Your most hated anime cliche

[Madara XIII]

I've got a couple
1.The big boobed clutzy chick
2.bad gy 900000000 times stronger then everone on the good side with 12 people just as strong as him still DOESN'T WORK TOGETHER TO WIN!
3.EMOS

LOL you just defined anime itself

 

[ArchAngelKira]

"It can't be helped" go back and watch your fav animes and i gaurante this line will pop up in most of them. Anytime someone makes a mistake or somthing bad happens some one is bound to say "It can't be helped" that exact damn line!

It reminds me of the "shrug" in acting. for those of you who haven't studied acting the shrug is a big acting no no because its ambigous in its meaning and its a sign of bad acting because: It's over used, generic, and doesn't do a good job of telling the audiance what an actor is feeling. "It can't be helped" has a similar feel to me. It's just a generic way of saying "lets move the plot along".

I think I only heard that line once in Clannad. And I'd say it was fairly well executed:
<youtube=OmKds9KVBgY>

but why did he need to say it at all? Why not sure or okay? "It can't be helped" doesn't seem to fit any particular situation. Its just somthing generic they say. I honestly think its a translation thing. like when they use a phrase that has no easy translation into our language they just say "It can't be helped"...makes them sound like robots.

I interpret it as "I guess there is no other way..." He will have to take one for the team since there's no other way around it. And it certainly fits Sunohara's character.

Then why not just say that? "It can't be helped" makes it sound like he didn't actually hear what his friend said and is just responding randomly.

also lets say your right, that it means taking one for the team. then why have i heard it used as a in drastically different situations? The phrase seems to have no real meaning in animes. I know it's not a huge thing but everytime i hear it in an anime (reguardless of quality) it's like nails on a chalk board.

When I saw her act like this I thought "Does she do the same thing while watcing Patrick & spongebob?"

 

[Blindswordmaster]

Boobs. MASSIVE boobs.

Get the fuck out. Now.

First off, I actually like anime, at least most of the ones that I've watched. This is just stuff that I don't get or that pisses me off. I'll try to cite examples where I think of any.

-Androgynous characters(Naruto)
-Increasingly bizarre transformations that make previous forms completely obsolete.(DBZ,Bleach)
-Characters attaining godlike powers, yet still find bad guys that are stronger.(DBZ,Bleach)
-Harem anime where no one fucks.(too many to list)
-Anime where a girl falls in love with a guy that treats her like crap, or is a dick, or both.(Bleach,Naruto)
-Anime where a girl falls in love with a guy she's never said two words to.(Naruto)
-Guys that don't want to fuck the ridiculously hot chicks that constantly surround them.(you know the ones)
-Bad guys that don't die.
-Really bad guys that become good guys.
-Filler(a hell worthy trespass)
-Characters not having the balls to tell someone that they love them.(Seems like every single fucking one)
-Yelling makes you stronger(no it doesn't-DBZ,Naruto,Bleach)
-Friendship(next one to make a friendship speech gets shanked)
-God-like characters that are terrified of their significant others.(DBZ)
-Beach and hot spring episodes(I shouldn't have to list these should I?)
-Destiny
-Underage girls and characters that look like underage girls(Bleach)
-Pairings that don't make any fucking sense(DBZ)
-Collection quests(Dragon Ball)
-I'm dead, now I'm back, now I'm dead again, but I'm really not.(Bleach,DBZ)
-Terrible openings(One Piece)
-Japanese pop music(I hate it like Hitler hated gypsies)
-Teases(Bleach)
-Rapists(DBZ,Bleach,others)
-Pedophiles(no, just no)
-Children doing shit that adults with combat training should do(Gundam)
-Tournaments(Yu-Yu-Hakusho,DBZ)
-Characters that are super powerful, but hate to fight
-Tears
-Not killing irredeemable bad guys
-Plot armor
-Characters with vast untapped amounts of power that only old guys and training can unlock(DBZ,Bleach,others)
-Characters that are angry and anti-social helping people.(Bleach)
-Angst(Emos ruin everything)
-Orphans(keep a hold on your fucking parents

There's more, but I can't think of it right now; I can only let so much hate flow out at one time.

