Welp the video got age restricted, if you find excessive blurring that's why. RU-vid doesn't tell me why something got flagged, so I just gotta guess and blur everything :/ Sorry guys
well, for last category , i wanted to add something 11:00 Well, Fate Stay Night and Tsukihime (and with adding "When they Cry") are exceptional , that's all i need to tell anyone who read this comment, harem story: yes, nonsense: no (yeah, these are count as harem stories, just read damn VN , H Scene CGs and stuffs, although it must be obvious, shirou and shiki are kings in this category)
I wonder if "demon shonen" could be considered its own genre at this point. Where the main character is literally fused with a demon like in CSM or Devilman, rather than just inheriting powers.
Can't be an isekai; the MC isn't OP, doesn't have 5 girls with different hair colors and there aren't even generic orcs and generic RPG-magic. But seriously, the official definition should be updated to what isekai commonly means whenever the term gets used on new anime series. The things I just listed are tropes, that are as standard in isekai, as classifying action movie as "action movie is when a guy soloes some criminal organisation for 90 Minutes gets a girl in the process and then has dramatic fight with leader of enemies."
@@MAPLEBG i meant to say the inofficial meaning of isekai is often more in those recycled tropes than in "going to another world", especially since most recent popular isekai just mention the other world in the first 5 minutes and then never mention it again, its just a plot device to make the start more relatable and to handwave why basic things are getting explained for the audience. The fantasy world and generic RPG and magic are traits that define the story and worldbuilding. Technically they are not rellying on the isekai-genre, but the combination is so common that you can treat it as such.
There's also thrillers/horror anime out there. Monster, Psycho-Pass, Texhnolyze, Ergo Proxy, Steins;Gate, and Serial Experiments Lain are all pretty enthralling.
realistic only in the sense that you can totally see why all the girlfriends love Rentaro (he is a chad). but yeah aside from that not much. the series is literally built around the idea of being as absurd and batshit insane as it can get away with
it may seem like a reverse harem however if you read the manga there is only really 2 men fighting for her, it really isn't a harem at all@@someonehavinganidentitycrisis
It wasn't much of a mention. Just slapped on the screen as an afterthought without even mentioning the name. I appreciate him acknowledging his blindspots but yeesh that felt like neglect.
As an avid anime and japanese viewer, his explanations got everything correct. The fact that he got the nuances with the term 'ecchi' is also great and I can only reciprocate his passion with this comment. Honestly flawless video.
His explanations are correct, his terms are not. Shonen, Seinen, and Shojo aren't genres, they're demographics. Rent A Girlfriend is published in a Shonen magazine, so it's a Shonen. What people mistake Shonen as a genre, the true genre's name is "Battle" - because they often involve fighting. While Seinen and Shojo encompass different genres.
Anime writers have literally diversified this isekai concept like there are 3 ways of reincarnating , 3 conditions necessary for reincarnation and people even discuss these things as they are real lol
Josei is an interesting "genre" and many don't watch animes of this demographic because they think it's for womans. Typically in this demographic are realistic dramas. It's the type of work that you would show to someone who doesn't like anime, become interested and start consuming. Some of the best works for me are from this demographic: - Nana - Usagi Drop - Chihayafuru - Sakamichi no Apollon - Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - Hachimitsu to Clover - Kuragehime - Nodame Cantabile - Shirokuma Cafe - Natsuyuki Rendezvous - Otona Joshi no Anime Time - Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi.
Older isekai series worth watching: Magic Knight Rayearth, Escaflowne, and Fushigi Yugi. If you really want to get technical, Spirited Away is also an isekai.
I personally find the slow pace of romance anime enjoyable. I honestly like the build-up just as much or if not more than the actual 'dating phase' of the relationship lol
I've seen so many Romance Animes and read so many Mangas at this point I'm honestly annoyed at how SLOW things always go. Like in the video mentioned those common misunderstanding tropes or freaking out because the hands barely touched is getting hard to see at some point. I think My Dress Up Darling refreshed things a bit though because the characters actually weren't boring and more things happened despite having a slow pacing overall
this is the single greatest anime genre analysis ever, no bias, no stupidity, no pettiness, just plain facts, information and solid recommendations for those that are interested. Excellent video, man
Agreed, he even admitted where he lacked knowledge so others can supplement. For example, in the shoujo and josei explanations where he suggested some good, but dated titles.
