From One Piece and Detective Conan to Black Clover and Boruto, many of the most popular anime of all time have been shonen series. Many people associate shonen with action series, but shonen is an umbrella term for any anime or manga aimed at teenage boys and encompasses multiple genres. In 2020, popular pre-existing shonen franchises such as Fire Force, My Hero Academia and Haikyuu!! had continuations, but what are the most promising new shonen anime this year?
Jujutsu Kaisen
It's hard to talk shonen without bringing up a Shonen Jump adaptation. Jujutsu Kaisen is about a Japanese teen named Yuji Itadori whose normal existence takes a turn when he discovers a cursed object belonging to Sukuna, the "King of Curses." Such a dangerous object naturally attracts similarly dangerous enemies and allies alike, and Yuji finds himself in the middle of it all when he ingests the cursed object. He gets entangled in an ongoing struggle between sorcerers and spirits, putting his life on the line to protect humanity from dangers unseen.
Jujutsu Kaisen is an action-heavy horror-themed series with strong world-building and complex battle systems clearly inspired by series like Hunter X Hunter. It's the most popular anime of the Fall, and arguably the biggest shonen anime debut this year.
TONIKAWA: Over the Moon For You
TONIKAWA: Over the Moon For You is a Crunchyroll Original slice-of-life romantic comedy. It could not be any less similar to Jujutsu Kaisen, but it's a strong new shonen series nonetheless. The story starts with Nasa Yuzaki, a hardworking student preparing for entrance exams. One night, on his walk home, he notices a girl across the street that takes his breath away. This is set up for the perfect boy-meets-girl scenario, except as Nasa crosses the street to talk to her, he is suddenly hit by an incoming truck!
Barely conscious, Nasa still manages to do what most romance protagonists take episodes to do: confess to the girl. Surprisingly, she reciprocates his feelings, but only if he agrees to marry her. A couple years later, the girl shows up again and the two actually follow through on their promise! TONIKAWA: Over the Moon For You is a wholesome rom-com that skips the chase and follows the cute, day-to-day of this adorable married couple brought together by unconventional circumstances.
Kakushigoto
Kakushigoto is a wholesome family story about single father Kakashi Gotou. He makes a living drawing lewd manga and he attempts to raise his daughter to the best of his ability while hiding his profession from her. Like Tonikawa, this is a comedy, but its humor is more mature, ranging from the absurd to the satirical.
Apart from the comedy, this series also has an informative insider perspective of the manga industry and some of the unreasonable conditions mangaka have to work in, especially if they wish to be successful. That success is something Kakushi wants to have for his daughter's sake, who wishes for him to become someone important. Kakushi's drive to be "important" while also shielding his daughter from the bad things in the world make a lovely father-daughter story filled with wacky misunderstandings, social commentary and occasional melancholy.
Moriarty the Patriot
Moriarty the Patriot is a spin on the classic Sherlock Holmes stories, told from the perspective of his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty. This series reveals Moriarty's background and how he becomes the villain fans of the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories know him to be. As a psychological historical drama focusing on political themes like class disparity, it's easy to see how it's flown under the radar with casual shonen viewers. That said, it has a solid foundation and complex characters that fans of series like Death Note could enjoy.
Even with no familiarity with the original books, this telling of Moriarty's story is an engaging one, as you watch him and his brothers help the poor enact justice on the rich in ways that involve creative problem-solving and meticulous planning. How Moriarty orchestrates the perfect crime without getting his hands dirty is truly a sight to behold, establishing this series as one of the top shonen debuts this year.
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun is a colorful supernatural comedy in a Japanese high school setting. It follows a girl named Yashiro, Nene, as she gets roped into the life of a ghost that haunts the girls' bathroom, Hanako-kun. It is rumored that Hanako-kun grants the wishes of anyone who summons him, but when Nene does, hoping for a shot at love, she gets a bit more than she bargained for when she ends up as Hanako-kun's permanent assistant. Assistant for what? To help him maintain the balance between humans and apparitions, of course!
It's a simple premise elevated by unique visual execution. Studio Lerche does a wonderful job of bringing the original manga to life with expressive characters and vibrant colors that make the world pop. Between the fun comedy, stellar visuals and sprinkles of mystery to string things together, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun shouldn't be missed.
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is exactly what the title states -- sort of. It's about a human princess named Syalis, who is captured and imprisoned by a demon king. What do princesses do while they lie in wait for their hero to rescue them? In Syalis's case, sleep... or try to. Turns out Syalis has some terrible insomnia! Because of this, she's far from a passive damsel. Each episode follows Syalis as she makes life for her demon captors a living nightmare, all in an effort to get some shut-eye.
What makes such a simple concept so enjoyable is that Syralis is far from a stereotypical princess. She's intelligent, crafty and even straight-up ruthless at times. She's a princess who quickly goes from prisoner to resident without her or her demon captors even realizing it. Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is an enjoyably laid-back sleeper hit.
Smile Down The Runway
Smile Down The Runway is a drama following two characters, aspiring model Chiyuki Fujito and student designer Ikuto Tsumura, as they find their way into the fashion industry. Fashion design and runway modeling aren't the first things that come to mind when thinking of shonen. However, watching two characters struggle to realize their dreams as they're faced with rejections and setbacks - watching them conquer their own physical limitations and constantly push themselves - just bleeds shonen.
This series does a great job of turning a niche subject into something interesting, educational and easy to follow. Its execution makes the most mundane things feel like life-or-death situations in typical anime fashion (no pun intended). It's not a flawless series, and probably not for everyone, but it has such a wonderful emotional payoff by the end that secures its spot as one of the best new shonen of 2020.
