Anime sterotypes that need to die.

[Yamamaya]

Hey guys. I just wanted to make a thread where we decry anime sterotypes that need to die.

I will begin.
1. The Kindly Pervert.
A good example of this type of character would be Hideki from Chobits. He's a relatively nice, harmless guy and he's a pervert. He was a good character but unfortunatley there seems to be a kind pervert in a ton of animes these days. It's really getting old.

2. Male Lead Who Is Constantly Beaten Up by the Female Lead.
It's frankly becoming very very old. I am sick of seing a male lead getting beaten up by the female lead for silly reasons(most of the time Rukia beats up on Ichigo in Bleach.) It's also a bit unrealistic that a shoenun protagonist who can slay a monster with a sneaze would get the crap beaten out of them by their(usually not as powerful) female companion.

[Chrysolite]

Here here on both of those! I only like seeing guys get beat up by girls if it's BECAUSE they're being a pervert. ^-^

I personally can't stand the old 'girl walks around barely clothed and no one thinks anything of it' schtick. Although, I must admit, I hate it even more when all the guys around her are constantly bringing it up... Why can't the female characters just dress modestly, for crying out loud? >-< I really appreciate anime that follow this standard.

[Nate]

He's a relatively nice, harmless guy and he's a pervert.

I'm an anime stereotype?

Anyway, the anime stereotype I most want gone is when two characters run/jump at each other with their swords and then both of them land and nothing happens for a couple of seconds, and then one of them just screams/gasps and falls over. I hate that! Make a real fight scene. :\

[Yamamaya]

I was talking in regards to anime not actual people Nate.

I also despise anime fight scenes in which the majority of the time they're just casting their LAZAS(aka powers) at each other and hardly ever engage in any real sword play.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Hey guys. I just wanted to make a thread where we decry anime sterotypes that need to die.
2. Male Lead Who Is Constantly Beaten Up by the Female Lead.
It's frankly becoming very very old. I am sick of seing a male lead getting beaten up by the female lead for silly reasons(most of the time Rukia beats up on Ichigo in Bleach.) It's also a bit unrealistic that a shoenun protagonist who can slay a monster with a sneaze would get the crap beaten out of them by their(usually not as powerful) female companion.

This can be justified, so it doesn't always annoy me. Naruto and Sakura(If you're a fan of the pairing) is probably the best justified version of this.

I really can't stand the "attacks" where a hero jumps in the air with his sword up, takes about three minutes to land, and the attack hits. Stupid Bleach after Soul Society arc.

[Chrysolite]

That's a good example of what I was saying. I love Naruto, but quite frankly, when he does his 'sexy jutsu' he needs a good punch in the face, and for some strange reason, Sakura is just the man-- woman-- for the job.

[The Banner]

I don't know about having these stereotypes "die". I think we can still find some use out of them- if people could put a very good dose of originality in them once more. Or better yet, we could just merely retire them for a decade or so and then it wouldn't be as bad again.

Dragon Ball Z got annoyingly repetitive for me, and I thought that the fights were long, tedious, had long boring talks between every set of punches, lacked suspense, and many times overpowered yet leading to nothing. From what I've seen in some others such as Inuyasha, there's been waiting games too.

I guess that I would say that the stereotype that I wish could get a rest are long, tedious scenes with talks between.

[ShiroiHikari]

I think putting twists on stereotypes/archetypes is fun. :B

The DBZ anime is pretty lame until they get out of Filler Land. I really want to read the manga. Apparently the pacing is decent instead of nonexistent.

I'm getting tired of the whole moe thing myself. >_> Ugh.

[Chrysolite]

I agree with The Banner. I love dialogue, even in fight scenes, but it must be tactfully and carefully done. And no matter how cool a fight scene is, it can only go on so long before it starts to lose you. My personal worst example of this was *SPOILER* the fight in Naruto where Gai-sensei's team was fighting their doppelgangers. It was made even worse by the cheesy way they finally resolved it. I think I would have actually preferred it if they'd kept it up for another 8 episodes and then everyone passed out from exhaustion. ^-^

[Fish and Chips]

"L is justice."
"Light is justice."

Also, heterochromia.

[goldenspines]

Where would anime be without stereotypes?

Obviously, when the same stereotype is repeated in the same anime too much, that can be annoying, but I don't think any of them should be thrown out.

That said, I like it when a mangaka can take some of these certain stereotypes and poke fun at them in their own manga.

[CrimsonRyu17]

Also, heterochromia.

