Of the four main manga and anime demographics, shonen — whose titles are aimed primarily at Japanese male teens — is easily the most prolific, especially thanks to long-running industry juggernauts such as the “Big Three” (Naruto, Bleach and One Piece) and the “new Big Three” (My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer). These works have taken not only Japan but much of the globe by storm, being massive successes both critically and commercially.
However, not everyone enjoys certain aspects of the stories that tend to pervade shonen franchises. For example, as many of them are incredibly long, it means their anime adaptations often feature unsatisfying filler content or low-quality animation. Meanwhile, some series dip into immature fanservice for the sake of comedy, or else try too hard to be edgy, only to come across as eye-rollingly self-serious and grimdark. Such problems, among others, are all present to some degree in the below titles.
Rurouni Kenshin (1996-1998)
In the twilight years of the Bakumatsu period, an infamous assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai — the sword-drawing manslayer — suddenly vanished, although the name very much lives on. A decade later, a cheerful wandering samurai named Himura Kenshin stumbles across Kamiya Kaoru, a young woman doing her best to run her family’s dojo. After saving her from a murderer pretending to be the Hitokiri Battousai, Kenshin is revealed to be the real assassin, sworn now only to use his sword to protect. Kaoru allows the pacifist samurai to stay at her dojo, where numerous friends, enemies and adventures inevitably find him.
Based on a 1994-1999 Shonen Jump manga, the Rurouni Kenshin televised series was the first exposure to anime for many Western fans who began watching around that time. It also transcended the demographic in many ways, with the title having a broad appeal across genders and age groups. Nonetheless, the show is fraught with issues, with dramatic tonal shifts depending on the story arc, slow pacing due to a large amount of filler content, and a predictable villain-of-the-week storyline throughout much of its runtime. Season 3 in particular is frequently lambasted even by fans of the anime, who criticize the lack of realism, comparatively lackluster fight scenes and unsatisfying conclusion.
Inuyasha (2000-2010)
Higurashi Kagome is a strong-willed and courageous girl who, on her 15th birthday, finds herself forcefully transported into a demon-infested feudal Japan. Unbeknownst to her, she is in possession of the Shikon Jewel — a relic containing incredible power that demons greatly desire. When she is discovered by the half-demon Inuyasha, he dislikes her on sight, mistaking her for a priestess named Kikyo, but decides to help. Now, he and Kagome, the latter of whom turns out to be Kikyo’s reincarnation, set out on an epic journey to recover the shards of the Shikon Jewel after they were broken and scattered across the land, lest they fall into the wrong hands.
Takahashi Rumiko’s works are beloved by many anime and manga fans, and perhaps none more so than Inuyasha. The anime, based on a 1996-2008 series published in Weekly Shonen Sunday, is often cited as being Takahashi’s best animated work. Even so, this does not mean the show is devoid of problems. Other than featuring the high amount of recap and filler content one might expect from any series over 150 episodes in length, bogging down the pacing considerably, one of its biggest issues is the formulaic and rather one-note characters. In particular, Kagome and Inuyasha’s overly tsundere relationship comes across as a foregone conclusion; however, their constant bickering, immature stubbornness and overbearing jealousy is far more annoying than romantic, leading to a frustrating viewing experience.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006)
Kyon is an average high school boy who meets a not-so-average classmate: a girl named Suzumiya Haruhi, who actively seeks to uncover the existence of supernatural entities such as psychics and time travelers. Kyon is reluctantly dragged into Haruhi’s schemes when she forms the SOS Brigade club to investigate such phenomena, which is soon joined by the seemingly more normal Nagato Yuki, Asahina Mikuru and Koizumi Itsuki. However, much like Haruhi, there is far more to these individuals than meets the eye, and Kyon’s life is quickly upended by the various secrets that could threaten the very world around them — even if Haruhi herself is blissfully unaware of this fact.
First published as a series of light novels in 2003 by Kadokawa Shoten’s teen male-oriented The Sneaker magazine, then adapted into a shonen manga in the pages of Shonen Ace, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is still best known for its anime adaptation, at least in the West, where it became a major cultural phenomenon. However, despite its undeniable popularity, the anime contains numerous pitfalls. It’s extremely dialogue and exposition-driven, doing far more in the way of telling than showing. Combined with the unrelenting over-sexualization of Mikuru and the titular character herself often being completely insufferable, this results in a show that’s patchy at best and unamusingly crude otherwise.
Attack on Titan (2013-present)
In a world where humans live behind enormous concrete walls, constantly threatened by man-eating humanoid giants known as Titans, a brave few wage war against these terrifying enemies. Eren Yeager, who once witnessed his own mother die in front of his eyes at the hands of a Titan, joins the Survey Corps — an elite military unit dedicated to fighting for humanity. Together with his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and childhood friend Armin Arlert, they seek to eradicate the Titans once and for — but political strife, numerous betrayals and buried secrets follow them, changing the course of their respective stories and challenging their worldviews amid relentless death and destruction.
It would be difficult to exaggerate just how popular the Attack on Titan franchise has grown over the years. First released in 2009 as a Bessatsu Shonen Magazine manga, its currently ongoing anime adaptation has gained legions of fans despite its many glaring flaws. While Attack on Titan presents itself as groundbreaking and adrenalizing, there is very little truly unique about the plot, and the explicit gore and violence come across as being more for shock value than anything else. Complete with uneven pacing — particularly within the first season — and underwhelming character development, Attack on Titan may appeal to the grimdark “edgy” crowd but lacks too much subtlety and depth to be genuinely good.
To Your Eternity (2021-present)
Fushi is an immortal created by an otherworldly presence known only as the Beholder. First taking the form of a rock, then a dying wolf, and finally a lone, unnamed boy once he too perishes, Fushi travels throughout the land in search of meaning, learning along the way about what it truly means to be human and part of society. However, both Fushi’s existence and that of others are threatened by the Nokkers — supernatural plant-like beings who seemingly seek only to kill. Full of both love and grief, Fushi’s journey leads him to forge connections and protect those who he comes to love, even when humanity itself sometimes proves to be manipulative or malevolent.
Initially published as a manga in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2016 and still ongoing, the likewise currently-airing anime of To Your Eternity has amassed quite a following, in large part thanks to its incredibly strong premiere and highly impactful themes. The main issue with the show is that the first season went on a downhill trajectory, starting off breathtakingly strongly but declining in its storytelling with each major story arc. To Your Eternity has enormous potential, but it frequently kneecaps itself by becoming formulaic and predictable with its characters (in particular, its character deaths). It also sometimes sacrifices proper character development for Fushi by focusing on far less poignant plot points or characters, which is what made the final “Jananda Island” arc of Season 1 so disappointingly weak.