can shounen anime focus on character development

by Dr. Jarret Padberg 5 min read
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This shounen-ai focuses on the development of Ren and his feelings as they mature from admiration and infatuation to those of love. Hearts melt as this pair work to overcome their differences and acknowledge the depth of their feelings. 8 Tanaka-Kun Is Always Listless Demonstrates The Thin Line That Separates Friends From Lovers

Full Answer

Do shonen anime series focus too much on Comedy?

Many shonen anime have become hits for the humor and comedic dialog. Others, however, have flopped because they focus too heavily on comedy. 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.

What makes an anime an anime?

Each anime has a vision and narrative voice which distinctly makes it theirs. Many anime include a deuteragonist in their stories, otherwise known as a secondary protagonist.

What are some of the best anime concepts?

One of the best frequent concepts is a character's hard work and how it pays off. The gradual progression of one's strength is often a theme of most Shounen anime, if not the premise outright. Some examples include Dragon Ball's Goku, Naruto's Naruto, and Bleach's Ichigo, to name a few.

What is Shounen’s hero's journey?

A classic hero's journey includes humble beginnings much like ours, and Shounen tends to subscribe to this narrative philosophy. From Light to Elric, many of the main characters start their journeys in environments much like the ones we're familiar with.

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10 There Are Too Many Episodes To Get Through

There’s a certain amount of freedom to be found in anime that have hundreds of episodes, but the reverse can also true when that much material just feels daunting. Since shonen series typically adapt popular manga that have years of established content, it’s not unusual for shonen anime to have an extensive number of episodes.

9 Power Crawl And Power Scaling Can Be Increasing Problems

A large number of shonen series are focused on climactic battles and the biggest moments come down to whoever has become the strongest. A shonen character’s strength, especially in relation to their supporting characters, can become quite problematic if a shonen series runs for an extended period of time.

8 There Are Heavy Amounts Of Filler

A curious concession that many shonen fans need to accept is the presence of filler content in their series’ storytelling. Filler is original material that’s created for an anime that wasn’t present in the manga. Filler isn’t inherently a bad thing, and it can even be an asset when it’s employed in small doses.

7 Protagonists That Take A While To Come Together

A lovable and relatable main character is essential in any story, anime or otherwise. The audience needs to care about their protagonist and want to actively see them succeed on their quest. While it’s not a hard rule for shonen, these series often feature protagonists that take much longer to find their footing.

5 Additional Movies Can Be Necessary To Understand Everything

Another common inevitability with the most popular shonen series is that they’ll extend their success to feature film installments. There are a ton of anime movies that operate as companion pieces to shonen series, which can sometimes result in confusing chronology.

2 Casts Grow Unwieldy And Supporting Characters Get Neglected

There’s a tendency in shonen series for the main character to collect more and more allies throughout their adventures. Supporting characters come and go, and it’s difficult to give everyone a proper showcase when there are so many individuals to cover.

1 There Can Be Awkward Shifts In Genre

One luxury that some long-running shonen series have that’s not present in one-season shows is that there’s more time to experiment with genre and tone. An anime series that’s confined to a dozen or two installments is forced to be efficient with its storytelling.

What is the character Taichi in Shounen?

While shounen media has been a lot more willing to change things up a lot since Adventure first aired in 1999, the general idea you get of a shounen protagonist is a hot-blooded one who charges recklessly into everything on impulse. Taichi definitely fits a handful of the traits on principle in that he’s a passionate sports boy, and one who takes an “action-first” philosophy and often acts on impulse, but there’s a lot more nuance to that than you might expect.

What is the most unusual thing about Ken's character?

Really, the single most unusual thing about Ken’s character and his character arc is the fact that such a plotline even exists in the first place. How many series would take the main antagonist of the first half (not an underling, but the actual primary antagonist) and not only reform them but also turn them into the best friend of the protagonist for the second half? And not even in a “begrudging edgelord rival” sense, but legitimately the person who becomes a straightforward best friend with no standoffishness and full-on social-life supportiveness to the protagonist?

