typically characteri/ed by high*action,
=5>
often humorous plots featuring male
protagonists. The camaraderie bet3een boys or men on sports teams, fighting s?uads and the like is often
emphasi/ed. +ttractive female characters like )ulma from Dragon Ball or 4ami from One Piece, 3ith eDaggerated
features are also common $see fan service%. #ain characters may also feature an ongoing desire to better
themselves.
=7>
Such manga often portray challenges to the protagonist<s abilities, skills, and maturity, stressing self*perfection,
austere self*discipline, sacrifice in the cause of duty, and honorable service to society, community, family, and
friends.
=@>=6>
4one of these listed characteristics are a re?uirement, as seen in sh'nen manga like Yotsuba&!, 3hich features a
female lead and almost no fan service or action; 3hat most defines 3hether or not a series is sh'nen are things like
the maga/ine $see ee!l" Shnen #ump% it is seriali/ed in or the time slot it airs on T.E. +fter the case of Tsutomu
#iya/aki, depictions of violence and seDual matters became more highly regulated in manga in general, but
especially in sh'nen manga.
=A>
The art style of sh'nen is generally less :flo3ery: than that of sh'(o manga,
although this varies greatly from artist to artist, and some artists dra3 both sh'nen and sh'(o manga.
&ifferent sh'nen manga stories may feature different themes, such as martial arts, robots, science fiction, sports,
terror, and mythological creatures.
=7>
Shnen manga today
+kira Toriyama<s Dragon Ball $7F96G7FFA% is credited 3ith setting the trend of popular sh'nen manga from the
7F98s on3ard, 3ith manga critic ,ason Thompson in 5877 calling it :by far the most influential sh'nen manga of
the last @8 years.:
=B>
The influence and popularity of the series had reached many currently successful sh'nen
authors such as 0iichiro da, #asashi 2ishimoto, Tite 2ubo, and Hiro #ashima, 3ho continue to pay homage to
his impact and influence in their o3n 3orks. The consistency of this trend in popular sh'nen manga has led to the
term :sh'nen: often being confused as being a genre, despite the fact that many sh'nen manga do not follo3 this
trend at all.
History
#ain articleH History of manga
Before orld ar !!
#anga has said to eDist since the eighteenth century,
=C>=9>
but originally did not target a specific gender or age group.
)y 7F8A, ho3ever, a boom in publishing manga maga/ines occurred, and began targeting genders as evidenced by
their names, such as Shnen Se!ai, Sh$o Se!ai, and Shnen Pa!!u $a kodomo manga maga/ine%.
=9>
Shnen Se!ai
3as one of the first sh'nen manga maga/ines, and 3as published from 79FA to 7F76.
Post"#ccupation
The post*World War II occupation of ,apan had a profound impact on its culture during the 7FA8s and beyond $see
culture of Post*occupation ,apan%, including on manga. #odern manga developed during this period, including the
modern format of sh'nen manga 3e eDperience today, of 3hich boys and young men 3ere among the earliest
readers.
=@>
&uring this time, Sh'nen manga focused on topics thought to interest the archetypical boyH sci*tech
sub(ects like robots and space travel, and heroic action*adventure.
=F>
samu Te/uka, creator of %stro Bo" $
&etsu'an %tomu
?
, :#ighty +tom,: lit. :Iron +rm +tom:% is said to have played an influential role in manga
during this period.
=C>=78>=77>
)et3een 7FA8 and 7FBF, an increasingly large readership for manga emerged in ,apan
3ith the solidification of its t3o main marketing genres, sh'nen manga aimed at boys and sh'(o manga aimed at
girls.
=75>
The maga/ine ee!l" Shnen #ump began production in 7FB9,
=9>
and continues to be produced today as the best*
selling manga maga/ine in ,apan.
=7@>
#any of the most popular sh'nen manga titles have been seriali/ed in #ump,
including Dragon Ball, (aruto, Bleach, One Piece, Slam Dun!, )aptain &subasa, and others $see "ist of series run
in ee!l" Shnen #ump%.
