Editing Shōnen manga (section)

===Modern era===
[[seinen manga|{{Transliteration|ja|Seinen}} manga]] became formalized as a category of manga aimed at an older male audience in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and many {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} artists associated with the realist {{Transliteration|ja|[[gekiga]]}} movement migrated to {{Transliteration|ja|seinen}} manga. The demise of the {{Transliteration|ja|[[kashi-hon]]}} (rental manga) market led many {{Transliteration|ja|kashi-hon}} artists to move into magazine publishing, including {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga, bringing their distinct themes and style with them. As a result, {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga came to deal with more serious and political themes, and saw an increase in depictions of violent and explicit subjects, as well as an increase in profanity. Significant artists of this era include [[Shigeru Mizuki]],{{sfn|McCarthy|2014|pp=28–34}} creator of the horror series ''[[GeGeGe no Kitarō]]''; and [[George Akiyama]], whose {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga series ''Ashura'' depicts cannibalism, child abuse, and mass murder.<ref name="ComiPress"/> Although this provoked a public backlash, it did not lead to the decline for the industry: series with anarchic, offensive humor became popular in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} and {{Transliteration|ja|seinen}} manga alike, with ''[[Crayon Shin-Chan]]'' by [[Yoshito Usui]] becoming an internationally famous example of this phenomenon.{{sfn|Drummond-Mathews|2010|pp=62–64}} Manga artist [[Go Nagai]] originated the sexually-charged {{Transliteration|ja|[[ecchi]]}} genre with ''[[Harenchi Gakuen]]'', which was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''.<ref name="Mainichi"/>
 
The stylistic and thematic differences between {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} and {{Transliteration|ja|shōjo}} began to narrow considerably beginning in the 1980s, with widespread exchange of stylistic devices and themes. For example, the characteristic [[Shōjo manga#Large eyes|large eyes]] of {{Transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga became common in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga to convey the emotions of characters, and female characters have enjoyed greater prominence as both supporting and primary characters in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga. Other graphic storytelling techniques that originated in {{Transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga, such as montages of multiple [[Panel (comics)|panels]], were imported into {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga and have become common stylistic devices.{{sfn|Prough|2010|pp=94, 97}} In the 1980s, combat-focused "battle manga" stories became popular, with ''Dragon Ball'' and ''[[Fist of the North Star]]'' emerging as representative works of this development. Manga critic [[Jason Thompson (writer)|Jason Thompson]] credits the success of ''Dragon Ball'', first published in 1984, as originating a trend that has persisted to contemporary {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga of favoring cartoonish art styles over the more mature art styles of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} titles such as ''[[City Hunter]]'' and ''Fist of the North Star''.<ref name="ANNDragonBall"/>

Female manga artists also began to enjoy increasing critical and commercial success as {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga creators.{{Sfn|Levi|1996|p=14}} As a result of the combined influence of {{Transliteration|ja|ecchi}} and the rise of female artists, [[List of romance manga|romance]] emerged as a subgenre of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga, especially [[romantic comedy]].{{sfn|Drummond-Mathews|2010|pp=70–75}}{{sfn|Thompson|2007|p=301}} When manga began to emerge in the Western world in the early 1990s, the {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} category was so dominant in these new markets that it came to shape the image of manga as a whole.{{sfn|Prough|2010|pp=94, 97}} While {{Transliteration|ja|shōjo}} made gains in popularity by the 2000s, {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} remains the most popular category of manga, both in Japan and internationally.{{sfn|Drummond-Mathews|2010|pp=70–75}}