Are shounen animes too kiddy?
Ya! It's the same stuff all the time, I'm not 5 anymore!
8.1%
9
Maybe sometimes they could be a bit more sensible.
27.9%
31
It's the type of genre, I have no problem with it.
37.8%
42
I like the shounen styles, I can escape reality more.
9.9%
11
I love shounen animes. They aren't kiddy, they speak to my soul.
16.2%
18
111 votes
| I don't think they are too kiddy. They have nice themes to them and allow us to escape our current reality. Also, TTGL is very deep but their portrayal loosens this so that 90% of our mentally challenged populace could understand them. Its not just about believing in ourselves, but also in our comrades and others in general. Shounen isn't just for kids, their for everyone who enjoys action scenes beyond our world. It does not simply throw away reality, but it takes out the limiters of it so that our horizons expand beyond what we see everyday; at the same time, it also incorporates the best of what our understanding can offer, such as the thought of friendship, comradery, and humanly emotions in general. Shounen anime is just a catharsis from our everyday routine, which can burn the human spirit. |
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| i hate anime that is too serious i love shounen it is the funnest genre other than slice of life i love super powers and comedy xD |
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| Ah, certainly some shounen series like Bleach and Lucky Star can get rather childish with humour, but I think it's overall just how it gets produced and presented. For hell, I didn't know D. Gray Man was a shounen when I started reading/watching it. If they pull it off, they can get pretty deep shit and such. :P |
SoneAnna said: Ah, certainly some shounen series like Bleach and Lucky Star can get rather childish with humour, but I think it's overall just how it gets produced and presented. For hell, I didn't know D. Gray Man was a shounen when I started reading/watching it. If they pull it off, they can get pretty deep shit and such. :P *looks at Lucky Star* I still don't think you know what shounen is. On topic, if shows that pump me up and make me want to go out into the world and take it by the cajones are for kids, then I don't want to grow up. |
| My first novel, Kardia has been published! Click here to read! |
| This has to be the dumbest question ever. Is shounen kiddy. Seeing as how it's meant for young boys under 18, yea it's basically kiddy. That's like asking is porno too adult. |
JigeroJan 25, 2010 10:53 PM
| It doesn't think, it doesn't feel, it doesn't laugh or cry..... All it does from dusk till dawn is make the soldiers die. |
| Since shounens are specifically made and marketed towards young boys, they naturally have a kiddy element to them. However, there are some surprisingly deep shounens out there, so you can't really make a blanket statement about the whole genre. Shounen anime/manga are still the most popular things in Japan, and both males and females of all ages read/watch them. That having been said, it's not a crime to be a mature, deep-thinking adult that enjoys "kiddy shounen" every once in a while. Sure, TTGL is not groundbreaking by any stretch, nor does it have the most original story and themes - but I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't entertained when I watched it. Isn't that the whole point of anime? To be entertained? If a series fails at this one aspect, it doesn't really matter if it excels somewhere else. One should never have to think: "Huh, that series had amazing artwork, but I wanted to scratch my eyes out the whole time I watched it." So many series attempt to be deep and philosophical, with a social commentary on human nature, existentialism, or some other concept, but fail epically. At least series like TTGL KNOW they're ridiculous, and don't pretentiously pretend to be something they're not. |
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| Some shounen might be perceived as childish by some people. Overall though, it depends on what title you watch. |
| Kiddy?!?! I haven't seen the show... but... Having a half naked chick with gigantic boobs walking around is kiddy? |
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AirStyles said: I haven't seen the show... but... dont even start it |
smokes said: AirStyles said: I haven't seen the show... but... dont even start it as in what? Don't even start the show? Or are you just criticizing me about judging before I saw it?! |
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| yeah dont even start it, its way too shounen'ish.. judging from your signature you dont like shounen, but this one is even more stupider than those 2.. well you can watch tho you'll regret later lol |
| My 7 year old godson loved it, and he can't read subtitles. So yeah, I guess it's kiddy. But he also loves NGE. |
 Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
