Editing Shōnen manga (section)

==Characteristics==
===Themes and genres===
This thematic orientation of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga is readily inferred from the formal [[Business value|values]] or slogans that {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga magazines assign themselves: for example, "friendship, perseverance, and victory" for ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'',{{sfn|Thompson|2007|p=339}} and "courage, friendship and fighting spirit" for ''[[CoroCoro Comic]]''.{{sfn|Schodt|1996|pp=82–84}} The editorial focus of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga is primarily on [[Action fiction|action]], [[Adventure fiction|adventure]], and the fighting of monsters or other forces of evil.{{sfn|Knigge|1996|p=247}} Action stories are so dominant in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga that some manga and non-manga works are occasionally designated as {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} not because of their ostensible target group, but because of their content focus on action and adventure.{{sfn|Levi|1996|pp=9, 163}} Though action narratives dominate the category, there is deep editorial diversity and a significant number of genres and subgenres within {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga, especially when compared to other comic cultures outside of Japan.{{sfn|Gravett|2006|pp=52–59}} This includes but is not limited to [[comedy]], [[Crime fiction|crime]], [[romance film|romance]], [[slice of life]], and stories about activities such as [[Sports manga|sports]] and the lives of different types of working professionals.{{sfn|Thompson|2007|pp=338-340}}

The action genre is itself is expressed through a variety of subgenres, from [[historical drama|historical]] and contemporary drama to [[science fiction]] and [[fantasy]].{{sfn|Thompson|2007|pp=338-340}} {{Transliteration|ja|Shōnen}} war fiction has been alternately jingoistic or critical of militarism and violence, with ''[[Barefoot Gen]]'' by [[Keiji Nakazawa]] as a notable example of the latter.{{sfn|Drummond-Mathews|2010|p=66}} [[Samurai]] appeared frequently as idealized role models for boy readers in early {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}}, analogous to representations of [[cowboy]]s in western comics; samurai stories shifted to comedy and sportsmanship in the post-war period, before returning to themes of idealized themes of good versus evil.{{sfn|Drummond-Mathews|2010|p=68}} Though {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga typically attempts to convey a message of peace, the category has been criticized by individuals such as director [[Hayao Miyazaki]] for promoting overly simple good/evil dichotomies.{{sfn|Lamarre|2009|p=51}}

===Narrative conventions===
A {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} protagonist is often characterized by contradictory qualities: short-tempered and cool, mischievous and rebellious, serious and cynical, clumsy and infallible, or who appears as a good-for-nothing but possesses hidden abilities. In some cases, the contradiction takes on a literal form in the form of {{nihongo|''henshin''|変身||{{lit}} 'transformation'}}, where the hero is able to switch between two personas with different appearances and personalities; examples of this device include ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh]]'' by [[Kazuki Takahashi]] and ''[[Samurai Deeper Kyo]]'' by [[Akimine Kamijyo]]. Transformation abilities are often linked with bonds to a spirit, monster or robot.{{sfn|Thompson|2007|pp=338-340}} A major narrative device in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga is rivalry between the protagonist and his opponent,{{sfn|Levi|1996|p=9}} with a fight or a quest often appearing as a central element; ''Dragon Ball'' is among the most popular and commercially successful examples of this archetypal story.{{sfn|Drummond-Mathews|2010|pp=64–68}}

Typically, a {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} protagonist is an outsider, or in some way disadvantaged compared to others, but who through training, perseverance, and willpower eventually succeeds against all odds.{{sfn|Gravett|2006|pp=52–59}} Plots typically follow the basic structure of the [[hero's journey]], with much of the story focused on the protagonist's training and transformation into a hero, and on characters who earn their status as heroes through effort and tenacity rather than by virtue of birth or assignment. For long-running series, the hero's journey repeats itself; as a new [[story arc]] begins, the enemy becomes more powerful and the danger to be overcome becomes greater.{{sfn|Drummond-Mathews|2010|pp=70–75}} In addition to these external conflicts, a {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} protagonist often also faces internal conflicts, typically focused around maturity and growing older.{{sfn|Drummond-Mathews|2010|pp=70–75}} In contrast to {{Transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga, which often focuses on the thoughts and [[interior monologue]] of the hero, {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} typically advances plot through dialogue and action.{{sfn|Prough|2010|pp=94, 97}}{{sfn|Levi|1996|p=9}} [[Happy ending]]s are common in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga, but are not obligatory,{{sfn|Thompson|2007|pp=338-340}} with writers expressing the happy ending fitting for the demography even if it not comes up as a suitable.<ref>{{cite book|author=Watsuki, Nobuhiro|page=96|title=''Rurouni Kenshin'' Volume 24|publisher=Viz Media|isbn=978-1-4215-0338-7|year=2006}}</ref><ref name="war">{{cite web |title=Interview with Masashi Kishimoto Pt. 2 - Feb 13, 2012 |url=https://www.viz.com/blog/posts/interview-with-masashi-kishimoto-pt-2-204 |accessdate=April 16, 2022 |website=[[Viz Media]]}}</ref>

