Why are most American Popular Shounen so LONG?
15 years ago
Posts: 774
Personally I love Shoujo and will only read shoujo.
The main reason I don't read shounen is because of how ridiculously LONG they are.
Now this is a generalization I know, but the most popular shounen are typically epically long. I'm sorry but a story cannot stay interesting for 50+ volumes. No way.
-Bleach
-Naruto
-InuYasha
-One Piece
ect.
Of course this doesn't include series that don't really have a continuing storyline. Like you could read any chapter and just get whats going on like Soul Eater.
SO, why are shounen so typically long compared to shoujo?
Member15 years ago
Posts: 2081
because the shounen fanbase has longer attention spans 😛
no. i have no idea
some people are hooked on the whole idea of a neverending story maybe and it just so happens that the themes presented in shounen manga are exactly what that fanbase wants
15 years ago
Posts: 774
That is true. It does sell.
HAHA Don't even get me started on attention span. I'm in Film and Television Production in college and all the older people in my program complain about my generation. How we hate shots that are longer then 2 seconds. Not gonna say that they are wrong...
But that could be a point. I have no idea about other females but I will get bored if something lasts too long and isn't episodic.
15 years ago
Posts: 3380
Quote from Kitteh_13
Now this is a generalization I know, but the most popular shounen are typically epically long. I'm sorry but a story cannot stay interesting for 50+ volumes. No way.
The only reason they're still running is because they're still interesting. DUH
Also, I don't see the point of having "american" in the title...
15 years ago
Posts: 774
Quote from Scyfon
Also, I don't see the point of having "american" in the title...
Well I only have reference to the most popular shounen manga in North America. I didn't want to make too large of a generalization.
But seriously. There is no way something can stay that interesting for that long. InuYasha turned from love into wanting to stab myself in the hand.
15 years ago
Posts: 3380
Well obviously your opinion isn't shared by the majority.
A series is kept running as long as it's bringing in ratings. It's as simple as that.
To get good ratings, the series needs to be popular.
To be popular, the series needs to be interesting.
15 years ago
Posts: 774
Okay okay I won't battle.
It sells, it's interesting. LOL
But I still want to know why shounen tend to be longer then shoujo.
15 years ago
Posts: 1619
Some of it probably has to do with editors telling mangakas they should keep it going (with side story arcs and fillers) in order to drag it out and thus keep it lucrative for longer. InuYasha didn't have to be anywhere near as long as it was for the main story alone - they were probably told to do it. Some mangakas have admitted to being told to do it that way. But it certainly wouldn't work if the story wasn't interesting enough to keep the fan base (hoping for what they want to see while wading thorugh the rest).
If you've ever thought or said "Nice Guys finish last" and really meant it, then you should probably read this LJ post by DivaLion. It's incredibly insightful whether you're male or female.
From a bumper sticker I like:
"If you're gonna ride my ass, at least pull my hair."
15 years ago
Posts: 74
It's a matter of money and plot/story. Quite simply if it still makes money and the creator is not sick of it, they will simply continue to create the manga and anime as long as they like. They can do this because shounen is mainly about adventure and action. It is much easier to create and imagine as it is mainly coming up with new arcs with different villains and powers.
Shojo is more about love, romance, and human relationships. It is much more difficult to create a plot focusing on a female lead while keeping it interesting. Usually after a happy or sad ending, it's over. Most people won't accept the female lead having multiple partners and there is a limitation on what is acceptable behavior for a girl. These things limit what you can do.
In the end, shojo manga tend to be less popular compared to shounen thus more difficult to make money with, more difficult to write for, and your peers lack interest after a while. You'll always have Sailor Moon 😀
15 years ago
Posts: 28
Shoujo deals with romance and lots of time trends more in realistic settings, like a high school setting.
Shonen deals with fantasy worlds which feel like their own persistent world which doesn't match our traditional lives.
In a general sense, shoujo outlines are defined much by how society perceives a sense of ideal romance. On the other hand, shonen are their own world and thus the boundaries are the imagination of the author itself. Therefore I feel... it is much easier for shonen authors to keep renewed interest as long as they can keep adding new intriguing ideas to their universe. Romance which is much more along the lines of realism, it becomes more difficult to keep reinventing the wheel.
Though your title to this post is kind of misleading to your question. Naruto, Bleach, etc are firstly popular in Japan. Therefore if you were to introduce something to the American audience, would you introduce one with just 20 that may or may not become popular, or one that at least is already popular in one area...? That is why a lot of popular "American" shonen are so long...
And I will disagree with the a story cannot stay interesting for 50+ volumes. As long as the author can successfully integrate new plot elements inside without making it feel like it's dragging, then it can. This is just harder to do when the main focus is romance.
15 years ago
Posts: 2275
Just to spite you kitty.
But seriously, it doesn't take that long to tell a story about a guy and girl getting together. Those kinds don't have that much room for plot expansion, because it's either they do or they don't... of course, there are series that keep adding more/new developments to basically cock block the relationship, but those series you can always tell a part... and no one really likes them (VK, nana, OHSHC, and HMR series)... well, some do but that's really besides the point.
Now, most shounen are adventure/action series that lead well to an expanding story line, for there's always someone better than the last guy you fought... something that you can learn, do, or take.
Therefore, when the journey is emphasized, the output of pages just expanses--almost exponentially so--like it did for The Lord of the Rings.
[color=green]"Officially, this machine doesn't exist, you didn't get it from me,
and I don't know you. Make sure it doesn't leave the building."[/color]
15 years ago
Posts: 991
Mangas that repetitively feature fight scene after fight scene are often boring, and I tend to disagree that repetitive action series are any more interesting than repetitive romantic comedies.
Shoujo series can also be long, e.g., Daughter of the Nile (54 volumes ongoing), Glass Mask (44 volumes ongoing), Hana Yori Dango (37 volumes). Many TV soap operas and sit-coms can also attest to the fact that romantic/slice-of-life storylines are capable of going on forever.
Maybe it's just that more males who like episodic stories read manga, and more females who like episodic stories watch TV?
Avatar by tassyn.livejournal.com
Reading: Kingdom, Sangokushi, Historie
15 years ago
Posts: 5
In my humble opinion I just think that they're so long just because they are VERY popular.
Unfortunately, not always this corresponds to a true value: in fact some of the best shonen/seinen I've ever read are composed by 6-10 tankobon, which is a reasonable number (for instance King of Thorn, Jack Frost, Zombie Loan) or something a bit longer like Fullmetal Alchemist that is really near to the end.
I think that the author just likes very much his popularity and everything that comes with it, with the result that a manga like Bleach is becoming boring, repetitive and neverending 🤢
P.S. I'm sorry if I made a mistake, but I'm not english XD
Nobody knows who I really am...
15 years ago
Posts: 1230
Money.
They will milk it for as long as they can.
Member15 years ago
Posts: 128
I agree, cus i like money... but yeh it ruins most of the story line if you just put in a bunch of crappy episodes and fillers.
