Seinen is 8asically a more serious style of manga. Often philosophical concepts, such as those of reality or morality will 8e challenged, and the plot will differ greatly from conventional stories, giving it a grittier, more realistic effect. The art style often (but not always) matches this, going for 8etter proportioned people, instead of the harsh caricatures used for most Shounen. Cynicism is far more common than idealism in this genre, and if any idealism is present, you can guarantee that by the end it will 8e gone. Furthermore, due to the older demographic, holds on what is accepta8le are far looser, so prepare to see rape, mutil8ion or gore if you venture into it. Keep in mind that children are a particularly popular target for these f8s due to their perceived innocence. Even though sex may 8e present, Seinen is not a genre of hentai. Any sex usually portrays the minimum, and is almost always heavily ingrained in the plot itself. (Unless the manga/anime has a co-genre of ecchi, Ã la School Days.) All that said, I find it to 8e one of the more rewarding genres. While it may lack the flashy fights of Shounen, or the romance/drama of Shoujo, it has its own attractions, which will cause it to linger in your mind long after finishing it. As a recommend8ion, I'd suggest reading 'Bokurano' as a starting point for a manga seinen. It has the death of children, 8ut there is no on-screen child a8use, and it uses a minimalist style, meaning there's little graphic content. It explores human mentality through a sequence of connected short stories focusing on a group of young teens. That's just my personal taste though. A critically acclaimed Seinen is Akira, which has also 8een made into a landmark film, paving the way for many others in the western world. Another that's fairly well known on this forum is Elfen Lied. This one is high on shock value, although the core messages are still worth the watch. The anime is trunc8ed, while the manga has a disappointing ending.
OMG P if i have seen this thread sooner i would've posted straight away :P but i must disagree with your comment on idealism. Idealism is common in most Seinen manga's but it isn't exaggerated as it is in Shounen Manga, It has a much greater impact i.e. A personal favourite manga of mine which struck me hard was Bartender as i have said before on other threads. There is a particular chapter in which a formerly rich man came to a bar looking for a drink once a month when he had the money to pay for a single drink.The main character is a bartender known for his so-called "Gods Glass" and he uses his drinks to heal the souls of others and he was great at it. The younger bartender which you follow tries to make a drink that will make him move on from his dreams of his old life and after drinking it he replied back with something which really struck me in a way i can't describe with words; "I'm Envious of youth, i wish i could've met you sooner..." "Youth can be very cruel at times..." "I hope young bartenders can remember one thing" "Memories are proof that you have lived, Doesn't matter whether you failed or succeeded, it will still be sweet" It struck me because memories i used to resent for spending time with people i used to like or be with that i now hated suddenly changed along with all the memories of my own short-comings and failures. They suddenly became happy memories from the time just after the memories. It's incredible to feel something like this, it's what makes seinen manga what it is. A manga outside of Bartender i would suggest is Akumetsu. I'd prefer to keep spoilers to a minimum so i'll keep the explanation brief. It is about a boy who seems to suddenly become immortal who killing himself everytime he kills a corrupt politician in order to change the course of the future of japan. Its interesting because it explores political and in a limited respect personal philosophies along with developing this story around the main character and the way it is done is interesting. Something to note is that the politicians look exactly like politicians in similar places of power to the ones in japan currently only with different names and this hasn't come to the attention of anyone with the japanese government yet, if it was made into an anime however it is speculated there would be up roar. It is action-packed but the story takes priority and the fighting isn't unnecessary violence but ways in which to portray the main characters philosophy. Also, it is good to note that this Manga is said to be the precursor and inspiration of Death Note. Personally P in these forums Anime takes priority so i'd say it'll only be a very limited discussion of the genre unless manga gets a separate section to anime but this should be an interesting discussion thread if enough of the right people join the thread.
There can be hope or optimism in Seinen, but for the text to take an actual tone of idealism is very, very rare. I'm not even sure if it's possible. I agree with that Bartender quote though. Seinen can be both anime and manga, so there's stuff from both to discuss. Of course, having more people posting would be helpful. I may check out Bartender some time in the future, if I feel like it. The excerpt there was good. What do you define Seinen as?
