This post contains STRAIGHT FACTS accompanied by harsh criticism. Shounen loving people might find themselves getting triggered.
The fact is that popular doesn’t always mean better, infact only a little amount of popular things are better than the unpopular ones, rest are mostly overrated…(ahem Demon Sla–). I’m here to throw my opinions on why I’ll always prefer Seinen genre over Shounen…(and also why it’s better).
While there ARE a decent couple of shounen titles out there, they’re practically, mostly trash. Seinen (and josei) on the other hand, seem to almost ALWAYS hit the nail JUST right!
Seinen is usually better directed, better written, relatable in real life and overall better executed. As the name of tells, it’s aimed at a more sophisticated grown up audience, who will not be satisfied with “typical Shounen tropes” while shounen is aimed at teens and is usually simpler, less gory but still plentiful on action. I guess it works on the ones who want to see “rivals beat each other up into a plump” y’know?
IS THERE A “BIG 3” IN SEINEN
The current big 3 shounen titles have lots of similarities. Each has created its own legacy and has a massive fan following. The money they spin is partially responsible for keeping the industry alive.
Picking seinen titles is a lot trickier because anime of a chosen manga may not be popular (Golgo 13) or in some cases, it may not even exist (Vagabond) or the adaptations are a fuxxing disappointment (Berserk).
WHY IS SEINEN BETTER THAN SHOUNEN
It’s not like I’ve already wrote 3-4 whole ass paragraphs criticising shounen and I still wanna criticise more, but I wanna clarify some things. I’m not hating on shounen genre (you can see from the last paragraphs lmao), though I enjoy only a little amount of ’em. It’s because most Shounen have these common annoying things– never giving up, motivation, overcoming obstacles, FRIENDSHIP, female character only being relevant for the growth of male protagonist (not having their own well written story and stuff), THICC PLOT ARMOUR.
On the other hand, Seinen anime tend to be deeper, more thought provoking, gruesome or more “true to life” than other types of genres. Even if they’re the supernatural type, Seinen’s one of the best genres to recommend to non-anime fans, because it tends to be realistic and less “cliche” compared to Shounen.
FINAL VERDICT
I can’t say Seinen doesn’t have any bad releases, but the difference in the ratio of great to trash is HUGE as compared to Shounen. Pretty much every GOOD seinen I’ve read/watched has been much better than every good shounen I’ve read/watched. Probably the only negative thing about Seinen is that they’re so real and relatable, that I find myself dEpReSSeD over my entire life.
Obviously, in the end, these are MY opinions. I do NOT mean any hate on either of the genres. Any genre is good for me if I’m able to enjoy it properly. Yes, Hentai too.
FreakSenpai 
A lot of my favourite shows are seinen however the vast majority of seinen I have watched are CGDCT, Harems and Echhi which seem to be the staples of the demographic for the last few years. Although I like some of them, it’s genres that are sort of hit or miss for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ngl, the “demographic” statement was actually very true…
Harem and ecchi genres are kinda miss for me also I guess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agree!
LikeLike