Forum - View topicAnswerman - What's with all the school uniforms in anime?
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_Cyphon_
 Posts: 996 |
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My school doesn't require uniforms but I kind of wish they did. They things people wear these days... And it also looks really disorganized and unprofessional (as in the school is not good at keeping them in check). The only time I ever had to wear uniforms was in my track and field team.
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DRosencraft
Posts: 671 |
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Many studies on education, many school administrators, etc, recommend schools have uniforms, on up through high school. Whether one believes it or not, school uniforms have been tied to everything from more organized and orderly behavior in school, to better grades. The theory is usually that it has something to do with the propensity of kids to spend too much time either focusing on what other kids at school are wearing, or at home thinking about or shopping for clothes. It's also usually more cost effective - you buy a few sets of the same clothes you use again and again through the year, rather than what usually ends up being the case of buying dozens of new clothes items through a school year.
Back when I was going to school in NYC, many - certainly not all - elementary and middle schools had uniforms. They'd usually go lax on uniforms at the high school level. I would add that from a practical anime/manga perspective, it's probably a ton easier to draw a bunch of school kids in uniforms slightly different from one another, than all in some different clothes that must be appreciably reflective of the setting's fashion, but not too similar to one another. |
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Hiroki not Takuya
 Posts: 2598 |
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I think Justin's information on the origin of uniforms may be slightly skew, I read that the Japanese military adopted the Prussian uniform at the beginning of the Meiji (as well as having Prussian military advisors "shipped in") and that the school uniforms for boys were copies of the Prussian military academy cadet uniforms. The British Navy uniforms for girls I could see though.
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14853 |
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Ya know ya watch too much school uniform anime when ya see the Blue Apron app logo on your smartphone, but ya didn't see a blue apron as the first thing on your mind:
Anyways, another reason for the school uniforms in anime is because the anime production committee treats the school uniforms like sports teams treat their jerseys - they intend to sell them. For instance, here's Japan’s Top 10 sales rankings Cosplay Costumes of 2012. (And btw, school uniforms in Japan aren't cheap.) Comments: What do you think of school uniforms in Japan? Ex:
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ranashadow
Posts: 9 |
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I live in UK so obviously we had uniforms which was just standard jumper, shirt, tie and trousers and skirts. Our school was pretty lax on it they didn't really care how we wore it. Some teachers would strictly enforce it but most of time it was just a case of so long as we have it all it doesnt matter how its worn.
I left school a decade ago now and I do miss it a lot. These days when I see school pupils they have defintaly upped the uniforms, most wear blazers with accents, strips and have different ties depending on what year their in. You can tell they have got stricter with them. Seen some wearing clip-on ties which just look awful quite frankly its like saying you cant even tie your shoe laces lol Think their a good idea though, saves on washing, ironing and if you were to wear the same clothes twice a week you'd no doubt be a target for bullying so least it quells in on that aspect. Onto the anime side of it in my tastes of anime I see a lot of uniforms lol I quite like a lot of them and like that how a character wears them reflects their personality. Sometimes I find it weird that some characters just never take their uniforms off even when not at school but I suppose thats just their 'default' imagine. I have a lot of fave uniforms and always prefer the smart look never really into the sailor style. To name a few: Code Geass - Ashford Academy Love-Live school uniform (recently got my friend to cosplay in it!) Fortune Arterial - bad anime but good uniform lol Haganai Chuunibyou (got my friend to cosplay as Rikka) Oregairu Infinite Stratos My fave uniform is probably Raizen High School from Date a Live. |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4546 |
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That would seem to be the most obvious answer. Also, I've always thought that using a school uniform works as a bit of a shortcut in coming up with character designs. Most uniforms in anime and manga are based around already existing templates, so that cuts down on designing them if the creator so wishes. Plus, if most of your characters wear a school uniform, then you can get away with just using subtle variations on the same thing. |
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leafy sea dragon
 Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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No authority can be good at keeping something in check if no one bothers to obey the law. For instance, if everybody drives 20 to 25 miles per hour faster than the speed limit on the highway (meaning it's now dangerous to drive at or below the speed limit), what can the traffic cops do? |
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Penguin_Factory
 Posts: 732 Location: Ireland |
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I find it kind of baffling that this guy thinks uniforms are some sort of signifier of a lack of individual expression, given how many countries use them.
