Anime, like western animation, comes in many different styles and genres. There are, of course, the typical genres such as action, mystery, romance, and comedy, but there are also many Japanese genres that may not be familiar to the western viewer. In this post I will describe some of the most popular Japanese anime genres so that western viewers can become aware of them and discover a Japanese genre that is of interest to them. I will also provide a YouTube video which will lend more insight into this topic.

Shounen is probably the most popular and well-known of the Japanese genres. This genre is targeted towards young boys and feature lots of action scenes and male protagonists. Among the popular shounen anime you can find shows like Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, and My Hero Academia. Although shounen is aimed at young men, anyone can enjoy this genre, as is proven by the immense popularity of the manga magazine Shounen Jump which first printed all of the listed anime in their manga form.

Shojo is another popular anime genre. The shojo genre is aimed at young ladies and features topics such as friendship, and romance. Some popular shojo anime are Cardcaptor Sakura, Say “I Love You”, Fruits Basket, and Maid-sama. Like Shounen, the shojo genre can be enjoyed by anyone who likes fun relationship driven stories.

Mecha is a genre that often comes to mind when people think of anime. The Mecha genre features lots of machines/machinery, robots, and action. Popular anime in the mecha genre include the Gundam series of anime, Darling in the Franxx, Guilty Crown, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. While mecha anime does include a bunch of metal and fighting, they can also feature strong relationships between the characters and great soundtracks, as is shown by Guilty Crown and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Isekai is currently the most popular anime genre. Isekai anime involve a character who is reborn or transported into a fantasy world and must begin a new life that in that fantasy world. Popular anime in the isekai genre include Sword Art Online, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Re:Zero, and KonoSuba.

Yuri and Yaoi are two divisions of the romance genre that are popular in anime. Yuri anime feature a relationship between two women while Yaoi anime feature a relationship between two men. Some popular Yuri anime include Sakura Trick, Citrus, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Some popular Yaoi anime are Yuri on Ice, Love Stage, and Junjou Romantica.

Here is the promised video!

For more information on even more genres of anime please check out ReelRundown for a great in-depth article.