Forum - View topicAbout anime sight gags.
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Jimmy Crackers
 Posts: 42 |
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Is it just me, or are Japanese animators starting to rely less and less on certain sight gags for humorous purposes nowadays? In case you don't know what certain sight gags I'm talking about, I'm refering to the "Huge sweat drop on head" Gag and the "Person crashing into ground whenever someone says something stupid or completely irrevelant to the situation" Gag.
Maybe I'm just imagining things, since I haven't exactly been getting into the most recent anime lately. The last recent anime I watched that had both of these sight gags intact was Full Metal Panic Fumoffu. However, if I had the time to look into all the recent anime that is comedy or has comedy elements, My assumption would probably change. Unfortunely, I cannot, so I really can't tell if these sight gags are still being used. To me, these sight gags are somewhat a tradition, since we see them in practically every other anime made, and we fully recognize them to the point where we establish these sight gags as being a huge role in anime, and practically expecting them when a new comedy, or just when a completely different genre that also wants to be funny, is made. To me, these sight gags are what makes an anime (well, the funny ones, mostly) an anime. Will Japanese animators of today continue to uphold this tradition, and does anybody still actually care about these sight gags still existing or not? What about you guys? What are your opinions on the matter? Do you still care about these sight gags, or are finally sick and tired of seeing that huge sweatdrop for the billionth time? As for me, honestly, I could really care less about the sweatdrop on the head (though it is still amusing to watch from time to time, I must admit), however, I still find find the whole "crashing to the floor" gag to be quite humorous, and if anything, makes a good indicator if somebody said something stupid or irrevelent in case you missed it or didn't pick it up right away, kind of like Japan's version of a rimshot. I strongly doubt that these sight gags will ever go extinct, and like I said, maybe I'm just imagining things. That is, I hope so. Last edited by Jimmy Crackers on Mon Sep 20, 2004 3:20 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Angel Lily
Posts: 222 Location: San Francisco CA |
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Are you kidding I love the sweat drop. It is so funny when that happens like here from The 6th Pokemon movie.
Max: I wish for lots and lots of candy. (Jirachi closes his eyes and the thing on his head glows, nothing happens) Max: I knew it, it's impossiable for somebady to grant wishes May: So how come your mouth was watering Max: 
I mean this is funny. I still have love when someone collapes too, I wish I could soemhow put those in my fanfics. |
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Ken Hayashi
 Posts: 752 Location: Singapore |
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Hmmm. Funny, I just posted a reply which seems to have disappeared.
Anyway, I just love them. Sight gags identify an anime as comedic in nature. I never seem to tire of them. |
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Emerje
 Posts: 7390 Location: Maine |
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I've noticed that some of them have decreased. The gesture that I really miss is the "stink eye" (pulling down your bottom eye-lid and sticking out your toung), people just don't do that one any more. Falling over in disbelief seems to be turning up less and less, looks to have been replaced by the blank stares with huge, round, pupil-less eyes (and optional dropped jaw) which barely (if at all) existed 15 years ago.
But hey, things evolve and things have a way of coming back around. It's only a matter of time before we see bygone gags make a comeback. Emerje |
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Jimmy Crackers
Posts: 42 |
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Hey, that's cool. I still happen to find the sweatdrop gag to be quite humorous at times. I guess I was just comparing the humor factor of the "sweatdrop" gag and "falling down" gag and IMO, thinking the "falling down" gag to be funnier. Well, to me anyways. BTW, anyone know if any recent anime still uses these sight gags? I believe we all agree that sight gags must stay, if not for the humor, but for the sake of tradition. EDIT: I noticed from Emerje's post that my uncertainties has a smidgen of truth to it. Now that I think about it, some new sight gags would be a nice, refreshing change of pace. However, my opinion still stands that the classics should stay. Hooray for tradition. |
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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First off, let me just say that these aren't "sight gags" in the conventional stage use of the term. A sight gag is a unique joke, not a visual convention - and these are visual conventions.
Nor do they only occur in comedic anime - I saw the "falling over in surprise" thing in a recent episode of the quite serious anime Kurau - Phantom Memory.
Keeping up with my theme of disagreeing with previous posters in this thread,  I haven't noticed a specific decline in the Japanese visual conventions. True, they have been supplemented by imported Western conventions - but the jaw-dropping-in-surprise is traditional to Japan, too, and not a Western import.
The "stink-eye" gesture is called an akanbe (あかんべ) and is usually accompanied by a loud beh-da! noise. - abunai |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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While some forms of expression may fade out gradually, sweatdrops and dropping jaws will live forever.