[Debitt]

Obviously, when the same stereotype is repeated in the same anime too much, that can be annoying, but I don't think any of them should be thrown out.

I'm apt to agree with this.

Except for moe. The concept infuriates me, and I have declared it my mortal enemy.

[ShiroiHikari]

Where would anime be without stereotypes?

Obviously, when the same stereotype is repeated in the same anime too much, that can be annoying, but I don't think any of them should be thrown out.

I agree.

That said, I like it when a mangaka can take some of these certain stereotypes and poke fun at them in their own manga.

Ouran is brilliant not just because of the lampooning of shoujo manga stereotypes, but because shoujo manga fangirls don't even seem to realize that it's a parody. XD

Also Crimmy, that picture is making me foam at the mouth. And not in a good way. XD I mean, everything about it is just ASDASFDSF.

[Mr. Rogers]

Anyway, the anime stereotype I most want gone is when two characters run/jump at each other with their swords and then both of them land and nothing happens for a couple of seconds, and then one of them just screams/gasps and falls over. I hate that! Make a real fight scene. :\

Nonsense, Nate. Everyone knows the best way to attack someone with a sword is to give them about 30 seconds warning and run at them from 200 feet away while screaming maniacally. It's how the Ninja protected Japan for so many years.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I agree.



Ouran is brilliant not just because of the lampooning of shoujo manga stereotypes, but because shoujo manga fangirls don't even seem to realize that it's a parody. XD

Also Crimmy, that picture is making me foam at the mouth. And not in a good way. XD I mean, everything about it is just ASDASFDSF.

Before I saw your post I was just about to say something about Ouran not even existing if it wasn't for stereotypes.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

What stereotype do I hate? I hate it when the poor guy get's dumped in to a situation that gets him smacked for perversion when he did nothing wrong. Poor guy...

[Maokun]

Awww, Hideki is not that bad. I would say his "perversion" doesn't go beyond any of that male at that age. As a matter of fact, for a young man whom ended living with a submissive, adoring and becoming young female, he was quite chaste. Keitaro from Love Hina is probably a better example, though hilarity ensues when he's oftenly accused of being a lot more pervert than he actually is.

That's a good example of what I was saying. I love Naruto, but quite frankly, when he does his 'sexy jutsu' he needs a good punch in the face, and for some strange reason, Sakura is just the man-- woman-- for the job.

I agree. And there are some great exceptions. Remember when Sai ill-talked of Sasuke and Sakura stopped Naruto from retaliating just to punch him herself? That was extra cool. My respect for Sakura went up several notches.

I also enjoy the silly classical fight motions like the one described by Nate, especially nowadays that they are used mostly as a lampooning of the trope. Probably, the archtype I really dislike is the gratuitous animal parts in humans. I love catgirls as much as the next sad slobbering fanboy, but at least give me a justification on why this girl has cat ears and no one seems to notice it as remarkable phenomenon. You know, beyond "It looks cute".

[~darkelfgirl~]

Deja vu .... Not in order of importance:

1. The female lead with no purpose whatsoever unless it's 'cheering on the guys' (Tea from Yu-Gi-Oh is a prime example of this)

2. Friendship speeches and symbols.

3. OVER endowment of females and nano-skirts. Especially clueless over-endowed females with nano-skirts.

4. Angsty Deus-Ex-Machina characters

5. *****The main character is fresh from learning his power and manages beat the people who have been practicing that art for ages.*****

6. Epic filler with epic holes. How about just not making any episodes for a while, eh? Bleach is a VERY good example of this. (Heck, most of the above!)

7. Mysterious characters you want to see more of but they are just there to fill in space. And the explanation behind them comes in 200 episodes later. When you don't care anymore.

8. Characters who eat like there will be no food tomorrow.

9. Cutesy talking animal thing that is feisty.

10. The white/silver-haired villain.

11. Villain laughter a small, smirking chuckle which turns into this epic toothy cackle. I end up laughing with the villain.

12. Villains with no real purpose behind their motives. Insanity and destroying the world for the heck of it are worn excuses.

13. Saying the attack before you perform it. So much for stealth. I guess the power is voice-activated?

14. Romances that aren't really romances but they are romances. Yeh, we know they both like each other. Can they call it a relationship already?!

15. Five minute transformations. Might as well change your outfit like the rest of us mortals.




To be honest, I think they should get rid of these. A little fresh creativity, s-il vous plait?

[ShiroiHikari]

So...I have to wonder why some of you guys even like anime when you hate most of the fun stuff about it. XD

[Chrysolite]

So true. There are a lot of things that I love and hate in stories. I guess it really depends on how it's executed. Honestly, I don't have anything against stereotypes unless they don't sit right with my soul, but some things really are overdone. This isn't to say that they should disappear altogether, but it is nice to see something original now and then.