With the relaDation of censorship in ,apan in the 7FF8s, a 3ide variety of eDplicit seDual themes appeared in manga
intended for male readers, and correspondingly occur in 0nglish translations. Ho3ever, in 5878, the Tokyo
#etropolitan .overnment passed a bill to restrict harmful content.
=76>
omen$s roles in shnen manga
In early sh'nen manga, men and boys played all the ma(or roles, 3ith 3omen and girls having only auDiliary
places as sisters, mothers, and occasionally girlfriends. f the nine cyborgs in Shotaro Ishinomori<s 7FB6 )"borg
00*, only one is female, and she soon vanishes from the action. Some recent sh'nen manga virtually omit 3omen,
e.g., the martial arts story Ba!i the +rappler by Itagaki 2eisuke and the supernatural fantasy San, -an, by +kira
Toriyama. Ho3ever, by the 7F98s, girls and 3omen began to play increasingly important roles in sh'nen manga.
For eDample, in Toriyama<s 7F98 Dr. Slump, the main character is the mischievous and po3erful girl robot +rale
4orimaki.
The role of girls and 3omen in manga for male readers has evolved considerably since +rale. ne class is the
pretty girl $bish'(o%.
=7A>
Sometimes the 3oman is unattainable, and she is al3ays an ob(ect of the hero<s emotional
andIor seDual interest, like )elldandy from Oh /" +o,,ess! by 2'suke Fu(ishima and Shao*lin from +uar,ian
%ngel +etten by #inene Sakurano.
=7B>
In other stories, the hero is surrounded by such girls and 3omen, as in
(egima by 2en +kamatsu and 0anau!"o /ai, &eam by #orishige.
=7C>
The male protagonist does not al3ays
succeed in forming a relationship 3ith the 3oman, for eDample 3hen )right Honda and +imi 2omori fail to bond
in Sha,o' -a," by #asaka/u 2atsura. In other cases, a successful couple<s seDual activities are depicted or
implied, like in Outlan,ers by ,oh(i #anabe.
=79>
In still other cases, the initially naive and immature hero gro3s up
to become a man by learning ho3 to deal and live 3ith 3omen emotionally and seDually; eDamples of heroes 3ho
follo3 this path include -ota in 1i,eo +irl %i by #asaka/u 2atsura and Train #an in &rain /an2 Densha Oto!o by
Hidenori Hara.
=7F>=58>
Ho3ever, since the F8s, 3omen have ac?uired a heightened role in various manga, albeit lesser
in number. They are often portrayed as central characters or characters 3ith important roles in manga. Some
eDamples include 3nuYasha, 4anma 5, and 6air" &ail.
0Damples of sh'nen manga that feature female protagonists include 6air" &ail, Soul 7ater and 3t8s (ot /" 6ault
&hat 38m (ot Popular!
%ist of shnen manga
#ain categoryH Sh'nen manga
0Damples of sh'nen manga include Shaman 9ing, 6ist o: the (orth Star, Death (ote, Dragon Ball, #o#o8s Bi;arre
%,<enture, Be"bla,e, One Piece, (aruto, %stro Bo", Pan,ora 0earts, 4urouni 9enshin, 9inni!uman, Saint Sei"a,
Dr. Slump, +in &ama, 6ighting Spirit, Detecti<e )onan, YuYu 0a!usho, )o,e +eass, 0unter = 0unter, 4eborn!,
Bleach, Soul 7ater, %ir +ear, Slam Dun!, >atch Bell!, 6air" &ail, &subasa2 4eser<oir )hronicle, Yu?+i?Oh!,
6ullmetal %lchemist, 4anma 5, %ttac! on &itan, Blue 7@orcist, /agi2 &he -ab"rinth o: /agic, S!et Dance,
9uro!o8s Bas!etball, Dea,man on,erlan,A &ori!oA&..ray*manA Pokemon +dventuresA an, Inu-asha.
See also
!hildren<s mangaH #anga intended for children
Sh'(o mangaH #anga intended for adolescent girls
Seinen mangaH #anga intended for adult men
,osei mangaH #anga intended for adult 3omen
&eferences
7. 2amika/e Factory Studio $5875%. Shonen /anga. Harper!ollins. p. 9. IS)4 FC988B577A6C9.