I grew up in Ireland where you have to wear uniforms in both primary and secondary schools. I didn't necessarily have a problem with the idea of it, but what always bugged me and other students was how uncomfortable they were- I always wished schools would move away from the tie and collared shirts and into something less stiff. And those uniforms were really not suited to the country's climate. In warmer months the woolen sweaters were way too hot, while in winter they weren't warm enough, and if it rained (which it does almost constantly) they'd quickly become sodden. I'm nostalgic about a lot of aspects of secondary school, but man was I glad to leave those behind when I went to college. |
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Lemonchest
Posts: 1771 |
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I imagine school uniforms allow for the artist to put some original design work into the mix, since archetypes are now so entrenched they can't do much with how the characters wearing the clothes look.
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Tuor_of_Gondolin
 Posts: 3524 Location: Bellevue, WA |
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I translate most of what I've read here into two camps:
* I need to be told what to wear everyday! Please tell me what to wear so that I fit in! * Other people wear clothing or sport looks that I find disgraceful and unacceptable! People should only wear clothing and sport looks I find acceptable. I never had to wear a uniform during my school years (except in marching band, but that's a special case). Also, I don't recall meeting anyone that had a lick of "school pride"... well, I guess there were a few, mostly people in student government or the like, but not regular students. School was already prison-like enough without adding uniforms to the mix. I'm glad we we didn't have them. |
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LUNI_TUNZ
 Posts: 809 |
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The irony of this being that the Senshi outside of their Battle Uniforms were much more often seen in a multitude of different street clothes, than their actual school uniforms. Anyway, I'm another one of those students who went to a school system that enforced a dress code, until High School. I remember the atmosphere around the last year of Middle School being that "man, can't wit to get to high school and never wear a uniform again", and every now-and-then they'd be some "rumor" that they were going to institute a uniform at the high school, and it was always met with disdain/ Aynway, from a pure anecdotal perspective, I don't think anyone did better or worse at either point, because of the uniforms, so I can't say if it's does anything for anyone. Also, I never had the issue of "oh, what do I wear today", then again, I'm a male, so I nevr had to roll up to the local Forever 21 and see what's in, so maybe it's different for girls? |
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GhostStalkerSA
 Posts: 425 Location: NYC |
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Huh, when did you go to school? I finished public middle school in NYC in 2001 and uniforms were not at all common when I was attending. I never had to wear one, at least, and never saw any other public school using one in my area of Queens... Man, even though I'm not even 30, I still feel old talking about this kinda stuff and seeing how things have changed from how I remember them... Last edited by GhostStalkerSA on Thu Jul 23, 2015 8:22 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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CandisWhite
Posts: 282 |
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I attended a state-of-the-art high school that offered courses in a wide variety of subjects and which worked closely with the local academic and trades universities to give students the best start possible; Aside from the usual nonsense that happens when you put a large group of hormonal teens under one roof, the school had no major problems with drugs, gangs, dropouts, bullying, etc: An education at this school was/is so desirable that, despite being a country school that's a 1/2 hr bus ride out of the city, the waiting list for students outside of the county limits who want to attend is HUGE. The dress code, essentially, was don't show up looking like a hooker, and don't wear racist/offensive clothing. Kids wore regular clothes that were heavy in winter, and light in summer, and that didn't affect the quality of their education one bit. I cry BS on the notion that uniforms have any real effect on a child's education: The quality of a learning environment depends on the excellence of the teaching and the atmosphere of the school's surrounding neighborhood. I don't doubt that many schools that have uniforms are outstanding institutions but I, also, don't doubt that they would be just as outstanding without uniforms. Cost is going to be tied to the quality of the uniform so a student either gets an affordable, cheaply made, one or an expensive, quality, one. A student is not going to wear their uniform everywhere; They will need other clothes so