I saw the title and thumbnail and tried to give a brief explanation for each genre in my head. What you've made here is exponentially better than what I was able to come up with. Great video!
Fushigi Yugi is actually the anime/manga that popularized isekai as a genre in Japan. But bc its a shoujo, and people look down on shoujo, ofc a male anituber wouldnt give it its due credit.
erm no that would be the familiar of zero and also arguably sword art online to an extent due to its popularity. also there are plenty of examples of isekai anime/otaku media predating fusigi yuugi(like paul's miraculous adventure)
@@leaf-cf3ql No. Fushigi Yugi undoubtedly popularized the concept we now know as isekai in Japan. I was born there and was on the internet at the time. Lived more than a quarter of my life there. Yes, others predated it. No, they did not have the impact Fushigi Yugi had on mangaka at the time. The one thing that is correct is that SAO is what definitely brought it mainstream.
@@chrisrockett5897 publishing demographic are not bound by votes under democratic process. It's hard fact to distinguish audiences. Also help guide author with codes and tropes under their demographic through the editing process so no idea where you get democratic .
THAT WAS SO ON POINT OF EVERYTHING!! I get really frustrated when some people talk about some genres/demographics (just like you said about Shounen being misunderstood), but only on their point of view. "I watched THIS anime, so it resumes the genre!" when in reality this gives a superficial analysis at everything. Really nice and refreshing video~
As someone who's been watching anime since around 2008, this is a vary accurate and informative video for new people. Great job also as a extra imput for the music genre takt op.Desteny is a great anime imo that incorporates a little bit of fantasy and si fi with the music genre you should check it out it also has some romance as well
Not counting ones already mentioned like Fruits Basket 2019, Yona of the Dawn, Nana, Chihayafuru, Rakugo Shinjuu, etc... a few shojo and josei anime/manga recommendations I would suggest to guys trying to branch out into those demographics would include: - Burn the House Down (manga only, psychological domestic thriller - very bingeable) - Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey (manga only, semi-autobiographical) - Kageki Shojo (theater school-life drama) - Natsume's Book of Friends ("mystery of the week" series, for those who love series like MushiShi) - Basara (manga only, action-adventure fantasy romance - for those who want something more old-school) - Last Game (manga only, male protagonist romcom - for the shonen romance fans) - Wake-Up Sleeping Beauty (manga only, male protagonist supernatural romance) - Pompo the Cinephile (very short manga but a fantastic film adaptation) - Tomie (manga only, Junji Ito horror) - Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting (Cute SoL comedy with some heartwarming moments) - Skull-Faced Bookseller Honda-san (gag comedy)
Natsume Yuujinchou actually have minimal aspects of shojo or josei. It's combination of Slice of Life, drama and litle bit mystery. So I agree it's good for the starter if guys curious about the genre.
@@yonky6893 I watched the video so yeah I know that. What I mean by "shojo or josei aspects" are things that commonly appear in anime with a shojo or josei demographic to attract girls. Like lots of beautifully drawn male characters, reverse harem, a little BL spice, etc.
A bit about Josei. From what the internetz has told me, Josei tends to have a certain focus towards character driven stories compared to its other three demographic-genres. Seinen usually (but not always) has an overarching plot and world building to immerse you, while Josei goes up close and personal to character journeys. The internetz says it ties to how men and women generally consume their media. Women tend to like personal stories, but men can also enjoy it. Despite being marketed towards women, Josei doesn't always have a female protagonist. One of the recommendation: Rakugo Shinju has male protags.
I really appreciate how well you explained the way here in the west we see anime “genres” . The video you made is really eye catching with the pics of each anime representation you choose. You also took great care with each choice of background music as you go through the categories. I enjoyed very much the brevity and just to the point. I will share this video to my non anime friends. Thanks for creating entertaining and informative content.
The isekai trope in manga/anime is older than that! Fushigi Yuugi was a best seller shoujo manga with an Isekai story that ran in flower comics from 1991 to 1996.
@@litzo5957 I know that feeling. If you haven't read the manga, read it. The never-released 4th season is even better than the 3rd season, and there are a lot of additional scenes that are not in the anime.
@magnetar9558 It was so long ago now that I don't even remember if it was the anime I watched or the manga I read lol, can't wait for summer break to start and to immerse myself in old classics and catch up on new releases...
@@litzo5957 It's nice to look at old classics, but it's impossible to feel sad when you can't find anything to replace them. We hope you can find quality works, see you.
When it comes to isekai, my favorite little thing is how Narnia by definition could be considered an isekai, but was never thought of as one due to being a western novel series-- except now there's a manga adaptation. So now Narnia is an isekai in the true sense!
Narnia was my childhood and I really love the movies (although I haven't read the actual books) but I didn't know there was a manga of it! Gotta check it out now
I remember this one explanation from a video I watched defining shonen and shojo. Shonen is a story based on the plot/world with the characters enhancing it. Shojo is a story based on the characters with the plot/world enhancing it.
@@ausgod538 Technically the OP's statement can still hold. Boys probably prefer a story based on the plot/world with the characters enhancing it. While girls probably prefer a story based on the characters with the plot/world enhancing it. I think lego did some research based on how boys and girls play with their toys. Boys tend to imagine themselves playing as batman and doing things batman would do. While, girls would imagine themselves as batman instead.
@@ausgod538 How about "Shonen stories tend to be... Shojo stories tend to be..." Is that correct enough for the idea to be clear? The value in Dink.y's comment isn't a strict definition of terms but how to draw connections/boundaries between terms and shows.
This actually helps quite a bit, I’m newer to anime as I used to think it was really idiotic and just plain ugly but now i just love watching anime all the time, this’ll definitely help me find other anime’s I may like, and it already did, I found a couple I know have backlogged for when I finish SAO
There is technically nothing to explain there. You and I and everyone else know what it means. So there's nothing for him to explain on that shitty genre.
I absolutely love Shojo and Josei, and yes the line gets blurry!! On the complete opposite end of the spectrum though, I love horror!! I’m curious if you think that’s included as a genre, or if you just forgot about it!
I felt that A Silent Voice and Your Name should be in Shoujo demographic I’m still shocked that Attack on Titan was published in Shonen, should be Senien
That’s actually wrong, Aot isn’t actually a Shonen, nor is it a Senien. The creator of Aot wanted it to be Shonen, but it wasn’t accepted as Shonen since it was “too violent”
A Silent Voice is not shojo at all in its concept, since it revolves around a very male-oriented narrative (Men does bullying to fit in, ends being an outcast, regrets and gets a love story with the cute girl anyway). A shojo will be more female-oriented, so the bullie would have not be forgiven, and she would have found a better SO or a greater goal. A Sign of Affection is a shojo.
Shingeki no Kyojin was 100% aiming for shonen demographic not seinen one, the non stop action and plot reveals appeal way more to teens than adults, sure a lot of adults love it but a lot of adults also love other shonen aswell, what is important is the demographic that is trying to be reached and SnK is shonen all the way through despite the heavy stuff, is not like we didn't have other violent or kinda disturbing at times shonen manga.
For the shojo question: Creamy Mami and Magical Princess Minky Momo would be the two series that would really make the magical girl troupe mainstream, and later further inspire more shows. Such as sailor moon. for recommendations I would put: Ojamajo Doremi, sailormoon, shugo chara, sugar rune, tokyo mew mew, princess tutu and cardcapture. the classic anime dub is a mess tho iconic, Id recommend the sub version of card capture. there is so much more I haven't named but these are a few off the top of my head. but if I had to narrow it down to three to start off with. Princess tutu, Ojamajo Doremi, and sailormoon. great story, lovable characters, with a lot of heartwrenching scenes, and I think easy to get into.
As for shojo, Pretty cure is a really famous franchise thats been airing since 2012, they made a dub of it and it was called "glitter force " and " glitterforce dokidoki " basically each year has a new seoson with different plot lines, characters and themes, really popular with kids, but it isnt so childish that only kids enjoy watching it, hugtto precure even placed 1st on a anime award or something, it beat demon slayer that gained controversy, but honestly, hugtto was really great storywise and it was really touching for me
Precure's actually been airing since 2004. There was a Canadian English dub of the first season in 2009, except this dub wasn't reffered to as Glitter Force.
