K-ON!
| Hey! ✋ Like One Punch Man, very people discuss about if K-ON is a seinen or not. The people that say K-ON is a seinen says it because a lot of men enjoy watching a innocent cuteness girl and/or adolescent girls, mixed with humor. Also because the manga of K-ON was publicated in a seinen magazine, and a seinen magazine is bought by grown men, isn't it? The people that says K-ON isn't a seinen don't give a good argument (for what I have seen), but their thoughts surely are "this anime hasn't violence, extreme situations... so, this can't be a seinen". What do you think? And why? See you. 🤗  P.S. Sorry if I had a bad English xP |
| Seinen magazines (just like all the other demographic tags) come in many flavors. K-on was published in this magazine that specializes in that kind of cute-girls-four-panel manga: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga_Time_Kirara While en.wikipedia calls it just "seinen manga", jp.wikipedia claims the audience is "10-30 year old males". Though it's entirely possible the magazine is officially designated as "seinen" somewhere, it seems to cover a wider/younger demographic than the dark and edgy seinen you might be thinking of. And from what i heard from DateYutaka long time ago, magazines like this one use furigana (i.e. they spell out the kanji for you above them), which is characteristic for works aimed for a younger audience, while the seinen magazines with an older target demographic do not. Don't know how true this is but sounds good. |
romagiaJun 19, 2017 6:06 AM
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| It may be a seinen. If it's serialized in seinen magazine then yes it is.There are other slice of life manga/anime I know which is also cute girls doing cute things classified as seinen..it's non non biyori by the way.Is your forum avatar from baby metal? |
 Forum set made by Sereshay |
| You see, this is why these genre tags are bullshit. You could say it's a seinen, you could say it's a shoujo, you could say it's a shounen. But at the end of the day none of those genre tags are as descriptive as simply saying "it's a chinese cartoon about a bunch of moeblobs who play in a band" |
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Bobby2Hands said: You see, this is why these genre tags are bullshit. You could say it's a seinen, you could say it's a shoujo, you could say it's a shounen. But at the end of the day none of those genre tags are as descriptive as simply saying "it's a chinese cartoon about a bunch of moeblobs who play in a band" We should create a genre like that. After that we just define most of shows with one tag. |
| Seinen at the end of the day is just a demographic; it really says nothing about the content contained in an anime/manga. Chi's Sweet Home is a seinen manga, while DEAD Tube (in which a girl is filmed having sex and then murdering the guy she's banging in the first chapter) is a shonen manga. |
| "No, son, you may not have your body pillow at the dinner table!" |
| Objectively sepaking, yes it is. Subjectively speaking, it still is because the definitions of words don't just change for your convenience :> |
| I probably regret this post by now. |
| Not interested with the discussion, but nice pic there. |
| Of course it's seinen. After all, it's from Manga Time Kirara which is considered to be a seinen magazine. If you look at their other manga it's all cute stuff. There's a new anime coming out from that magazine called Comic Girls which is a cute yuri anime about young female mangaka. If we dismiss this whole genre of seinen manga that makes up a large portion of it then that would completely change the definition. Do romance manga also no count? What about mature slice of life like Bartender, Mushishi and Space Brothers? They're clearly for adults, but if we're not counting the cute feminine slice of life then what makes mature slice of life any different? Seinen isn't a genre, it's a demographic. If most guys don't want to see gory action but would rather read about cute girls doing cute things that doesn't stop them from being men and therefore it doesn't stop the manga they read for being made for men. As long as men are the target the manga will be seinen regardless of content. |
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| But why focus on the labels? What does K-On say to your heart?? |
[left] (◕‿◕✿) |
People thought it was josei. It's actually shojo: Paradise Kiss People thought it was seinen. It's actually shonen: Death Note, Aku no Hana, Franken Fran    People thought it was shojo. It was seinen: Chobits  |
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| Seinen is either "Whoah look at this deep shit/ thought provoking sol" or "GORE GORE GORE BLOOD FUCK YEAAAAHHH BLOOD EVERYWHERE HIDE YO KIDS"... So yeah, it's pretty meaningless to assume demographic with genres. It's marketing and nothing more. |