financial expenditure does not go down. Some Canadian schools have done this nonsense with requiring parents to buy school supplies from the school, and it is NOT cost-effective; Parents save way more money by shopping around. Uniforms are seen as a panacea(as evidenced by a good chunk of the comments here), and this in itself is an ill: 1) If you feel that class disparity, bullying, and any other issues that arise from the differences in people, will disappear with uniforms, you are sadly, sadly, wrong; You, also, do an evil by wasting energy on something that will not help kids resolve their differences: A far better solution is to celebrate the uniqueness of each child, and teach them to love the uniqueness of others; A natural way to do this is to let each child dress themselves everyday. 2) Academic slacking and academic troubles will not die with uniforms; That will take a concentrated, ever-evolving effort, by educators and parents, to bring those kids back up to par: On the flip side, dressing in a non-uniform manner will not impede a kid's ability to learn and do well in school; Any person who thinks that this is so is approaching this matter with the mentality that a child who spends any amount of time on his/her appearance must spend all of his/her time on that subject, and ergo can't possibly have room in his/her brain for anything else.( Oh, and just to make this hit home, why don't we toss watching anime and reading manga onto the pile.) This is, of course, utter horse hockey. I don't fell repulsed by uniforms, in the abstract; I don't watch Sailor Moon or read Harry Potter with revulsion, and I don't feel countries that universally have them are on the same level as countries that police people's appearances with a vengeance. Nor am I opposed to careers to that require them; A grown adult has chosen to go into that line of work, and will, most likely, even take pride in that uniform. When we get to the concrete, however, I despise them as required dress for children in schools: The reasoning behind having them is misled, and can even do real damage; Replacing an already-in-place casual dress code with a strict uniform code is cruel, both to average students and to the ones who love how they dress and take pleasure and pride in it; Parents are required to buy the uniform that the school offers whether or not they like the design and the material of it, whether or not they can afford it, and whether or not they even want their child in a uniform. Most children in English North America have had the freedom, for generations, to be educated while dressed in the clothing of their choice: Don't take that away from them. |
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kevinx59
 Posts: 959 Location: In sunny California |
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I grew up in so cal so none of the schools I went to required a uniform (other than pe and sports/band). My neighbor went to a catholic school but he was the only person I ever saw wear a uniform. Other than that, TV was the only time I saw any students wear uniforms. It was interesting going to Japan this past month and actually seeing students in school uniforms just like in anime. I didn't see much customization though (except for in Harajuku, but then again Harajuku is a big fashion center, of course the teens would want to look stylish).
I think girls can look nice in uniforms but I have never found a male uniform I would like to wear. It's mostly the pants; I just can't stand chino or dress pants. I'm a jeans guy. Only one I may wear is the Haganai one, but with different pants (and short sleeves. It gets pretty hot over here). That's why I like the school in Okamisan: everyone wore the school crest but other than that they wore whatever uniform they wanted. I'm more if the individuality camp. I never really saw much class/wealth conflict at my school. In fact, other students would often complement each other on snazzy or cool, fancy clothes. Of course you didn't need fancy clothes to be popular, nor did lack of such clothes mean you were bullied. I didn't have any trouble choosing what to wear. Plus I liked all the variety in clothing, and it was pretty fun seeing all the weird and crazy ways some would dress. It may just because I dress more skaterish, but I have never been into the idea of wearing a uniform. I mean some look cool, but I would not like to wear it everyday at school. |
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KENZICHI
 Posts: 1117 |
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(American) I'm one of those kids that wouldn't have minded wearing a school uniform to school since I was one of the ones that was embarrassed by my wardrobe.
I have never seen a school with uniforms until last year when I went to an elementary school for teaching experience at my college. They basically had their school colors and had to wear clothes around that. They also had some shirts with their school logo on them including jackets. Girls could wear slacks or a skirt and boys had their slacks. At least they could wear a variety of things and still look unified every day. |
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