14 Things You’ll Almost Always See in Anime – Part 2

Here’s part 2! You can read part 1 here.

8. Repetitive name yelling

Ever see characters spending quite some time and effort emotionally yelling their names to each other? The more they say their names, the more intense the scene becomes. The photo above comes from a parody in Minami-ke where the heroines watch a TV drama centering on the forbidden love of Ninomiya-kun and her Sensei. Their script would be nothing more than Ninomiya-kun saying ‘Sensei!’ and the Sensei shouting ‘Ninomiya-kun!’ all the time until they embrace. It’s hilarious!

9. Killer Lolis

This is rare, but definitely unique in anime. These loli-killers would appear as pure and innocent as they can be, then turns a screw loose and becomes the protagonists’ worst nightmare as the story progresses. Good examples would be those in Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni, Umeniko No Naku Koro Ni and Denpa Teki na Kanojo.

10. Massive Blood Spewage

Nothing can be as dramatic as the blood spilled in anime! Every time a limb is cut off between samurai showdowns, sword battles or even with just a knife, blood will pour out like crazy just as any loose fire hydrant would.

11. Ridiculous Boy-Girl Ratio

Many anime series are harem. Wikipedia: it’s “a loose subgenre of anime and manga characterized by a protagonist surrounded, usually amorously, by three or more members of the opposite sex.” Although this seems almost impossible in the real world unless you’re a matinee idol, or the sex ratio in your country is rather obscure, it certainly delivers both comic and romantic depictions of the distant reality where 1 dense boy : 3 beautiful girls.

12. Paper Fan Phenomenon

I don’t know if this is an inside joke of sorts for the Japanese, but paper fans (harisen) are widely renowned, whether they be used as weapons, cooling tools, or just something to hit someone with. I read somewhere that it’s a tradition in Japan for teachers to smack their students if they can’t answer correctly. Genjou Sanzo (Saiyuki) and Chidori Kaname (Full Metal Panic) always have paper fans to deliver comic relief over the silly things the other characters have concocted.

13. Perverts and Nosebleeds

Of course, no anime is complete without ecchi/hentai perverts! The funny ones I mean, those usually found in humorous shonen (boys), seinen (men) and harem anime. Just with the slightest hint of sexual suggestion, these rowdy and hormonally-driven characters would burst blood in their noses in no time. In Baka To Testo No Shoukanjuu, a character named “Voyeur” always try to peak at the girls, and usually drowns in his own exaggerated nosebleed when given the opportunity.

14. Eyes are 100x larger than nose and mouth

‘Osamu Tezuka, who is believed to have been the first to use this technique, was inspired by the exaggerated features of American cartoon characters such as Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse, and Disney’s Bambi.’ Though there are some with realistically proportioned eyes as well, the large eyes, small mouth and small nose pretty much resemble traditional Japanese anime. One can say ‘The eyes are the window into the soul.’ So I guess the bigger the eyes, the more beautiful they see the world around them, unlike some antagonists.

I’m sure the one’s I’ve mentioned are just a few compared to what we can really list and stereotype in anime. Feel free to comment below and add yours!

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