Shonen
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the shonen genre/demographic of anime and manga. Shonen is aimed at a young audience and often features lightly-toned action and adventure.
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Dragon Ball Z Movies
The various movies throughout the ‘Dragon Ball Z’ franchise. (Includes movies 1 through 14) (read more)
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Dragon Ball Z Special 1: Bardock, The Father of Goku
A brief consideration of why the early Dragon Ball Z Specials tend to stand head-and-shoulders above other noncanonical material. (read more)
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Dragon Ball Z Special 2: The History of Trunks
The History of Trunks features a story set in an alternate dystopian future, and its emotional weight makes this Special about as good as the franchise has ever been. (read more)
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Mushrambo
I reminisce on "Mushrambo,"(aka "Shinzo") a shonen anime from my childhood. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this anime is why it was localized to begin with. Can I come up with an answer? (read more)
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Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie – Pyramid of Light
Studio Gallop believes in the heart of the cards as they attempt to cash in on the ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’ popularity wave with this commissioned feature. (read more)
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JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ isn’t exactly some watershed anime when it comes to plot, featuring many traditional battle shonen tropes, but it’s exceptionally fun and zany compared to anything else in the genre. (read more)
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Dragon Ball Z
While Dragon Ball Z has been long surpassed in overall quality by many of the series it inspired, it is rarely beat in brutality. (read more)
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Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
The original anime inspiration for my favorite TCG, and where we’d be introduced to ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’s’ many great, utterly mishandled concepts. (read more)
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Chainsaw Man
In an oversaturated genre, ‘Chainsaw Man’ manages to stand out from the competition with just enough grit and flavor. A blunt and shameless action series that feels refreshing in its willingness to embrace pulp. (read more)
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My Hero Academia
‘My Hero Academia’ is yet another "battle shonen" property that starts with oodles of promise, but devolves into poorly-considered plotting, a misused cast, and other general foibles. (Covers seasons 3 and 4) (read more)