Good classic shojos are from before 2010s, when the great shojo decline started. Most girls in Japan don't really watch anime and they read mangas, so there's a lot of shojo mangas that don't get animated or get 12 ep at most as a way to promote the manga. That being said, Kimi ni Todoke is a great classic that's getting a 3rd season in Netflix soon (Yes, western girls are carrying shojo rn), Vampire Knight is also a dark romance classic, Orange is a very good modern one, Kamisama Hajimemashita, Lovely Complex, Skip Beat! (This one has being on emission since 2008, the manga is very long), Nijigiro Days (Ideatization of men by women with the female gaze if you ask me, I really enjoyed it tho), Bokura Ga Ita if you want to cry and Peach Girl if you want to rage. A Condition Called Love and A Sign of Affection are my 2024 favorites and most expected ones. Josei in manga is mostly smut, with a office lady that falls in love with a younger colleague. I do recommend Paradise Kiss, Nodame Contabile, Shirokuma Cafe
It's unfortunate that a lot of Shojo don't get animated these days & it isn't just western girls carrying Shojo because Femboys support it as well. I have been fighting hard for Season 3 of Komi Can't Communicate to get made. Also more English Dubs of Shojo would be nice to have. I don't think Josei anime actually exist, from what I understand Josei are much more likely to get live action adaptations than anime.
@@WaterKirby1994 Komi is a shounen romance, not shoujo. As for josei anime, Nodame Cantabile is a great one. As mentioned in the video, Rakugo Shinjuu is also fantastic. There is also Kids on the Slope, Chihayafuru, Honey and Clover, and Usagi Drop. The series Paradise Kiss, by the same author who made Nana, may be classified as josei but it's hard to find out as it was published in a fashion magazine that I can't find much info on.
5:05 Mushoku Tensei and Re:Zero light novels were released on the same day. The web novel of Re:Zero does pre-date the Mushoku web novel by half a year, but Rifujin na Magonote said in an interview that he was inspired by Re:Monster. It's possible that Rifujin also looked into Re:Zero and was inspired by early developments, but even then Rifujin and Kogitsune Karekiru (author of Re:Monster) both said that Isekai wasn't very popular at the time. This was around 2012. So the situation is a fair bit more complex than Familiar of Zero on it's own. That said, Familiar of Zero, Mushoku, Re:Zero, and even Konosuba were all super influential to what isekai is today.
I appreciate you explaining that shonen, shoujo, seinen, and josei are demographics. That is an important distinction. They can also contain elements of other genres too. xxxHolic, for instance, is considered seinen in demographic but genre-wise mixes slice of life with supernatural elements. For josei, my best recommendation would be "Princess Jellyfish." It focuses on a group of adult women who are so nerdy they have no idea how to function in normal society, and how a fashion-loving cross-dressing guy named Kuranosuke helps bring them out of their shells by helping one of them, the jellyfish-loving girl Tsukimi, get into the world of fashion. Also if you're looking anything that could possibly be seinen or josei, look for manga rated for "older teens." I read a few manga like that recently, and they definitely seemed more "mature" with the romance than shoujo mangas I had read. By that definition, I'd classify Revolutionary Girl Utena as josei. It's usually considered shoujo, but the manga in particular is pretty mature. Like I don't think I would've properly understood it had I read it as a teenager. Or if you want something even more classic, Ah My Goddess is a good one. It's more of a "magical girlfriend" series, but the romance feels rather realistic and well-developed, and there's surprisingly little fanservice. Shonen anime doesn't even have to star boys. "Angelic Layer" and the '80s anime "Cat's Eye" both have female protagonists, but are considered shonen anime because they're targeted to guys. "Angelic Layer" is a futuristic tournament anime where the characters battle using dolls you control with your mind. "Cat's Eye" is a kaitou anime starring a trio of sisters. (That one's shonen focus is most obvious through its openings and endings, which feature a lot of fanservice of leotard-clad women, cause '80s). Also as far as isekai goes, I always assumed it started with Sword Art Online too (either that or No Game No Life). But the .hack franchise (in my case I watched the anime .hack//sign) predates SAO by like 10 years. There's also an early-2000s anime I watched called "Web Ghost Pipopa," where a kid gets the ability to travel inside the internet, which helps him solve problems as well as get used to computers
Azumanga Diaoh is another good example. School setting with nearly all the characters female and is completely slice of life with no action or adventure. It has nothing of what people consider shounen conventions.
I've always understood shonen to be essentially "coming of age" stories where the protagonist is generally very young, start weak, and grow throughout the series. Then Senien is generally gritty/violent where the protagonist has already "come of age". They may also grow, but they start powerful/skilled.
