can shonen anime have cute moments

What makes a GOOD shonen anime series?

Most quality shonen series have a few sad and upsetting scenes, such as a beloved character's death or someone giving up on their cherished dreams. All of the best shonen anime series have dark moments that can reduce any fan to tears, especially when character deaths occur.

Can Shonen Anime Be Sad?

Shonen anime is famous for its exciting battles and inspiring characters, but shonen anime can be tragically sad, too. The world of shonen anime is famous for many things, from its inspiring protagonists to its empowering themes of friendship and courage. Shonen's positive side, however, must be balanced with its dark side.

Is Shonen Anime divisive?

Shonen series can run for multiple decades and create lifelong fans out of its audience. Shonen anime have some of the most passionate and devoted fans out of any anime genre, but they can also be divisive and not for everyone. A fine line exists between love and hate when it comes to the shonen genre.

Why do so many shonen anime series fail?

Many shonen anime series focus too much on humor to entertain audiences. Many of these series became huge hits because of their comedy, but some flopped with audiences because they have little else to offer. Some shonen anime rely so much on jokes and other silly aspects that they lose the main story, like in Yakitate!!

Does shonen anime have romance?

Shonen anime aren't exactly known for their adorable romances, as they are targeted towards teen boys who just want to see other boys beat each other up. However, there are a few battle shonen series with romance, and they feature the sweetest love stories amid the treacherous violence that surrounds the plot.

What is the number 1 shounen anime?

Well-made shonen anime tend to be massive hits — just look at Attack on Titan or Dragon Ball....Now, on to the best non-airing shonen anime of all time.1 Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.2 Gintama. ... 3 Haikyu!! ... 4 To Your Eternity. ... 5 Samurai Champloo. ... 6 Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files. ... More items...•

What makes an anime a shonen?

Summary. Shōnen manga is typically characterized by high action and often humorous plots featuring male protagonists. Commonly-found themes in Shōnen manga include martial arts, mecha, science fiction, sports, horror or mythological creatures.

Which shonen anime should you watch?

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure should be mandatory content for any fan of the shonen genre. The ongoing adventure of the Joestar family is immensely satisfying and the way in which different seasons shift perspective to new members of the family keeps the shonen series fresh in a way that's impossible for other shows.

Is AOT shonen or seinen?

Attack on Titan is serialized in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shounen Magazine. As the magazine's name suggests, it is a shounen magazine. The official way to identify a series is not just through its themes or characteristics, it is mostly classified by the magazine where it is serialized in.

What is the longest shonen anime?

Written by Osamu Akimoto, KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops is a concluded shonen anime and manga series which finished its run at 1,960 chapters. As of this writing, it is the single longest running shonen with more than a 600 chapter gap to the next closest.

Why do people love shounen?

Shonen is so popular because people, naturally, want to see the noble hero defeat the despicable villains. Additionally, Shonen has a variety of themes and tropes that define the genre. Though some may say it is too formulaic, the genre has proven how versatile and unique it can be.

Is Haikyuu shonen or shojo?

Haikyu!!ハイキュー!!English publisherViz MediaImprintJump ComicsMagazineWeekly Shōnen JumpDemographicShōnen60 more rows

Is demon slayer a shonen?

Demon Slayer is one of the most popular shonen anime in the world. Ever since the anime's first season aired, avid anime watchers have flocked to it like bees to a honeypot. The anime's story is very interesting, which is enough to keep the watchers on the edge of their seats.

Which shonen has the best story?

We're looking at some of the most popular shonen anime out there, and ranking them by how good that all-important plot is....Ranking Popular Shonen Anime By How Good Their Plots AreFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. ... Attack on Titan. ... Death Note. ... Hunter x Hunter. ... Dr. ... The Promised Neverland. ... Assassination Classroom.More items...•

What is the top 10 shonen?

20 Best Shonen Anime Ever1 Yu Yu Hakusho Is One Of The Best Titles That Shonen Has To Offer.2 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Is Full Of Plot Twists. ... 3 Hunter X Hunter's Setting Is Dangerous. ... 4 Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic. ... 5 One Piece Has Been Ongoing For Over Two Decades. ... More items...•

Is death note a shonen?

Death Note is a shounen series because it was made to target middle school aged boys.

10 Greed Gave His Life To Fight Father (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

The villainous homunculus Greed had the best character arc out of the seven Homunculi in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood since Greed learned the true power of friendship and turned against his creator, Father. Greed soon became a lovable antihero who fought by Edward Elric's side, but he paid the ultimate price for it.

9 Jonathan Joestar Laid Down His Life For Erina (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Jonathan Joestar's death in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood was another heroic shonen sacrifice that had to be made, but that didn't make it any easier for fans to watch. In the final episode of the short Phantom Blood story arc, Jonathan fought heroically when Dio Brando attacked him on a steamship to America.

8 Lucy Heartfilia Saw Her Father's Grave (Fairy Tail)

The long-running Fairy Tail anime is notorious for its heavy use of the power of friendship and being reluctant to kill off its heroes. Fairy Tail still has its share of heartbreaking moments, however, such as Mavis Vermillion's backstory with Zeref Dragneel and Juvia's personal history.

7 Soichiro Yagami's Final Moments (Death Note)

Soichiro Yagami was an upstanding police officer and a key ally to the super-detective L in Death Note. Like his son, Light Yagami, he stubbornly clung to his vision of justice at all costs. Tragically, he never learned that his beloved son was his worst enemy all along, and he died ignorant of that fact.