AirStyles said: Kiddy?!?! I haven't seen the show... but... Having a half naked chick with gigantic boobs walking around is kiddy? Yeah, there are people who watch shounen for that kind of stuff, too. But imo, these are attraction to the older anime fans, they have to put some nudity to get more people to watch it. |
AirStyles said: smokes said: AirStyles said: I haven't seen the show... but... dont even start it as in what? Don't even start the show? Or are you just criticizing me about judging before I saw it?! I don't hate Shonen... Bleach started off good for me, but it's not special at all, and for your information, I loved Naruto till the end of Chunin exam. I don't regret starting both shows, it just fell apart somewhere and never recovered. I always thought I'd try Gurren Lagann just to see what's all the hype about. Shonenish show is not bad as long as it's done right. |
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| I think it depends on the show. For example I loved FMA but I find a lot of shounens too kiddy (TTGL especially). But that doesn't mean they should change the genre, I mean it is essentially targeted at kids so why shouldn't it be kiddy? I mean when I was 13 I loved stuff like that, so they might as well keep making it, that doesn't mean I have to watch it. |
AirStyles said: I always thought I'd try Gurren Lagann just to see what's all the hype about. Shonenish show is not bad as long as it's done right. i suppose you dropped bleach cause of the powerups ? then you will drop this one too. here he is fighting and looses and gets up quickly in 2 seconds and transforms and pwns the enemy lol. you wont like it) meh you can watch if you want tho maybe i'm wrong |
| Uh, using the example of TTGL, I'd have to say no and would have picked option 5, but using another series, like more anything from Shonen Jump (not including Death Note), then I'd have to say that maybe some of them are a little kiddy, but most of the times I just think it's the genre being option 3, so I went for option 4 in the middle |
| Depends on the series. If you're talking about TTGL, then yeah - that's kiddy. If you're talking about Hokuto no Ken, then not really because you'll be a manly man by the time you finish. |
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| Not really "kiddy". Just stupid. |
AirStyles said: This is all the wrong reason for watching any show: "just to see what's all the hype about."I always thought I'd try Gurren Lagann just to see what's all the hype about. |
| Shounens may be kiddy, but they are cute kiddies. Anyway, I'd choose option 3 or 4. I prefer to go with 4 since watching shows like one piece makes me feel comic relief and fights are never boring. |
We are the United. Even in defeat we stand united. |
Shitsurei said: Just one reason why you should read the poll options before posting 2 words:Define "kiddy". "It's the same stuff all the time, I'm not 5 anymore!" Ya know. Just a thought. |
| I will go with option 3. I don't particularly like Shounen, but I don't have a problem with it's existence. Shounen is meant to be for kids. If you want a more mature anime, then you should watch some Seinen (or Josei) titles and avoid Shounen. A lot depends on the author as well, as demographic is not the same as genre, so you can have Shounen romances, Shounen dramas etc., as well as the the action shows that Shounen is usually associated with. I occasionally enjoy some Shounen comedies like Jungle wa Itsumo Hare nochi Guu, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Mahoujin Guru Guru, as they are good for light, enjoyable watches, but it depends on the the type of humour used. There are plenty of Shounen comedies I didn't particularly like (normally the more "romantic" ones like Seto no Hanayome) as well. |
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AirStyles said: I loved Naruto till the end of Chunin exam. there was nothing good in that chunin exam.. lots of new characters and barely no character development for the main characters. only non stop action..nothing more |
| Most shounen series do strike me as being childish, TTGL is no exception. But on the other hand, the demography more or less demands them to be. If you had a serious in depth and realistic anime about ninjas, it certainly would not look like Naruto, but I also assume it would not be labeled shounen at all. So being childish is not necessarily a failure for any series in the shounen demography. |
| Being a fan of TTGL myself I must admit it is pretty kiddy and stupid but it rubbed me the right way. It might not be the most original but something about it got me to like it a lot. For me though as long as it entertains me, I don't give a damn if it's shounen or horror or whatever genre. |
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| The kiddy mainstream shounen scale would have to be something like this I guess? I don't know about Naruto though. I like One Piece, and I liked TTGL. But it isn't as serious, probably because noone dies, even the baddies rarely do. Unlike in JJBA and HNK :D Fairy Tail - One Piece - Bleach - TTGL- .... - JoJo's Bizarre adventure - Hokuto no Ken |