My definition is pretty much the very same. Also i didn't understand what you were saying before about idealism but i understand what you mean now and i agree.In relation to your comment on seinen being both anime and manga i would have to disagree for the most part simply because Anime is too censored ever to be considered Seinen, with maybe one exception of course which is Ergo Proxy. The reason i say this is because the others i could name were manga's ever before they were animes and the only two i feel weren't censored and had the same impact would be Deadman Wonderland and Elfen Lied. Anime has more of an influence and wastes hours or TV time with Shounen Anime's with overly idealistic main characters and story plots which are nearly unfollowable after awhile. In my opinion its killing Manga as a media. One comparison i would like to make is compare an anime called "30-sai no Hoken Taiiku" to the following Manga, called "Nijigahara Holograph" and tell me the colossal difference in the definition of "seinen". Links for both are here; http://www.animehere.com/anime/30sai-no-hoken-taiiku.htm http://www.mangafox.com/manga/nijigahara_holograph/
Two's company but three is a crowd O: First things first, I must add that Seinen is not a genre but a demographic instead. While seinen manga is usually distinguished from shōnen by having a stronger emphasis on realism instead of action and fantastic elements. That doesn't mean that all Shonen is like that. Look at Death Note for example. Largely cynical crime story with a villian protagonist yet it ran in Shonen Jump of all places. To drive the point in further, two of the manga that daxma posted in this thread, Akumetsu and Deadman Wonderland, run in shonen magazines. I don't know what animes you're watching but you should look around more >>. Anime on TV being censored is pretty commonplace and I don't really have a problem with it. It's mostly done under the basis that maybe a child could end up watching this and that could cause the Moral Guardians to flip. But thankfully on the DVDs, the scenes are usually left uncensored. Some seinen that I recommend are the When They Cry series(preferably the VNs but I hear the manga are good adaptations), Monster(haven't read this myself but everybody seems to praise it), Neon Genesis Evangelion(starts off somewhat shonen but ohohohoho does it become seinen later on), and Puella Magi Madoka Magica(despite the art style of the anime, I think this could be considered seinen). I also recommend Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero; instead of being manga or anime, they're a visual novel and light novel respectively and amazing reads imo.
Well said turntech, but while your opinion is well reasoned and very well composed i still believe in what i said if that makes any sense. Its just i'm very biased towards Manga because there is a certain intensity in the powerful words with a single caption, or the immense atmosphere of a character empowered. Examples of these are the following. the first one i have already mentioned from batender. The other is from a manga called "Ikigami" or Death Notice and a graffiti artist who got an ikigami vented his feelings onto a wall; http://www.mangafox.com/manga/bartender/v02/c018/17.html http://www.mangareader.net/581-50159-24/ikigami/chapter-27.html Anime doesn't have the same affect as Manga on me, with a sole exception of Ergo Proxy as i mentioned. I respect if others do not share this :) Anyway another Manga i would like to suggest to people is the one i mentioned above "Ikigami". It talks about an alternative reality in which the japanese government pass the NPPA or "National Prosperity Preservation Act" in which all first year students gain what is called the "National Affairs Vaccination". In 1 out of 1,000 of these vaccines there is a capsule which will rupture within the heart at a specific time in their life. The choosing in completely random(unless under certain circumstances) and this is proven in the manga but its too hard to explain. Within 24 hours of a persona allotted time, they are given an Ikigami or Death Notice. This gives them time to get affairs in order. for these 24 hours also you can use that ikigami to do as you please(within reason). three chapters are given to a single ikigami recipient as you follow them for there final moments. The only central character is the deliverer as he battles within himself as to whether what he is doing is right. Theres alot to explain since it is very grounded in reality theres alot of grey area's which i can't explain with words quiet yet so its a good read. I'm partial to these alternative reality/government related mangas.