6 Masaki Kurosaki Was Killed By Grand Fisher (Bleach)

Many anime parents lose their lives defending their children, including Bleach 's Masaki Kurosaki, who wouldn't let the wicked Hollow Grand Fisher hurt her son Ichigo. One rainy afternoon, Grand Fisher arrived. Masaki, who had recently lost her Quincy powers, had no means of fighting back.

5 Sasha Braus Was Shot (Attack On Titan)

The fourth season of Attack on Titan changed everything with a new enemy and new stakes. The people of Paradis Island were now fighting the Marley Empire, not the pure Titans. Furthermore, the Marley Empire had some fierce warriors on its side, including the young Gabi Braun.

4 Sir Nighteye Died With Mirio By His Side (My Hero Academia)

Sir Nighteye was introduced early in My Hero Academia S eason Four as a former sidekick of All Might and the hero who was mentoring Mirio Togata. Sir Nighteye was tough but fair, as Izuku saw for himself, and he could even see the future. But he didn't predict his own death.

10 Dragon Ball GT Mixes Up Its Formula And Faces Criticism

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is one of the most prolific anime franchises of all time and it’s remained as popular today as it did when it made its debut. The love for Dragon Ball continues to be strong, but Dragon Ball GT remains one of the more contentious installments in the series.

8 Not Everyone Has Time For Black Clover To Find Its Footing

Black Clover is a recent shonen anime, even finding popularity on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block. Black Clover breaks down very familiar shonen tropes as Asta, an individual without magic powers, pines to become the next Wizard King.

5 Fairy Tail Will Connect With Audiences Or Leave Them Empty

Fairy Tail begins with infinite promise only to progressively squander its potential. Some shonen series take time to find their voice, but the reverse is true with Fairy Tail. Its characters hit diminishing returns and experience cyclical conflicts.

1 Attack On Titan Concentrated Narrative Is Impenetrable For Some

Attack on Titan premiered to massive acclaim, but it’s only grown more popular as the twisted story barrels ahead to its suspenseful conclusion. Attack on Titan is a masterpiece in serialization and foreshadowing. The anime gains greater depth with each rewatch and there’s always something new to discover in this bleak war between man and monster.

10 Main Characters Are Only Male

Most people tend to assume that a shonen series is just for boys and that there's hardly any female representation. While it can be true that males are the most prominent figures, there's a good deal of female representation.

9 It's All Action & Fighting

While it can't be argued that shonen has a focus on action, not every shonen is some action-packed battle series with high-tier gods fighting one another. Many sports anime like Haikyuu and Kuroko's Basket do have action, but the main focus isn't on combat.

8 Shonen Can't Be Dark

Shonen series can be dark. Due to the bright, whimsical, lighthearted nature of shonen anime, the assumption is that these sorts of series can't be dark. This has been said about most shonen, but that's mostly because they don't seem to include explicit gore.

7 Seinen Is Better Than Shonen Because It's "More Mature"

Seinen series are more targeted for an adult demographic, from 18+. Seinen tends to be more explicit than shonen. Unlike a shonen that can't typically go too far with its content, a seinen doesn't have too many limitations, but this doesn't inherently make a seinen more mature than a shonen or determines if a seinen is better than a shonen.

6 All Of The Characters Are The Same

While series like Dragon Ball and Yu Yu Hakusho have set a standard for modern shonen character archetypes, it's dishonest to say that every shonen cast is a copy-and-paste of the other.

5 There's No Good Romance

While most shonen series are not known for their strong romances, there are romance-based shonen fans can watch/read. Not every shonen is just about action. For a lot of people, this stigma stems from battle-shonen not having a strong grasp of romance and sort of just teasing at relationships.

4 Every Shonen Follows The Same Formula

While there certainly is a formula for certain shonen (typically battle-shonen), not every shonen is the same. If one series has a tournament arc, then another series can also have a tournament arc and it'd be entirely different.

10 Shonen Protagonists Rush In Without A Plan

Shonen characters often have a lot at stake. From their friends being in danger to the very fate of the world hanging in the balance, they have a lot of responsibility to shoulder. They're understandably hasty in their attempts to stop the villains, as their adrenaline is probably rushing and their time is often running out.

9 Shonen Protagonists Rely On Emotion Instead Of Logic

Heroes are often driven by emotion. They desire to save others, and this causes them to be flooded with desperation, anxiety, adrenaline, and excitement. This often compels them to make illogical or rash decisions that lead to careless mistakes.

8 Shonen Protagonists Choose The Individual Over The Many

What defines a hero is often their reverence for life. They want to save people no matter what, just as Lemillion risked his quirk to save Eri in My Hero Academia . Sometimes, this even manifests in forgiving the villain or letting them go, which can sometimes lead to further damage in the future.

7 Shonen Protagonists Often Do Not Have Their Priorities In Order

Life or death situations often reveal a character's true values, ethics, and priorities, and sometimes those priorities are mismanaged. Occasionally, these situations even reveal the main character's selfishness or foolishness. They want to protect their loved ones even at the expense of others.

6 Shonen Protagonists Rely On Unreliable Factors

From going Super Saiyan to evolving Pokémon in the middle of battle, there are plenty of accidental triumphs in shonen anime. One of the most famous moments of this occurs when Yugi Muto somehow summoned Exodia in his fight with Seto Kaiba.

5 Shonen Protagonists Don't Take Care Of Themselves

Shonen protagonists are notorious for wanting to win or save others so badly that they'll destroy their bodies, minds, or weapons to do so. When they do this, they rarely take the proper amount of time to heal up.

4 Shonen Protagonists Have A Hard Time Waiting

Impatience often leads to rushing into battles ill-prepared. Many shonen protagonists are so hot-headed, excitable, or stubborn that they refuse to wait to form a proper plan or for the right time to arrive. Rather than wait for an opening, they often try and force one themselves.