Forum - View topicCommon Cliche in Anime
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darkhunter
 Posts: 2992 Location: Los Angelas |
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Anyways, we all know the common cliche in anime. Such as girls with glasses are more studio and geeky. The hero is victorious at he end or hero dies at the end (after being victorous).
Or guy get nosebleed in perverted situation. One common cliche I wanna talk about is the "childhood" friend that goes away when the main charcter was younger, only to come back as a hot chick/dude and becomes the main love interested. Sakura Diaries, Hot Gimmick and several other title have this long lost childhood friends cliche. I guess in japan they do put a lot of emphasis between the special bond of childhood friends. I do have childhood friends but that doesnt' make me want to get with them. So if you what cliches do you notice in your anime? Last edited by darkhunter on Fri Nov 12, 2004 10:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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The Frankman
 Posts: 1160 Location: Binary Culture HQ |
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1. Lack of minorities (especially African-Americans).
2. The black guy is seemingly always drawn Sambo-like 3. Dies (if it's a horror theme). - Blood, the Last Vampire (2 and 3) - Battle Angel (3) - Dragon Ball (2) Must . . . remember . . . THE REST!! 
Last edited by The Frankman on Wed Nov 10, 2004 7:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Glory Questor
 Posts: 456 |
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I've seen the "three-girl" cliche pop up from time to time.
The Central Character - Skilled and the trendsetter of the group, usually the main character or hero. The Brains - Smart and beautiful. Serious when needed, but a normal girl when not. The Outsider - Doesn't really seem to fit in with the other two, but does. Different from the others in some way. Examples: Magic Knight Rayearth: - Hikaru = The Central Character. She's a master Kendo swordswoman and the driving force of the group. In Fuu's words, "Miss Hikaru may just be the Magic Knight that Clef mentioned." - Fuu = The Brains. She's not as good a swordswoman as the other two. She's usually sensible, but does have a romantic subplot with Ferio. - Umi = The Outsider. She's a rich girl who is talented at fencing, and a real whiner. Final Fantasy X-2: - Yuna = The Central Character. The core of the group, and the main motivator. Strong and fearless even in the most desparate situation. - Rikku = The Brains. Smart and tech-loaded, otherwise your ordinary teenage girl. - Paine = The Outsider. Level-headed and emotionless most of the time. The one who stays grounded when Yuna and Rikku are floaty. |
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Joe Mello
 Posts: 2311 Location: Online Terminal |
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-The fan favorite is always the blue-haired girl (or just seems that way)
-State Shinto conquers all (at least for a while) -Spiky hair makes boys impetutous. -A lifelong girl friend becoming the enemy. -When the S.O.P. fails, a similar but more power O.P. is used and becomes the standard. There's a quiz that relates to this somewhere.... |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11445 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Well, I see this a lot in regluar TV and not just anime. For the most part, I hate this trend because from my experience, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN. Yeah, it's a great fairy tale of a story to have two people that've known each other for years, through thick and thin, finally realize someday that they want to be together and spend the rest of their lives as lovers, but gimme' a freakin' break! 
That shouldn't happen in life because LIFE ISN'T THAT EASY. So what you've been friends since the 7th grade? So what that you two are really close and like one another's comapny? So what you two are adults and find each other attractive (whether it be physically, emotionally, or spiritually)? The whole "high school" sweetheart thing is sickening to me, and I, personally loathe it, gosh darn it! The only reason I think so many people are attracted to it, at times, is because it does make nice fiction to distract us from reality (like any other fiction) and it maybe gives us a little hope that life will turn out for the better if we just continue to wait and hold through. But when it all comes down to it, you have to stop living in that imaginary world and open your eyes back up to reality. You two aren't around each other anymore, you two aren't close friends anymore, and she's perfectly happy with someone else, while *you* continue to sit there and rot away always being the "best friend." Life's not fair. Too f***in' bad! Get off your ass and do something productive or mope around for the rest of your godd*mn life.
 Sorry for being so harsh. To tell you the truth, I actually love to see these kinds of stories, but hate myself for doing so at the same time...
"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." -- Winston Churchill |
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The Frankman
Posts: 1160 Location: Binary Culture HQ |
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Oops, forgot the big one . .
