Anime, like other art forms, is often categorized into different groups. For example, the Shonen anime series aims at young male audiences and is used in publications like Shonen Jump. However, these categories can be tough to define and even harder to tell apart.
There’s a subtle difference between shonen and seinen, especially when closely examined. This difference becomes clear at the extreme ends.
The Dark Trio (Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Hell’s Paradise) is a great example of this blurry line between shonen and seinen. Each series balances on this line, sometimes strongly leaning one way or the other.
For instance, the Big Three of Shonen Jump Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece, represent typical shonen examples. But naming just three series as the best is subjective. They’re called the Big Three to show what was trendy at the time.
These comparisons help us see how anime has improved. While saying which trio is better isn’t possible, it’s clear that newer anime builds upon the older ones. This evolution in anime over the past two decades is partly thanks to the influence of the Big Three.
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Uncompromising Focus on Main Plot Sets The Dark Trio Apart from The Lengthy Big Three
The Dark Trio series like Hell’s Paradise, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man stand out because they don’t have a lot of unnecessary extra stories that slow down the main plot, unlike popular series like Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece.
The newer series tend to focus more on the main problem and the protagonist’s journey to solve it, without adding side stories that don’t really develop the characters or the world. This isn’t just a critique of the Big Three series but reflects a trend in shonen manga and anime overall during their peak.
Nowadays, newer successful anime like Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, and Hell’s Paradise are based on completed source material, which keeps the stories more concise compared to the longer, older series.
The anime, like Hell’s Paradise and Jujutsu Kaisen, focuses more on its side characters, giving them deeper stories. This makes it more appealing to older audiences and seen as more serious art. Unlike Bleach and Naruto, which have great characters but don’t explore them as much, the Dark Trio does a better job at this.
Although the Big Three (Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece) have some amazing moments, they are often mixed with unnecessary parts that could have been used to develop characters and the story better.
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The Dark Trio Learned from the Best
Newer anime like The Dark Trio and similar shows learned a lot from older famous series like The Big Three. They figured out that it’s important to let characters grow stronger without making it happen too quickly.
Shows like Bleach and One Piece introduced cool power systems, but newer ones like Hell’s Paradise took it to a more detailed level with their system called Tao.
Naruto’s use of ninjutsu as a power system is great for both new and die-hard fans. But sometimes, the power levels in the show don’t stay consistent. This becomes noticeable when fans compare the abilities of different characters over time.
On the other hand, a series like Jujutsu Kaisen avoids this issue by clearly explaining the characters’ abilities early on, like Gojo and Geto.
Ideas in newer shows, such as Devils in Chainsaw Man and Curses in Jujutsu Kaisen, might have been influenced by older series like Bleach. They benefit from improving upon what worked well in the past and learning from any mistakes.
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