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Shonen Romance


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ElementSun



Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Posts: 106
PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:20 am Reply with quote
There's probably a moderate chance that this topic will get locked... So I want to get my point across at least.

before I even start, by shonen romance I'm referring to romance anime intended for guys, NOT yaoi.

By just looking at the list of romance anime (which is insanely long), It's very difficult to determine which ones would appeal to me due to the vast variety of romance. Just by looking at the titles and summaries, it's very difficult to determine which ones I would be interested in.

To me, there is a huge difference between Shoujo romance and Shonen romance, and it thoroughly annoys me that both of them are clumped into the same category.

Personally, I really wish there was a more decisive system of filtering out series by more than one genre, but because there isn't I have to click on each series and read the reviews one by one by one... It frustrates me to no end.

Although this might turn into a semi-recommendation thread, I'm just curious which Shounen Romance animes have you found enjoyable?
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jetz



Joined: 31 Jan 2007
Posts: 2148
Location: Manila, Philippines
PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:39 am Reply with quote
Is Boys Be... considered a shonen romance? If it is, it's the only shonen romance I know. I didn't think it was shonen until I read its entry in wikipedia. It's actually quite nice, and even though I'm a girl I can relate to the main characters sometimes - rejection, loneliness, etc. (that felt mushy...)
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 9903
Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:41 am Reply with quote
ElementSun wrote:
By just looking at the list of romance anime (which is insanely long), It's very difficult to determine which ones would appeal to me due to the vast variety of romance. Just by looking at the titles and summaries, it's very difficult to determine which ones I would be interested in.

Then you should watch / read more to develop the ability to determine with a glance.
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Randall Miyashiro



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2451
Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park
PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:36 am Reply with quote
I really am not into shounen series in general, but a few of my all time facorites are romance series. I will have to say that one of my favorite shounen series is Maison Ikkoku. One of the reasons why I tend to shy away from Takahashi series is due to the fact that they become stagnant and never seem to have an ending, but Maison remains fresh as the character age between seasons. The definitive ending really shines for this series that has withstood the test of time.

I agree that there is a good amount of difference between shoujo and shounen romance titles, although some titles that enter the gray area more than others. CLAMP for example seem to do a fine job straddling the line with some of their series that seem to pull elements from both sides, On the other hand you have titles like Love Hina and Kare Kano which feel extremely shounen and shoujo to me.
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larinon



Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Posts: 992
Location: Midland, TX
PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:50 pm Reply with quote
Love Hina and Ai Yori Aoshi are examples of shounen romance titles: at their most basic they're still harem shows. Most dating sim to anime adaptations fall into this category as well, for instance To Heart, Shuffle, and Kanon.

Yes, I'm a sucker for this genre.

In the US, many fans are more diverse in their tastes, and there's not as much stigma associated with being a guy who enjoys shoujo and shounen romance titles the same as his action and sci-fi shows. It's my understanding that in Japan, however, the lines are drawn more clearly and the vast majority of fans of the above shows will be guys, regardless of the presence of romance, relationships, dating, and other so-called shoujo aspects.
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ElementSun



Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Posts: 106
PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:40 pm Reply with quote
I actually prefer it if there was an element of action/fantasy involved with the romance stories....
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Viga_of_stars



Joined: 17 Aug 2006
Posts: 1240
Location: Washington D.C. in the Anime Atelier
PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:47 pm Reply with quote
ElementSun wrote:
I actually prefer it if there was an element of action/fantasy involved with the romance stories....


Sorry but nothing is coming up in my mind but boys be. I saw it all and its can be considered shonen because its the guys point of view.
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 12:34 am Reply with quote
ElementSun wrote:
I actually prefer it if there was an element of action/fantasy involved with the romance stories....


Only Tsubasa Chronicle comes to my mind.
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geishageek



Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Posts: 571
Location: Pleasant Valley, NY
PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 6:33 am Reply with quote
I believe Suzuka and Midori Days are both considered Shounen Romance. They both did run in magazines aimed at boys.
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jetz



Joined: 31 Jan 2007
Posts: 2148
Location: Manila, Philippines
PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:21 am Reply with quote
geishageek wrote:
I believe Suzuka and Midori Days are both considered Shounen Romance. They both did run in magazines aimed at boys.


