When you’ve watched (and dropped) 100’s of anime shows, you start to see patterns.
It’s almost like a game of “spot the cliché” where I can guess what will happen next. Depending on how good the anime series is.
And a lot of the time that’s a bad thing. But sometimes it’s brilliant if done right.
I’ll explain what I mean.
13 Conclusions I’ve Come To After 100’s Of Anime Shows:
1. The weirder the character, the more “gay” or “perverted” they tend to be
The “head honcho” in Twin Star Exorcist is the perfect example.
He’s always fooling around, up to no good, and doing some weird sh** that makes you question his motives.
Turns out he’s a powerful exorcist who seems more like an idiot than a “OP” type of character.
This is also true in the anime: Blue Exorcist.
2. Anime lesbians are “flat-chested” or Loli’s
You see this play out in the anime: Danmachi – Sword Oratoria. The story that follows Ainz Wallenstein.
There’s one irritating female character who’s a blatant lesbian and flat-chested (Loki – a goddess).
There’s also anime like A Certain Scientific Railgun, where Kuroko Shirai is at least 12 years old. She’s constantly seen fawning over Mikoto Misaka.
Kinmoza is another common example. And even Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid.
3. The concept of “hard work” in most Shounen is a LIE
In
- Main character gets abandoned, becomes an orphan, etc.
- They have to work hard and “make” something of themselves.
It paints the picture of hard work pays off. And you can literally go from “having nothing” to having it all.
But a lot of the time it’s a lie.
Why? Because:
- The main character usually has some hidden talent or power from the beginning.
That alone destroys the concept of “hard work pays off” in a lot of Shounen that abuse this trope.
The only exception to this rule is shows like My Hero Academia, where the MC literally has no advantages whatsoever, from the VERY beginning. Since he’s a regular human.
4. When an anime loses focus, expect tons of fan service
This scene is from
Nothing makes sense anymore. Danmachi takes the same route.
The same thing happens in so many anime shows It’s too ridiculous and predictable for me to bear with.
5. The reasons why Harem anime are so popular
Harem is a self-fulfilling anime genre. Boys are surrounded by hot
Usually the guy is an idiot with no common sense or even half a brain. Never mind having the skill to deal with
But the reason this is still popular in 2019 is because it feels good on the ego for most teenagers.
Teenagers are the “target audience” after all, they demand it. So that’s why studios continue to make mediocre harems for the sake of that truth.
6. If your boobs are big, other girls will “grab” them
This happens too often to not be a cliché. It’s so cliché at this point, I’m never surprised when it happens.
Even an anime like Love Live falls victim to this at some point.
7. If she’s cute , she’s probably an airhead
Let’s keep it real – Yui Hirasawa is the definition of a “anime world.
Clumsy as hell, fails to notice the obvious, but looks so
And there are dozens of characters who are just like Yui Hirasawa as well.
Related: These 35 Cute Anime Smiles Will Make Your Heart Melt
8. If she’s a mature Loli, it probably means she’s 300+ years old
Japan has a weird fetish (or interest) in making anime
I don’t know if it’s more about the image of “maintaining youth” as you get old, or it’s just some disturbed nonsense (depending how deep you look into it).
But this trope never dies. And it’s here to stay, even in 2019.
9. Male characters get abused for the sake of “comedy”
Blame it on bullsh** feminism. When the opposite happens, the whole world makes a fuss out of it.
Or you can just call it comedy. But the Japanese have a weird way of making male characters submissive pawns who are constantly abused to show the viewer who’s in charge.
Or to show the viewer it’s “OK” to stamp on a guys balls for looking at you the wrong way.
Take it however you want, but it’s too common to not mention.
Read: Some Of The Most Overused Anime Cliches
10. Anime girls are used as “fodder”
Most of anime’s audience is male. That’s true across every anime website,
That’s why there are so many anime
Or worse: they’re badly written, turned into damsels in distress, or made out to be worthless to the overall story.
Sakura from Naruto seems to be one of those characters. I haven’t even watched Naruto and yet I know that.
Konosuba on the other hand is blatant comedy, so in this case it’s different.
Relevant: 5 Anime Shows That Take Fanservice To A New Level Of Stupid
11. Tons of anime designs are un-original, because creators are lazy
Look at the image above. This happens across so many anime shows that it’s ridiculous.
Even a studio like Kyoto Animation does it.
It’s easier to take an old
But whatever works, right?
12. Anime girls are used for “groping”
You see it all the time. An anime guy “accidentally” falls into a girl, they tumble over and he lands face-down in her
Or with his hands conveniently touching something inappropriate
And sometimes the anime girl doesn’t mind it (if she’s attracted to the guy doing the groping).
Or like
13. If there’s a beach episode, you already know what’s about to happen
Beach episodes are expected these days. It’s the one time “fan service” is acceptable in an anime series.
Once the bikini’s come out, and the topless guys, fan service lets loose, with no fu*** given..
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Honorable Mentions:
- Length of your hair is equal to level of power.
- If you can see Ghosts, there’s a 99.99% chance you’ll meet Shinigami and end up becoming one.
- Most
Shounen hero’s are goofy, energetic, stupid or cheerful. - glasses to look cool.
- Screaming the name of your attack before using it.
- The main protagonist being an orphan with a dark back story.
- Biting your hand is enough to bleed like crazy.
- Old guys are either perverts, powerful, or are smart.
- Screaming makes you more powerful (DBZ).
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Recommended:
How Fan Service Can Make Or Break An Anime Series