OVERLY FEMININE GUYS!!! I don't have to post examples, do I? I'll be here all NIGHT! 
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one3rd
 Posts: 1818 Location: アメリカ |
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Well, it's Japan, so they probably wouldn't be African-Americans even if they were present. If mainstream Japanese media is any indication though, Japanese culture isn't very diverse at all compared to the U.S. In other words, minorities (which in this case would include Americans) are less present in anime simply because they are less present in life in general. |
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darkhunter
Posts: 2992 Location: Los Angelas |
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Yea it's understandable that african american arn't portray in anime simply because not many african american live in japan. What you see though is usually just stereotype of the character. The black guy will usually have thickly drawns lips and either a flattop or something locks. Is that sambo like? Has there been a black female chick in any anime? I have yet to remember any. |
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Glory Questor
Posts: 456 |
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Tony K's reply made me think of another cliche I wish someone would think of breaking out of:
Almost all anime stories seems to start off with the character(s) in good standing, as if right until this series starts, their lives haven't had much action to it at all. Then the Hand of Fate (or whatever) decides "this is boring", and suddenly casts the characters into extreme situations, sort-of like being involuntarily put on Survivor. Actually, you'll find that many of the animes are generally following the Nietszche Philosophy in that case: "That which does not kill you makes you stronger." (Also, I feel the same way as you do in your rant, Tony. Life isn't fair, and it isn't perfect. We all have to deal with it, and sometimes maybe we are happy yet sad also. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, every choice has a consequence. In the immortal words of Spike Spiegel in "Wild Horses", "Well, whatever happens... happens.") |
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Koholos
Posts: 12 Location: Where I must be, when I must be there |
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The hero is usually a blond guy, not a dark haired one...
(This is becoming less common, but for a while, it seemed a lot of them were... There was a good book about anime that explained the reasons behind it too... Interesting stuff...) The first 2/3 of the series will be stuff that is somewhat random adventuring, fooling, or just farting around, and then in the last few eps there will be a major crecendo, and a lot of stuff will happen all at once, a sort of forced climax.... umm... a lot of them stand in there... In reference to Glory's post, the triad isn't just of females, and it isn't just in anime... from a writing standpoint, a triad is the most stable and the most dynamic combination.... |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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There are, like Elvy Hadhiyat in RahXephon and captain N'dull Gilford in Blue Submarine #6. If you want a female lead, Nadia once had a very African design, but that design was abandoned before airing. |
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jfrog
 Posts: 925 Location: Seattle |
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Also, Claudia from Macross.
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takami826
 Posts: 28 Location: Cleveland, OH |
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How many african-americans are really milling about in Japan to be worthy of a 'common' anime character? I don't think Japan is as racially diverse as the U.S. but wouldn't they be african-japanese? politically correct crap is just that, crap you're either American or not, not some stupid blahblahblah-hyphen-american. PC just causes further division and stereotypes. |
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the_soultaker
 Posts: 685 |
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The Japanese Animators must have a thing for the Prettyboy mystique. And i concur with your sentiments regarding the crapfest that is Dragon Ball Z. (Black characters are more like "charaticures") Did you know that in Japan there was (or probably still is) a Novelty store called The Sambo Mambo,which sells stereotypical merchandise? IIRC a Young japanese man,arranged some kind of protest/boycott against said store,because he and many like him knew it was wrong. when residing within a clannish society one may become ignorant of falling for stereotypes or plain hyperbole of cultures outside one's own. Along with negative portrayals of Blacks (in Anime) they are some positives one's as well Abdul (Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure) Sin (yeah, i know the OVA wasn't all that but nonetheless it was the first Anime that i have seen featuring a Black man as the protagonist.) Feb ( Sol Bianca) and so forth. As for the "Blond hair blue eye" thingy, i take it that some of the Japanese are so asorbed in western culture,ergo some try to emulate Americans (Caucasians in particular) and you can see it within certain fashion staements,Music,Videogames and of course Anime. Diversity in Anime is not a bad thing, besides such contents are more likely to appeal to Otakus outside of Japan. (I.E. America) I still can't understand the (generic) Big saucer eyed girl type . 
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R.G.
Posts: 687 |
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Let's not forget Claudia from Macross/Robotech. (I guess jfrog beat me to it.) |
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