Anime shounen from the new season. Shonen - what is it? Anime by genre

At one time, I was asked to compile a list of anime that had a significant influence on anime culture. Alas, I’m not such a big specialist to take on such a global task. But nevertheless, after thinking a little, I decided to review one of the directions, highlighting the most significant things in it and so on...

Top ten shonen

Giant swords, epic fights stretched over a dozen episodes, pathos, blood, overpowering, boring lengthy speeches. Yes, this is it, one of the most famous genres of the anime industry and its name is shonen. The genre, created exclusively for teenagers, nevertheless won the hearts of millions of adults and, despite all the tons of dirt poured on it, continues to successfully live and develop.

Every year, “The Land of the Rising Sun” produces more and more samples of these products. Some of them immediately fall into oblivion, becoming known only to a narrow circle of fans. Others join the ranks of the brightest stars, immediately becoming a cult and iconic phenomenon. And after careful study and review, I selected a dozen similar things, each of which had a serious influence on the genre or simply became a cult classic. And so, we will start with...

10. Ranma 1/2

His name is Ranma Saotome. He is a young but quite promising martial artist. Despite his young age, he has practically no worthy rivals who can compare with him. But he has two insoluble problems. The first is a hell of a lot of brides, half of which he earned thanks to his crazy dad (the latter managed to negotiate a wedding with all the martial arts schools he came across), and the other due to his brilliant charisma. And the second is the tendency to periodically turn into a girl. What to do if training at the damned springs ended in such a simple way. And now every time someone pours cold water on Ranma, he immediately automatically changes gender (for the reverse transformation, hot water is needed).

Humor, banter, showdowns, relationships with girls in love and old rivals, and a bunch of people cursed in this way who have a tendency to turn into all sorts of creatures at the most unnecessary moment. All this turns this series into an extremely striking example of this genre.

09. Fairy Tail

Among all shonen, the epic saga about the adventures of crazy wizards from an equally crazy guild is the youngest representative of the genre. Nevertheless, she has already managed to win the hearts of many and has virtually millions of fans. Battles, magic, pretentious speeches and banter, overpowering, winged cats, half-naked girls and almost naked men. Well, there’s also an atmosphere of light madness with a touch of cheerful recklessness. It is still difficult to say whether we are talking about cult status, but the fact that this series is iconic in this entire genre is not even worth doubting.

08. InuYasha

Medieval Japan in all its dark glory, but here, in addition to the feudal squabbles, there were also a host of demons roaming around and tyrannizing the civilian population. It was in such a fun time that fifteen-year-old Kagome Higurashi found herself. And now the young schoolgirl has to complete two important missions at once. The first is to collect the pieces of the mysterious Soul Stone without letting it fall into the hands of the evil demon Naraku. And the other is to prepare for the school exam, since saving the world is, of course, a necessary thing, but you shouldn’t forget about studying.

Well, so that the girl wouldn’t get bored, they picked up a company consisting of a young kitsune, a demon hunter, a perverted monk and a half-breed demon with a very harmful character (his name is Inuyasha). The latter becomes her faithful friend, companion, ally, and in the end even something more. Romance, drama, giant swords, betrayal, temptation, demons, all in all a pretty fun story.

07. Fullmetal Alchemist

The story of two brothers who played with higher powers and, as a result, earned injuries that are incompatible with their future lives, is probably one of the most popular in the world. And this is not surprising, because there is almost everything here: intrigue, riddles, secrets, conspiracies, global and local wars, love, drama, alchemy and many colorful characters.

Particularly pleasing is the fact that there are two versions of the adventures of our heroes made in almost different genres (only one is true, but oddly enough, the filler heresy also has many fans). And in general, it should be recognized that the cult status of this series is an accomplished thing.