What is the badass action girl?

This kind of character is usually thought of as the “badass action girl”, especially since Sora is established as also being rather physically active much like Taichi, but one thing that often comes with this sort of character is that they often “have it together” all of the time and are seemingly implacable in personality. Adventure goes out of its way to indicate, even as early as episode 3, that while it is true that Sora has it together and is capable of pulling her own weight, she is also not a saint – that is to say, she’s capable of having moments of pettiness, poor judgment, or irrationality like any other flawed human being. In fact, her first focus episode (Adventure episode 4) has her outright look down on Piyomon for being, in her mind, overly mushy and clingy and not really up for the job of protecting her, only to be proven very wrong at the end of the episode.

What is Yamato's archetype?

Yamato’s archetype is one that goes down to appearance – the cool-looking, bishounen rival who advocates for a more “rational and cold” approach in contrast to the lead protagonist’s hot-bloodedness, who looks down on him for being stupid and irrational, and refuses to get near anyone due to looking down on them (or the concept of having friends in general). This is to the point where his own voice actor saw his design and immediately expected him to be this archetype to the point of worrying that he might not be able to pull off this role, only for himself to find out that Yamato is the exact opposite.

Is Adventure a kid show?

Adventure is a kids’ show, and so it’s only natural that its characters would have certain surface archetypes common to others in the genre, like “the impulsive leader” or “the cool-headed rival”…except it actually doesn’t, really! It was actually a deliberate decision to make the characters go against their archetypes, and even the ones that did toe closer to it still had a number of nuances that distinguished them greatly from what you would usually expect from these kinds of characters. A lot of this was a deliberate attempt to make the characters relatable, so that it would allow each and every one of them to have their own unique strengths that their usual archetypes wouldn’t generally allow them to.

Is Daisuke the most anime-like character?

Daisuke has been stated outright by Adventure and 02′s director Kakudou to have “ the most anime-like personality ”, and it is true that even going beyond his base profile, a lot of his characteristics are much closer to that of an idealistic shounen anime protagonist than Taichi’s are, including (as the article in question points out) that he’s a lot more “hot-blooded” on principle but suddenly loses his head when around a girl he likes. Past that, however, there’s a lot of depth going on that reveals that Daisuke is in fact quite the deceptive character.

What are some examples of Shounen anime?

Some examples include Dragon Ball 's Goku, Naruto 's Naruto, and Bleach 's Ichigo, to name a few. Not only does this set a tremendously positive example for impressionable young viewers, it encourages anime veterans to keep ...

What is the story of Shounen?

A classic hero's journey includes humble beginnings much like ours , and Shounen tends to subscribe to this narrative philosophy. From Light to Elric, many of the main characters start their journeys in environments much like the ones we're familiar with. Even fledgling gods like Naruto and Meliodas do not flex their awe inspiring power until fairly later in their journey.

What is the main character in anime?

Many anime include a deuteragonist in their stories, otherwise known as a secondary protagonist. However, in many of the shows which have one, they follow the same recurring theme; the main character is optimistic, bright eyed, and morally upright, while the other is reserved, distrusting of others, and often harbors a dark past.

What are some examples of villainous organizations?

Some examples include the Espada from Bleach, the Akatsuki from Naruto, and the Ten Commandments from Seven Deadly Sins. Their considerable numbers give side characters an opportunity to demonstrate their increasing power.

Is Shounen creepy?

A considerable number of Shounen have certain characters which are annoying at best and creepy at worst, existing as something of an uncomfortable novelty. They are usually short and powerless (at least comparatively to the rest of the cast), though most glaringly harass the show's female members for attention.

Is the power of friendship a cliche?

As cliche as it might seem, the power of friendship trope is one that is underappreciated. Despite the protagonists' dramatic rise in power over a show's duration, the most entertaining and breathtaking moments are when they collaborate with their allies to pull off amazing feats.

Is the protagonist's trainers a trope?

Though it may have its share of lecherous old men, its scope is far too diverse to consider it a trope.