Edit: Wait, I've got another one! Series that don't tell you where or when their shit is happening.(DBZ,Yu-Gi-Oh,others I can't remember)

agree on the gtfo on the massive boobs.its one of japans finest gifts.btw i also agree with"guy who is surrounded by hot girls and doesnt even fuck one'i mean serously you surrounded by hot woman the first thing that should come to you mind is"gigity" not"omg i must not sleep with any of them just becouse i dont want to hurt there feelings".... that stereotype is so played out now.

It's not even 'I don't want to sleep around and hurt someone's feelings'! I mean, I could maybe understand that, but it's like some of these guys aren't even interested or they're terrified at the prospect of fucking some really hot chick that is clearly into them. Maybe Japan's full of Mormons.

 

[obisean]

The lead character always has to take a pounding and keep fighting till eventually they become strong enough to beat their opponent - this is normally accompanied with the line "They can still stand??!"

Homer Simpson syndrome.

 

[For.I.Am.Mad]

The grinning bad guy. They always have a huge smile on their face no matter what. Especially when dealing with his underage 'apprentice' of evil.

Boys are better than girls syndrome. If a woman is powerful, oh you better believe she gonna get depowered somehow. If she's the badguy she won't be anywhere near as powerful as the protagonist and will usually be taking orders from a higher male figure. If she's powerful and has big boobs she'll probably die for being a horrible mistake on nature.

Stupid violence does not a creative make. Just because you take something from western lore, say 'Counting Sheep' and make it loudly violent doesn't mean it's creative or original.

Evangelion syndrome. I don't like it when the director pretty much uses the anime to get on a soapbox and tell me his existential views. It's rather arrogant.

You know, anime is really just an extension of kabuki theater. Which explains a lot.

I wouldn't say that the evangelion mangaka was that arrogant, as he was apparently severely depressed while writing it.
Nevertheless, how is the writer putting forward his philosophies and thinkings through their work a bad thing? That's what makes art.
They're hardly going to voice someone else's existential views. Anime that make you think are the best!

It's all right if you weave it into the overall story but the last few episodes he just said F' it and pretty much when into this swirl of bullshit. People(otaku) call it genious but it's just pretentious.

He went from well paced action packed episodes to 'What does it mean to exist' with Shinji(i.e. punkass) looking at a wall for five minutes. Really, that was the only way to this message across?

'It's makes you think.' He just some automaton in Japan, what makes his views relevant? I was watching for giant robots and interesting character development and all of a sudden I get 'Why do I cry?'.

 

[William Dickbringer]

I don't have any...

I actually sort of like the over the top reactions, if they're well done.

I'll just use this space to complain that Death Note went downhill halfway through.

Edit: Oh wait. The main character that knows nothing about girls and messes up his relationship by being too agressive and such. Examples: Suzuka and what little I have seen of School days.

oh that show goes in a downward spiral so fast and there are so many faceplam moment that you begin to wonder "why is every girl in this show an idiot"

Suzuka or School days, that is?

I haven't seen the anime of Suzuka, and I've only seen the two first episodes of School days, so please don't spoil anything.

I still think Suzuka was a rather good manga though.

school days and I won't spoil it I'll just leave it at what I said

 

[Grabnaur]

In harem anime it's aways some scrawny loser who meets this random girl (usually a alien, gene, witch, demon, etc.). She then follows him around all the time. Then the guys oldest friend who happens to be a girl sees this and starts to get feelings for him. After that the guy meets other girls. (A rich one, tomboy one, slutty one, dumb one, smart one, shy one, crazy one, bossy one, etc. Also let's not forget the Loli.)and gets put in a bunch of situations like lingerie shopping, going to the beach, school trip, going somewhere on vacation, etc. Then in the last episode things get all serious and they have to fight some people who are after the random girl. After that things go back too normal he never picks one girl to be with(even though we all know it's the random girl) and he never trys anything with any of them. Seriously does this bother anyone else?

 

[carrot74]

Everything shounen; I hate weak MCs who has a heart of gold and tries really hard
I hate the timid weak pathetic character in any anime
I hate the stupid logic of the main characters
I HATE the ridiculous abilities the MC gets after 6 seconds of training.

 

[kaveradeo]

Kaaaaahhhhhh!!!

Next week on Dragonball Z: Maaaayyyyyyy!!!!

Haaaahhh!

Spoiler Alert bro!!!! I haven't seen that episode yet!!!

Thats the best part! you know what will happen anyway!