| Sort of. Since anime is usually associated with Cartoon Network's childish animation, people think it's for kids. And most of the anime showed on Cartoon Network (Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, etc) are shounen. However, I still really like shounen and not all of it is immature and solely action-based. |
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| They are no doubt childish, but I agree that it doesn't necessarily mean they're bad(Well, I dislike most shows that are considered 'shounen', but that's just me). Not because they're purposely geared towards a younger audience, more because the stories just drag longer than they should be, with little end in sight, it gets incredibly boring and tedious. I don't think this is really up to much debate, shows like Naruto, Bleach, One Piece are geared and made for a young male audience. TTGL could be considered the same, but I think it's actually geared towards an older audience because it(seems to me) to be a tribute to those Super Robot classics of the 70's. |
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Jaapsneep said: The kiddy mainstream shounen scale would have to be something like this I guess? I don't know about Naruto though. I like One Piece, and I liked TTGL. But it isn't as serious, probably because noone dies, even the baddies rarely do. Unlike in JJBA and HNK :D so if they avoid the death scenes the show is kiddy ? no. there are far more serious moments in 'the big 3' shows.. like the human auction in onepiece, dramatic deaths in naruto ( good characters) or many other 'mature' moments http://i46.tinypic.com/r0p2yp.jpg etc etc.. shounen is not for kids.. its just avoid 'adult' content unlike seinin... |
Major_G said: Depends on the series. If you're talking about TTGL, then yeah - that's kiddy. If you're talking about Hokuto no Ken, then not really because you'll be a manly man by the time you finish. Indeed, as soon as I finished HnK I felt more manly. And I felt chest hair growing, but I converted my power level into AHTATATATATATA |
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
| Fairy Tail might be kiddy, but it's still highly entertaining. Enjoying it more than I ever did Naruto, Bleach or One Piece. Probably all of them combined still aren't as awesome as Fairy Tail is. So yeah, shounen can be childish... but so what if it is? Also, it's not a genre, it's a demographic. The shounen demographic covers many genres. You're mostly talking about action/adventure series. But it's a common error. |
Asako said: Fairy Tail might be kiddy, but it's still highly entertaining. Enjoying it more than I ever did Naruto, Bleach or One Piece. Probably all of them combined still aren't as awesome as Fairy Tail is.  Son I am disappoint. |
| My first novel, Kardia has been published! Click here to read! |
| Kiddy or childish isn't how i would describe most shounen. There's usually a fair amount of mature themes, one of which is often sex, or sexual perversion of some sort. I haven no issue with the general concept of shounen, which usually revolves around a never ending adventure or a never ending competition. I just don't like how everything has to adhere to a simple and rigid logic, including the characters. For instance, there's always a "reason," usually a psychological one, why a team wins or loses in a sports anime, but if you watch sports, or play them for that matter, the reality is that players are human and have on and off days. It really sucks a lot of the intrigue away. I mean if you know why a team lost, you rest easy knowing it's a correctable problem. When you have no idea why, then you have to speculate, and with that comes an uncertainty, like maybe winning was just a fluke after-all. At least, the characters should have that doubt cross their minds, but most shounen leads don't know the meaning of doubt. |
Splitter said: This is one reason why I want to watch One Piece. Just for Zoro, and I guess that other random guy Luffy. Except it's too daunting for my university career.Asako said: Fairy Tail might be kiddy, but it's still highly entertaining. Enjoying it more than I ever did Naruto, Bleach or One Piece. Probably all of them combined still aren't as awesome as Fairy Tail is. Son I am disappoint. |
smokes said: AirStyles said: I always thought I'd try Gurren Lagann just to see what's all the hype about. Shonenish show is not bad as long as it's done right. i suppose you dropped bleach cause of the powerups ? then you will drop this one too. here he is fighting and looses and gets up quickly in 2 seconds and transforms and pwns the enemy lol. you wont like it) meh you can watch if you want tho maybe i'm wrong oh cr*p... I hate screaming teenagers that get their powers out of no where through tantrum... I didn't drop Bleach because of the powerup, but the story just get soooo boring. I was reading the mange, the first 3 books really got my attention, then the rest just makes me wanna stop and do something else. Bleach Naruto I'll watch it anyways, probably because of Kamina's reputation, the character Kamina is rather well known for being GAR, I need to check it out ^_^ |