[Esoteric]

To be honest, I think they should get rid of these. A little fresh creativity, s-il vous plait?

Yes x 15.

So...I have to wonder why some of you guys even like anime when you hate most of the fun stuff about it. XD

Well it was interesting the first 500 times, but now.... Yeah, actually I hardly watch anime anymore. XD

[Blitzkrieg1701]

5. *****The main character is fresh from learning his power and manages beat the people who have been practicing that art for ages.*****

[SIZE="5"]AMEN!!![/SIZE] I DESPISE main characters who have not possible reason to succeed at anything, but do anyway because the universe itself conspires to give them happy endings.

So...I have to wonder why some of you guys even like anime when you hate most of the fun stuff about it. XD

Maybe we just watch the anime that no one else has ever heard of, since they DON'T rely as heavily on overused ideas.

[MasterDias]

I think at this point execution matters more than originality. The reason these cliches/tropes/whatever still exist is because their shows are still popular. And the shows that get niche followings as "original" or unique aren't nearly as successful usually.
It's just the way it is.

Anyone who doesn't like this might want to find a different hobby or something...but really, any other entertainment medium (like, say, comic books or American TV) is going to have it's own set of cliches/tropes.

[The Banner]

Like I said, we can turn stone into gold again by using a batch of originality or a twist on an outdated stereotypical plot spell. Those "destroy/take over the world" themes were popular, and annoyingly enough, still popular today.

Final Fantasy VI, for example, brought something new to the table with an enemy like Kefka. Instead of saving the world, he pretty much nearly lets it rot away and the people of the world rebuild it. Kefka is mad, but it also was the question of the meaning of life that he gets stuck on that he sees no reason not do destroy the world. It's an interesting story, and I named two concepts that got exhausted once, but got turned into something new.

If Square-Enix could do it, why can't they? Don't throw out junk, make something new with it.

[Blitzkrieg1701]

I'm afraid to be typing this, since I can see several other people are viewing this topic and could very well be writing the very same thing, but here goes:

The thing about stereotypes is that they allow poor writing to flourish. Obviously, a really talented writer can take overused ideas and do something fresh with them, that's not really the issue. The problem is, someone who really has nothing worthwhile to offer can still pound out a sub-par story by stringing together a bunch of clichés. If said hack were forced to NOT use the same tried and true devices, he wouldn't have anything to offer at all, and we'd all be spared yet another mediocre story. THAT'S why the stereotypes need to be reign in: not so much because THEY create bad anime, but because they enable PEOPLE who create bad anime.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Also, heterochromia.

I think that's sexy in real life, however.

Not that I've come across any instance of that in a person though. =(

[ShiroiHikari]

My mom had a friend who had heterochromia. I've never seen anyone else like that though.

The last thing I will say about stereotypes and tropes and cliches is that there is nothing new under the sun. It's the execution that matters. And for the record, I do watch a lot of obscure anime and even the obscure stuff has archetypes, cliches, and all that "bad" stuff.

[CrimsonRyu17]

Also Crimmy, that picture is making me foam at the mouth. And not in a good way. XD I mean, everything about it is just ASDASFDSF.

Desu?

Also, heterochromia is amazing but I haven't seen it in person either. I do have central heterochromia, a hazel-inside with a greenish/blue outer ring, though I hear this type is pretty common.

To stay on-topic I dun think I watch enough anime that actually have any real stereotypes. None that annoy me anyway. I have had my share of annoying stereotypes though. Like..

- Shapely figure compensates for flat character?
- What is this male female I don't even?
- Powah means all, screw strategic tactics!

Also, white/silver hair is awesome what is wrong with you people.

[Fish and Chips]

Heterochromia bothers me more because it's a fairly rare trait, but it's so rampantly overused in Anime that you'd think every fifth person you passed on the street had it, 75% of them women. I almost wonder if it isn't a fetish (though of course Ryan posted).

Though it isn't a trope or a stereotype, one distinct weakness I've seen in a lot of Anime is a lack of a strong antagonist. One of my favorite plot dynamics is between the hero and the villain, a relationship most Anime skirts. The villain is either simply an excuse for the plot, or come into the picture so rarely it hardly matters. Preferably, I'm looking at more Guts vs. Griffith (former comrades in arms turned by fate) and less Ichigo vs. You Know Who (I have no idea who this guy is but he's evil).