As long as you’ve been an experienced anime watcher and fan, you’ve ought to know how other veteran fans shun, bash and flame typical Shonen series. It just ain’t cool watching stereotyped Shonen as compared to say, Seinen.
I say that’s bullshit. In this post, let’s let it all out and share what typical Shonen series we enjoy, be it anime or manga. No point cooping it all up instead to prevent others to look upon you as a Shonen Freak. Spill it!
I’ll start the ball rolling with some of my own confessions.
One Piece’s one of the most kickass typical Shonen there ever is. The storyline’s awesome, the art’s great although a little too messy for some people’s liking, and Oda Eiichirou’s idea of using Devil Fruits is really unique. I think he’s a genius. As of date, I’d have to say it’s the most entertaining usual power-up-and-fight-new-boss fare I’ve ever been exposed to. What’s more, pirate themed series aren’t really common, hence increasing the novelty.
Being the first anime that I started off with, I’ve always thought that Detective Conan is one of the most intellectual Shonen series. I’m really fascinated by Conan’s arsenal of gadgets. Although mostly focusing on mystery, I found that the action portion was quite proportionate, with all the duels against Kaitou Kid and the campaign against the Black Organization. One thing however, is that series as such can go on forever and ever. Hopefully, it comes a prim, proper ending soon, fit of its long run over a decade. On another note, Aoyama Goushou should spend more time on Kaitou Kid. He’s one hell of a sleek phantom thief.
I seldom watch sports anime or read sports manga besides those with baseball, but Eyeshield 21 now ranks on the top 3 of my sports anime series list. The characters are well-developed, which in turn led to me being a fan of some of them, such as Hiruma. The victory percentage of the Devil’s Bats isn’t 100% unlike most of the usual Shonen fare, but they still win all the crucial matches after a tough battle each time. This reminds me of my secondary school’s softball team 5 years back.
Shaman King has a laid-back main character who dons wireless headphones and can Oversoul a powerful ancient swordsman spirit into his sword, and that makes it a must-watch for me. Although I’m long done with the anime, I’ve yet to complete the manga, stopping somewhere at volume 11 or 12. There’s a re-release of the manga known as the Shaman King Perfect Edition, and it supposedly ends off with the real ending. I think I’ll wait till all 27 volumes of this release are out before I proceed on to read and complete the manga. And before I forget to mention, the Shaman King anime has awesome music.
There are a few other common Shonen series that I enjoy, but as of now, I can’t seem to recall them. They’re probably insignificant anyway. And no, I never watched Naruto or Bleach even once.
So, now that everyone knows that I’m quite the mainstream fan, I’ve played my part. Now, it’s your turn to spill the beans!
Claymore: 47 blond chicks with big swords
If you’re looking for something more typical, consider me aboard the Eyeshield 21 bandwagon.
To name some shonen series Claymore, Eyeshield21, One Piece, Gantz, and Air Gear.
I love Bleach, and I love all of the characters in it. Ichigo is, in some ways, so typical of a shounen hero, but I think he’s a great character nonetheless.
I also really love SOUL EATER even though it has the depth of a puddle. I don’t care - the animation is amazing, and I like the characters, even Maka and her wooden voice.
I think the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh/the early part of the manga before the card games is complex.
Oh, and Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo? I don’t care that it was unbelievably stupid, it was hilarious and I think it’s under-rated.
I gave up halfway on E21 because I was always waiting for them to get to the friggin’ Christmas Bowl and they never did. (Until now, which means that I have 293023 chapters to catch up with!)
I LOVE SHOUNEN. I mustn’t be veteran enough but hell, shounen series are fun. They aren’t meant to make you think and they all know it. It isn’t some deep philosophical thinkfest - it’s just pure entertainemnt (with bits of intellectual stuffs thrown in for typical shounen series)! And I like it that way.
Soul Eater, if just for Tsubaki, D.Gray-Man, if just for Lenalee, and Claymore, for their HUGE SWORDS.
