Shounen/Shoujo Style Difference
15 years ago
Posts: 164
What I wanna know is what do you think the differences are between shoujo manga and shounen manga.
I don't mean the obvious like who they are directed at. But more of their serious differences such as how shoujo manga style has a softer feeling to it.
Romance may involve more complex emotions.
Shounen manga seem to have a faster pace,and in some ways the characters are simpler.
So give me your opinions and what you think beyond the genre definition.
15 years ago
Posts: 332
It is generally assumed by people in Japan that boys and girls like those different things. Simple as. That's why they sell those diifferent types to the genders.
15 years ago
Posts: 45
Well, I personally think that most shoujo and shounen manga art have a different feel to it.
Shoujo mangas seem to have a softer, more detailed and intricate feeling, as well as the art. The eyes of the characters show more emotion, whereas shounen tends to have a completely different style.
Obviously there are a few exceptions.
But the way the emotions are thrown onto you are completely different in shounen that in shoujo.
I think that's what makes some girls prefer shoujo to shounen.
But I think you're right because shounen seems to have a faster and simpler feel to it.
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Ronnie. Introvert. Nerd.
15 years ago
Posts: 4764
A very big generalization would go like this -
Shounen is pointless fighting.
Shoujo is pointless HS rabu rabu romance.
Pull out the gems and that's what you get.
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15 years ago
Posts: 910
Shounen manga usually doesn't have much plot (this applies more to action, rather than psychological) and shoujo manga is just lots and lots of useless drama and stalling.
Shounen is more straightforward, and shoujo is just sparkles.
Lalala~
15 years ago
Posts: 25
Quote from Calibine
Shounen manga usually doesn't have much plot (this applies more to action, rather than psychological) and shoujo manga is just lots and lots of useless drama and stalling.
Shounen is more straightforward, and shoujo is just sparkles.
That depends on your definition of "plot".
Naruto is about ninjas fighting each other but there's a lot of backstory, mythology, etc. built up.
Bleach is about death gods fighting each other but again there's backstory, mythology, etc. built up.
One Piece is about pirates...
D.Gray-Man is about exorcists...
Hitman Reborn is about mafia...
etc.
Of course you sum it up as just fighting and action but each story has a unique plot with relative amount of depth put in it (At least in terms of the mythology, the powers, the story...).
Shoujo is 90% all the same. High school setting, hot guys that are tall, rich, smart, and popular. Average looking girl (according to plot) that the hot guys somehow fall in love with. Drama ensues. There is no "plot" to speak of. Sometimes you get things like Vampire Knight and Skip Beat which actually have some substance and plot to it... but those are rare.
Shoujo art is pretty generic as well. Shounen art is unique from artist to artist. There's much more variation in shounen art, one can tell a manga is from a particular just by judging from the art. The same cannot be said for shoujo since it's so generic looking.
No surprises that shoujo is drawn by women. Women by nature are not good artists nor creative. Shoujo artists draw by the book (How to draw Shoujo manga) and do not develop their own unique style.
15 years ago
Posts: 545
Women by nature are not good artists nor creative.
... seriously? This is what you actually believe?
🤣
15 years ago
Posts: 45
Quote from JackTheRyder
Quote from Calibine
Shounen manga usually doesn't have much plot (this applies more to action, rather than psychological) and shoujo manga is just lots and lots of useless drama and stalling.
Shounen is more straightforward, and shoujo is just sparkles.
That depends on your definition of "plot".
Naruto is about ninjas fighting each other but there's a lot of backstory, mythology, etc. built up.
Bleach is about death gods fighting each other but again there's backstory, mythology, etc. built up.
One Piece is about pirates...
D.Gray-Man is about exorcists...
Hitman Reborn is about mafia...
etc.Of course you sum it up as just fighting and action but each story has a unique plot with relative amount of depth put in it (At least in terms of the mythology, the powers, the story...).
Shoujo is 90% all the same. High school setting, hot guys that are tall, rich, smart, and popular. Average looking girl (according to plot) that the hot guys somehow fall in love with. Drama ensues. There is no "plot" to speak of. Sometimes you get things like Vampire Knight and Skip Beat which actually have some substance and plot to it... but those are rare.
Shoujo art is pretty generic as well. Shounen art is unique from artist to artist. There's much more variation in shounen art, one can tell a manga is from a particular just by judging from the art. The same cannot be said for shoujo since it's so generic looking.
No surprises that shoujo is drawn by women. Women by nature are not good artists nor creative. Shoujo artists draw by the book (How to draw Shoujo manga) and do not develop their own unique style.
Um ... no offence, but what you say makes sense, but that's a little sexist.
Some men do draw shoujo manga, and not all female-magaka's are completely uncreative. Look at Natsuki Takaya's Fruits Basket, or Saki Hiwatari's Global Garden.
I know that sometimes the plot in shoujo is frequently ... okay nearly always the same, but that doesn't make the artist uncreative you know.
And look at V.B. Rose! The art is amazing, in my opinion. She also wrote Sekai de Ichiban Daikirai, the art is the same and the plot is quite good.
So I'll say it again, you're a little sexist to say something like that.
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Ronnie. Introvert. Nerd.
15 years ago
Posts: 748
@jacktheryder ----umm women are not creative and not good artists by nature? ahaha where the hell did you get that from mate? I agree with you on most parts but that part is just total bs...i have plenty of female mates who are much more creative than my male friends. You made really good points and ruined it with something like that. also lol Vampire knight is pretty shit aha underneath all that vampire crap its still got the same shoujo formula---love triangle---girl can't decide between two bishies--angst angst angst. Also shoujos mainly focus on romance whereas shounen focuses on fantasy, action, adventure...the thing with romance is that you have to sort of make it believeable for the readers...the girls that read it..the people who read it have to believe oh shit maybe this could happen to someone maybe me or something plausible whereas shounen usually consists of a fantasy world far removed from all the laws of reality so mangaka actually have the chance to make a whole new world for their readers and something like that appeals to the shounen demographic more so basically shounen mangakas have a greater range to work with.
For me, in terms of romance shoujo much better atleast the ones i read especially the ones from guyz perspective...those are awesome because they don't degrade the dude like the ones in shounen romance mangas where the dude is a loser, pervert,nerdy, beaten by the hot chick, running away after confessing, no balls, always chasing after girl after countless rejections etc. Shoujo also deals with careers like acting, modelling. Lol reading shoujo romance makes you feel good to be a guy.
so in summary---shoujos much much better in romance...atleast those ones that don't involve girl crying every freakn chapter or being amazingly inferior to guy...less degradation of guyz. shounen definetly has more variety, in terms of art and plot.
also just wanted to say the best genre out of all of them has to be SEINEN
Angel Beats--best anime of the 2010 spring season
15 years ago
Posts: 981
Quote from JackTheRyder
...
Shoujo art is pretty generic as well. Shounen art is unique from artist to artist. There's much more variation in shounen art, one can tell a manga is from a particular just by judging from the art. The same cannot be said for shoujo since it's so generic looking.No surprises that shoujo is drawn by women. Women by nature are not good artists nor creative. Shoujo artists draw by the book (How to draw Shoujo manga) and do not develop their own unique style.
These statements tell me that you are unfamiliar with more than a handful of shoujo works. You also seem to be unaware that some popular shounen is drawn by women. Maybe you've heard of these:
Fullmetal Alchemist
D.Gray-man (which you listed in your examples of shounen with plot)
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (another of your examples)
Saiyuki
InuYasha
Ichigo 100%