===Visual style===
[[File:Cosplay - AWA15 - Naruto Uzumaki derivate.png|upright=0.8|thumb|A [[cosplay]]er dressed as [[Naruto Uzumaki]] from ''[[Naruto]]'', displaying the characteristic "spiky" hairstyle]]

Comics theorist [[Neil Cohn]] regards the art style of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} as generally "edgier" than that of {{Transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga, and notes how most regular manga readers are able to easily distinguish between {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} and {{Transliteration|ja|shōjo}} based on visual appearance alone.{{sfn|Cohn|2010|p=189}} Visually, a {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} protagonist often possesses what manga critic [[Jason Thompson (writer)|Jason Thompson]] describes as "insanely spiky hair" that distinguishes the protagonist's [[silhouette]] from that of other characters.{{sfn|Thompson|2007|pp=338-340}} The eyes of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} characters in the post-war period are [[Manga iconography#Facial features|significantly smaller than those of characters in {{Transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga]]; large eyes are used in {{Transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga to better convey the emotions of the characters, an aspect which has historically been given less focus in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga.{{sfn|Levi|1996|p=9}} A common visual device in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} action scenes is to depict the contours of figures with rough, coarse [[motion lines]] to give the appearance of movement.{{sfn|Hui|2013|p=229}}

===Role of women===
Historically, the protagonists of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga were almost exclusively men and boys; women and girls appeared primarily in supporting roles as sisters, mothers, or girlfriends, if at all. This was especially true of {{Transliteration|ja|[[ecchi]]}} stories that developed out of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga beginning in the 1970s, with ''[[The Abashiri Family]]'' by Go Nagai as one of the earliest representative works of this development, as well as an early example of a {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga with a female protagonist. Since the 1980s, women and girls have played a more active role in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga, fighting alongside male characters and not merely as passive support.{{sfn|Schodt|1983|p=75}} ''[[Dr. Slump]]'' by [[Akira Toriyama]] was an early representative work of this development, with its mischievous child protagonist [[Arale Norimaki]] being among the first {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga to depict this type of archetypal character as a girl rather than a boy. The 1980s also saw female {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga artists rise to greater prominence: notably horror manga artist [[Kei Kusunoki]], and [[Rumiko Takahashi]] with her romantic comedies ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' and ''[[Ranma ½]]''.{{Sfn|Ledoux|Ranney|1995|p=56}}

Especially in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} series that are aimed at an older audience, female characters are often presented in a manner that is attractive to the male target audience as {{Transliteration|ja|[[bishōjo]]s}} (literally "beautiful young girls"). They exist as objects of romantic or sexual desire not merely for the male characters, but also for the ostensibly heterosexual male reader as a form of [[fan service]].{{sfn|Lamarre|2009|p=216}} While these objectifying tropes have persisted in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga, women have also developed more active roles in these fan service-oriented stories. A common romantic comedy trope in {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga since the 1980s has been to pair a weak male protagonist with a strong female love interest who is not only the target of his romantic and sexual desire, but also his good friend and confidante.{{sfn|Schodt|1983|p=75}} In the [[Harem (genre)|harem]] genre, which originated from {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga, a male protagonist is surrounded by several female characters who desire him, and who are often more confident and assertive than he is; examples include ''[[Negima! Magister Negi Magi]]'' by [[Ken Akamatsu]] and ''[[Hanaukyo Maid Team]]'' by [[Morishige]]. In other cases, the male protagonist is unsuccessful in his attempts to woo the female character, or the story is focused around the originally naïve and infantile male protagonist maturing and learning how to develop healthy relationships with women.{{sfn|Perper|Cornog|2007|pp=201–214}}

For certain {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} series, a female readership who read in or interpret subtextual [[homoerotic]] relationships between canonically heterosexual male characters constitute a significant proportion of the series' audience; this is especially true of series featuring male characters who are {{Transliteration|ja|[[bishōnen]]}} (literally "beautiful boys"), or who are perceived as such by readers. This reading of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga is expressed in the form of [[fan works]] such as {{Transliteration|ja|[[dōjinshi]]}} (self-published amateur manga) and the [[boys' love]] (BL) genre of manga and anime, which includes both original and [[derivative works]]. Manga scholar [[Yukari Fujimoto]] notes in her analysis of the female readership of the {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} titles ''One Piece'', ''Naruto'', and ''[[The Prince of Tennis]]'' that homoerotic interpretations of {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga tend to be most common among titles that do not include prominent female characters that a female readership is able to identify with.{{sfn|Fujimoto|2013|pp=172, 184}}