Shonen Anime and It's Audience
Introduction
Anime shown to large audiences,
either on television channels or online, tends to be created to appeal to a
specific target audience. This mainstream anime needs to have a target audience
to whom it can market its products to. These products include all sorts of
merchandise such as toy mechas that little boys find appealing, or video games
involving ninjas that older boys find appealing. A mainstream anime must target
a particular audience who will buy related merchandise so that the producers
can make enough money to continue producing the show. Anime can be classified
in terms of who their target audience is. One of these classifications is
shonen anime, which typically targets pre-teen to teenage age boys (1.Shōnen (Demographic),
2014). Many different genres of anime are considered shonen anime because of
the shared demographic group that these series target. Some of these genres are
harem, mecha and martial arts (2.AniRecs Anime Blog, 2011). So, Shonen anime is
an umbrella term that different genres of anime fit under.
So, how do you determine what anime
series are shonen? What makes an anime (or anime genre) Shonen is the
containment of a few characteristics expressed in lesser or greater degree in
the anime. Shonen anime truly appeals to its target audience in two distinct,
yet equally potent ways. It appeals to boys on a surface level by containing
high amounts of action scenes, cute girls to hold their attention, and
prevalent, often slapstick, humor. On a somewhat deeper or more emotional
level, these shonen anime series appeal to boys by starring typically young
male protagonists that boys can relate to, personally. These protagonists face
issues that are similar to the issues of the audience. The protagonists often
overcome these issues and serve as a role model for boys watching the series. Also,
many shonen anime use similar tropes, which appeal to their audience in one way
or another.
The Role of Cute Girls in Shonen Anime
Often
times, shonen anime contain female characters who are not as developed as the
protagonist and who have bodies with unrealistic proportions. This inevitably
leaves the critic (I in this case) thinking that these characters may simply be
in these anime to visually please male viewers who are just going through adolescence
and have wild hormonal activity. This serves as fan service (3.Fanservice, 2014)
to viewers who find these images visually appealing. Consequently, their
attention is kept because they like what they see. To prove this point, it is necessary
to take a look at and analyze some highly popular shonen anime.
Naruto,
A widely popular shonen series, is a shonen series that doesn’t seem to contain
female characters that are simply in the show to visually please the male
audience. However, if you dig beneath the surface and watch certain episodes,
you can see that women are somewhat objectified (humorously) and used as “fan
service”. Naruto uses a ninja technique called “Sexy Technique” (4.Sexy
Technique, 2014) in which he transforms into an attractive woman with no
clothes on (clouds cover certain areas in the American version), who is blowing
a kiss to the person he is facing in battle. He uses this technique several
times in the series. Of course, its only purpose is to serve as a visually pleasing
object to the viewers. It’s humorous, because it gives his opponents
nosebleeds.
This
quality of shonen anime is more prevalent in anime such as, Gurren Lagan, which
is arguably a shonen anime (5.Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, 2009). A central female
character in the series, Yoko Ritona, is appareled in a bikini top with flames
on it and some shorts. She always wears this outfit even in cold environments.
Also, there are many scenes in the anime in which there are close-ups on
certain areas of her body (her breasts or behind). She is a full character, yet
her physical appearance and attire seems to serve only the purpose of being
visually appealing to the audience (not practical at all).
High Action Scenes
The
most common characteristic of shonen anime is the prevalence of high action
scenes and dynamically physically powerful characters that face off in battles
or competitions. Often times, the plots are driven and progress after battle
scenes. The purpose of this is to visually please adolescent boys who for the
most part have aggressive tendencies (not all do, of course) or who simply
enjoy watching fast paced action. It is an attention-keeper so to speak. These
visually appealing characters can easily be made into action figures that boys
can buy and collect.