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zombie_pegasus said: Of course it's seinen. After all, it's from Manga Time Kirara which is considered to be a seinen magazine. If you look at their other manga it's all cute stuff. There's a new anime coming out from that magazine called Comic Girls which is a cute yuri anime about young female mangaka. If we dismiss this whole genre of seinen manga that makes up a large portion of it then that would completely change the definition. Do romance manga also no count? What about mature slice of life like Bartender, Mushishi and Space Brothers? They're clearly for adults, but if we're not counting the cute feminine slice of life then what makes mature slice of life any different? Seinen isn't a genre, it's a demographic. If most guys don't want to see gory action but would rather read about cute girls doing cute things that doesn't stop them from being men and therefore it doesn't stop the manga they read for being made for men. As long as men are the target the manga will be seinen regardless of content. zombie_pegasus said: Of course it's seinen. After all, it's from Manga Time Kirara which is considered to be a seinen magazine. If you look at their other manga it's all cute stuff. There's a new anime coming out from that magazine called Comic Girls which is a cute yuri anime about young female mangaka. If we dismiss this whole genre of seinen manga that makes up a large portion of it then that would completely change the definition. Do romance manga also no count? What about mature slice of life like Bartender, Mushishi and Space Brothers? They're clearly for adults, but if we're not counting the cute feminine slice of life then what makes mature slice of life any different? Seinen isn't a genre, it's a demographic. If most guys don't want to see gory action but would rather read about cute girls doing cute things that doesn't stop them from being men and therefore it doesn't stop the manga they read for being made for men. As long as men are the target the manga will be seinen regardless of content. Hey fun fact, The Madoka Magica series is a seinen series in the same magazine as K-ON and Hidamari Sketch, and in Manga Time Kirara there are 6 kinds of magazines under Kirara, Manga Time Kirara, Kirara Carat, Kirara MAX, Kirara Miracle(got stopped and transferred to Manga Time Kirara), Kirara Forward, and Kirara Magica. K-on is serialized in both Kirara and Kirara Carat. Madoka Magica apparently serialized in Kirara Forward and Kirara Magica. other Kirara titles, in Kirara Miracle we got Sakura Trick and Urara Meirochou, and Kirara MAX we get Kinmoza, Comic Girls, Stella no Mahou, and Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu Ka. all these anime are seinen too. The reason Madoka is Kirara because the original designer is also the creator of Hidamari Sketch, Ume Aoki. each and every character in Madoka is based of a character from Hidamari Sketch. and that is all I'm gonna say, bye. |
Mei-o_Scarlett said: Seinen is not the opposite of shounen, you completely forget josei and shoujo. Seinen can be mature, but many are just shounen plots with extra gore and nipples drawn onto the anime tiddies. Not the demographic tag makes something mature, the story and foremost the characters do. I'm a middle aged man, and I indeed think I'm "mature". If not me, who is? And I love to see an all adult cast in my anime, not teenagers dealing with adult problems using some ridiculous excuse plot. these same people will claim shounen manga can never be mature or how shounen manga is all kid stuff anyways, cause muh superior peeps think maturity |
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natsugundamTam said: I wouldn’t say it’s a seinen series. It was an anime original first, it only later got a manga adaptation. Seinen is an age demographic but anime are generally only considered seinen if they come from a seinen magazine. Since the source material is the anime I personally wouldn’t call it a seinen but hey, maybe it is.Hey fun fact, The Madoka Magica series is a seinen series |
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| Damn, Mio has like no hips at all compared to the others. why argue about it I wonder, demographics don't really matter, look at manga Magi, it's shonen but we get lots of blood, open wounds, sex and decapitations |
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Halfdan1 said: You are free to think of any series anything you like, just dont try to sugggest that your opinion about it is better than anybody else's. Or allows you to "disqualify" people based on what is nothing but your own assessment of a work of art. Your stament could be paraphrased as "I hate Monogatari, you like Monogatari, so you have shit taste and nothing you say matters". Well, if that crumbles your cookie.I love to see an all adult cast in my anime, not teenagers dealing with adult problems using some ridiculous excuse plot. pretentious ecchi harem series with teenage characters that is MonogatariI wrote "teenagers dealing with adult problems using some ridiculous excuse plot.". Monogatari is about teenagers dealing with emotional baggage personified in apparitions. It's a show about psychological problems and mental issues. How is that an excuse plot? Actually the treatment of said psychology holds for both teenagers and adults, it's universal. My statement is only valid when both parts are true, and that's not the case in Monogatari. |