Very superficial reasons, yes, I know, but hey, I’m in it for the “entertainment”
Gintama. End of story.
I love the shounen genre. I say, it’s pretty varied. Here’s a bit of what I’ve been following these days. (on the top of my head) OP definitely kicks ass. I love BECK and the excellent Fullmetal Alchemist. I like Psyren, ES21, and Gintama too. I like parts of Bleach, abhor a chunk, and love pieces of it.
LOL how could I actually forget Gintama?!
Anyway, if you think about it, almost majority of the anime out that is Shonen-based. That means no matter how you avoid it, you’ll somehow be watching Shonen anime. The question is “Is it mainstream?”.
Does Pokemon count in this category? I used to watch an episode semi-frequently back in the day.
I see you are applying your tips on making a blog popular on yourself! Awesome stuff I have to say.
Anyway, shounen that is not draggy is fun to watch.
Negima (the manga), and Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha (and sequels).
Yes, they’re shounen. At least, they display an incredible amount of shounen tropes.
I read the naruto manga and read/watch Dragonball a real long time ago ^^
Pokemon is definitely Shonen. I remember the Pokefreak I used to be back when I was 10. Thinking back, I feel stupid.
The Sojourner > No I’m not.
Gintama.
And I used to be able to name all the Pokemon from Red/Blue/Green/Yellow up to Ruby/Sapphire back when I was younger. But that… Was a long time ago.
Bleach, though it has gone downhill and I moved to the manga. Soul Eater too. Probably a few others but heh, I never did bother to classify.
soul eater is my shonen secret
Eyeshield 21 nut reporting for duty. It’s the only title that I religiously read week after week. I’m probably like 10+ chapters for other mangas, including, yes, Naruto and Bleach.
lols i eventually got bored of all the shows u listed
Woohoo, lots of Eyeshield 21 fans here. Maybe I should start an Eyeshield 21 mini fan corner.
blissmo > WHY?!? SHONEN’S LIKE THE BEST THING EVER SINCE SLICED BREAD!!!111!!!
is honey and clover counted?
for me would be,
Gunbuster(80’s)
Gurren Lagann
Gundams
Dragon ball Z
Naruto(some epds) , bleach(some epds), one piece, fairy tale, slam dunk, GTO(is it even counted as shouen?) , well actually theres still lots to list which i probably have lost count.
I doubt Honey and Clover is Shonen. I think it’s more of Seinen instead, but I’m not too sure. Anyway who cares? It’s good stuff, and that’s what matters.
personal favourites are claymore and gurren lagann for me. ^^;
i read one piece, naruto and bleach manga but not the animes.
@pp: I believe Hachikuro is shojo. But as double says, it doesn’t really matter since it’s loads of awesome.
Hm. I tried to get into Claymore but I can’t. I love Yagi’s Angel Densetsu, though. I thought that was better.
Saw this late but gotta correct it: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha is Seinen not Shounen.
And Honey & Clover is Josei (for women) not Seinen.
It isn’t true that Otaku are ashamed to admit to other Otaku that they like some Shounen series… like for example Sch Rumble, FMP and To Love Ru.
dKiWi > Thanks for the corrections. Also, I did state typical Shonen, not all Shonen. That makes a huge difference, you know?
Haha yeah I get what you mean: the Shounen Jump kind.
“Oh, and Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo? I don’t care that it was unbelievably stupid, it was hilarious and I think it’s under-rated.”
Seconded. Random comedy at its finest, that it is. :3
lots of good animes listed here one of the short and sweet ones for me would be Jyu-Oh-Sei, got really drawn into that one, and also big soul eater fan here that anime rocks!
Lol, YES, Hiruma is Win! XD
I actually heard that the anime isn’t nice from people.