Dragon
Ball Z by Toriyama Akira is a highly popular shonen series that focuses
heavily, if not wholly on high action battle scenes with dynamic characters. Dragon
Ball Z appeals to young boys by starring characters who look like they could be
professional wrestlers (huge muscles), and who are almost constantly engaged in
battles with each other (6.Wannamaker, 2012). Also, the plot progresses whenever
Goku, the protagonist, is able to save the world by defeating an enemy in
battle (7.Dragon Ball Z, 2014). This emphasizes that shonen series appeal to
young boys on a surface level by to focusing in fighting and characters who
look built solely to do so.
Naruto
by Kishimoto Masashi is another anime in which high actions scenes play a large
role in the series and help progress the plot. The protagonist, Naruto, strives
to be the best ninja in his village. To achieve that goal, he must become
stronger. So, they plot centers heavily around the battles that Naruto finds
himself in, which cause him to push himself and become stronger. After almost
every battle, he gains a new skill or learns a new battle tactic. Therefore,
the series focuses heavily on battling and improvement caused by doing so.
Comedic Elements
Something
that strongly attracts boys to shonen anime is their elements of humor. Again,
important to note is that much of this humor can be enjoyed by the target
shonen audience, and by people who aren't part of the target audience (girls
and adults). This humor is a means that anime series use to keep the attention
of boys who tend to have short attention spans because of all of the media they
are surrounded by. This humor is usually slap-stick humor, but can also be
situational humor. Slap stick humor is “is a style of humor involving
exaggerated physical activity which exceeds the boundaries of common sense” (8.Slapstick,
2014). Situational humor is humor that is based on the paradoxical nature of a
narratives setting and the characters who shouldn’t fit into it.
One
Piece is an excellent example of a shonen anime that focuses heavily on humor.
This series has humor that is constantly present, and so it is situational
humor. One Piece Is a series that focuses on the adventures of a group of
characters who are pirates in a world of piracy resembling Eighteenth century
Europe and Japan (9.Brenner, 2007). The constant (and absurd) humor is found when
looking at the main characters, because they look nothing like Eighteenth
century pirates at all. Luffy looks like a Fisher; Sanji Looks like a gourmet cook,
and Chopper is simply a talking deer, etc.
The
original Dragon Ball series by Toriyama Akira is full of slap stick humor,
which keeps the attention of young boys watching the anime. This humor is
exemplified by Goku's ability to pick up and karate chop through gigantic logs
that are bigger than himself. He also defeats a giant Teradactyl by striking it
with a magical extending pole, which knocks off the pterodactyl’s horn (10.Dragon
Ball Episode 1, 2014)
Emotional Connection
Shonen
anime series appeal to young boys by addressing issues that these boys won’t
typically discuss with others. These issues are usually very personal to boys,
so they may feel uncomfortable with discussing them with other people. Thus,
many anime series provide an outlet for boys to either simply express their
feelings, which can be relieving, or to try to make sense of or resolve any
conflicting feelings. Some of these issues are related to anxiety they may feel
about their personalities, opinions on their own self-image, and how to deal
with new desires that they are facing. (11.Steinburg,
2010). Important to note is that the confrontation of these issues in shonen
anime series isn’t usually overt, but it’s done subtly or alongside other
developments in a series.
In the shonen anime series, Naruto, the
protagonist (Naruto) has an inferiority complex that he has had ever since he
was a child because he was treated as the village outcast. He overcomes his
feelings of inferiority by establishing his own unique fighting style and
stance, which gave him a sense of individuality and independence (12.Berndt, 2014)
. In essence, he overcomes his inferiority complex by not deriving his value
from others. Similarly, the target shonen audience is going through the issue
of trying to fit in with their peers, while potentially having difficulty doing
so. Thus, the anime, Naruto, encourages them to overcome this issue by teaching
them to embrace their own individuality, which gives them more self-satisfaction
than when they compare themselves to others constantly.
The
arguably shonen series, Ranma ½, (13.How To Get Into Manga, 2014) presents a protagonist
(Ranma) who transforms into a girl unwillingly whenever he falls into water.