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smokes said: so if they avoid the death scenes the show is kiddy ? no. I wouldn't say lack of death makes a show more kiddy. However if you take Naruto for example where there are a ton of characters with incredibly deadly abilities who are constantly in life or death situations and rarely does anyone die, then the show loses its sense of danger and peril. You know no matter how injured the characters get or how likely it looks like they'll lose they will be okay. I can't get into OP because the fights aren't exciting at all. I never worry about the characters because they will always win or survive. Injuries don't matter at all because they just need to slap on some bandages and the character is as good as new. The fights just don't have much impact or excitement because there are no consequences for the main characters. |
stupidfreak said: smokes said: so if they avoid the death scenes the show is kiddy ? no. I wouldn't say lack of death makes a show more kiddy. However if you take Naruto for example where there are a ton of characters with incredibly deadly abilities who are constantly in life or death situations and rarely does anyone die, then the show loses its sense of danger and peril. You know no matter how injured the characters get or how likely it looks like they'll lose they will be okay. I can't get into OP because the fights aren't exciting at all. I never worry about the characters because they will always win or survive. Injuries don't matter at all because they just need to slap on some bandages and the character is as good as new. The fights just don't have much impact or excitement because there are no consequences for the main characters. Defeat is much more involving than the simple death of a character, because the character then must live with knowing he is weak in a world where he cannot afford to be weak. Many shounen battles are exciting, not just because of how powerful characters are, but because of why they fight. Most of the best shounen arcs are about rescuing a friend or teammate or accomplice or what have you. The fact that they fight themselves to the bone for one person demonstrates not only the depth of their bonds but also that there are things, even if no one should die, that are worth fighting to the death for. In these respects, I find shounen fighting when plot-focused to be very involving. |
| My first novel, Kardia has been published! Click here to read! |
| You can't classify a whole genre being "kiddy"... for example look at some of these anime: Great Teacher Onizuka- ecchi, pornographic persuasion scenes History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi- ecchi City Hunter- ecchi, death, and pornographic persuasion scenes Shura no Toki- death and violent scenes. Sure there quite a few "kiddy" shows that are shonen but what genre doesn't have a "kiddy" anime in it. |
Splitter said: stupidfreak said: smokes said: so if they avoid the death scenes the show is kiddy ? no. I wouldn't say lack of death makes a show more kiddy. However if you take Naruto for example where there are a ton of characters with incredibly deadly abilities who are constantly in life or death situations and rarely does anyone die, then the show loses its sense of danger and peril. You know no matter how injured the characters get or how likely it looks like they'll lose they will be okay. I can't get into OP because the fights aren't exciting at all. I never worry about the characters because they will always win or survive. Injuries don't matter at all because they just need to slap on some bandages and the character is as good as new. The fights just don't have much impact or excitement because there are no consequences for the main characters. Defeat is much more involving than the simple death of a character, because the character then must live with knowing he is weak in a world where he cannot afford to be weak. Many shounen battles are exciting, not just because of how powerful characters are, but because of why they fight. Most of the best shounen arcs are about rescuing a friend or teammate or accomplice or what have you. The fact that they fight themselves to the bone for one person demonstrates not only the depth of their bonds but also that there are things, even if no one should die, that are worth fighting to the death for. In these respects, I find shounen fighting when plot-focused to be very involving. You bring up some good points on what make shounen fights good. However I still think there needs to be more consequences. When there is more risk involved in the battles then I think that makes the reason the characters are fighting more admireable. If you have seen the ending of the Berserk anime you know the lengths the main character goes to try to save someone. He did something that affected him for the rest of the manga which makes the scene so much more memorable than the average shounen (ok Berserk is seinen but I think you can see where I'm trying to go with this). There were consequences, and that's one thing that made that part important. Of course I'm not saying that every shounen needs to be super violent and have characters dying left and right. |