inimMar 26, 2020 9:09 AM
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| It just goes to show ya that seinen is a broad term these days with a meaning further than a demographic dedicated to extreme violence like (The Sopranos and Daredevil) or strong sexuality (like Basic Instinct or 50 Shades of Grey). Besides K-ON, there are a number of seinen manga that don't quite fit in with the R or TV-MA rating. |
AntifaCuckeesian said: I know that. I was just saying Madoka was an anime original and only later was adapted into a manga. Whether you classify the anime as a seinen anime because it was later adapted and published in a seinen mag is up to you. I wouldn’t consider Madoka a seinen as it didn’t originate from a seinen mag but I would consider something like K-On a seinen because it did originate from a seinen mag. Call it what you want, it doesn’t really matter what someone elses opinion on this bar someone on the production team.Monochrosanity said: I wouldn’t say it’s a seinen series. It was an anime original first, it only later got a manga adaptation. Seinen is an age demographic but anime are generally only considered seinen if they come from a seinen magazine. Since the source material is the anime I personally wouldn’t call it a seinen but hey, maybe it is. A manga adaptation of the series and various spin-off manga series have been published by Houbunsha and licensed in North America by Yen Press. A novelization by Nitroplus was released in August 2011, and a dedicated magazine titled Manga Time Kirara Magica was launched by Houbunsha in June 2012. Houbunsha Co., Ltd (株式会社 芳文社, KK Hōbunsha) is a Japanese publishing company founded on July 10, 1950. Houbunsha published the Manga Time Kirara magazines. Manga Time Kirara mags were behind Blend S, New Game!, Hidamari Sketch, Koisuru Asteroid, Puella Magi Kazumi Magica, Kill Me Baby, Acchi Kocchi, K-On, Slow Start, Anne Happy, YuruCamp, Gochūmon wa Usagi Desu ka?, Kinmoza, etc. |
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| Target audience does not equal genre. So is it targeting adult men? I would say no. Certainly appeals to them, but no. I literally am watching this with my 10 year old brother and he absolutely loves it. This show appeals to both sexes and all ages. High schoolers can get a lot out of it, as well as adults, and its completely appropriate for kids. Simple rule of thumb: if it appeals intrinsically to boys/girls/men/womens fantasies, it would be a shounen/shoujo. If it does not serve that, but still targets that demographic, it would then be a seinen/josei. I honestly would say k-on is a shoujo. But it's so hard to say. |
"Whether you're sad, you're hurt, or empty, you have to keep playing."  |
| Yes because kids can't understand the deepness that k-on! has. |
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AntifaCuckeesian said: As I said, I’m not saying everyone has to conform with what I say. All I am is stating my reasons why I believe it’s not a seinen, I could be wrong or I could be right. Who cares? Whether it’s a seinen or not has zero impact on anything. Monochrosanity said: I get that. But even so, if you look on the Wikipedia pages of most anime adaptations for seinen manga, it lists the demographic for the anime as "male". So despite it being an anime original, I assume it's the same target demographic for that series. Whether you classify the anime as a seinen anime because it was later adapted and published in a seinen mag is up to you. |
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Kata89 said: Seinen isn't a genre either. It is demographics. It also shows the target audience.Target audience does not equal genre. So is it targeting adult men? I would say no. Certainly appeals to them, but no. Something targeted towards young adults doesn't specifically have to be explicit. It can be family friendly as well. K-on! in particular is an 'iyashikei' anime. Look that term up and see what it's targeted audience is.I literally am watching this with my 10 year old brother and he absolutely loves it. Simple rule of thumb: if it appeals intrinsically to boys/girls/men/womens fantasies, it would be a shounen/shoujo. If it does not serve that, but still targets that demographic, it would then be a seinen/josei. That's not how it is. Having a shounen/shoujo tag doesn't mean much. They are just targeted demographics. They are stereotyped in the west because of popular stuff like naruto and bleach in case of shonen or kimi ni todoke or maid sama in the case of shoujo but in reality that shounen/shoujo tag doesn't have much importance other than saying what kind of magazine it was serialized in or what it's targeted audience is.I honestly would say k-on is a shoujo. But it's so hard to say. Anything but that. |