Whenever this happens he always searches for the fastest way to transform back
into a boy. This anime may appeal to boys on a deeper level by addressing their
fear of being labeled as feminine in cultures where boys who are feminine are
seem as being “wimpy” or simply different from the what is normal (11.Steinburg,
2010)
In
particular, Otomo Katsuhiro’s Akira, a
film described my many as belonging to the shonen genre, addresses some issues
that adolescent boys face. This film appealed to boys not just because it was
full of action. It was so popular in America because it addressed the issue
that boys face with their self-esteem, which is a part of their self-image. The
protagonist, Tetsuo, is the youngest member of his motorcycle gang. He is
treated as the “runt” of the group and eventually views himself as being
nothing more than a runt (14.Tetsuo Shima, 2014). These feelings of inferiority
cause him to feel helpless and give him a low self-esteem. Certainly, boys with
older siblings can relate to the feelings of inferiority that Tetsuo feels.
Additionally, boys may feel like they don’t quite fit with a social group that
they are in at school or outside of school. So, boys watching this film can
relate to it in a very real and meaningful way.
Additionally,
Tetsuo gains tremendous powers that he cannot control properly, causing him to
destroy many parts of the city he lives in. Boys watching this film may relate
this to a fear of growing up and becoming adults (11.Steinburg, 2010). This is
because, growing up comes with many new responsibilities and freedoms that they
may feel like they won’t be able to handle. Boys watching this film may not
consciously equate Tetsuo’s situation as a metaphor for growing up, but their
subconscious mind may process it this way.
Tropes
When viewing Shonen anime, it’s
quite easy to pick out a set of tropes that many of them use. A few of these
tropes include, the foreign to familiar girl, having a rival peer, the
formation of a team of unlike characters.
At the onset of the narrative in
many shonen anime, the protagonist either doesn’t really know any girls of his
age, or he is distant from them because he views as foreign and unlike him. This
often changes because the protagonist is forced into situations where they must
communicate and get to know girls their age. This trope is evident in many
popular contemporary shonen anime.
At the beginning of the series
Naruto, the protagonist (Naruto) attends a ninja training academy in which he
attends classes or training sessions with dozens of students (15.Academy, 2014).
He has a crush on a girl in his class named Sakura, but he never really
communicated with her. That changed when he was placed into a three-person
squad with her, in which he was forced to work with her (teamwork), and get to
know her.
At the onset of the original Dragon
Ball series, kid Goku had been growing up in a remote village by himself after
his grandfather had passed away, having no contact with the outside world – or women.
This changed when a woman named Bulma coincidentally found him while on her
quest to find all of the dragon balls. When he found her, she seemed completely
foreign to him because he had never met a woman before. He treated her as if
she were some sort of alien species. (16.By The Viper, 2014) Yet, he set out on an
adventure with her, and she became less foreign and much more familiar to him.
Why do many shonen anime feature
this trope? Clearly, it appeals to boys in some way. When boys are of a younger
age (in middle school), they are just starting to hit puberty and they are
experience great physical change. With this comes a fascination with girls
(hormones) that they don’t quite understand yet. Additionally, girls go through
changes that boys don’t really understand either. This can cause them to feel
an attraction to females, yet make them afraid to approach them because they
are not familiar to them. Shonen anime series present girls that seem foreign
to the protagonists because the viewers can relate to this sentiment. Yet, many
shonen series place male protagonists into situations in which they must become
familiar with girls by getting to know them. When this happens in shonen
series, the protagonists typically realize that girls really aren’t that
different from themselves and that they can, in fact, for functional
relationships with them (Goku not viewing Bulma as foreign and Naruto not being
afraid to talk to his crush, Sakura). This can encourage the viewers to be more
proactive in their attempts to socialize with girls.
Another common trope is one in
which the protagonist has a rival peer(s) with whom he competes. Often times,
the rival is stoic or cocky and is almost always a natural talent in some way.
Typically the protagonist or other supporting characters are hard workers and
have to compete with someone who is a natural talent.
In the wildly popular shonen manga
and anime, Slam Dunk, the protagonist (Hanamichi) joined a high school
basketball team in his freshman year after working very hard to do so because
he doesn’t have much natural skill. Another character, Rukawa, joins the
basketball team with ease because he has a natural talent. Of course, Rukawa is
stoic and acts superior to others. This makes him a sort of distant antagonist.