06. Rurouni Kenshin

And again Japan, but this time at the end of the nineteenth century. The period of restructuring the country in the European way and the abandonment of past traditions. This is where the adventures of Himura Kenshin begin, a civil war veteran trying to start a peaceful life. But his past as a professional killer refuses to let him go. And despite the oath “not to kill” and wearing a sword with a reverse sharpening, on his way he periodically encounters unpaid debts, and simply people who want to use the swordsman’s power for personal gain.

The uniqueness of this thing is that, unlike most similar stories, the main character is not a stupid youth who has just begun to take his first steps in a harsh life, but on the contrary, a very mature man (Kenshin is twenty-eight years old) with an already established worldview, but alas , not yet able to realize his true purpose. Unfortunately, the film adaptation let us down a little, significantly lowering the rating, but even this was enough for the red-haired sword master with a cross-shaped scar on his cheek to be remembered by the audience seriously and for a long time.

05. Hunter x hunter

A thing with a strange fate. Unknown to the general public, it nevertheless acquired cult status and set many standards for subsequent works in this genre. Probably the whole point is that despite the fact that the main characters are children, it cannot be called childish.

In general, the story of twelve-year-old Gon Freecss, who went in search of his father, is quite entertaining and, despite the obvious fabulousness, it resembles the most realistic of all the shonen presented in the list. At least here, to win in battle, talent, ability and luck are not enough. You need skills and experience in combat. Mafia showdowns, trips to virtual reality, tournaments, bounty hunting, revenge, unexpected acquaintances and many, many adventures.

04. Bleach

Bankai, how much there is in this sound... However, not necessarily only this, because Bleach gave us many words and expressions, and a number of others (such as “shinigami”) extremely popularized. One of the most pathetic shonen, because in terms of pre-battle speeches, there is little that can compare with it. Indeed, it is difficult to find a work where almost each of the characters likes to boast about the size of their sword (or other combat garbage), at the same time morally humiliating their opponent, by the fact that they still have to grow and grow to be like them. Some may find Freudian motives in this, but most just watch and are touched by how the red-haired Kurosaki Ichigo once again gets punched in the face.

What can undoubtedly be considered a plus is the abundance of characters and a bunch of exciting battles between them. The fight, despite all the pathos, is excellently staged and can please both with the abundance of techniques and scale. Rarely a makhach in Chlorka does not happen without demolished houses, changes in the landscape of the area and horror on the faces of civilians, realizing how much they will have to repair later (although we are almost never shown civilians). In general, what else does the younger generation need?

03. Naruto

If we consider hatred to be the reverse side of popularity, then we should not be surprised that the army of haters of this work can easily measure their strength with that of Harry Potter or Twilight. Indeed, such streams of anger and rage are difficult to find anywhere else. However, the legion of fans don’t care about this and with a conviction worthy of adherents of a religious cult they continue to shout that this is the best anime of all time.

However, no matter what one or the other shouts, as in any work, here it is full of its own advantages and disadvantages. And the story itself of a boy-ninja wizard, despite its obvious secondary nature, is capable of captivating, captivating and seducing many fragile minds. Older people, on the contrary, will have to overcome themselves, because in order to check out the funny plot twists and truly original battles, they will have to listen to (or waste) a lot of boring moralizing speeches.

02. One Piece

Freedom, romance, seas, pirates... Oh, what boy didn’t want to go to sea at one time, raise a black flag with a skull and crossbones and set sail to distant shores in search of a mysterious treasure. So the hero of this work, without further ado, got into the boat and sailed towards adventure. True, despite the fact that he had to swim almost at random? his goal was quite specific. And he was not deprived of the heroic strength. Therefore, one should not be surprised that many of those who met him, who decided to try to stop him, had to experience the power of his fists on their own skin.

In general, this world is a world of romance, freedom, the spirit of adventure and everything else that comes with it. Namely: the abundance of greedy and insidious competitors, the anger of the official authorities, horror and contempt from civilians, as well as the opportunity to see your poster with a stunning reward on almost every corner. But fortunately, the hero has reliable friends on his side, never-ending optimism, faith in the future, a rubber body and an almost complete lack of brains. Therefore, one should not be surprised that in its homeland this work has long and firmly established itself at the top of all hit parades and is not yet going to lose its position to anyone.

