I don't get the Demographics...

So, what are they supposed to represent? What is and what is not appropriate for what age?

K-ON is a Seinen Title, meaning it's for men older than 18.

So... it's not to be viewed by younger ages?

Yep, I'm still here.

No, demographics simply mean that a work is targeted to a certain age group. For example, K On is written for adults (mainly men between 18 and 30). On the other hand, K On is so harmless that you can show it to children. Another example: Cardcaptor Sakura is Shoujo, so it's targeted at girls between, say, 8 and 16. That doesn't stop people from other age groups reading it. In short: demographics are not ratings.

edited 31st May '12 1:11:51 PM by jkbeta

I did see that reason before. The problem I have is that demographics does seem misleading.

Though, that applies to every other form of entertainment.

Thinking further, I remember seeing some fan-picture that showcases some-what of the point I was making here.

http://www.fanboy.com/2010/02/anime-for-kids-vs-anime-for-adults.html

edited 31st May '12 1:33:49 PM by asiacatdogblue

Yep, I'm still here.

Frankly, the demographics are \"assigned\"

by the manga magazine the series was serialized in. Hence why Black Butler (which has a large fujoshi fandom) is shonen since Monthly GFantasy is a shonen manga magazine.

edited 31st May '12 1:39:25 PM by Pokénatic

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They are not supposed to lead you anywhere. They are a trivia about how the publishing system defines shows. K-on being "seinen" is an official designation for being published that way, just like it is an "anime" for being made in Japan, whether or not it reminds you of other anime.

It should be noted that the four major demographics, shonen, seinen, shoujo, and josei, are manga categories.

All manga is first serialized in anthology magazines, that are traditionally building their entire image around catering to one of these four demogrpahics.

So when we are saying that anything is a "seinen anime", it only means that it is source material was published in a seinen magazine. For non-manga-based series, only certain uninformed western fans use these four labels, informally, as if they would be genres describing the content's style.

ninjad

edited 31st May '12 1:40:12 PM by Ever9

That picture is misleading. I know that Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star are both shonen.

Plus what the other guys said.

edited 31st May '12 2:25:55 PM by tvsgood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFmGNqji4u0

You forgot Kodomo.

It's basically a publishing thing, stuff is grouped according to which magazines they're published in, and then the magazines are targeted to different demographics.

"No, the Singularity will not happen. Computation is hard." -Happy Ent

Whatever magazine it may have started in, Lucky Star is not aimed at the young teenagers covered by "shonen". It is filled with otaku in-jokes that only the experienced will appreciate.

K-On! can be enjoyed by children, but it is aimed at adults with two "healing" functions in mind: escapism from tediousness and lack of prospects, and letting them experience the children they never had (take a look at Japan's birth rate). These are peculiarly adult concerns.

But consider this◊ little amendment to the above image (it's kind of wrong, but that's the point) and you realise that demographics are not destiny. Walt Disney is remembered as making children's films, but his early works at least were more like today's Pixar in attracting all ages.

Demographics are helpful for marketers, but if you want any idea as to what you or your friends would enjoy, look at your tastes, not your social position.

A blog that gets updated on a geological timescale.

It's been a while, but I remember reading several chapters of the Lucky Star manga in middle school and I remember getting most of the jokes, so I would say it's that otaku-focused.

"Otaku" and "teenager" are not exclusive cactegories, even if we like to picture the "stereotypical otaku" as a fat 30 year old basement dweller.

For example, most Light Novels are also otaku-oriented, and their anime adaptations are often also informally called "shonen" in the west, because their own demographic is somehow comparable to western Young Adult Literature.

edited 2nd Jun '12 3:21:49 PM by Ever9

Potemayo is a spectacularly bad example tho... It's not exactly Azumanga level of inoffensiveness.

"No, the Singularity will not happen. Computation is hard." -Happy Ent

Near the bottom of the Seinen article, you'll find a list of series which aren't technically aimed at the demographic of men 18 and older. Among them is Fist Of The North Star, a picture of which is included in both of the demotivators mentioned above.

There are similar lists close to the end of the Shōjo Demographic and Josei articles.

Near the top of the Shōnen Demographic article, it's currently stated that "It should also be noted that there is no definite marker for a series being or not being Shonen. Though the magazine it runs in is a good indicator, many Shonen magazines aim for the huge Seinen demographic that also purchases them."

Back when Carl Gustav Horn was first translating Kaiji Kawaguchi's series Eagle around the year 2000, he wrote a brief article at the end of book one (both the 100+ page and 400+ page editions), making a comparison between manga anthologies and cable channels. I'm not sure exactly how valid that comparison is. But if you think of a magazine/channel as a group of programs which appeal to a demographic, it makes sense. And even if you don't subscribe to a specific magazine or channel, you can find its content later in an individual form, such as DVD or trade paperbacks.

Fixed. That statement made about as much sense as saying that "there is no definite marker for a series being or not being anime. Though the developer's country is a good indicator, some Japanese animation also has large western fandoms."

K-ON is basically the reverse pretty cure and my little pony. It's a manga/anime made for men who like cute girls doing cute things and was made to cater to them, yet part of it's success comes from the fact that it caters and attracts younger viewers

edited 3rd Jun '12 9:42:05 PM by Flapjackmaka

3DS Friend Code: 0302-0823-4983 Black 2 Friend Code: 4084-3672-3624

Ya know, originally, Evangelion was aimed at children.

...so yeah, demographics are weird, especially in other countries where what is deemed appropriate is far different than Westerners.

Evangelion is an special case, though. From what I understand, it got problems because it become too mature for the intended audience.

lol, true. Bad example on my part. >_< Still, let's be fair: even the early episodes of Evangelion, if aired in the states, would still be something shown on Adult Swim, and, if ever aired on say a block aimed at a younger audience, would be edited down to—oh wait, it was. ^_^

Point is, different countries have different demographics for the same thing.

Evangelion WAS aired in the US on Adult Swim.

Maybe he/she remembers when regular Cartoon Network aired the first two episodes of Evangelion for Giant Robot Week.

THE SECOND EPISODE CUT OUT PEN PEN.

THOSE MONSTERS.

NO TREE FOR ME (ALSO LOVES HER BOYFRIEND)