Inspired by comments from 10 Most Rewatchable Shonen Anime Series, Ranked
Here are a few examples that I know of:
| title | expected | actual |
|---|---|---|
| Frieren | non-shounen (seinen?) | shounen |
| Attack on Titan | seinen | shounen |
| The Apothecary Diaries | shoujo | seinen |
| Umamusume: Cinderella Gray | shounen | seinen |
| 100 Girlfriends | shounen | seinen |
What are other instances of misidentified demographic you have seen?
Quick and dirty definitions of anime demographics:
- shoujo - girls
- shounen - boys
- josei - ladies
- seinen - men
I often see people assuming Fragrant Flower is shoujo, Kaguya-sama is either shounen or shoujo, Blue Box is shoujo, and Chainsaw Man is seinen.
The base assumptions seem to be “There’s a love story where we’ve gone two chapters in and the female lead hasn’t stripped yet??? Must be shoujo!” and “Wow that’s a lot of blood, must be seinen.”