01. Dragon Ball

Just as all roads lead to Rome, so all shonen paths lead to Dragon Eggs. It would be more accurate to say that they all come from it, because this thing, in its own way, is the founding father of this genre. Most of the features actively used by modern authors originated back then. And that is why, despite the fact that this project is mostly known only to oldfags, it occupies the first place in our hit parade.

00. Gintama

You are not mistaken, exactly the zero place. Because despite the fact that Gintama belongs to the shonen genre, in general it is more of a parody of all of the above things. But since, despite all the Easter eggs and borrowings, it uses an exclusively unique world and characters, I think that it should not be discounted.

There is almost no plot, the characters behave like idiots or maniacs, and the world itself is absurd and phantasmagorical. I think that is why this project is gaining more and more popularity every year, attracting more and more fans to its banner. Time will tell what this will lead to.

Anime is a Japanese animation with many hand-drawn characters. It differs from cartoons in other countries in its wide age range. Most anime by genre are intended for teenage, young adult and adult audiences. Anime has a follower called “manga”, this is the same as the first, but in the form of comics - a kind of book publication that repeats the plots of cartoons on its pages.

Anime is divided into several categories, each of which is intended for audiences of different age groups:

• Komodo - for children under 12 years old.
• Anime of the shounen genre - for teenagers and young men from 12 to 18 years old.
• Shojo - anime and manga, intended for girls and young women aged 12-18 years.
• Seinen is an anime for adult men over 18 years old.
• Josei is an anime and manga for adult women over 18 years old.

Anime Komodo - what is it?

Komodo anime is a genre of Japanese animation designed for children under 12 years old and characterized by the absence of ideological components. Komodo drawing is close in style to the European school of animated film, and in some films there is an imitation of American animated series. The similarity is not limited to the style of the drawing; the storyline of the Komodo anime often copies events from the overseas life of cartoon characters. However, Japanese Komodo anime can always be distinguished by their lack of violence. They are usually kind and entertaining. Examples of such films are such films as “Speedy Racer”, “Maya the Bee”, “Grandizer”.

Senen - what is it?

The most popular and sought-after direction is manga-shounen, which has the largest audience. The main features of the shounen genre are the dynamics in the development of the storyline, the pronounced impulsiveness of the characters and high motor skills in their behavior. Works in the shounen anime genre are filled with humorous scenes; the ideas of male friendship run through the plot. In addition, the entire cartoon (and sometimes it is a full-length one and a half hour film) is permeated with the spirit of competition in anything: in sports or martial arts, in everyday life or at work. You can guess it right away, it is distinguished by bright female characters who, according to the script, are in the background, but are strikingly beautiful and sexy. Femininity is contrasted with the masculinity of the heroes and emphasizes it favorably.

Varieties of the anime shounen genre

A common trope in shonen anime films, as well as manga comics, is the plot device where a huge number of super beautiful girls crave the attention of the main character. The applicants do not always receive it, but the plot nevertheless develops. The shounen genre has several branches: sentai, spokon and harem, each of which can be its own genre based on popularity. Each genre has its own, fairly large audience. All subtypes of the genre answer the question: “Shounen - what is it?” In the first subgenre, sentai, there is usually a permanent, close-knit team of five people who fight with something or someone. The second, calmly, reflects the adventures of athletes of a fairly young age, achieving fantastic success at the cost of dedication and an unprecedented will to win. And finally, a harem, in which the plot content boils down to the worship of hundreds of women by the main character, who is forced to live surrounded by them.

The best shounen anime are the films:

• "Dragon Ball" (640 episodes).
• "Love, Hina" (4 episodes).
• "Rosary and Vampire" (13 episodes).
• "Vagabond Kenshin" (190 episodes).

