Romantic Killeris a 2022 Netflix anime adaptation of the manga series of the same name currentlyserialized on Shonen Jump’s online platform, Jump+. The anime series features a female protagonist who has no interest in romance and would prefer to play video games and eat chocolate; however, her plans are thwarted when a magical creature reveals itself to her, sending her to an alternate version of reality where none of her favourite things exist.
Due to the series following a romance-focused storyline, many anime fans are under the impression thatRomantic Killeris a groundbreaking, trope-shaking Shojo title with a fresh take on a Shojo protagonist; however, that is a misconception built on various other misconceptions about anime demographics, Shojo and Josei especially. Here’s whyRomantic Killeris NOT a Shojo anime title at all, let alone one that does anything fans of either Shonen or Shojo haven’t already seen before.
RELATED:13 Best Romances From Battle Shonen Anime
Demographics
In anime and manga, the targeted demographic of a series is particularly important, so important in fact, that many fans have come to understand the targeted demographics of anime and manga as genres unto themselves. However, this misconception has carried, especially in the minds of fans of Shonen anime, partly due to the hypervisibility of Shonen titles globally. While Shonen anime is known for instances that are heavilyreliant on battles as a deviceto forward the plot, Shonen has always been the target demographic of young boys. Shojo is the target demographic of young girls and their adult equivalents are Seinen and Josei respectively. These labels are indicative of the market the specific title is geared towards. The people who enjoy anime and manga from each respective demographic can come from any and all walks of life, and the stories within each demographic are just as varied as one would find within something comparable, like the “Young Adult” tag often used in the world of books. “Young Adult” may have a prevalence of themes and even plot lines, but it is not a genre unto itself. Shonen, Shojo, Seinen and Josei are the same in this regard.
Plot
Anzu Hoshino is a teenage gamer who is quite content with her life filled with video games, chocolates and her pet cat, with no thoughts about romance whatsoever. However, one day, Anzu is transported to alternate reality by a magical creature, where her life is turned into a cliché romantic comedy as she has several attractive guys thrown her way, starting with the hottest guy at her school, Tsukasa Kazuki. To top things off, they even seem to get along. If Anzu does not get a boyfriend within a year’s time, then she can kiss all of her favourite things – video games, chocolates and her cat, meaning that she is forced to go along with it so that she can get back to her normal life.
Literally Published in Shonen Jump+
One of the most glaring reasons whyRomantic Killeris not a shojo anime at all lies in the magazine it was originally serialized in. As previously explained, the tags “Shonen”, “Shojo”, “Seinen” and “Josei” arenot genres, but demographics. This means that titles are marked under a certain demographic are titles created with that demographic in mind. These demographics are by no means a marker of content or genre, and despite the fact that Shonen in particular has developed several devices within a particular niche, the tag does very little more than express who the anime or manga title is geared towards originally.Romantic Killeris not a shojo anime or manga because it is literally published in the online version of the biggest manga magazine in Japan – Shonen Jump+. The reason why fans are particularly confused about this one is because of an age-old pitfall: the conflation of Shonen with action, battle, and high energy; and Shojo with romance, fantasy, melancholy.The idea that “it’s for girls"has confused people into thinking that narratives with female protagonists that are about romance are inherently Shojo narratives, and this is also largely due to the belief that both Shonen and Shojo can only be one thing.
Something Similar
Another thing supportingRomantic Killeras a Shonen rather than a Shojo title is how similar it is in basic premise structure to another famous series with a gamer protagonist –The World God Only Knows. This series follows Keima Katsuragi, the self-proclaimed God of Conquest who is capable of conquering any and all paths in dating sims but has absolutely no experience (or interest) in talking to or dating girls in real life. When a demon named Elucia “Elsie” de Lute Ima appears before him asking for help because she heard that he’s the “god of conquest”. She needs to round up a swarm of escaped evil spirits from Hell that have possessed several girls in Keima’s hometown. The only way to exorcise the evil spirits is to conquer the hearts of the thing Keima hates the most – 3D girls. He is without a choice, he must stake his God of Conquest title and complete the hardest dating sim he will ever play – real life.
The parallels betweenThe World God Only KnowsandRomantic Killerare several: both titles feature gamer protagonists who are not at all interested in romance, but are forced to get involved with several people insome kind of romantic context; the protagonists only play along with what they’re told to do in that regard because that is the only way they can get back to some kind of normalcy in their lives – their very contentment with life is at stake. Even Anzu’s antagonistic relationship with Riri, the magical creature that ruined her life is similar to Keima’s often mean treatment of Elsie, whom he also holds in contempt for getting him into his respective romantic mess in the first place. These parallels between these titles show thatRomantic Killeris not doing anything new with its premise, while also debunking the misconception “if romance, then Shojo”; “if fighting, then Shonen”, and the idea that this series is by any means a Shojo pioneer.
