By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

When you visit a department store, you typically see sections organized by gender, age, and/or product type. Similarly, in the book world, genres serve as separate departments, with subcategories designed for specific interests. In Japan, this is further categorized by age and gender demographics. Typically, in Japan, the demographic categorizations of manga genres are divided into Josei (aimed at adult women), Shōjo (aimed at young girls) Seinen (aimed at adult men), Shōnen (aimed at young boys), and Kodomo (for children).

Despite differences in their marketing focuses, readers often cross over and consume content from multiple demographic focuses. For example, the popular manga series Case Closed (formerly known as Detective Conan) falls under the Shōnen category but has a broad readership of children, teens, and adults. This crossover in consumer demographics has not meant much in terms of genre distinction over time until recently.

As fans may be noticing, there is a blurring of the lines between the Shōnen and Shōjo genres which is extending slowly into adult-oriented content. Rather than the content itself, Japan’s separation of the two genres are being distinguished by the magazine that published the work. If a Shōnen magazine published it, it’s Shōnen manga, and if a Shōjo magazine published it, it’s Shōjo manga. For example, Banana Fish, a Yaoi/Boys’ Love manga with Shōnen undertones, is considered a Shōjo because it was initially published in a Shōjo magazine despite the content fitting more closely with contemporary Shōnen works. And Banana Fish isn’t the only series. We can see more and more Shōjo and Shōnen magazines are beginning to publish work that would typically have been left for another demographic or publisher.

While there are still some fundamental differences between Shōjo and Shōnen manga right now, such as themes and art styles, these lines are becoming less and less clear-cut over time. This transition content-wise marks a shifting departure from the rigid separation of demographics that publishers have traditionally maintained. As this shift unfolds, we may see a fundamental change in how publishers view and market their content, which is a pretty exciting shift from a publishing and cultural perspective. It’s an exciting time for manga fans, and I am eager to see how this development will shape the future of the medium overall.

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Copyedited by: Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee