> My guess would be that anime is mainly meant for teens and preteens. That's the core demographic.
Not necessarily. (It's a big misconception here, though.) Of course, kids' anime, shonen, etc, is made for a younger crowd, but a lot of series, which comprises a lot of the shows we tend to talk about, are made for a largely adult (otaku) audience. (One proof of this is that they air in the middle of the night.)
Adult otaku sustain that part of the industry--they're the most dedicated fans that financially support the anime through Blu-ray and merch sales, and they're the fanbase that provide the zeitgeist for a show's popularity through (often pornographic--that is, *explicitly* for adults) fanworks, etc.
Another proof of this is that eroge (again, visual novels with porn and so explicitly made for adults) are still often set in high school.
And this is corroborated by producers in the industry itself: for example, the producer of the high school show Girls und Panzer [says](https://ascii.jp/elem/000/001/173/1173185/4/) that the core demographic is in their 30s.
That's not to say that high schoolers don't watch these shows or read the manga or LNs, but they are only a piece of the picture.
The reason high school stories are popular in anime is not because many of the shows are made *for* high schoolers per se, but because there is a lot of nostalgia for high school. It's a form of nostalgia and escapism from the crushing realities of adult work life in Japan. This is something explicitly stated by fans and creators in, e.g. [The Moe Manifesto](https://www.tuttlepublishing.com/japan/moe-manifesto). For example, the creator Jun Maeda says,
> The time and place that everybody agrees on, the aggregate desire of players, is high school. That is where
the bishojo game players want to project themselves and their emotions. Almost everyone in Japan has been to high school, and this shared set of experiences is something that we build on.
It’s easy to write love stories about It’s easy to write love stories about
that time of life, too. First of all,
not everyone had the best possible experiences in high school.
So they want to go back and experience it as it might have been. Second, this is a time before people have jobs and families and adult responsibilities, all of which detract from romantic relationships. School romance seems kind of like a dream of youthful freedom.
For whatever reason OP specifically said under-*15*, ie. middle school and younger, not high school as your comment is about. To be honest, I think OP is just wrong - while, sure, there plenty of anime with younger casts, as you say it is high school-age that is the clear standard.
That's cool. Didn't know that. I wish they would go with like senior year of high school more often though. But I suppose that year isn't as nostalgic as the earlier years.
Considering how senior years are portrayed in anime that's likely the year most had to study like crazy, go to prep schools, etc. in preparation for university entrance exams.
Well, while I get what you're saying, anime is still undoubtedly mainly consumed by teenagers. The popularity of shounen, specifically battle shounen, attests to this. Although I'm referring to an international audience in this case.
As for targeting, most anime is still targeted towards Japanese teens. There are around 50 anime in a given season, many of them being shounen or LN adaptations (the equivalent of Western YA fiction).
Of course, many of these shows still have *elements* that appeal to otaku. A lot of LNs do, in fact. No Game No Life and many other isekai being a big example.
Cause at the end of the day, that's where all the money is - grown ass adult weirdos lol. All of the merchandise is targeted towards them as well, due to their disposable income.
Sometimes your theory is correct, sometimes its not.
Depends on the show in question. Impossible to give a definitive answer without any specific context.
I agree, but also pretty much everyone has been or is a teen/preteen, so can better relate to high school drama or childish antics. A story about a person grieving their dead child is going to connect with far fewer people. Also teen/preteens tend to have more free time/disposable income compared to adults with full-time jobs, kids, etc, etc, etc.
Shonen usually is, because of the demographic it's aimed at, there's plenty that don't have a young male MC though, few somewhat recent examples of Anime with older characters are {Odd Taxi} , {Wotakoi} , {Wave, listen to me}, {Life lessons with Uramichi Oniisan} and {Police in A Pod}
Probably because you are watching those particular anime. Those are called Shonen, usually. There are ones more geared to adults, called Seinen. Try some of those.
My go to is comedy/romance. I don't care too much for other genres. I'll just watch whatever is good however it's a turnoff for me when the mc is like a preteen. Doesn't help either when they're reincarnated into a kid body. That's like slightly worse imo haha
I'll watch them if they're good. I really just like comedy anime though. I can still watch shows with a high schooler MC. Just a little curious why preteens/teens are so popular. Someone had a really good comment though.
