Shounen is a genre of anime many of us have been exposed to in our youth. Heck, I remember watching Dragon Ball Z and HunterxHunter on the DX kids’ channel when I was in grade school. These shows are usually aimed at boys from 12 to 18 years old, and are typically action and adventure driven with mostly male characters.
Was that description not obvious enough? Wiki says: generally marketed towards young teen males between the ages of 12 and 18…. The kanji characters (少年, shōnen) literally mean “boy” or “youth”, and the characters (漫画, manga) means “comic”; thus, the complete phrase means “young person’s comic”, or simply “boys’ comic….characterized by high-action, often humorous plots featuring male protagonists. Commonly-found themes in shōnen manga include martial arts, robots, science fiction, sports, horror or mythological creatures. The camaraderie between boys or men on sports teams, and fighting squads are often emphasized. Protagonists often feature a desire to better themselves, often facing challenges to their abilities, skills and maturity. Values such as self-perfection, self-discipline, sacrifice and honorable service to society, community, family and friends are often stressed.
Shounen Anime Reviewed
List of Shounen Anime/ manga Recommendations
Dororo (although I definitley don’t consider it shounen, I mean it has gore, nudity, and other elements that really make it a seinen)
My Recommendations
- Dororo
- HunterxHunter
- Naruto (though I’ve only watched a few seasons)
- Pokémon (the original)