 

[NicolasMarinus]

I'm not sure if this is a cliché, or more of a subversion, but I really hate it when a great character loses a fight and then pretty much becomes the butt-monkey for the rest of the series, despite having just as much drive to fight as anyone else in the series if not more.

The only example of this that comes to mind is Elfen Lied, but I'm sure there are plenty of others.

The abstract endings that make no sense and make you wonder why you just spent hours and hours on a series that has a conclusion you can make nothing of. For instance Last Exile and Neon Genesis Evangelion!

The entire point of Neon Genesis Evangelion is making no sense whatsoever just so fanboys will froth at the mouth and scream about how deep it is. Greatest scam ever, really.

Lol! I've heard the Japanese are better at grasping abstract storylines than western people. That might explain the existential boy-in-a-white-space ending to Neon Genesis Evangelion.

 

[Durxom]

I dunno if this really counts, but the preconcieved notion that all dubs are bad.

This isn't th early 90's people! And not everyone is 4kids.

Some shows I just cannot watch subbed, because their voices or just the overall tone just does not work with the story. Like I know that Hellsing Ultimate is at like..#7 or 8 now, but I will not watch it past 4 because that is as far as the english version went(because Geneon USA went under). The Japanese is just subpar compared to this...
..especially when you have people who are suppose to have british or german accents.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Why is everyone white? Shouldn't everyone be Japanese or at least look more Asian? Hegemony sucks.

Time for me to pull out the big guns:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKTvFhRbBt8

your arguments are rendered irrelevant.

Actually no. My argument is not true but its not irrelevant. See my above post for my response to this video (the music is still annoying).

 

[redeemer09]

Boobs. MASSIVE boobs.

Get the fuck out. Now.

First off, I actually like anime, at least most of the ones that I've watched. This is just stuff that I don't get or that pisses me off. I'll try to cite examples where I think of any.

-Androgynous characters(Naruto)
-Increasingly bizarre transformations that make previous forms completely obsolete.(DBZ,Bleach)
-Characters attaining godlike powers, yet still find bad guys that are stronger.(DBZ,Bleach)
-Harem anime where no one fucks.(too many to list)
-Anime where a girl falls in love with a guy that treats her like crap, or is a dick, or both.(Bleach,Naruto)
-Anime where a girl falls in love with a guy she's never said two words to.(Naruto)
-Guys that don't want to fuck the ridiculously hot chicks that constantly surround them.(you know the ones)
-Bad guys that don't die.
-Really bad guys that become good guys.
-Filler(a hell worthy trespass)
-Characters not having the balls to tell someone that they love them.(Seems like every single fucking one)
-Yelling makes you stronger(no it doesn't-DBZ,Naruto,Bleach)
-Friendship(next one to make a friendship speech gets shanked)
-God-like characters that are terrified of their significant others.(DBZ)
-Beach and hot spring episodes(I shouldn't have to list these should I?)
-Destiny
-Underage girls and characters that look like underage girls(Bleach)
-Pairings that don't make any fucking sense(DBZ)
-Collection quests(Dragon Ball)
-I'm dead, now I'm back, now I'm dead again, but I'm really not.(Bleach,DBZ)
-Terrible openings(One Piece)
-Japanese pop music(I hate it like Hitler hated gypsies)
-Teases(Bleach)
-Rapists(DBZ,Bleach,others)
-Pedophiles(no, just no)
-Children doing shit that adults with combat training should do(Gundam)
-Tournaments(Yu-Yu-Hakusho,DBZ)
-Characters that are super powerful, but hate to fight
-Tears
-Not killing irredeemable bad guys
-Plot armor
-Characters with vast untapped amounts of power that only old guys and training can unlock(DBZ,Bleach,others)
-Characters that are angry and anti-social helping people.(Bleach)
-Angst(Emos ruin everything)
-Orphans(keep a hold on your fucking parents

There's more, but I can't think of it right now; I can only let so much hate flow out at one time.

Edit: Wait, I've got another one! Series that don't tell you where or when their shit is happening.(DBZ,Yu-Gi-Oh,others I can't remember)

agree on the gtfo on the massive boobs.its one of japans finest gifts.btw i also agree with"guy who is surrounded by hot girls and doesnt even fuck one'i mean serously you surrounded by hot woman the first thing that should come to you mind is"gigity" not"omg i must not sleep with any of them just becouse i dont want to hurt there feelings".... that stereotype is so played out now.

