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10 Shonen Anime That Turned Out To Be Surprisingly Deep

The shonen genre is, by far, the most popular anime category, captivating fans of all ages and genders. Nevertheless, the primary target demographic for shonen anime and manga is adolescent boys, so shonen creators strive to suit that age group's tastes as much as possible.

As a result, mainstream shonen anime has an unfavorable reputation, constantly critiqued for its lack of substance and sophistication. Shonen series are known for being action-focused and immature, rarely introducing the viewers to compelling themes or intellectual concepts. While most exemplars of the genre don't reach for the stars and are satisfied with providing mindless entertainment, some shonen series break this mold.

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10/10 Aria The Animation Is A Letter Of Appreciation To The World's Man-Made Wonders

Slice-of-life anime often gets bad press for being mind-numbingly boring. Yet, some of the quietest and most meditative shows often have the most to say. Aria the Animation is an old-school classic of soothing slice-of-life shonen.

Exploring the picturesque landscapes of Neo Venezia via relaxing gondola tours may not sound like an exciting premise for a shonen. Yet, Aria never strives to imitate its action-focused counterparts. Instead, the series teaches the viewers thought-provoking lessons about nature's beauty, the importance of reflection, and the value of a tight-knitted community.

9/10 Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Satirizes Its Characters' Heartfelt Issues

Edgy shonen series trying to seem mature by making dark jokes is nothing new to the genre, yet, these arbitrary attempts to seem more adult never add real substance. The over-the-top satire about a suicidal teacher and his class of mentally ill students, Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, initially came off as just another edgy parody with nothing meaningful to say.

Nevertheless, the series swiftly cleared out these misconceptions. While nothing hides Zetsubou-Sensei's cynicism and pretentiousness, the show doesn't simply make fun of controversial issues. Instead, it tackles them with unexpected depth and attentiveness while still remembering to be hilarious.

8/10 Your Lie In April Makes Every Viewer Sob Uncontrollably

An effective tearjerker is much easier to come across than a real heavy-hitting drama. The difference between the two often lies in the sincerity and depth of their character development. The shonen drama Your Lie in April could've gone the easy route of creating a simple sob story.

Instead, Your Lie in April fashions an intricate web of characters and themes, culminating in a devastatingly tragic finale that hits much harder due to the monumental buildup. Along the way, Your Lie in April touches on countless heavy themes, from grief to living with a terminal illness, each explored with stellar attention to detail.

7/10 Trigun's Final Act Poses An Intriguing Moral Dilemma

The cult-classic shonen series Trigun is a must-watch for any new anime fan. Mixing comedy and heartfelt drama flawlessly, Trigun follows the hectic adventures of everyone's favorite pacifist Vash the Stampede as he travels the futuristic wastelands of planet Gunsmoke.

It's easy to mistake a goofy hero like Vash for a mindless idiot. Yet, he drives much of the show's philosophical conflict, especially after the audience gets introduced to his twin brother and polar opposite, Knives Millions. The ethical clash between Vash's loving pacifism and Knives' innate hatred for humanity makes the show much deeper than initially expected.

6/10 Beastars Offers An Interesting Critique Of Different Societal Structures

A high school shonen series about a society of anthropomorphic animals hardly markets itself as a thought-provoking intellectual piece. Yet, Beastars' metaphorical interpretation of the very human issues of prejudice, social separation, self-discovery, and internalized hatred surprised countless fans.

Beastars show takes its time establishing its broader themes, keeping the viewers engaged in Legoshi's story by masterfully balancing comedy, drama, action, and heartfelt romance. Yet, once Beastars feels comfortable diving into its deeper themes, the show becomes much more sophisticated, astounding the audience with its clever parallels to real-world issues.

5/10 Silver Spoon Looks At Redundant Coming-Of-Age Issues Under A New Light

Silver Spoon is an adaptation of a shonen manga created by the author of Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa, yet, the two stories couldn't be more different. While many expected the mangaka to continue exploring the battle shonen scene that brought her fame, Arakawa had a fresh plan.

Specifically, Arakawa took on the challenge of creating a profound coming-of-age story about a burned-out student studying agriculture in the Japanese countryside. The series tackles adolescent issues with surprising maturity and depth. Silver Spoon's success proves that a talented author cannot be restricted by just one theme or genre.

4/10 Hunter X Hunter's World Gets Unexpectedly Bleak Fast

At first glance, Hunter X Hunter follows age-old shonen tropes to a T, embracing the genre's clichés with open arms. Nevertheless, there's a reason why most shonen fans recognize Gon's adventures as something totally different from other generic shonen flicks.

As the series progresses, more mature themes and complex pathbreaking elements leak into Hunter X Hunter's happy-go-lucky storyline. The series dissects themes of loss, revenge, parental neglect, and many more. Hunter X Hunter's thematic landscape never stops evolving, finding more intricate concepts to introduce along the way.

3/10 To Your Eternity Is One Of The Most Refreshing Shonen Series Out There

Upon its premiere, not many eyes were glued to the newest shonen adaptation, To Your Eternity, despite manga readers' excited reviews. Yet, within the first episode, this profound and melancholic series proved that even such an overdone genre like shonen can still surprise its viewers.

To Your Eternity is a heart-wrenching tale of an immortal experiencing humanity for the first time, progressing from a mindless Orb into a fleshed-out being capable of empathy, joy, and sorrow. This show covers the entire spectrum of human emotions through the perspective of someone facing them with no prior experience.

2/10 Gintama Surprises Its Fans By Mixing Comedy With Thought-Provoking Drama

Expecting a profound, deep storyline from an over-the-top gag comedy may sound pointless. Yet, Gintama's fondness for breaking the canons and exceeding the audience's expectations allowed the series to venture in an unexpectedly heavy-hitting narrative direction, highlighting the show's dramatic potential.

The later seasons of this cult-classic comedy shonen dive into such deep themes as struggles of immortality, inherited will, and the burden of past trauma. Nevertheless, Gintama never lets the mood get too daunting, shamelessly breaking the tension with surreal gags, hilarious parodies, and hysterical skits.

1/10 Attack On Titan Grows In Complexity As The Show Progresses

During the initial Attack on Titan craze upon the release of season one, no one expected this brutal and violent shonen series to turn out as profound as it did. The tonal shift from an action-packed survival mystery to a sophisticated political drama happened gradually, slowly introducing more compelling existential themes and thought-provoking questions into Attack on Titan's narrative.

While many old-school fans didn't take the change well, the franchise continued to rise in popularity with every season. Attack on Titan's success proves that the community is interested in more unorthodox shonen series.

NEXT: 10 Anime Characters Who Turned Out To Be Surprisingly Deep