What is Shonen Manga?

Shonen manga is Japanese comics written for young boys. It can simplistically be described as the opposite of shojo manga (written for young girls). Whereas shojo uses flowery prose and illustrations, shonen puts its emphasis on action and quick-moving dialogue. Shonen anime has been extremely popular in the west, with television shows like Dragonball, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh gripping the attention America's male youth. Naturally, shonen manga has found a similar success with the same audience.


A typical shonen manga will have one or more young, male protagonists who are engaged in some kind of action-adventure or sporting event. Battling groups or teams are featured, as well as attractively drawn females. Although shojo is more commonly associated with romance, shonen manga can also feature love stories. However, a shonen manga will tell the romance tale from a young, male perspective and it is typically less idealized.

The artwork and dialogue bubbles in shonen manga are very dramatic and exciting, which a heavy prominence of action. Most manga is told in a cinematic way and with shonen manga, one is easily reminded of the fast-moving shonen anime series that are inspired by and have inspired such comic books and serial comics. The symbols used in shonen manga often include things like a "+" sign on a character's forehead (representing exasperation) or tear drops surrounding a character (representing an extreme emotion, such as elation or grief).

In Japan, shonen manga is also enjoyed by adult males, despite the fact that seinen manga is the genre intended for older men. Shonen is generally regarded as light reading for men and it is possible that many young fans of shonen simply refused to outgrow their beloved adventure stories. American comic shops have seen a huge increase in sales since acquiring shonen manga and games based on shonen manga. Popular titles include Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, Love Hina, and Trigun.