9 Black Clover Experiences Early Growing Pains

Black Clover checks off many of the standard shonen boxes. The magical shonen series focuses on Asta, a powerless individual in a world where magical powers are the norm. Nevertheless, Asta's ordinary status doesn't discourage him in his quest to become the next Wizard King.

5 Fire Force Takes Some Time To Find The Proper Character Dynamics And Tone

Fire Force has two well-received seasons under its belt, and it seems as if it will only get better as it verges deeper into its larger storyline. Plenty of shonen series revolve around characters that wield exceptional super powers, but Fire Force turns to the old adage to fight fire with fire in a literal sense.

3 Fairy Tail Suffers Early On From A Flawed Protagonist

Many shonen anime series turn to fantastical worlds where wizardry and magical guilds reign supreme, with Fairy Tail being one of the more prominent examples due to how it's produced well over 300 episodes. There's a lot of Fairy Tail to consume, but the series often reflects the shonen genre at its most basic and derivative.

How many times does Shonen Hero's Plan Blew Up in Their Face?

RELATED: 10 Times A Shonen Hero's Plan Blew Up In Their Face. While Kosei is a gifted pianist, so too are his three primary rivals, putting him on equal ground with everyone who can play a musical instrument. Their talents make the final four episodes a joy to watch until the anime punches you in the emotional gut.

What is the best thing about Hajime no Ippo?

For a series about boxing, Hajime No Ippo does an amazing job of focusing on character development , giving weight to every single fight in the series. Ippo often runs into his opponents before their fights, giving the anime a chance to delve into their backstories and make the viewer care about what's to happen. Challenge-wise, they do a good job of going into the intricacies of the sport, making challenges be more about a clash in styles rather than someone being overpowered.

Is 8 Konosuba a parody?

8 Konosuba Is A Parody Of Popular Isekai Genre. Parodies can be outstanding when they are done well. Gintama stands out, and it's a series that Konosuba matches in tone. Both poke fun at the plethora of cliches in the genre they are parodying, making sure the audience is in on the joke.

Is your lie in April a shonen series?

Your Lie In April isn't your typical shonen series and anyone who watched it would probably be surprised it's listed as such. There aren't any grand battles, nor are there superpowers. It's a story centered around music and how the notes can come straight from someone's soul, baring it to all who hear it.

Is Kazuma a human?

With the glut of overpowered main characters in isekai, Kazuma is anything but. He's just a standard human who fights like one. The same could be said of his rag-tag group of followers, especially the ever useless Aqua.

Is Toilet bound Hanako Kun worth watching?

If you're looking for an anime that doesn't take itself too seriously, Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun is worth a watch. It's a show packed with comedy, sure to make the viewer laugh at least a few times every episode.

Do shonen and overpowered go together?

0. Comment. Overpowered characters and shonen anime tend to go together as well as peanut butter and jelly. These series are typically power fantasies revolving around at least two powerful characters throwing hands with each other. It's what led to just awful power scaling in many of the longer-running series.

1. Yuji Sakai ( Shakugan No Shana)

Yuji Sakai starts out as a normal guy in a seemingly normal world. The city of Misaki. That changes after he dies and becomes a torch, which is like a shadow of your original self.

2. Mikoto Kibitsu (Peach Boy Riverside)

Mikoto Kibitsu is a new character since July 2021. Peach Boy Riverside is adapted from a light novel series.

4. Allen Walker (D. Gray Man)

Allen Walker is the MC of D. Gray Man who’s cursed after a tragic incident involving a loved one.

5. Kusuo Saiki (The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K)

Kusuo is a psychic. He’s born that way. Not because his parents are superhuman, but just because I guess.

6. Tatsumi ( Akame Ga Kill)

Tatsumi is an MC who comes from a poor neighbourhood. In fact he lived in poverty.

7. Light Yagami ( Death Note)

Light Yagami, also known as “Kira” is the main character who randomly picks up a notebook that falls from the sky.

8. Yuki Amano (Future Diary)

I know some of you are seeing this and thinking “wait, what?” but it does make sense when you think about it.

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