Favorite Shonen Manga!

Today on the blog, I’m delving into the wonderful world of Shonen Manga! If you’re interested in seeing my previous post on Shojo Manga click here!

 For those who are unfamiliar with the term. “Shonen Manga” is aimed at a teenage male target-demographic readership. Shōnen manga stories are action-packed and may feature different themes, such as martial arts, robots, science fiction, sports, terror, and mythological creatures.

I’ve read so many over the years, but here are some picks of stories that I’ve read and continue to stick with me. Enjoy! 

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Synopsis: The series centers around a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone by writing the victim’s name while picturing their face. The plot follows his attempt to create and lead a world cleansed of evil using the book, and the complex conflict between himself and those assailing him that results.

This is probably one of the darkest manga that I have ever read, but the plot is so complex that I was completely drawn in. Light starts out as a normal high school student, but throughout the manga we see him decline into this power-hungry person who wants to rule the world. Having the death note into existence also brings up some serious questions about life and death. On the other hand of the story, its also got the detective aspect as we see police try to track Light down as he commits more crimes.

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Synopsis: The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution. Set in a fictional universe in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scientific techniques, the story follows two alchemist brothers named Edward and Alphonse Elric, who are searching for the philosopher’s stone to restore their bodies after a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life using alchemy.

My top favorite anime manga/anime series of all time (if you ask me) is Fullmetal Alchemist. It’s an incredible tale of two brothers on an epic quest and it’s got such complex story lines and characters. The writing for this story is so good and readers are hooked within the first page, we not only get to see all of the adventures and battles that the brothers go on, but also how they grow in their skills and character. This manga has romance, action, family, suspense, and more!

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Synopsis: Also known as Samurai X, this story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against the bakufu, Hitokiri Battosai disappears to become Himura Kenshin: a wandering swordsman who protects the people of Japan with a vow to never take another life. 

This manga has its lighthearted with humourous moments, but it does have an overall serious tone. Kenshin reinvents him self into a peaceful man after years of battle. He’s seen what war can do and he wants no part of it anymore. Taking on a new identity he builds a relationship  Kamiya Kaoru and helps out at the swordsmanship school that she teaches at. The plot is enthralling and revolves around themes of atonement, peace, and romance. Like the title suggest, it’s action packed and full of samurai!

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Synopsis: Kagome Higurashi, a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Tokyo who is transported to the Sengoku period of Japan after falling into a well in her family shrine, where she meets the half-demon dog Inuyasha. When a monster from that era tries to take the magical Shikon Jewel embodied in Kagome, she inadvertently shatters the Jewel into many pieces that are dispersed across Japan. Inuyasha and Kagome start traveling to recover it before the powerful demon Naraku finds all the shards. Inuyasha and Kagome gain several allies during their journey, including Shippo, Miroku, Sango and Kirara.

This title is pretty much canon in anyone’s anime/manga list. Though it’s categorized as shonen, it does have a lot of shojo themes, especially because of the romance between Inuyasha and Kagoma throughout the entire series. Like Rurouni Kenshin, it’s also set in a historical period and it’s sometimes funny to watch Kagome’s 21st mannerisms in the feudal era. Same goes for Inuyasha when goes back through the well to Kagome’s home. The artwork is awesome and the story (though kinda long) is very good.

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Synopsis: Also known as Detective Conan  is an ongoing Japanese detective manga series. The story follows an amateur detective who was transformed into a child while investigating a mysterious organization, and solves a multitude of cases while impersonating his friend’s father and other characters.

Nothing too complicated with this series, just put a Sherlock mystery with a child detective. If you love mysteries then you’ll surely enjoy this series. Part of the fun is not only seeing if Jimmy, the main character will catch the villains who poisoned him, but also solving the variety of cases in each volume. Some cases are harder to solve than others, but that’s the challenge of the mystery.

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Synopsis:  It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who searches for recognition from his peers and the village and also dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. The story is in two parts, the first set in Naruto’s pre-teen years, and the second in his teens.

Naruto is an extremely long manga series, that I never got to finish (because the sheer number of books where overwhelming for me), but I did get to the end of first segment before they start Shippuden (the sequel). Anyways, this manga is canon and it’s legendary. Naruto though annoying at times is full of heart and readers get to se him grow over the story arcs as strives to fill his dreams. I love the characters in this story and there are so many action scenes (it’s a ninja village) and epic battles. There’s good time and bad ones too, but this manga sticks with you.

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Synopsis: Saiyuki is the story of four anti-hero-like heroes: the monk Genjyo Sanzo, the monkey king Son Goku, the half-demon Sha Gojyo, and the man who turned into a demon Cho Hakkai (formerly known as Cho Gonou). They have been dispatched by the Sanbutsushin (the Three Aspects of Buddha, who relay the orders of heaven) to travel to India to stop the possible resurrection of the Ox-Demon-King, Gyumaoh.

Put four misfit anti-heroes together and you have an action-adventure story! Saiyuki can be gritty at times, but it’s such a good story and it has a lot of deep themes about acceptance among other things. Being that the group is always on the go, they travel to such interesting places which adds to the fantasy elements of the story. My most favorite part of this series are the characters!

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Synopsis: Bleach follows the adventures of the hotheaded teenager Ichigo Kurosaki who inherits his parents’ destiny, after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper—a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki. His new-found powers force him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife, and set him on journeys to various ghostly realms of existence.

Bleach is another series that I never finished (because it’s also very long), but I still love it dearly. The aspect that really stood out to me in this story was the soul reapers. They all came with different weapons and fighting styles which make the action scenes very intense. The main character is a normal kid just trying to live his live and it’s interesting to see how Ichigo adapts to his new life throughout the series.

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That concludes my favorite Shōnen manga list! What are your favorites or recommendations?