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AntifaCuckeesian said: I was cherry picking because I was replying to someone about Madoka. I’m not trying to say seinen doesn’t exist lol. Either way this convo is kinda exhausting, let’s leave it at that shall we.Monochrosanity said: I just feel like you're cherry picking. Of all the anime listed in this thread, that's just about the single one you can point to and say "Hey this might not be seinen since it was an anime first".All I am is stating my reasons why I believe it’s not a seinen, I could be wrong or I could be right. I don't really care either way though. |
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| Nope. To me K-ON is a doujin but everyone has their own preferences. Won't judge anyone for getting it wrong. |
| If someone says the contrary it's because it's a retard. It is a seinen, that doesn't matter much imo. What I care if it is good or it isn't. |
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| The fact that that was their target demographic is inseinen. I'm sorry. |
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Monochrosanity said: I know seinen is demographic you don't need to tell me that. It's because Madoka Magica is in Manga Time Kirara and all Kirara Anime are seinen and marketed towards older men. and Madoka did come from Hidamari Sketch in terms of character development. Madoka Kaname and Yunocchi are the same people just in different animes.natsugundamTam said: I wouldn’t say it’s a seinen series. It was an anime original first, it only later got a manga adaptation. Seinen is an age demographic but anime are generally only considered seinen if they come from a seinen magazine. Since the source material is the anime I personally wouldn’t call it a seinen but hey, maybe it is.Hey fun fact, The Madoka Magica series is a seinen series |
Monochrosanity said: Also Madoka Magica actually is a Doujinshi first, made by Ume Aoki and then an anime AND THEN a manga. and they originally set to make Kana Asumi as the voice actress for Madoka to match with Yuno's.natsugundamTam said: I wouldn’t say it’s a seinen series. It was an anime original first, it only later got a manga adaptation. Seinen is an age demographic but anime are generally only considered seinen if they come from a seinen magazine. Since the source material is the anime I personally wouldn’t call it a seinen but hey, maybe it is.Hey fun fact, The Madoka Magica series is a seinen series |
natsugundamTam said: Look, all I was saying is that I would consider something as seinen if it was originally published in a seinen mag before anything else. That’s all. I’m not saying that’s the rule or anything, only that it’s what I personally consider seinen.Monochrosanity said: I know seinen is demographic you don't need to tell me that. It's because Madoka Magica is in Manga Time Kirara and all Kirara Anime are seinen and marketed towards older men. and Madoka did come from Hidamari Sketch in terms of character development. Madoka Kaname and Yunocchi are the same people just in different animes.I wouldn’t say it’s a seinen series. It was an anime original first, it only later got a manga adaptation. Seinen is an age demographic but anime are generally only considered seinen if they come from a seinen magazine. Since the source material is the anime I personally wouldn’t call it a seinen but hey, maybe it is. |
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Monochrosanity said: I judge whether it is seinen or not is base on what age the series is serialized for. And Also Madoka Magica Actually wasn't an anime first it was a Doujinshi first, it was drawn and written by Ume Aoki back in 2010 and its not even called madoka magicanatsugundamTam said: Look, all I was saying is that I would consider something as seinen if it was originally published in a seinen mag before anything else. That’s all. I’m not saying that’s the rule or anything, only that it’s what I personally consider seinen.I know seinen is demographic you don't need to tell me that. It's because Madoka Magica is in Manga Time Kirara and all Kirara Anime are seinen and marketed towards older men. and Madoka did come from Hidamari Sketch in terms of character development. Madoka Kaname and Yunocchi are the same people just in different animes. |
| speaking of manga time Kirara has anybody have the game Kirara Fantasia, a mobile app that features only kirara animes. I have it on my iPhone 11 And i got it from the Japanese app store alongside JP server of Magia Record. |
KiraraFanApr 7, 2020 2:30 PM
| This thread started in 2017, but people are still debating in 2020... wow. You'd think the answer is pretty obvious. |
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