Each cartoon is interesting in its own way, the number of episodes filmed is an indicator of popularity, films are produced in accordance with demand. All of the films listed answer the question "Shounen - what is it?" fully. The shounen anime genre has the widest audience. The audience that can watch hundreds of episodes is not just people who walked into the cinema, "top anime shounen", and they number in the millions.

Shonen heroes are not surprised by their super popularity among the fair sex; they feel like masters of life, help their friends, are lucky and invincible. The typical image of the main character is a muscular optimist, an unwavering defender of everyone and everything, constantly saving someone.

Films in the anime-shounen genre, list:

• "Air Track" (Air Gear).
• "Beelzebub"
• Teil).
• "Snatch" (One Piece).
• "Killer
• "Soul Eater"
• "Torico"
• "Fang" (Kiba).
• "Silver Soul" (Gintama).

Seinen

Another type of shonen is seinen, an anime for men over 18 years old. Seinen is usually filmed according to a script with shallow psychological overtones, the plot is replete with satirical inserts, and there are also erotic scenes. It is considered good practice among directors of seinen films to show a character in the process of self-improvement. Romance is usually not present, although there are plots with love stories. In some cases, anime films and manga comics contain business stories of a criminal nature; they are watched by business people aged 35-40.

Female version of Shonen - what is it? These are shojo and josei. Shoujo is an anime for teenage girls and girls under 18 years old. Josei is an anime and manga for adult women.

Shoujo

Shoujo is an anime for older girls, from 12 to 16 years old, and girls from 16 to 18. The plots of shoujo anime usually contain the theme of love relationships, the degree of closeness of young people in the scenario varies, depending on the age of the potential viewer, for the youngest only kisses on the cheek, and for older audiences, love scenes of a more frank nature, although also quite chaste. Shoujo is distinguished by its emphasized grotesqueness of design, with humorous overtones, and if the script develops deep love relationships, then the film is drawn in a manner of romantic sophistication. Male heroes in shoujo films are always endowed with outstanding appearance and heroic character. An offshoot of shoujo anime is "mahou", a style that describes girls with magical powers who do not seek adventure, but who find adventure. Sometimes a shoujo film is made in a "harem" style, when a girl lives surrounded by young guys who are completely subservient to her.

Josei

Anime for older women is josei, a calm narrative film without action-packed conflicts, telling about the everyday life of a simple Japanese woman. The story begins, as a rule, from the heroine’s school years, with her acquaintance with other characters. Then there is further development of the plot in which the characters in the film do nothing unusual, and nothing special happens to them either. At first glance, the genre is boring, but it should be remembered that josei is an anime for adult women, most of them housewives, who adore films about nothing, without any shocks. The josei style of drawing is more realistic than shojo, and is characterized by careful attention to detail, especially if the plot contains a love story. In this case, the artists give preference to the sad expression of the heroine’s face, who never smiles throughout the entire film. Examples of films in the josei anime style include "Paradise Kiss" and "Honey and Clover".

Manga-shounen - what is it?

Manga - stories in pictures, or comics. Manga is part of Japanese culture and accounts for 25 percent of the country's printed output. Often, anime-shounen plots are transferred to manga format (although much more often the opposite happens, when manga provides a theme for a film script) and then manga comics are published in huge editions, in an endless chain of series. Like fiction, shounen manga is published in separate books, and in the case of a large amount of material, combined into volumes, so-called tankobon. Manga is distinguished by a characteristic drawing style, in most cases the image is black and white, the drawings are as meaningful as possible and do not require lengthy explanations, this is their difference from American comics.

Manga industry

In recent decades, the manga industry has formed; the popularity of book anime is so high that projects to publish stories in pictures are bought from Japan by the largest publishing houses in the USA and Canada, France, Great Britain and other countries. In 2007, the “International Manga Prize” was established, for which artists from all over the world now compete annually.

