The Shonen reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Shonen

Shonen (pronounced /So:nen/, Jp: 少年漫画, Hepburn: Shōnen, Kunrei-shiki: Syônen) is a style of anime and manga intended for boys, but that may have a crossover appeal to girls as well. Some good examples are Gundam Wing, Dragon Ball Z, and Fist of the North Star. Anime and manga for college age men is called seinen, though shonen and seinen are often lumped together by Westerners. This is because shonen manga in general are much more deep in both stories and details than the cartoon popular in the Western nations. Their relative lack of sensitivity of sex and violence is also a reason.

Also spelt "shounen", which is technically more correct regarding the Kana.

In Japanese script, the word "shonen" is written 少年 which literally means young boys. Its hiragana are しょうねん.

Also see shoujo, anime and manga intended for girls.

List of shonen anime and manga

(NOTE: this list does not include seinen titles)