2012-04-07, 17:56 | Link #1 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Buffalo, NY
Age: 32
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Favorite shonen and why?
So I've been really thinking about what separates the good shonen from the bad ones. So I was just wondering...what is your favorite shonen and what makes it good? What separates it from the pack and makes it original?
And a side question...would you rather watch a long-running shonen or a short, concise anime (around 26 to 50 episodes)?
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2012-04-07, 19:10 | Link #2 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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As long as everyone realizes that "shounen" includes Toradora!, Ikoku Meiro no Kurowāze, Azumanga Daioh, and a huge range of other productions in addition to items like "One Piece" ... "good" vs "bad" may be quite a task
Quite a lot of shounen runs 12/24 episodes...... I decided it was irrelevant what label (shounen, shoujo, seinen, josei, etc) that an anime or manga was published under because it really didn't say much about the content.
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2012-04-07, 19:13 | Link #3 |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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I'd say my favorite is probably Hikaru no Go. I found it compelling from start to finish and liked the way the characters matured as the show unfolded. I also liked the fact that the adults in the story, like Touya-meijin, were well-developed characters on their own.
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2012-04-07, 19:32 | Link #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
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My favorite shounen manga is definitely Fullmetal Alchemist because well it's my favorite manga.
But I have to admit it's hard to choose a favorite shounen in general because shounen is just a target demographic. If you are taking action series I love things like One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Rurouni Kenshin. If you are talking sports than I love the above mentioned Hikaru no Go but also Cross Game is dear to my heart. If you are talking comedy I love Ranma 1/2 And these are just the series I think people would automatically know are shounen. As Vexx pointed out there are loads of others that people might not even think of as shounen but are.
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2012-04-07, 19:36 | Link #6 |
Hail the power of Fujoshi
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: hahahahahahahahaha
Age: 35
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Fullmetal Alchemist and Hiro Mashima's work (Fairy Tail and Rave). The integration of comedy and action is commendable and entertaining IMHO.
If I have one complaint about shounen mangas, it's the typical shounen power-ups. I guess it can't be helped if you want the hero to stay alive but at some point, it's getting redundant.
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2012-04-07, 20:55 | Link #7 |
Vanitas owns you >:3
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Hmmm I'd say my favorites (that are longer than 24/26 eps) would be Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood of course, Rurouni Kenshin, and Soul Eater. I'm a very big "character" fan....and I like the entire main cast of these shows quite a bit. FMA was pretty phenomenal in everything it did though...so I place it at the top.
My favorite "short" shounen series is Chrono Crusade, definitely.
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Last edited by Chiibi; 2012-04-07 at 22:42. |
2012-04-07, 21:13 | Link #8 |
Still Alive
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Somewhere far far away
Age: 30
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My favorite shouen show is, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. There's only one currently ongoing shounen title that I like and that's Fairy Tail. I'm currently watching Rurouni Kenshin so my list will probably increase to.....three
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2012-04-07, 21:34 | Link #9 |
Also a Lolicon
Join Date: Apr 2010
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What is a shounen anime?
-the stereotypical shounen? -adapted from a shounen manga source? -aired at an evening time slot and feels aimed towards guys? -is in a franchise that consists of at least one shounen work? -combinations of the above? I don't watch enough stereotypical shounen to really have an idea of what to call my favorite. If I were to choose Full Metal Panic Fumofu and The Second Raid were awesome, though the original had crappy animation compared to the KyoAni sequels which was a somewhat expected disappointment. For adapted from a shounen manga, I would say Lucky☆Star and Haruhi. For evening timeslot, I like Neon Genesis Evangelion. There is probably something I like better in the evening timeslot, but my knowledge of anime timeslots is limited to knowing the majority of what I watch airs around midnight. If I could choose from anything that has a shounen work in it, my vote goes to CLANNAD. |
2012-04-07, 23:01 | Link #11 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Depends on which adaptation you think of.... the manga was produced by a shounen house but other works and manga spin-offs have been put out by seinen publishers...
And that's why it isn't really terribly useful at times to try and categorize works by their publishing house's self-identity.
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2012-04-07, 23:07 | Link #12 |
Also a Lolicon
Join Date: Apr 2010
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It all depends on what you count as shounen. CLANNAD has had several manga adaptations, one of them being a shounen. I would personally categorize it as seinen since its a VN adaptation, but you can very well say its shounen depending on how strict or lose your make your requirements.
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2012-04-08, 04:44 | Link #13 |
Autistic NEET bath lover
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: France
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My favorites are Hunter X Hunter and Qwaser of Stigmata : the first, a mainstream one, possesses a refreshing storyline and a diverse cast, whereas the second is a dark one with mature content and has a harem lead who is different to other ones. Personally, I'm a huge fan of shounen because it involves fantasy, relationships and a somewhat deep meaning in certain titles.
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2012-04-10, 03:29 | Link #15 |
Senior Member
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One Piece and Toaru Majutsu no Index .
as long as it has great world building (power systems, setting, etc) and plot, i don't care about art, length, or how many characters there are. i'll end up memorizing them since i always do so if i get hooked on an anime/manga/light novel/game.
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2012-04-10, 06:51 | Link #16 |
STARVING ARTIST
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: 永遠の冬の国
Age: 33
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Dragon Ball. Unlike its offspring, it didn't take itself seriously, and did not pretend to be able to pull off any kind of intricate plotting or high drama, and so, I found it to be a very fun and enjoyable read. (The animated adaptation... had problems.)
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2012-04-10, 08:25 | Link #17 |
Sekiroad-Idols Sing Twice
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Fist of the North Star, no contest. The entire series looks like it's going to be about Kenshiro fighting his way through countless enemies to fight the man who abducted his fiance but it turns out that it's only the first arc. I especially didn't know how the story was supposed to continue for another odd 75 or so episodes considering how the first arc ended.
It turns out the finale of the first arc serves its purpose in developing a later character who would end up being our means of introduction to the main story. What a story it turned out to be. You're not going to find anything that isn't in other action shonen but what separates this series from most of its kin is the respect it holds it holds for its audience and characters. So very often people think Fist of the North Star is nothing but mind-blowing action (pun intended) yet it's also about learning to cherish and protect what you believe in and whom you love; death in this series is permanent and forces each of the characters to do take on that mindset. Heck, the main theme for Fist of the North Star translates to "Bring back Love" and the unexpectedly tender messages conveyed by heavily muscled men is another strength of the show. Does Fist of the North Star show its age a lot? Certainly. Does that mean it's outdated? Hardly. Outdated implies a work that is only strong for its time and the thing about this anime is that it's very honest in regards to the themes it portrays; idealism reflects what your audience wants to see but realism reflects what the audience inevitably faces. If you have the dedication to go through 100 or so episodes, Fist of the North Star will not disappoint.
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Last edited by Akito Kinomoto; 2012-04-10 at 08:36. |
2012-04-10, 16:49 | Link #20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
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If talk about action then its 100% FMA. Series have an interetsung and well though out story with some twists. A huge amount of great characters that actually develop. There are no random power ups with over 9000. Ed is also a very likable MC, he has problems that he has to over come yet he is not pathetic. He is strong yet not mega strong and still loses from time to time. He thinks, his fights involve strategies.
That's the best shounen out there. Though there are few more that stand out for me among others. Will list them later.
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