@@Deadmanstrollnthe thing is it’s not just a fixed genre with specific themes and how graphic it can be. It would also depend on what magazine company can allow hiw graphic a series can go. Example like Shonen Jump is pretty tamed compared to other shonen publication companies. You also have to realize that a show like K-On, which is a seinen, is intended to be a chill relaxing read for adults after work. Younger people aren’t going to be interested in that and would go for AOT for its edge. It’s a mainstream misconception to think that a seinen is a “mature” series for “mature” people. Shonen and Seinen manga can be light hearted and dark regardless of its genres.
10:46 There is Requiem of the Rose King. It based on an era in England's history called the Wars of the Roses, which was a major inspiration for Game of Thrones. There are, both, guys and a a lady after the heart of the MC.
K on is one of the amines I watched as a kid and is still to my heart. I really enjoyed watching it. It show many happy moments and goes in to the meaning of friendship and has many fun moments with it as well. I really recommend
@ColleensMangaRecs is a stellar resource for info on the shojo and josei demos and their history. Big recommend if folks are interested in learning more.
This may be deep cut however I highly recommend people to check out "Rumbling Hearts," it's a romance, drama anime from 2003 with 14 episodes. The series is more akin to Western romance, the 2 love interests get to the fourth base in the 2nd episode so that far exceeds an "I love you."
He means realistic in the sense of why the girls fall in love with the mc. Sure love at first sight is a little sketch, but the mc earns the girls love through his actions and that's the realistic part
Didn't just popularize, it basically created the genre with contemporaries like Ah! My Goddess, and kinda Ranma. (though even then I would argue that those were really love triangle comedies, and Tenchi is one of the first true harem animes)
@10:20 I have to stop you right there. Love Live didn’t “start” the idol anime trend, they simply rode the wave into the mainstream. Idolm@ster walked so that Love Live could run.
@@arikendo it has an anime adaptation including multiple spinoffs and a new installment in the series coming out this spring! The first idolm@ster anime adaptation aired in 2011 before Love Live’s anime tho
Mine basically was Ranma 1/2. I found out Urusei Yatsura is an older anime that uses the same concept as to love ru. That being a boy confesses to the wrong girl and the girl is an alien.
I wonder where toy-based animes fit into this, I guess they're battle shounens but fit more under the "cartoon" umbrella? I'm talking about like Beyblade, Bakugan, B-Daman, Crush Gear those sorts where like the toys are in the show with powers but you can also get them IRL (powerless obv)
i cannot believe i just got flashbanged by wizardess heart. they've breached containment. i legitimately screamed and pointed at the screen. jesus christ. i respect it so hard.
@@-Shibbi Fist of the North Star, Crying Freeman, Yawara are some of the anime that qualify as martial arts especially Yawara because it's about realistic Judo. It's from the the 80's. There are a lot of martial arts anime from the 80's. Try searching them. You could also look into the OVA
For supernatural martial arts, check out Princess Tutu. They don't nickname it Guitar Ninjas for nothing. There's a far more down to earth anime about a girl who does eastern fencing/kata tournaments, but the name escapes me, I fear. Probably could look it up on TVTropes. For less sporty, more fighty martial arts, I love Samurai Champloo, and Afro Samurai is pretty good, but definitely a mature rating. Never got into Naruto, but it is one of the pillars of martial arts battle shonen. (And if you get sick of the padding that old fighting tournaments like DBZ used to add back in the day, seriously, Mugen and Jin in Champloo don't necessarily use any superpowers, but still bruise physics with how fast they move.)
Mixed harems actually exist in anime already, mostly as a sub genre. A popular recent example is "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom" in an isekai comedy. There are older and even raunchier shows but this isn't a place to say.
I love how slice of life is showing "Miss Kobayashi's dragon maid" on the pic, arguably one of the most chaotic, non-real life looking slice of life animes out there with the most random events happening 😭
shojo animes that were really influential - mew mew power tokyo, princess tutu, chugu chara, and cardcaptor sakura for sure and more modern could be glitter force not too sure on modern ones tbh
It's not shoujo, and thanks to that anime most Magical Girls anime nowadays are either deconstruction and/or parody of it's genre and aim for male adult
I can't believe someone recommended, "The world god only knows of". Man, it's a hidden gem and so much underrated I hope more people would talk about it and watch it thanks to you!...
I hate the tropes where the main character dies and enters a new world but the world is like a game with skills, like how and why they usually make it about the main character being too overpowered for the world or have some forbidden skill
