A lot of anime’s popularity today is thanks to Shonen anime. It’s no surprise that a considerable amount of anime lovers were first introduced by one of “The Big Three“; that is Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece (we’ll get back to them). While most of the three has ended, a lot of Shonen anime today still replicate or at least try to replicate things they did well.
An Introduction To Shonen Anime
To those unfamiliar with the term Shonen, simply put; its anime which generally appeals to the younger male demographic. Just like Shojo anime appeals to the younger female demographic. As such, Shonen is more prone action-packed scenes or slapstick humor. What I’ll be talking about is mostly the action-packed anime.
While I may catch some flak for this opinion, Shonen Anime isn’t necessarily bad. I just happen to notice the tropes already established in countless anime seen multiple times, among many other things that exhaust me. First, I’ll talk about how similar most Shonen anime is.
In most Shonen anime, you’ll see similar tropes such as the energetic young highschooler protagonist with a love interest and a rival. Sure it doesn’t have to be a highschooler, but most of the time, its someone around the age of a highschooler. Each important plot point will also be stretched out into countless anime episodes or manga chapters. And while doing so, they all begin to lose their depth. As with each action scene, you’ll start to notice the similarity in each frame.
A Popular Shonen Anime (With Bad Tropes)
An example of the long drawn out plot points can be found in the famous anime/manga, Bleach. One thing that initially drew me in on Bleach was how unique it felt. Though I was younger and addicted to long-drawn-out action scenes, Bleach still appeared unique to me.
It had several characters that seemed normal at the beginning. It had a modern setting, and the action sequences seemed entirely different from other Shonen anime at the time. But then this wonder quickly faded as I was 60+ episodes in, and the “save Rukia / Soul Society” arc was only just the beginning. Mind you; it started many episodes before then.
This was what ruined it for me. I’m sure it makes sense to the creators to draw out long sequences of a battle that won’t end till many chapters or episodes later, but it begins to lose its depth and personality. So it’s no wonder people compare Shonen anime so much, because they’re all virtually the same (at the core that is.)
Another Example
Another victim of this trope would be Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Ball is a good anime series, I can admit that. As I said earlier, we owe a lot of to anime like Dragon Ball, as it was one of the first Shonen manga ever created, dating back to 1984. Most people who follow media trends, use the internet, or even watched television as a kid knows of Dragon Ball. While a good anime, it’s still prone to some misdeeds, such as replicating the same fight scenes over and over again, poor foreshadowing, and same old repeated villains.
Especially when arcs last a volume of manga, only to be one drawn-out battle. So at point, it becomes tiring. It sadly goes on like this for more seasons, losing more depth as it goes. Sure they bring some new ideas to the table occasionally, but once they do, the process just starts all over again.
Modern Day Shonen Anime
More and more anime and manga seem to be replicating these tropes. It’s often sad getting into a Shonen anime you think is finally different or unique, only for it to start going in the same direction most Shonen anime do.
Some might say having gripes with the typical tropes seen in anime, especially in Shonen, is a bit redundant. As that’s usually what it should be, its nature is meant to cater to individuals who don’t mind the repeating trends. That, while valid, can also be argued with the fact that just because we watch typical Shonen anime, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expect better of it.
An excellent example of a Shonen anime done well (or at least uniquely) is Hunter x Hunter. Shonen, while it is, Hunter x Hunter is a superb anime. The characters and world-building interest the viewers right from the very first episode, not boring us with exposition, and also not overwhelming us with intense action scenes right from the get-go. The rules of the anime are explained with enough detail and depth to keep us intrigued. Each arc is long enough to leave an impact but also short enough not to invoke fatigue.
Each arc also builds on the next while also bringing new subjects, characters, and ideas to the table. It’s also noteworthy that the anime only spans around 140+ episodes, which is quite small in a world where Shonen anime compete to reach the thousands.
Final Thoughts
With all that being said, this article isn’t to rant about how Shonen anime suck but rather my opinion on the subject and hopes to see more unique takes on the Shonen tag. And with shows like Crunchyroll’s Dr. Stone and Kimetsu no Yaiba being released, we at least have some hope. Also, at the fear of sounding like a hypocrite, One Piece is the best anime ever, and you can quote me on that. But i’ll leave that opinion for another time.
What do you think about all this? Do you enjoy Shonen Anime? If so why? Let is know your thoughts in the comments section below.