During games, Hanamichi believes that his hard work will beat out Rukawa’s
natural talent, and he will be the star of the team. Sure enough, Hanamichi
beats out Rukawa, although he isn’t treated as a star just yet (17.Hanamich
Sakurage, 2014)
In the beginning of the anime series,
Naruto, the protagonist is part of a ninja team including his peer Sasuke.
Sasuke is a member of the Uchiha clan and believes that his clan is superior to
all of the other clans in the village because of his family history. And, in
fact, he is naturally talented, and thus a proficient ninja. On the other hand,
the protagonist, Naruto, had always been a weak ninja before joining the ninja
team with Sasuke, yet he was determined to become stronger than Sasuke, and was
able to do so only through hard work.
Why is this trope so commonly found
in shonen anime? It must be because it appeals to boys in some way.
Potentially, the boys watching these anime are a part of classes or sports in
which they see their classmates excelling simply because they are naturally
talented. This can be discouraging to boys who aren’t quite as talented. This
may even prompt students to simply quit a sport. Yet, shonen anime inspires
them. It shows them that through hard work and unabated determination they can
beat out the boy that’s talented and so sure of his “superior” abilities.
A third trope that’s common in
shonen anime is the formation of teams of characters that are very unlike each
other. If a viewer didn’t know how the team came to be, they would likely guess
that it would be impossible for such a group to exist in harmony.
In the anime One Piece, Luffy’s
pirate crew consists of a violent swordsman, a gourmet chef, a common thief, a
cowardly inventor, a doctor reindeer, an archeologist, and an animated skeleton
among other characters. However different these characters are in hobby and in
personality, they all get along and work together on the pirate ship. This is
because they all share goals that they can achieve only if they work together.
In the contemporary shonen anime
Katekyo Hitman Reborn, the protagonist (Tsuna), a young boy who’s destined to
unwillingly become a mafia boss, recruits a group a people at his school to be
his subordinates or guardians. They are a rag-tag group of students that have
vastly different interests and hobbies. One is on the baseball team, another is
a boxer, one is simply obsessed with dynamite and the list goes on. The protagonist,
Tsuna, becomes friends with each of these members individually and eventually
they come together and become friends (after much time).
Perhaps, the formation of
friendships and teams among unlike characters in these shonen anime show boys
in the audience that they shouldn’t be afraid to try and become friends with
people who aren’t exactly similar to themselves. It encourages boys to try to
befriend people that belong to cliques, and shows them that they may have
success in doing so, even though they aren’t a part of that clique. This also
shows boys, as in One Piece, that teamwork is required among peers in order to
get certain things done, such as group projects or winning a sporting
competition.
Conclusion
Shonen
anime use many elements to appeal directly to their audience of boys ranging from
late elementary school age to high school age. They keep the attention of the
boys using techniques that foster surface appeal, such as the use of humor,
cute girls, and high action scenes. Yet, they keep their audiences committed to
watching series by appealing to them on a deeper, more emotional level.
Creators of shonen anime also include a few common tropes in their series that
appeal to boys each in their own ways.
These
anime seem to have the potential to positively impact the lives of young boys
watching in many different countries. The use of humor can allow them to laugh
and wind down after a long and stressful day. Watching high action scenes gives
them an outlet (among others) for any aggressiveness stored up in them.
Watching girls is simply pleasing to them (although this objectification is
actually a huge social issue). More importantly, shonen anime provide viewers
with an outlet for any emotional issues they may be facing and can even help
them overcome issues that they are facing by providing them with positive and
encouraging messages. In the U.S. and potentially in other countries, heavier
themes presented in anime address issues that boys face, which aren’t addressed
by others around them (in T.V. shows or in conversation) because boys are
viewed as too unknowledgeable about such issues to discuss them (12.Berndt, 2014).
Therefore, watching shonen anime may be one of the only ways that younger boys
can face emotional issues.
Citations (APA)
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