Defining Anime - the Shonen Genre

Shonen is the word used to describe anime that specifically appeals to young boys. The magazine Shonen Jump for example is packed full of manga like Dragonball, Naruto, and Kenshin. The shows are often action oriented only and use romance only as a comedic tool or for mild crossover appeal. These were the first major entries in the US market and therefore still color the perspective of many US viewers as the prototypical anime. There are the occasional Shonen romances though, usually taking the guys perspective and making light of the process, but they're rarer than the butt whooping in the former shows listed.

Rurouni Kenshin - Kenshin is the four season chronicling of a wandering samurai, at first trying to escape his past but soon enough finding himself enmeshed deeply in the battles he already won to keep those he cares about safe. He's more or less the greatest samurai around, but initially appears as a demure, clutzy ronin wearing pink. The show uses both episodic and tournament style fight sequences to expand the action, but the plot is amazing all on its own in how it characterizes the huge cast and comments on historical Japan.

Naruto - Still running in Japan are the manga series and anime, and it looks like it's trying to make a run at some of the longer series from Jump like Dragonball. Naruto tells the story of a young ninja in training from Konoha village who's parents were killed by a demon when he was a baby, his body becoming a vessel for the vanquished creature. He's loud, full of himself and incredibly strong willed and grows stronger with each season. The show at first showed his development comically and in contrast to Sasuke's (his number one rival) but in the third season began to adopt the Tournament Arc style of stretching fights out over many episodes. The large cast of characters though is well developed and makes the format work perfectly.