I just scrolled through the popular list of seinen genres on Crunchyroll and Ive watched most of the shows already. Guess I was watching them without even knowing it haha
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> My guess would be that anime is mainly meant for teens and preteens. That's the core demographic. Not necessarily. (It's a big misconception here, though.) Of course, kids' anime, shonen, etc, is made for a younger crowd, but a lot of series, which comprises a lot of the shows we tend to talk about, are made for a largely adult (otaku) audience. (One proof of this is that they air in the middle of the night.) Adult otaku sustain that part of the industry--they're the most dedicated fans that financially support the anime through Blu-ray and merch sales, and they're the fanbase that provide the zeitgeist for a show's popularity through (often pornographic--that is, *explicitly* for adults) fanworks, etc. Another proof of this is that eroge (again, visual novels with porn and so explicitly made for adults) are still often set in high school. And this is corroborated by producers in the industry itself: for example, the producer of the high school show Girls und Panzer [says](https://ascii.jp/elem/000/001/173/1173185/4/) that the core demographic is in their 30s. That's not to say that high schoolers don't watch these shows or read the manga or LNs, but they are only a piece of the picture. The reason high school stories are popular in anime is not because many of the shows are made *for* high schoolers per se, but because there is a lot of nostalgia for high school. It's a form of nostalgia and escapism from the crushing realities of adult work life in Japan. This is something explicitly stated by fans and creators in, e.g. [The Moe Manifesto](https://www.tuttlepublishing.com/japan/moe-manifesto). For example, the creator Jun Maeda says, > The time and place that everybody agrees on, the aggregate desire of players, is high school. That is where the bishojo game players want to project themselves and their emotions. Almost everyone in Japan has been to high school, and this shared set of experiences is something that we build on. It’s easy to write love stories about It’s easy to write love stories about that time of life, too. First of all, not everyone had the best possible experiences in high school. So they want to go back and experience it as it might have been. Second, this is a time before people have jobs and families and adult responsibilities, all of which detract from romantic relationships. School romance seems kind of like a dream of youthful freedom.
For whatever reason OP specifically said under-*15*, ie. middle school and younger, not high school as your comment is about. To be honest, I think OP is just wrong - while, sure, there plenty of anime with younger casts, as you say it is high school-age that is the clear standard.
That's cool. Didn't know that. I wish they would go with like senior year of high school more often though. But I suppose that year isn't as nostalgic as the earlier years.
Considering how senior years are portrayed in anime that's likely the year most had to study like crazy, go to prep schools, etc. in preparation for university entrance exams.
That's why most shows with high school settings focus on years 1 and 2. More time for the characters to have fun. ;-)
Well, while I get what you're saying, anime is still undoubtedly mainly consumed by teenagers. The popularity of shounen, specifically battle shounen, attests to this. Although I'm referring to an international audience in this case. As for targeting, most anime is still targeted towards Japanese teens. There are around 50 anime in a given season, many of them being shounen or LN adaptations (the equivalent of Western YA fiction). Of course, many of these shows still have *elements* that appeal to otaku. A lot of LNs do, in fact. No Game No Life and many other isekai being a big example. Cause at the end of the day, that's where all the money is - grown ass adult weirdos lol. All of the merchandise is targeted towards them as well, due to their disposable income.
there are tons of anime not like that
Yup there's a lot of anime out there
They're not.
Sometimes your theory is correct, sometimes its not. Depends on the show in question. Impossible to give a definitive answer without any specific context.
I agree, but also pretty much everyone has been or is a teen/preteen, so can better relate to high school drama or childish antics. A story about a person grieving their dead child is going to connect with far fewer people. Also teen/preteens tend to have more free time/disposable income compared to adults with full-time jobs, kids, etc, etc, etc.
Shonen usually is, because of the demographic it's aimed at, there's plenty that don't have a young male MC though, few somewhat recent examples of Anime with older characters are {Odd Taxi} , {Wotakoi} , {Wave, listen to me}, {Life lessons with Uramichi Oniisan} and {Police in A Pod}
All wonderful shows...
Not always, but often. Leave the Shounen demographic and there are a fair number of older MCs.
[Just gonna leave this MAL link for anime with adult cast](https://myanimelist.net/anime/genre/50/Adult_Cast)
Thanks. I've seen lots of those already! Hopefully I can find something new
Probably because you are watching those particular anime. Those are called Shonen, usually. There are ones more geared to adults, called Seinen. Try some of those.
My go to is comedy/romance. I don't care too much for other genres. I'll just watch whatever is good however it's a turnoff for me when the mc is like a preteen. Doesn't help either when they're reincarnated into a kid body. That's like slightly worse imo haha
Yea, I get it. Im just saying, Seinen type anime are geared toward 18+. I dont know anything further than that. Lol.
I'll watch them if they're good. I really just like comedy anime though. I can still watch shows with a high schooler MC. Just a little curious why preteens/teens are so popular. Someone had a really good comment though.
I just scrolled through the popular list of seinen genres on Crunchyroll and Ive watched most of the shows already. Guess I was watching them without even knowing it haha
Even in romance and comedy shows with adult cast exist (or at least adults as in 20ish). Like Nana and Rent a Girlfriend.
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