Have you tried reading the manga? They might have more detail, though. :3
WUT!? NO ONE HERE LIKES D.GRAYMAN!? D:
I’d have to say I’m an Air Gear, D.Gray-man, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Full Metal Alchemist, Tegami Bachi, and Fairy Tail fan. I used to like Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles too BUT IT DISAPPOINTED ME. -_-
I must say, One Piece is my favorite series. (Love the art and story) Eyeshield 21 is second. (Boyfriend is a football player, and I got really interested. xD) For a girl I’m not really so into shoujo. I prefer the character development in Shonen. :] Also grew up with Dragonball, and I always thought Goku was an amazing character. xD
Our little secret~
I cant believe no one said Yu Yu Hakusho that is one of my all time favorites. Characters do not come much better than Hiei and his “Dragon of the Darkness Flame”. As far as more recent times I could not get enough of Soul Eater, the final episode was today and I’m kind of upset lol. I hope they make a season 2!
Seinen shows (and Seinen fans) remind me of heavy metal, tries to be all ironic, offensive, serious etc. but just ends up being clueless and laughable most of the time.
I think Dragon Ball Z and Yu Yu Hakusho are highly underrated series. Anyone willing to watch both series all the way through will love them, trust me.
I’m also surprised no one mentioned Death Note, but I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking that it’s Seinen.
Even as a girl, i grew up reading Shonen jumps and watching Dragonball on Cartoon Network. I didnt know there was a girl version of shonen jump till 8th grade when i went “ohhh” *picks up and reads* hmm *goes back to reading Shonen Jump* :3 hehe
love it!
I prefered reading Shonen manga, the plot is better and it isnt all romance but action and suspense too!!!
Here is a few I recomend:
Bleach is a story about 15 year old Ichigo Kurosaki (Kurosaki Ichigo), who has had the power to see the dead since he was little. One night he stumbles across a shiginami woman named Rukia who had came through his wall and into his room. After a fight with a soul gone bad, also known as a hollow, he learns about the history of shiginamis and how they fit into his everyday life unnoticeablly. He later saves Rukia, becoming a soul reaper (shiginami) himself. Ichigo lands up going to the world where souls gather after death (Soul Society) and he helps stop the exucution of the woman who opened up his world (Rukia). Saving her, he gains a zanpactou, a sword with reitsu(soul reapers soul) and achieves bankai (last stage of Zanpactou). With this power he can use it to help the souls find there way,..but with power becomes a huge responsability…
This Defenately a show to watch. The storyline is never boring (well though there are some parts that drabble) and the art is fantastic. Beware for huge swords, romance, hurt, betrayal, friendship, suspense, soul reapers, comedy and overall excitement!!!
Oh did i meantion the HUGE swords????!!!! YESSS!!! (Oh though if you wanna read it you better start now cause it will take a while to catch up. lol)
http://www.onemanga.com/bleach/
Naruto was good until it rambled on and on and on. Basicly its about a boy named Naruto, a ninja in training in the small town of Konoha. Naruto seems like the basic preteen boy, pulling pranks, graffetti’ing faces and statues exct. But theres more to this boy that meets the eye. Naruto really hides a inner secret…inside of him is the nine tailed fox demon Kyuubi. This monster attacked the town of Konoha years ago but got sealed inside of him, in exchange of the 4th hokage’s life. Follow Naruto on his adventure to becoming a true ninja and showing the world who he is and how even the most likely of heroes can make it to the top. Like Bleach, if you wanna read it you better start now xD Its pretty far ahead.
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/
Yu Yu Hakusho is a wonderful series about a tough boy named Yusuke, who after saving another lands up dying way before his time. After coming across Boton and (uhhh whats da baby’s name again TT-TT), he is able to become revived with the help of the two and the egg. (dont ask, just read it. I hadnt read this in a while so i forgot parts. *goes back and reads*). He becomes a spirit detective and lands up befrending two demons, somewhat polor oppisite. Defenitly a series to watch.
those are only a few. Check out everyones. Who knows you might find yourself a new favorite series!!! 
a few more include Negima, about a magic twn year old boy who becomes a teacher at an all girls school. Hillarious!! Rosario Vampire, about a boy who goes to a college and later finds out everyone there is monsters. xD Another grreat one. My 10 year old cousin fell in love with it when she saw a music vid i made for it. xD ect.