It's not even 'I don't want to sleep around and hurt someone's feelings'! I mean, I could maybe understand that, but it's like some of these guys aren't even interested or they're terrified at the prospect of fucking some really hot chick that is clearly into them. Maybe Japan's full of Mormons.

maybe there gay?

 

[Delock]

Mostly a common cliche in anime, but it bleeds over into other mediums: Alien/other member of a society different than the one portrayed is put into a common senario (or at the very WORST: a school). Enjoy the WACKY HIJINKS of culture shock/dissonance!

Seriously, this never really strikes me as funny, just embarassing.

Also
-Evil race
-Train to beat next boss
-Overly long flashbacks
-14 year olds beating 30 something year olds because of the power of friendship/hidden superpower
-Ultimate move suddenly sucks (Bleach was the worst offender of this. Literally, a move stops being powerful after the episode it is introduced in)
-Over the top fanservice. It's no longer really a selling given how many series have it now.
-Mecha always turning into an arms race near the end
-Bad voice acting
-Strange fight scenes (mostly due to slow frame rates which makes it so there are these awkward pauses throughout the fight)
-Katanas... always katanas (there are so many different, awesome swords out there, each of which you can do cool things with too. Hell, if you want a long weapon that isn't used as often, a staff is another great idea).
-Over the top reactions (to be fair, most of them I laugh at, EXCEPT for the pratfall and nosebleed. These two just piss me off).
-Parents fit into two categories: weak or godly.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

Pantie shots
I mean...come on. Sure I know you need to have your fan shots in, but...I mean it's the internet age. Do a serious anime and let the people take their own time to draw them with barely any cloths on.

 

[GloatingSwine]

I was going to give a list of points on various themes and ideas that appear in the show that point out certain Japanese ideals and the lack of inference of parodying nature that a parody would contain. But I'm not. I can't properly think this late. It is apparent that we have watched different versions of TTGL. I assume that you have watched an English language version. I have watched a fan-subbed Japanese version. I have no doubt in my opinion that TTGL is a full embodiment of the aforementioned stereotypes and all the better for it.

TTGL is a deliberate embracing of all the silliness and awesomeness that is the Super Robot genre. It's not a parody of the Super Robot genre, it really is just a Super Robot show of the type that used to get made before Evangelion made the genre emo.

However, the fansubs are shit. There are a couple of mistakes they make at absolutely critical points in the series that significantly change the meaning of what's being said, especially in the very final battle of the series, where they misheard Simon's line "ore no drill wa ten no tsukuru drill ga" (My drill is the drill that creates the heavens) as Kamina's line from the first episode "omae no drill wa ten no tsuki drill ga" (your drill is the drill that breaks through the heavens). It basically changes the whole meaning of Simon's character and motivations (and the reason that he, not Kamina, is really the hero of TTGL), just by mistranslating one line.

I like to imagine that Highschool of the dead is satirizing excessive fanservice...

Highschool of the Dead is cheap schlocky exploitation. Which is what zombie flicks fucking well should be. If it didn't have excessive fanservice it would be doing it wrong. (Also, the manga is by a professional hentai artist, you gotta stick with what you know, after all)

 

[Bob_F_It]

The catchup episode. You know, the episode where the characters go and recount EVERYTHING that has happened in the last 12 episodes. It can't be for idiots who miss 2 or 3 episodes, because if there was a possibility of missing one, you'd just set the recorder to go. No, it's really an excuse to do a tenth of the work.

And then there are episode previews that nicely spoil a cliff hanger. Textbook examble - Bamboo Blade: episode ends on a cliffhanger with Tamaki getting locked in a cupboard by a bunch of bullies. Episode preview shows her competing in her match. What's the point in that suspense if you just go and wreck it 90 seconds later?

 

[Skuffyshootster]

The ":3" face, or any variation of it.

Spoiler: Case in point

I just started watching it a few days ago, and damn near stopped with all the ridiculous faces Vash makes in the first couple episodes.

I think I spoiled myself by watching Cowboy Bebop first...

 

[Blindswordmaster]

Boobs. MASSIVE boobs.

Get the fuck out. Now.

First off, I actually like anime, at least most of the ones that I've watched. This is just stuff that I don't get or that pisses me off. I'll try to cite examples where I think of any.

