The argument fanboys have at every convention, ever

[mystickeeper]

For n00bs to the anime scene: "Shounen" (or shonen) manga is that which is marketed toward boys. The girls are often voluptuous and useless and kidnapped, and the protagonist boys have EPIC ANGST that must be overcome. This angst is always overcome by fighting, be it ninja-style or ghost-killing style. The protagonist's goal is usually to level

Comments

[britrock37]

I will say....I don't really like Bleach that much.....especially after it's first story arc. In fact, I actually enjoyed it at first, and then I had to stop reading it.

HOWEVER! I like it infinitely better than Naruto. The whole "whining about Sasuke" thing drives me crazy, for one thing...and really...I just found it stupid all around. You're right...at least Bleach has what seems to be some semblance of a story. Plus the female characters (Orihime and Rukia--well, Rukia at the beginning) actually have personality and can hold their own in a fight. I REALLY like Orihime. She's one of the main reasons I can actually deal with Bleach in a lot of regards. I've not gotten too far into the second arc (and I read like 4 volumes of Naruto before deciding that it could go to hell), so I'm not the most credible source, but if I were picking, Bleach is definitely the better of two pretty bad series that everyone seems to love.

[meganbmoore]

I think Orihime is one of the better "useless damsel in distress turns contributing party" characters in shounen. The interesting thing about her "damsel in distress" arc is that (1) she chose to become a captive to save her friends (2) she did this knowing that, if the opportunity presented itself, her power would allow her to completely destroy the villain's plans, ands that's the real reason she became a captive. Rukia's damsel in distress arc was also because it was the only way to save Ichigo at the time, but she had no plan. And even though they and the other female characters do still get sidelined in favor of the males, they're also in various positions of power and influence. (The character everyone is scared of un Unohana, a female captain, but we don't know why yet. Just that a look from her can make anyone behave.)

[lavendersleeves]

I wouldn't say that the distinction is any more sexist than saying that the Baby Sitter's Club is geared toward girls, or that Playboy is aimed at men. There are deserters in every camp; if you look at junior high school students, I think you'll find that the Shounen readers tend to be girls, whereas the boys (lately) seem to prefer sports-related comics, which are a separate genre

[britrock37]

Where does Rosario + Vampire end up as a hopeful adventure story about a young man???

But I do agree with you that it's marketing. The publishers make a choice in what they're going to publish.....it's not a hard-and-fast system wherein we ONLY read within what's marketed for our gender.

I guess a similar thing happens here in the US with Young Adult fiction vs. Adult fiction. Some of the best books I've read in my adult life have been shelved in "young adult" because someone at the publishing company made the decision to call it "young adult". That doesn't mean adults won't ALSO enjoy the book.