×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Shonen or Shôjo?


Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Manga
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
mistress_reebi



Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 735
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 4:42 pm Reply with quote
My question is: which do you prefer, shonen art or shôjo art?

The art in shôjo has women who have a thin build with beautiful hair, (who wouldn't want Misuki's hair from Full Moon?) while in shonen girls usually have more meat on them and have huge chests. The guys in shôjo are also thin with femine features, while in shonen men are more muscular, espeically when they don't have a shirt on.

I prefer shôjo art because I'm a girl and I like how the art style is girly.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
KAtchan15



Joined: 22 Dec 2006
Posts: 460
Location: NYC
PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:18 pm Reply with quote
I prefer shojo art, I guess....It's probably because most shojo stories have those intimate scenes. And Shojo [most] guys are very affectionate and have unique qualities , that's something you don't always see in real life. A smart, strong, skilled, responsible, sometimes dominating , loyal and charming man with good looks? [ex. Soushi and Knight from Zettai Kareshi/Absolute Boyfriend] It's also because I've read a lot more romance manga's than Shonen ones.

As for shonen art , I love shonen art as well [mostly in anime, but in manga too]. Because of the battle scenes and the attractive brawly guys of course [ex. Bleach guys Anime hyper ].

I guess in the end, I love both of them, it's just that I like shojo art because of the romance, and that I can relate to the story as well [if the protagonist is a woman, which is mostly the case].
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mistress_reebi



Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 735
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:17 pm Reply with quote
Shôjo art is more romantic, which I also like, and I find that shôjo artist spend a lot of times on the eyes and hair. I find some guys in shonen art to be way too muscular and weird looking. I'm guessing because it's to represent how strong they are, but I think it isn't as visually appealing as the men in shôjo art.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Maryohki



Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 526
PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:37 pm Reply with quote
It all depends on the series. Black Cat is pure love, and the only manga I can think of with art I like more is Godchild. It varies from artist to artist, and I like them evenly in the long run.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:30 pm Reply with quote
I don't think that I can really answer the question, because there's such a range within both categories. Most of all the art I really love is shoujo, but that's always mainly what I read so I don't get exposed to many other styles. But even in shoujo there are styles I'm not a huge fan of. In fact, I was actually turned off a series that has become a favourite of mine, Nodame Cantabile, because I didn't like the style for awhile, but I luckily watched the live action and decided to give it a chance. I'm also not a fan of Hana Yori Dango's art either, but once again the live action bug has gotten to me so I'm trying it out.

So basically, I like some shoujo art, but not all of it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
GoodLuckSaturday



Joined: 30 Oct 2003
Posts: 567
Location: Indiana
PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:41 pm Reply with quote
mistress_reebi wrote:
Shôjo art is more romantic, which I also like, and I find that shôjo artist spend a lot of times on the eyes and hair. I find some guys in shonen art to be way too muscular and weird looking. I'm guessing because it's to represent how strong they are, but I think it isn't as visually appealing as the men in shôjo art.


I think it also helps that men in shoujo manga are drawn to be visually appealing. I don't think too many of shonen manga's target audience care how visually attractive their male characters are.

Like Maryohki and marie-antoinette said, I don't know if I can break it down to whether I like shoujo or shonen art more, since it's case by case. There is shoujo art I like more than shonen art and vice versa.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Not a Jellyfish



Joined: 21 Feb 2007
Posts: 539
Location: Boston, MA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:49 am Reply with quote
This is a really hard question. There are many differences between typical shoujo art and shounen art. But they both have their good points. I love shojo art for the detail and how beautiful every character is. You make a very good point about Arina Tanemura. But there is also shounen art that I absolutely adore, too. Like most of CLAMP's series are actually shounen, but have spectacular art. Even stuff like Berserk (which is technically seinen, but close enough), the artwork is incredible. Shounen I think also has a more gritty realism to it that I think attracts me to it. I think a good example of this would be BECK. It's one of my favorite series, but the art is nothing to really take note of. But because each character looks so absolutely average, it makes them that much more real. Both genres, though, take a different look at layouts and how they view the characters. And I think that's what makes it so wonderful. I suppose it all depends on the series and the goal the artist has in mind when drawing.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Eruanna



Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 451
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 1:02 am Reply with quote
If we are talking strictly about the way it looks, I defonatly perfer Shojo. Shojo tends to usually be alot more detailed then Shonen. (Certainly not always, take a look at something like Berserk, and you know there are exceptions)
While Shonen is primarily concerned with looking "cool", Shojo is more concerned with looking "pretty", and, since I am a female myself, I like looking at the big glittery eyes and flowing hair rather then choppy, spikey hair and "intense" eyes with little detail. Alot of Shonen I have seen looks downright ugly to me. (Dragon Ball, Im looking at you.)
But if we are talking plotwise, thats a different story. While I am as much a fan of the wishywashy girly romance storys as the next girl, I also tend to lean more to shonen plots with lots of action and whathave you.

Mostly, I like a good healthy blending of the two styles, though I must admit that lately Iv been reading and watching more Shojo then Shonen, but thats just my current mood and is subject to frequent change.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 1:26 am Reply with quote
You know what, in this case I'm going to have to say that I cannot make the choice to which one I would prefer over the other. They're both unique in their own different genres, and styles. I like shojo art because it does show more of a romantic side, more feminine features of characters. Shonen art to me is also appealing due to action part of it all, showing the manly side of things. So I really can't pick this time around when it comes to the art.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
gutted.with.broken.glass.



Joined: 15 Jan 2007
Posts: 20
Location: earth...too bad
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:22 am Reply with quote
The art styles are very different and unique. I love them both, i read both
shoujo and shonen manga. What I like most about the art in shonen manga
is the landscape. The environment is always beautiful. But I think that i like
shoujo art better because the people are always so beautiful (even though
it makes me envious Very Happy ). And besides the landscape in shonen manga
always gets destroyed.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
dambuilder



Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 42
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 2:13 pm Reply with quote
I used to prefer the "shojo style" and almost exclusively read shojo manga for quite a long time. One thing I prefered over shonen was the very creative panelling of many shojo titles. I love how some artists are able to make use of the full page, transcend time and/or manage to express complex emotions thru panelling.

This preferance has loosened up over the last years however and I can find merits in both styles. In the end it all depends on the artist anyway.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
kolibri



Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 712
Location: Vancouver
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:29 pm Reply with quote
I can definitely say I like shounen style more. I prefer more strong clear and precise lines, more stylized characters and designs. Flowery backgrounds, large eyes, wispy hair and frilly designs do nothing for me - at times I find it incredibly off-putting. As much as I adore something like Ouran, I don't actually like Bisco Hatori's style and it doesn't get much more shoujo than hers.

Luckily, manga is about so much more than just the art.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
NGE1113



Joined: 12 Oct 2005
Posts: 1081
Location: Alexandria, VA.
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 4:20 pm Reply with quote
If forced to make a decision, I'd have to say that I like the shounen artstyle better. I have no deep-seated problems with shoujo, but the gangly limbs and focus on every strand of hair that irks me every now and then. The fact that the shounen artstyle generally avoids such designs is what I appreciate about it.

Anyways, as others have said, it all comes down to a title-by-title basis.

kolibri wrote:
Luckily, manga is about so much more than just the art.

Indeed, a very true statement. For me, Alien Nine comes to mind, as well as Trigun. The artwork in both wasn't the greatest in the world, but the other, intangible factors saved them (unfortunately for Trigun, this saving grace ran out for me about four volumes ago).


Last edited by NGE1113 on Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:29 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
BrothersElric



Joined: 06 Dec 2006
Posts: 1996
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:10 pm Reply with quote
Well, I don't really prefer either, mostly because that sort of thing doesn't really matter to me. But between the two, I'd probably go with shonen. I mean, I know shojo art designs are probably a lot more realistic looking, but it's the unrealistic creativity and imaginativeness of both shonen stories and animation that makes it so appealing to me. Mostly because that's why I am into anime in the first place.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger My Anime My Manga
Reno-chan



Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 67
PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:27 pm Reply with quote
I tend to like shonen art more. I think the characters look less cookie-cutter most of the time, and while shoujo art may be pretty, shonen tends to come across as more dynamic and interesting. But then again, I tend to prefer shonen manga to shoujo, so it's probably my bias.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Manga All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Page 1 of 4

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group