| Never, ever judge a book by its cover. Or a manga by what magazine it was serialized in before being made into an anime. If haters of kiddy shit did that, they'd miss out on two of the best titles ever created: Great Teacher Onizuka (far more meaningful than most adult titles I've encountered) and Death Note (only shounen because of the lack of gore/boobs). GTO has inspired people to want to teach, where as Death Note has made more than a few people ponder about what they'd do in Light's shoes - meaning both titles can be appreciated by adults because they have more than enough below the surface to make people think. What you really meant to ask was this: 'Are anime titles aimed at children too childish for adults to enjoy?' My answer, having once loved Naruto and now no longer getting kicks out of similar titles, is yes. I now require blood, boobs, cynical humour and realism to get lots of enjoyment. Real men aren't satisfied with seeing endless shounen titles where the goodies tend not to die, and I'm a real man (not really, but the point remains!) |
| As I said earlier, how childish something labeled as Shounen is depends heavily on the author. There are some things which are serialised in "Shounen" manga magazines, particularly Weekly Shounen Champion, that we would consider unsuitable for anyone under 18. The reason I mentioned Shounen Champion in particular is because that was the magazine that serialised Eiken and Apocalypse Zero manga, both of which are highly unlikey to consider suitable for under-18s here, but were still serialised in a Shounen magazine. Thus, aniDB classifies these anime as Seinen. Kure-nai is also arguably a Shounen series. Everywhere classifies the anime as Seinen, but both the novel and the manga are Shounen, and it wouldn't make much sense to change the demographic of the series to a more niche one for an anime adaptation. If it is indeed a Shounen, it's probably my favourite Shounen series of all time, and very different from the likes of Naruto and Pokemon. tl;dr version: Shounen can used to classify anything from Pokemon to Apocalypse Zero to Kure-nai, so some shounen titles are far more mature than others, depending on the author. Thus if a Shounen is childish, it is because of the author, not the demographic, even if Shounen tends to lean towards more childish series. |
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stupidfreak said: I can't get into OP because the fights aren't exciting at all. I never worry about the characters because they will always win or survive. Injuries don't matter at all because they just need to slap on some bandages and the character is as good as new. The fights just don't have much impact or excitement because there are no consequences for the main characters. that doesnt matter actually. well the battles at first are boring, this is actually at All shounen.. they it becomes more serious and intense as they improve their powers and such.. Splitter said: Asako said: Fairy Tail might be kiddy, but it's still highly entertaining. Enjoying it more than I ever did Naruto, Bleach or One Piece. Probably all of them combined still aren't as awesome as Fairy Tail is. Son I am disappoint. yeah)) this is veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery childish) at the enjoyment i'd say onepiece first then fairy tail ( manga) |
stupidfreak said: I can't get into OP because the fights aren't exciting at all. I never worry about the characters because they will always win or survive. Injuries don't matter at all because they just need to slap on some bandages and the character is as good as new. The fights just don't have much impact or excitement because there are no consequences for the main characters. It is how and why they fight that matters, the result doesn't really matter since everyone knows that main chars won't die(after all it's a shounen). And as for excitement factor, once one piece battles become intense, the feelings that the chars put into fighting become so intense that one watching can't help but be excited, IMO. |
| We are the United. Even in defeat we stand united. |
| excuse me...is it animes that endorses kid's real world toys(e.g. yugi cards,beyblade,crush gear) are the ones that supposed to be kiddy, and not the generic shounen? |
| Wait, just a question... Just because something has blood does it make it unsuitable for kids? Oh wow, your censoring really traumatized you guys. Back in my time people in Dragon Ball would die and be killed (and bleed red) and everyone tought it was awesome (actually, parents blame Tekken for children violence instead). |
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
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