-Androgynous characters(Naruto)
-Increasingly bizarre transformations that make previous forms completely obsolete.(DBZ,Bleach)
-Characters attaining godlike powers, yet still find bad guys that are stronger.(DBZ,Bleach)
-Harem anime where no one fucks.(too many to list)
-Anime where a girl falls in love with a guy that treats her like crap, or is a dick, or both.(Bleach,Naruto)
-Anime where a girl falls in love with a guy she's never said two words to.(Naruto)
-Guys that don't want to fuck the ridiculously hot chicks that constantly surround them.(you know the ones)
-Bad guys that don't die.
-Really bad guys that become good guys.
-Filler(a hell worthy trespass)
-Characters not having the balls to tell someone that they love them.(Seems like every single fucking one)
-Yelling makes you stronger(no it doesn't-DBZ,Naruto,Bleach)
-Friendship(next one to make a friendship speech gets shanked)
-God-like characters that are terrified of their significant others.(DBZ)
-Beach and hot spring episodes(I shouldn't have to list these should I?)
-Destiny
-Underage girls and characters that look like underage girls(Bleach)
-Pairings that don't make any fucking sense(DBZ)
-Collection quests(Dragon Ball)
-I'm dead, now I'm back, now I'm dead again, but I'm really not.(Bleach,DBZ)
-Terrible openings(One Piece)
-Japanese pop music(I hate it like Hitler hated gypsies)
-Teases(Bleach)
-Rapists(DBZ,Bleach,others)
-Pedophiles(no, just no)
-Children doing shit that adults with combat training should do(Gundam)
-Tournaments(Yu-Yu-Hakusho,DBZ)
-Characters that are super powerful, but hate to fight
-Tears
-Not killing irredeemable bad guys
-Plot armor
-Characters with vast untapped amounts of power that only old guys and training can unlock(DBZ,Bleach,others)
-Characters that are angry and anti-social helping people.(Bleach)
-Angst(Emos ruin everything)
-Orphans(keep a hold on your fucking parents

There's more, but I can't think of it right now; I can only let so much hate flow out at one time.

Edit: Wait, I've got another one! Series that don't tell you where or when their shit is happening.(DBZ,Yu-Gi-Oh,others I can't remember)

agree on the gtfo on the massive boobs.its one of japans finest gifts.btw i also agree with"guy who is surrounded by hot girls and doesnt even fuck one'i mean serously you surrounded by hot woman the first thing that should come to you mind is"gigity" not"omg i must not sleep with any of them just becouse i dont want to hurt there feelings".... that stereotype is so played out now.

It's not even 'I don't want to sleep around and hurt someone's feelings'! I mean, I could maybe understand that, but it's like some of these guys aren't even interested or they're terrified at the prospect of fucking some really hot chick that is clearly into them. Maybe Japan's full of Mormons.

maybe there gay?

Though certainly a possibility, it can't be the case every time, could it?

 

[Isaac The Grape]

I was going to give a list of points on various themes and ideas that appear in the show that point out certain Japanese ideals and the lack of inference of parodying nature that a parody would contain. But I'm not. I can't properly think this late. It is apparent that we have watched different versions of TTGL. I assume that you have watched an English language version. I have watched a fan-subbed Japanese version. I have no doubt in my opinion that TTGL is a full embodiment of the aforementioned stereotypes and all the better for it.

TTGL is a deliberate embracing of all the silliness and awesomeness that is the Super Robot genre. It's not a parody of the Super Robot genre, it really is just a Super Robot show of the type that used to get made before Evangelion made the genre emo.

However, the fansubs are shit. There are a couple of mistakes they make at absolutely critical points in the series that significantly change the meaning of what's being said, especially in the very final battle of the series, where they misheard Simon's line "ore no drill wa ten no tsukuru drill ga" (My drill is the drill that creates the heavens) as Kamina's line from the first episode "omae no drill wa ten no tsuki drill ga" (your drill is the drill that breaks through the heavens). It basically changes the whole meaning of Simon's character and motivations (and the reason that he, not Kamina, is really the hero of TTGL), just by mistranslating one line.

Thank you sir. I this was something that I wondered about watching the pilot episode and then never thought about again. And then I started wondering why the TTGL Wiki had so many contradictions.