this post is not so pointy.

I've developed a taste for shounen manga in the last month. My soul is weary from all the stereotypical shoujo titles out there, with their pretty art and "cute" protagonists. For crying out loud, even the school's female boxing champ is actually a tsundere with some mega moe moves under that rough-tough exterior.

See, here's the thing. Both shounen and shoujo manga are formulaic, that's a fact. To have a mangaka whose concept breaks through the formulae is wonderful, but that only ever happens when the infamous blue moon shows itself. So a mangaka will generally stick to the tried-and-tested formula and apply it in his or her own settings.

The trick to standing out and selling hotcake-style lies in the application. The mangaka has to take the basic, universal formula and craft a story with it as a base. In short, the mangaka who creates the most compelling world and characters is the one who gets popular. This is, of course, ceteris paribus - assuming the levels of storytelling skill and art are constant. For example, a mangaka who creates a detailed depiction of an alternate universe will have one up against another who might be less clear about things like social systems and such. Right?

And here's the reason why shounen manga makes for a more compelling read than shoujo. The most popular shounen manga (i.e. Naruto, One Piece - and let's not forget the legendary Dragon Ball) are all fantasy titles. The mangaka creates a whole world that has its own social system, manner of dress and sometimes language. The potential depth allows for one hell of a lot more progressions than a world grounded in reality can produce, hence the extremely long run they enjoy (shounen manga are almost always hundreds of chapters long, while your average shoujo manga has under fifty). Think Tolkien. The detail in his Middle Earth was amazing, no? Of course, there isn't a manga out there that has anywhere near that much detail, but the point stands.

Now, shoujo on the other hand... I should stress that not all shoujo manga is vapid and fluffy, but a vast majority are. These manga exist mostly to cater to schoolgirls, and therefore the story is more often than not set in a school environment. The point is to make the story relatable. This is painfully limiting, as there are only so many things a sappy schoolgirl can do. Thus, the shoujo manga's setting is one that is restricted by reality's rules - though the characters are a different matter. The male lead is almost always totally unrealistic.

=.="

Ahem.

So within which of these limits is it most possible to pull off all sorts of stunts? Fantasy or reality? In which can a formula be applied with the most variance? And that, my dear fellow insanies, is why shounen manga can run for years and shoujo manga usually doesn't.

That having been said, Kaze Hikaru has been running for 27 volumes and counting! It's not your normal shoujo manga, though. Far from it! :D

I now follow about seven shounen titles, and I'm planning to look for more! Hee.

p.s. By the way, shounen manga is also more dependable, since it's released on a very regular basis.
p.p.s. Plus, the outfits in said fantasy worlds are fantastic!