However, I've noticed a recent increase of a specific type of facial expression: the small-to-medium sized, pupil-less eye with thick hand-drawn eyelid. Particularly common in Azumanga Daioh (with Osaka and Chiyo-chan), this expression is also seen in Maria-sama ni wa naisho: 
I can't find one with Yumi, but I remember lianncoop had an avatar with her. 
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Ohoni
Posts: 3421 |
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And in Naruto. Not tomention Al Elric's "shock" face in FMA. Yeah, some of the conventions are shifting. I couldn't care less. This site gag or that site gag, whatever, so long as it's still funny, and, to me at least, current series are about as funny as they could be expected to be. Now certainly FMP: Fumoffu is one of the unniest shows I've seen in a while, but Naruto and FMA have their moments too.
I think that the more noticable trend is that there seem to be less high quality comedies/romantic-comedies in the last season, and who knows how many will be in the next? Last season was mostly about the action/action-comedy shows, so maybe they rely less on the old-school tradition. |
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Ken Hayashi
Posts: 752 Location: Singapore |
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FMP Fumoffu uses these "sight gags" to good effect.
spoiler[1. Sagara, after realizing he pulled his gun on his commander Mardukas (sweat drops, many of them). 2. After hearing Mardukas saying he's gonna visit his apartment (falls over). 3. Tessa, after failing to give Sagara the kiss of life (one sweat drop, too many would ruin her cute looks)] Yup, they're still around, but I've noticed less of the stink eye variety. |
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Perfectsword
 Posts: 527 Location: Somewhere in NY |
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well, i think that sight gags are ok as long as they arn't over used. if they use them alot in one episode, its stupid. if they use them once every few, its ok. but i have only seen a few anime that uses gags alot.
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Jimmy Crackers
Posts: 42 |
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Yeah, that was classic. And let's not forget what happened afterward: spoiler[Tessa clears her throat, and then says, "Everyone should be careful around water!" cue all the students around her, including Chidori, collectively crashing to the ground, indicating Tessa said something stupid. Tessa looks around, says, "What's wrong, everybody?" Chidori quickly gets back up and shouts, "That wasn't a very good way to conlude things!"] Priceless. BTW Ken, according to Abunai, I used the wrong term to call these comical situations. I called them "sight gags", but he calls them "visual conventions". Seeming as how I didn't know the proper term for it, I would have to assume that Abunai is right. Therefore, to keep us from looking foolish, I think we should call these situations "visual conventions" from now on. Just a friendly suggestion. 
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Emerje
Posts: 7390 Location: Maine |
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Well, uh, I never said it was a western import, I also wasn't talking about the conventional jaw-drop (which is why I said it was optional).  I'm talking about the same thing Dormcat is. That expresion with those big, round, blank eyes just didn't exist in the early 90's (and I must have been tired because I ment 10 years ago...).
As long as the peace sign exists I'm all right with everything. Emerje |
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Patachu
Past ANN Contributor
 Posts: 1325 Location: San Diego |
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Well, anime and manga -- like any other artform -- is a constantly evolving visual language, so it wouldn't be surprising if some of the "expressions" in that language change. Just as you won't see character designs today that might have been popular 20 years ago, there are probably different approaches to humor now since some of the visual conventions in Japan might be considered out-of-date. (cf. American toons where eyes popping out of your head and wolf-whistling at a hot woman is a very dated, Tex Avery kind of thing ... )
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Joe Mello
 Posts: 2294 Location: Online Terminal |
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I think akanbe will always be a part of anime. The more serious animes (Gundam, etc.) don't have comedic gestures like stuff that's to be taken lightly (although I think there is some akanbe) Perhaps you need to change your viewing habits.
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abunai
Old Regular
Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Well, the akanbe isn't an anime convention, it's a common Japanese gesture - I've certainly observed it "in the wild" (so to speak) a number of times.
Many, if not most, gestures are culturally specific - this can get you in a lot of trouble, if you're not careful. For instance, there are places in Europe where the "okay" sign with thumb and index finger together in a circle, and the other three fingers extended, means "arsehole" - this can produce some ahem interesting situations. Another gesture that is culturally specific to Japan is the "come here" gesture (usually accompanied with the words kocchi kocchi, "this way, this way"). Where a Westerner would make a hooking motion using his index finger, the Japanese "come here" gesture looks more like a wave. Also, to a Westerner, the Japanese gesture can look surprisingly effeminate, when used by a man. - abunai |
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