I think that might be right. I read somewhere that as long as the main character is a guy, it's shonen, so if it's shonen with a little romance in it, that would make it shonen romance, right?
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Randall Miyashiro



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2451
Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park
PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:10 pm Reply with quote
The shounen male character applies to a majority of the titles, but there are always shows like Cat's Eye, Excel Saga, Grenadier, Kanazuki no Miko, My-Hime, Nanaka, Pani Poni, R.O.D to name just a few. The only shounen romance manga with a female protagonist that comes to mind right now is Karin, but I'm sure there are others.
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Kelly



Joined: 17 Nov 2003
Posts: 868
Location: New York City
PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:12 pm Reply with quote
Aylinn wrote:
ElementSun wrote:
I actually prefer it if there was an element of action/fantasy involved with the romance stories....


Only Tsubasa Chronicle comes to my mind.


The only problem is that the Tsubasa/xxxHOLiC mega crossover is a prime example of not judging a book by it's technicalities. Running in shonen and seinen magazines respectively, CLAMP seems to have nevertheless intended it for older girls/young women in spite of where it actually wound up. I consider xxxHOLiC very guy-friendly, but it is advisable although not necessary to read it alongside the corresponding Tsubasa volumes. Although Tsubasa itself isn't guy-unfriendly, it's advisable to read the very girly Cardcaptor Sakura before starting Tsubasa, as it's basically an alternate universe sequel to CS which throws in characters from alot of other CLAMP series to varying degrees - and that might cause more than a few guys some problems...

I've read that their Tokyo Babylon/X continuum actually has a large male following. That makes alot of sense considering the psychic powers and very un-girly violence and dark themes involved. I'd also make a general comment regarding CLAMP alerting guys to go in with their eyes wide open about the fact that one of their trademarks is having a shonen-ai couple among the main or major supporting characters in alot of their works. But that's something I'd even warn female readers about simply because it isn't for everyone. Any guys willing to go further will be rewarded with gripping stories with complex characters.
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HitokiriShadow



Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 6251
PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:14 pm Reply with quote
jetz wrote:
I read somewhere that as long as the main character is a guy, it's shonen,


False. While its often true, the sex of the main character has nothing to do with it. When a show is considered "shonen" it is referrring to the target audience, meaning its aimed at 'young' boys.
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Levitz9



Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 1022
Location: Puerto Rico
PostPosted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:31 am Reply with quote
Shonen Romances...the ones that come to mind are Love Hina, Ai Yori Aoshi, I''s, and Ichigo 100%. Thing is, as it was said earlier, these tend to be more like 'harem' shows and less like 'romances'. On the other hand, it's not like they're bad. Love Hina, for example, just suffers from too much fanservice.

Unfortunately, I can't compare them to any shojo romances, due to my inherent fear that shojo is like those crappy girl shows Disney and TeeNick keep puking out--rampant melodrama, 'drama', theatrical sighing, and girls falling for rock-dumb jocks (thank God for Fruits Basket!!). I know this isn't the case, but still....dang Disney channel....

That said, recurring themes in both shonen and shoujo romances tend to be 'the childhood friend that moved away'. Main characters tend to fall in love with people they knew when they were little. It makes sense, and it's possible--moreso than falling head-over-heels over someone you just met. It's not that I'm closed to the possibility of the latter happening--it's just that it's happened to much.

Cutting my rant short, the 'enjoyable' shonen romances (to me) are Love Hina (fanservicey, but...it works when it wants to) and Lunar Legend Tsukihime. The former just drew me in with it's interesting characters and unique ending (spoiler[a promise for a 'useless' date--an outing that really doesn't have to lead to a relationship]). While I haven't seen it, I also have heard loads about Ai Yori Aoshi being good. Just from knowing the basics (guy meets up with his first love again), it sounds good, even though it also decends into 'harem' territory. I've also heard that Please, Teacher! is really good, not to mention funny.
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jetz



Joined: 31 Jan 2007
Posts: 2148
Location: Manila, Philippines
PostPosted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 9:57 am Reply with quote
HitokiriShadow wrote:
jetz wrote:
I read somewhere that as long as the main character is a guy, it's shonen,


False. While its often true, the sex of the main character has nothing to do with it. When a show is considered "shonen" it is referrring to the target audience, meaning its aimed at 'young' boys.


Thanks for clarifying that. Anyway, I forgot to ask in my post whether or not School Rumble is considered Shonen Romance.
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