Seinen Manga: Taking It Like A Man

While some people will leave comics and manga behind them as they get older, others will find that they love the medium but that their tastes have matured.  This is where seinen manga comes in.  Seinen manga is a genre that is marketed primarily to young men rather than boys and as such, you will find that the subject matter is more adult, both in terms of subject matter and presentation.  The target audience is usually described as young men between the ages of eighteen and thirty, but it is not uncommon to find that the audience covers a significantly wider demographic.

If you pick up a seinen manga, particularly if you are more accustomed to manga that is intended for younger audiences, you may be surprised at some of the things that you might see.  Seinen manga definitely deals with more adult themes, and you will find fairly graphic and frank depictions of both violence and sexuality.  In addition to this, you will find that the stories tend to be a lot grimmer and that the humor can be quite dark.  As with any genre, you will find that it has its popular and unpopular titles, and that they will range from being works that are psychologically very deep and engrossing to being downright pornographic.

If you have an interest in seinen manga, you’ll find that there are quite a few to choose from.  Of course, saying that you are interested in picking up a seinen title is like saying that you want to pick up a cookbook, but not saying what kind of cuisine or style of cooking you are interested in. You need to be clear on what kind of story you are looking for and what you are hoping to get out of it.

One famous seinen title is Ikki Tousen, which has been released under the English name of Battle Vixens.  This series centers on the ongoing battle between seven schools in the district of Kanto, where all the students are powerful warriors and constantly engage in fights against one another.  Their fates are determined by the jewels that they carry, each of which contains the spirits of ancient warriors.  The main character is a highly attractive girl named Hakufu Sonsaku, who is often described as having a large bust but little brain.  This is a series that is very well known for its sexy humor and fan service, and has become something of a genre favorite.

On the other end of the spectrum, you will run into xxxHolic, a powerful seres that deals with questions of fate and willpower.  The main character, Kimihiro Watanuki is a high schooler who sees ghosts.  To get rid of this disturbing ability, he goes to work for Yuko Ichihara, a powerful witch who can grant wishes.  Himawari is a girl who causes drastic bad luck to everyone around her, and Shizuka, Kimihiro’s rival and occasional ally round out the cast.

Whether you are looking for dark stories, bawdy storylines or simply good storytelling, there is a good chance that you will find what you are looking for in the genre seinen manga.  Take a look at what is offered and make sure that you don’t miss out!