Shonen Manga Guide

What is Shonen Manga?

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

My earlier manga post covered the essentials. Manga has diverse genres for different ages. Manga appeals to everyone because it provides something for everyone.

Let’s focus on shonen manga (少年マンガ), a popular manga genre.

Japanese Shonen Manga

Sho (少) means “few” and nen (年) means “years.” Shonen manga is geared at shonen, literally meaning young boys, although it does not mean of course that only young boys may read it. Reading manga is socially acceptable for adults in Japan, and there are lots of female readers of shonen manga as well.

Though manga has been present since the 19th century, manga was launched in 1959 with the weekly Shonen Magazine. This occurred shortly after the shojo manga (少女マンガ) genre emerged.

Manga Publishers

What is Shonen Manga?

Many shonen manga publishers target diverse audiences. CoroCoro Comic targets elementary school males, Shonen Jump and Magazine upper elementary, and Young Jump middle school or older.

Another type, seinen manga (青年マンガ), targets an older audience than shonen manga.

Shonen Manga Themes

Dragon Ball Shonen Manga in Japanese

Dragon Ball

Naturally, younger readers prefer simpler manga. Younger manga have simpler stories, psychological profiles, and moral standards, while middle school manga explores subjects like deviance, social distortion, and human stagnation.

Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, Attack on Titan, and Death Note are popular shonen manga. Shonen manga features action, battle, and adventure. A boy on an adventure is the standard coming-of-age story.

Luffy from One Piece seeks to become the Pirate King while making new friends, saying goodbyes, overcoming challenges, and growing as a person.

Shonen Manga

One Piece

This genre often features attractive female characters like Nami, Luffy’s lone girl in the Straw Hat Pirates in the early One Piece series.

Manga Heroes

Most popular themes and heroes change with time. Shonen manga features many modern heroes. There are constants in manga. Stories feature friendship, love, rivalry, mentors, dreams, and parables like “justice will prevail” and “hard work pays off.”

The main character is weak at first, but his kindness and integrity draw other people. You root for the characters and become one of them. Feel like you’re on an adventure together. It’s not real life, but you put your emotions, life, and dreams into the characters. You laugh and cry with them.

What are the best Shonen Manga?

Dragon Ball, Naruto, and One Piece, among others, were serialised for years and have devoted followers who grew up with the characters.

Best Manga

Naruto

One of the best shonen comics for my generation is Naruto. One young ninja observed his father’s sacrifice to defend his village.Like his father, Naruto wants to be the village’s hokage.

Naruto is thirteen when we meet him, trailing behind his classmates at the ninja academy and seeking to get village respect.

Naruto ran from 1999 until 2014. I felt like a chapter in my life ended when Naruto ended. The good news is that fans never forget these personalities. Every comic lets you relive moments with your favourite characters. Manga fans often cite encouraging quotes from their favourite manga. Manga is still enjoyed by the next generation.

Shonen Manga Affects Japan

Suspense, hospital drama, and wits are also popular.

Manga may impact readers’ lives. Students chose school sports based on sports manga like Captain Tsubasa, Ace of Diamond, Slam Dunk, and The Price of Tennis. They imagine working hard with teammates and creating lifelong friends like those manga characters. The sheer number of sports manga volumes explains why baseball and football are so popular in Japan.

Manga readers also find new hobbies. In Hikaru no Go, the board game Go was invented in China over 2,500 years ago. It was popular with middle-aged and older folks, but today younger people like it.

Manga-Themed Travel

Hikaru no Go

Manga can help with schoolwork. Dragon Zakura and teacher Sakuragi, a former lawyer and motorcycle gang member, make learning entertaining. He assists no-hope high school students get into Tokyo University.

Hetalia: Axis Powers, where each character symbolises a nation, is a fascinating approach to learn world history. Human cell-anthropomorphized characters in Cells at Work! demonstrate body and cell function.

Manga also inspires career paths. For decades, Black Jack, an uncertified but brilliant doctor who has saved numerous lives, has inspired people to become doctors.

Shonen Manga Cosplay

School-themed manga like GTO and Rookies reflect instructors’ lives. Bakuman shows how prospective manga creators succeed over ten years.

Shonen Manga

Manga is meant to be read, but there are other ways to appreciate it. Shonen manga are regularly adapted into anime and films. Novels, video games, and trading cards are popular. Naruto was adapted into kabuki and toured the world.

Shonen Manga Cosplay

Cosplaying is a good way to become manga characters. Global cosplay communities congregate at festivals and conventions.

Manga-Themed Travel

If you visit Japan, you can experience manga culture at the Kyoto International Manga Museum, where you can see the original artwork and feel the manga artist’s thoughts in a way that books can’t. The current Tokyo Shonen Jump Exhibition is also wonderful for manga aficionados. To experience your favourite characters’ moments, take a seichi meguri (聖地巡り) or pilgrimage to the manga’s locations.

Shonen manga characters await your adventure. Are you ready?

Brush Up on Japanese and Read Original Manga

Improve your Japanese language skills. Your phone, computer, tablet, or Amazon Echo can broadcast Pimsleur lessons to your house. Learn alone or with up to 4 family members for the same price. Get real-world communication skills at home or wherever life takes you.