5. :Short anime glossary =JKLMNOP LQORSTQU*KVWWNOP KLXYUZUKQON>:. animeBmaga;ine $in 1ussian%
$@%H @B. 5886. ISS4 7978*9B66.
@. Schodt, 7F9B, op. cit.A chapter @, pp. B9*9C.
6. )renner, 588C, op. cit.A p. @7.
A. httpHIIintersections.anu.edu.auIissue58Imclelland.htm
:ne result 3as a ne3 regime of self*regulation among manga producers and distributors 3ho began to
reign in the more violent and seDual images that characteri/ed some genres, particularly manga directed at
sh'nen $male youth%.:
B. Thompson, ,ason $#arch 78, 5877%. :,ason Thompson<s House of 7888 #anga G &ragon )all:.
+nime 4e3s 4et3ork. 1etrieved 5876*87*@7.
C. Thorn, #att $,une 7FFB%. :+ History of #anga:. #att*thorn.com. 1etrieved 79 #arch 587@.
9. :0verything about Shounen $Shonen % .enre:. ,appleng.com. 76 #arch 587@. 1etrieved 79
#arch 587@.
F. Schodt, 7F9B, op. cit.A chapter @; .ravett, 5886, op. cit.A chapter. A, pp. A5*C@.
78. int[nashonaru, 2'dansha $7FFF%. 7ibun nihon sh$iten 2 #apan Pro:ile o: a nation $1evised ed., 7.
ed. ed.%. T'ky'H 2'dansha Int[nashonaru. pp. BF5GC7A. IS)4 6*CC88*5@96*C.
77. Schodt, Frederik ". $588C%. &he %stro Bo" essa"s 2 Osamu &e;u!aA /ight" %tomA an, the
mangaCanime re<olution. )erkeley, !alif.H Stone )ridge Press. IS)4 FC9*7*F@@@@8*A6*F.
75. Te/uka, Frederik ". Schodt. Fore3ord by samu $7F99%. /anga! /anga! 2 the 'orl, o: #apanese
comics D Einclu,es *F pages :rom Osamu &e;u!a8s GPhoeni@GA 4ei$i /atsumoto8s G+host 'arriorGA 4i"o!o
3!e,a8s G&he rose o: 1ersaillesGA 9ei$i (a!a;a'a8s GBare:oot genG $\pdated paperback ed. ed.%. Tokyo ;4e3
-orkH 2odansha Internat. IS)4 FC9*8*9C877*CA5*C.
7@. :588F ,apanese #anga #aga/ine !irculation 4umbers:. +nime 4e3s 4et3ork. 588F*87*79.
1etrieved 587@*77*@8. :The bestselling manga maga/ine, Shueisha<s Weekly Shonen ,ump, rose in
circulation from 5.CF million copies to 5.97 million.:
76. Perper, Timothy; !ornog, #artha $7 #arch 5885%. :0roticism for the massesH ,apanese manga
comiss and their assimilation into the \.S.:. Se@ualit" an, )ulture ' $7%H @G75B. doiH78.788CIs7577F*885*
7888*6.
7A. For multiple meanings of bish'(o, see Perper ] !ornog, 5885, op. cit.A pp. B8*B@.
7B. +uar,ian %ngel +etten, by Sakurano #inene. 1ai(in .raphic 4ovelsI.utsoon^ 0ntertainment, Eols.
7*6, 588@*5886.
7C. (egima, by 2en +kamatsu. &el 1eyI1andom House, Eols. 7*7A, 5886*588C; 0anau!"o /ai, &eam,
by #orishige. Studio Ironcat, Eols. 7*@, 588@*5886.
79. Outlan,ersH httpHII333.angelfire.comIanimeImangatempleIoutlanders.html.
7F. &rain /an2 Densha Oto!o, Hidenori Hara. Ei/, Eols. 7*@, 588B.
58. Perper, Timothy and #artha !ornog. 588C. :The education of desireH 6utari etchi and the
globali/ation of seDual tolerance.: /echa,emia2 %n %nnual 6orum :or %nimeA /angaA an, 6an %rts, 5H587*
576.