Manga magazines

For the general public, manga is published in a magazine version, printed on good paper, printing for comics is of the highest quality, circulation is in the millions. List of the best manga magazines:

• The weekly Shonen Magazine, published since 1959, publishes manga in the Shonen genre.
• Weekly Shonen Jamp, published since 1968, Shonen genre.
• ShonenJump Monthly, published in the Shonen genre since 1970.
• Weekly Shonen Sunday, beginning of publication - 1959, genre shounen and seinen.
• The monthly Jump Square has been published since 2007 in the shounen genre.
• Shonen Ace Monthly, published since 1994, Shonen genre.
• Monthly Magazine Special, published since 1983 in the shounen and shoujo genres.
• Weekly Sunday Gene-X, started publishing in 2000, shounen genre.
• The weekly Shonen Rival has been published since 2008 in the shounen, shojo and josei genres.

Anime shounen on TV channels

The shounen megagenre is spreading among the reading and viewing audience in other ways, for example, the broadcast of shounen anime, as well as other subgenres, is widely practiced in the format of a television series. Today, anime television series have the highest viewing ratings among television programs. Japanese TV channels set aside a certain time for showing the next anime series, and these hours become “sacred”, no one can cancel them. The episodes are for the most part short, within half an hour, so viewers don’t develop a narcotic addiction to anime on television - I watched the next episode and went on about my business. Typically, a television series is an adaptation of a popular manga.

Typically, a seasonal show consists of 12-14 episodes, organically fitting into a 12-week broadcast. Long series, in which the number of episodes is over a hundred or more, are evenly distributed over several seasons; this practice has long been worked out on television, using the example of cinematic series. The duration of an anime series directly depends on the level of its popularity; the record was set by Doraemon, which consists of more than two thousand episodes, and this is not the only example.

Anime shounen and computer games

Recently, with the development of computer technology, the number of games in the visual novel genre has increased. These computer entertainments became the basis for creating anime based on the plots of games, action films, shooters and other interesting developments of programmers. Today, films in the anime genre are not only film adaptations of manga, but also direct adaptations of computer games. The rules of the innovation were determined immediately; most digital entertainment does not have a plot as such, except for a simple alternation of episodes. Therefore, the director who is translating a computer game into a shounen anime is limited in material. But the audience’s interest in the shounen taken from the game is enormous; everyone wants to see their favorite characters on the big screen.

Shounen anime- one of the classic anime genres. From Japanese this term is translated as “guy, young man.” In part, this brings a little clarity to the situation: it becomes clear for whom this genre was created. Shonen tells heroic stories that appeal to every teenage boy. The content of such anime is replete with variety. Any adventure saga, be it a story about the conquest of a new civilization or an adventure on an unknown planet, is a shonen.

Most often in anime online In this genre, the main conflict is represented by the struggle of the protagonist against evil. But the main character cannot defeat evil alone! Therefore, his team of loyal friends almost always works with him, and together they will ultimately win. Best shonen anime are quite diverse in nature, which is why they are able to hook you. Due to the fact that each story has its own unique plot, anything can serve as the setting for an anime series like this!

The action can take place in a medieval state, where brave knights, busty princesses and evil dragons live. Or the place where all the events will take place will be a secret laboratory in which experiments are carried out on people in order to obtain a new type of biological weapon. Along with such fantastic worlds, there is also a more mundane option, where the stage for the story can be an ordinary school or just a quiet town on the outskirts of Japan.

Target audience of the genre shonen online are young guys, mostly from 12 to 18 years old. For more mature men, there is a similar genre - seinen or even anime shonen-ai. But such stories are intended for the older generation, and therefore there are not so many jokes, parodies and ridiculous situations in them. Anime in the seinen genre they are considered much more serious works. In any case, shonen as a genre is very interesting, anime of this kind are quite diverse, and therefore they will appeal to everyone.