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Shōnen

Shōnen (少年, Shōnen^? literally, "Boy") sometimes transliterated as shounen or shonen, is a Japanese word used in English to refer to manga intended for teenage boys. Examples include Dragon Ball, Rurouni Kenshin, Pokémon, Bleach, One Piece, InuYasha, Shaman King, Naruto, Death Note and Yu-Gi-Oh.

Shōnen anime and manga is typically characterized by high-action, often humorous plots featuring male protagonists. The camaraderie between boys or men on sports teams, fighting squads and the like is often emphasized. Attractive female characters with exaggerated features are also common (see fan service), but are not a requirement; Dragon Ball Z, for example, has only a few such characters. The art style of shōnen is generally less flowery than that of shōjo, although this varies greatly from artist to artist, and some artists draw both shōnen and shōjo.

Beyond shōnen manga, manga for men (university age and up) is called seinen manga. Despite a number of significant differences, many Western fans do not make a distinction between shōnen manga and seinen manga. This may be due to the fact that very few seinen manga have been published outside of Japan. In Japan, many older men read shōnen magazines because of their ease in reading during commutes to and from work on trains. Consequently, in Japan, shōnen manga magazines are the most popular manga magazines.

Legal definitions

According to Japanese law, the term "shōnen" refers to "a person from the time they enter elementary school until the time they are 18 years of age" (Child Welfare Laws (児童福祉法, Jidō Fukushi Hō^?), Article 4.3), and "Any person who has not reached the age of 20 years" (Juvenile Law (少年法, Shōnen Hō^?), Article 2.1). In the realm of education and culture, this is the time period of compulsory education. While the term "shōnen" can refer to both young males and young females, the generally accepted term for young females is shōjo.

The following meanings can also be inferred from "shōnen" (a person under 20 years of age) with regard to juvenile law in Japan:

Hikō shōnen (非行少年, Hikō shōnen^?)

A youth who has been convicted of a crime or confessed to a crime. Other terms include hanzai shōnen, shokuhō shōnen and guhan shōnen, depending on the crime and the age of the perpetrator.

Hanzai shōnen (犯罪少年, Hanzai shōnen^?)

A youth who has committed a crime. (Juvenile Law Article 3.1.1; Juvenile Activities, Police Regulations Article 2.2)

Shokuhō shōnen (触法少年, Shokuhō shōnen^?)

A youth under the age of 14 who has committed a crime. (Juvenile Law Article 3.1.2; Juvenile Activities, Police Regulations Article 2.3)

Guhan shōnen (虞犯少年 or ぐ犯少年, Guhan shōnen^?)

A youth refusing to abide by parental authority, a youth having a lawful reason for not being with their family, a youth who is naturally disposed toward criminal activity or who associates with those disposed toward criminal activity, a youth who frequents suspicious locations, a youth with a tendency to injure or assault other people, for youth with these characteristics and under these circumstances, the law can be applied to these youth. (Juvenile Law Article 3.1.3; Juvenile Activities, Police Regulations Article 2.4)

Furyōkōi shōnen (不良行為少年, Furyōkōi shōnen^?)

A youth that doesn't fall under the descriptions under hikō shōnen (above), but who is found drinking alcohol, smoking, being out late at night, or participating in other activities that might harm their moral character; basically youth that are being generally delinquent. (Juvenile Activities, Police Regulations Article 2.6)

Higai shōnen (被害少年, Higai shōnen^?)

A youth who has committed crimes due to having had a difficult upbringing. (Juvenile Activities, Police Regulations Article 2.7)

Yohogo shōnen (要保護少年, Yohogo shōnen^?)

A youth who has been the victim of child abuse, in cases where there is no guardianship or guardianship has been deemed necessary for the youth's welfare, and where the youth doesn't fall under hikō shōnen (above). (Juvenile Activities, Police Regulations Article 2.8)

List of shōnen anime and manga

Please see the category Shōnen for a list of anime and manga that are considered "shōnen".

See also

• Kodomo: intended for children
• Shōjo: intended for girls
• Seinen: intended for young men
• Josei: intended for young women
• List of shōnen manga magazines

External links

• The Girls of Shonen Manga, an article by Shaenon K. Garrity at comiXology
• (Japanese) Anime for boys
• (Japanese) Anime for men
• (Japanese) http://www.moj.go.jp/KYOUSEI/kyouse04.html Shōnen-in], reformatory (Ministry of Justice site)