I dislike shoujo for the most part.
I’m a girl that likes action, comedy, and, for some reason, sports. It’s weird, though, ’cause I’m pretty lazy and I hate playing sports… but that’s my favorite genre of manga / anime.
I’m reading Eyeshield 21 right now and it’s made of so much freaking win.
I have to say Naruto, Eyeshield 21, Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist. However, right now I’m completely engrossed in ES21. It is so cool!! ^^ Never before had I been able to say I love Football and now I do (cuz I finally know the rules…)
Actually, I like ES21 sp much I started watching the anime. This is actually the only time that I’ve felt I needed to watch an anime. Not only that, but for my birthday, all I want is the manga… No really, Eyeshield 21 is awesome!! I kinda hope there’s a sequel…
*rant over*
Naruto’s cool too. Bleach is cool too.
im not sure what i am but all i can say is i loveee anime. even if sometimes they seem so much like the others they in the end come to completely different points through so many episodes. i have to say im not an expert but i can say i have watched my fair share of anime. i just wanted to list some of my favorite, and maybe you can find some you like yourself.
space cowboy bebop, naurto, deathnote, nodame cantabile, samurai champloo, eureka 7, paranoia agent, prince of tennis, trinity blood, zombie loan, lovely complex,hack//sign, air gear, air, school days, dnangel,honey&clover, ah! my goddess, blood plus, wolf’s rain, trigun, neon gensis eva, cheeky angel, fooly cooly, gakuen heaven, loveless, onegai teacher, onegai twins, rec., tokyo mew mew, chobits, peach girls, dear boys, dears, princess princess, avatar, whistle, inuyasha, to love-ru, amatsuki, code geass, code geass r2, escaflowne, fruits basket, ghost in the shell, ouran high school host club, myself;yourself, choas;head, great teacher onizuka, black lagoon, clannad, mezzo forte, special a, school rumble, skip beat, elfen lied, vampire knight, vampire knight guilty, chibi vampire(karin).
and i’m watching more and more. i can’t get over it how these episodes can be so entertaining. all i can say now is ive became an anime addict.
anime is really great..no rather writer of anime are really cool..on the way tehy write the storyline is one of the hard work i think is…but among of all the anime BLEACH, ONE PIECE, and HUNTER X HUNTER hook eye my eye..not just because of the head story but also because of FRIENDSHIP RELATIONSHIP this is one the best amazing part of an anime…in bleach the way they try to defend one another from getting trouble like when urio lost his power and ichigo and the others try to save him from the bountou, on one piece the way loufee(i always get lost on his name, just correct my spellin)fight is one of the best goal a fighter can gave, fighting for his friends, and to save the day for one piece..and specailly its really true like in the story of hunter x hunter, the way gon catch other characters mind and soul to him, he did it to me, but i rather to be in killua’s foot =), still in this anime friendship never fades, they will try to fight in the name of friendship.
the way ichigo used his sword in bleach the way loufee used his goma goma in one piece and the way gon thinks in hunter x hunter is the only reason why do i love this 3 anime…but don’t worry i never forget to watch other anime and manga crations..all the creations are AWESOME and worth watching for…YOU ARE NOT WASTING YOUR TIME WATCHING IT…….
I LOVE SHONEN!!!
despite being girl i always read shonen… (still i like some shojos like dengeki daisy) i started with doraemon when i was 3 ( i taught my self how to read japanese just to read it)
then i read many mangas of osamu tezuka and takahashi rumiko
NOW I READ
fullmetal alchemist, soul eater, fairy tail, gintama (hilarious), bleach, naruto, tsubasa, d. grayman, detective conan and many more…
MANGA FTW!!!