How to Identify the Basic Types of Anime and Manga

When talking about anime and manga, there are a lot of Japanese terms thrown around that may be more than a little confusing to the uninitiated. But perhaps the most important of these to know to refer to some of the different types of anime and manga.

This is basic stuff! very long time fans will know these terms. That's okay! New ones may not. Likewise, a-okay.

Each of those five types—shonen, shojo, seinen, josei, and kodomomuke—is focused on a particular target demographic. they're not genres (action, romance, coming old, etc.). Rather, they're just labels for who the intended audience is. So while the anime and manga that represent each of the kinds can technically be of any genre, knowing which anime and manga you wish to be which kind is a decent road map for locating other similar titles you would possibly enjoy.

Shonen

 

Literally meaning “few years,” “shonen” (少年) typically refers to young boys under the age of fifteen. Thus, shonen anime and manga are aimed toward that demographic. plenty of those anime and manga have a young male hero and are focused on action, adventure, and fighting. However, comedies and series with female protagonists are getting more and more common. Shonen works often have quite a good share of fanservice moreover. Some popular samples of shonen anime and manga are Dragon Ball, Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Watamote, and Attack on Titan.

Seinen

 

“Seinen” (青年), on the opposite hand, refers to young men between the ages of 15-24. Seinen anime and manga tend to be of a more violent and/or psychological nature than shonen series—though, of course, there are seinen comedies also. they'll even have content of a pornographic nature (though this can be not the main focus of the work). Famous seinen anime and manga include such titles as Berserk, Ghost within the Shell, Akira, Hellsing, and Gantz.

 

Shojo

 

“Shojo” (少女), which is commonly translated as “young girl,” is that the female counterpart to shonen, and anime and manga of this kind are geared toward girls between the ages of ten and eighteen. These tend to target romance and interpersonal relationships—though this doesn't mean they're necessary without action or adventure. Shojo works nearly always have a female lead; however, many male homosexual love stories be the shojo category furthermore. Popular Shojo works include NANA, Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Fushigi Yuugi, and Ouran highschool Host Club.

Josei

 

Anime and manga of the “josei” (女性) variety are geared toward adult women. Josei series are often slice-of-life or romantic tales featuring adult women, though, in recent years, shonen-like action-adventures became popular in addition. In general, these works tend to contain more realistic interpersonal relationships (as critical shojo’s often idealized ones) and may cover darker subjects like rape and infidelity. While many josei anime and manga have female main characters, many others have male characters. Male leads are usually of the pretty-boy variety and stories featuring them often have homosexual undertones. Popular josei series include Loveless, Paradise Kiss, Honey and Clover, 07-Ghost, and Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist.

Kodomomuke

 

Literally meaning “directed at children,” “Kodomomuke” (子供向け) anime and manga are exactly that. Kodomomuke works tend to be simple, imaginative stories that teach morals and other core values to young readers. Sometimes they're original stories while other times they're adaptations of Western classical literature. Popular children’s series include Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Chibi Maruko-chan, Heidi, Girl of range of mountains, Anne of Green Gables, and Anpanman.

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the most recent talking points from Japan, Korea, China, and beyond. tune-up every morning from 4 am to eight am.

To contact the author of this post, write to GearAnime@gmail.com