Honors College Theses

Publication Date

4-12-2023

Major

Multimedia Film & Production (B.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Faculty Mentor

Amanda Schumacher, Matthew Hashiguchi

Abstract

Manga is a Japanese form of visual storytelling comparable to comic books and graphic novels that has seen a significant increase in popularity abroad in the twenty-first century. In Japan, manga is published in magazines intended for particular target audiences. The two most prominent of these are shōnen, manga for young men, and seinen, manga for adult men. This paper examines these demographics and explores the growing similarities between these two demographics. The research compares the adult content and themes of manga in both shōnen and seinen manga. The series Dorohedoro and Chainsaw Man were analyzed both quantitatively for amounts of profanity, violence, and sexual content and qualitatively with thematic analysis. Findings showed that Chainsaw Man, the shōnen series, actually had higher amounts of adult content and adult themes. As a result, it can be concluded that there is likely some form of a loss of distinction that has occurred between the demographics. Further research involving additional manga and other aspects of the industry could be done to further test this idea.

Thesis Summary

This paper examines the distinction between manga in the shōnen and seinen demographics through a comparison of adult content and themes in two selected manga.

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