My Manga and Anime Primer for Parents
Like many other parents I know, I found myself at a loss when my own sons became obsessed with manga and anime this past year. I don’t really know what happened exactly, but suddenly it seems as if all the bookstores are featuring manga displays and every streaming channel has a dedicated anime section!
Initially, like many parents I suspect, I knew virtually nothing about manga or anime. It wasn’t long, however, before I started to notice that many of the themes and images my kids were being exposed to were a little bit more adult than what I was expecting. I found myself wondering..’is manga and anime appropriate for kids?’ Because I am a researcher at heart, I dove in to try to understand and explore this new world they were frequenting.
It turns out it’s a little bit complicated and there are lots of different genres and sub-genres within this world. It’s important for parents, educators and librarians to really understand the distinctions here, because while there is some great content here for kids, the majority of manga and anime is actually not kid friendly - in fact much of it teeters right on the edge of pornography and some of it actually is straight up porn. And because much of the content looks very innocent from the outside, it’s easy for kids to end up watching something that is completely inappropriate and often quite disturbing.
So let me share some basics about manga and anime that I’ve learned in the past year to help you guide your kids towards making age appropriate choices.
First off, What is the difference between manga and anime? let’s start with definitions from the dictionary:
Manga - (pronounced mahn-guh) A style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, typically aimed at adults as well as children.
Anime - a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes
Much of the anime that your kids are watching are based on manga, and some manga are based on Video games, but there is also manga that doesn’t have an anime counterpart and anime that doesn’t have a manga counterpart.
Manga and anime are catch-alls - like saying ‘comics’ and ‘tv shows’- so you need to understand how the genres break down. Unlike American comics, manga and anime are broken down by gender, age and then sub-interests. I want to say right up front that I have some issues with the ways that girls and women are depicted in almost every manga and anime that I’ve seen. Not just in the ones that seem pornographic or exploitative, but in the age appropriate ones as well. While some of the female characters are strong and independent, this often feels secondary to the importance of them being cute, sexy, flirty, boy crazy and innocent - definitely something worthy of discussion with both boys and girls.
Ok, now let’s explore these genres. The New York Public Library and School LIbrary Journal do a great job of summing some of these up so let me just quote them instead of rewriting the book:
Shonen: Shonen manga is aimed primarily at young boys, however, there is nothing stopping anyone else from reading them. Storylines for shonen titles typically follow a young male protagonist as he faces off against evil villains or rivals in his pursuit of greatness.
There will be a big focus on the power of friendship and camaraderie, physical strength, fighting, violence, etc. . There will be little to no romance as the focus is on the hero's journey. The role of female characters varies by manga, but they are generally relegated to love interest or platonic friend status whose entire existence revolves around the male protagonist. The most popular Shōnen examples include Attack on Titan, Naruto, and One Piece, Demon Slayer, Black Clover
Shoujo: Shoujo manga is aimed at young girls and will often feature romance, young love, drama, etc. There are shojo manga that feature girls going on adventures or fighting evil (similar to shonen), but these are typically aimed at high school-age teen girls and are few and far in between. Shojo manga will often feature a female protagonist on a journey towards either a specific goal or just adulthood in general.
It will follow her interactions with her close friends and family as shenanigans and conflicts ensue. Typically shojo does not feature much explicit violence, gore, or sexual situations.
Like with western romance novels, shoujo romances can vary in terms of how sexually explicit they are. There is also a tendency within manga love stories to pair teen girls with much older men. On average, most shoujo romances focus on characters either in their last year of middle school (around age 14) or first year of high school. The most popular Shōujo examples include Boys Over Flowers, Fruits Basket, and Glass Mask.
Kodomomuke: Kodomomuke translates as “intended for children” and indicates manga for children younger than the typical Shōnen and Shōujo audience, generally 3-to-10-years-old. They are usually more gender-neutral than traditional Shōnen and Shōujo manga.
The most popular Kodomomuke examples include Doraemon, Dragonball, and Pokemon, as well as Tezuka’s classic Astro Boy.
Now it’s important to understand that Shonen and Shoujo have a wide range within themselves of appropriateness. These titles are for tweens and teens - that means anyone from 11-18 years old and some of the ones for older teens are definitely not for the younger kids.
Luckily there is a rating system (see link below) and almost all the books and shows have a rating listed either on the back cover or in case of anime the rating is listed alongside the description of the show.
But also…beware of:
Seinen: Seinen refers to titles intended for adult men, 18 or older. Like Shōnen, it covers a variety of subjects and genres, but with a stronger focus on realism and sophisticated storytelling.
Josei: Josei refers to titles intended for adult women, 18 or older. Like Shōujo, it covers a variety of subjects and genres, but with a stronger focus on mature, realistic, and at times, troubling relationships.
Hentei: Hentei directly translated means “pervert.” As far as manga and anime it is pornography - and often very hard core.
Ok, back to what is appropriate for kiddos - In addition to the manga and anime tv series there are also some really wonderful anime movies that are just so magical and thought provoking. My favorites are the acclaimed Hayao Miyazake movies.
My conclusion: it’s very important for parents and guardians to do some research and vet manga and anime content before allowing it. Explain to your child that much of the content that is out there is not kid friendly and you don’t want them getting scared or disturbed by content that is too mature. If your child is a tween or teen it’s also a good idea to teach them how to vet their own content. Show them where they can look at ratings and read reviews to make healthy viewing choices for themselves.
Here are some excellent resources to help you do your homework:
Look up the anime title your child wants to watch on IMDB - at the bottom there will be a parent guide. Click there to be directed to detailed information about incidences of sex, profanity, drugs, violence - then you can make a decision on whether the show is appropriate for your child.
Appropriate Anime for Kids and Teens
Best Anime to Watch with Your Kids
Anime Feminist - Japanese pop culture through a feminist lense. I just have to include this here because it’s a great resource if you are interested in hearing young feminist persectives from women who love Anime but watch it with a very critical eye.
Do you have any other great resources on this topic? Please share in the comments below!