One Punch Man, the anime and the manga both, use a reoccurring writing tactic in its plot structure and character building that serves to trump any previous idea's about the heroism we see in today's super hero movies and action anime. The tactic I am describing is the use of realistic results which destroy the audiences expectations of the traditional patterns we usually see in the iconic situations which reoccur in heroic stories. An example of this tactic can be seen in the episode, The Obsessive Cyborg. The protagonists arrive at a multiple floor base where a hero would traditionally have to ascend floors of enemies to reach a final boss. Instead, the character, Genos, uses a giant fire blast to level the entire building to smoldering ash, rendering the audiences' expectations shattered. Saitama, the protagonist of the series, is an ultra-powerful being who, as the title suggests, can defeat any enemy with one punch. Instead of being characterized by the traditional hero values of protecting the masses or becoming the most powerful being in the universe, Saitama is an oblivious, innocent, and often bored individual who only fights evil for fun. Similarly, other hero characters in the show often have selfish or inconsistent values to the ones we see again and again in other stories. Write on this tool as being the base for the show's comedic wit and as a form of story telling that keeps an audience interested with its ironic unpredictability.
One punch man, as you've mentioned, breaks our expectations up until a point. After watching a few episodes we know that Saitama will defeat any enemy with a single punch. Viewers go through a process, first being shocked that One punch man continues making boss battles less dramatic than we expect, but then the audience become relieved. If anyone here as seen One Piece, boss battles can go on for 5 to 10 episodes, and that becomes tedious. One Punch Man gives us everything we want, huge terrifying monsters with apparently no weaknesses and a hero that doesn't waste our time defeating them. Your analysis of Saitama is correct, he is a very causal hero who is not in the business to make enemies with the others. If anything Saitama is willing to sacrifice his reputation in order to make the guild of heros look more respectable. On a final note I think it is worth exploring the concept of a hero organization, the ranking and purpose of such. In such a world a normal, unregistered, hero does not get recognition for their actions. If you or I were to stop a thief or a monster from eating a bus we would not be given credit. At that same token that may be a benefit, as we have seen the organization is very cliche, with heros having huge ego's related to their ranking. One Punch Man is a great show, but be careful the fast pace will have you wanting to watch more, and there aren't many episodes; so you'll be buying the manga sooner than you think. – flowers9 years ago
If a show contains traits or plot devices often seen across anime (eg. The Training Arc, The Overpowered Protagonist, Love Triangles) does that impact your enjoyment of it?
I think this Topic can be expanded to include any medium. In particular to anime though, I'm going to chime in and say that it's not the device/trope itself that's the issue. Everything needs to start somewhere, and it's impossible to create an entirely original character, plot, or setting, especially in a medium such as anime where almost everything is centralized and components are distributed like Lego pieces. The annoying part is refusing to deviate from a subset of characteristics that creates a boring element of a story. It's not how you start, but how you end. – Austin9 years ago
I feel like the tropes themselves aren't actually the main issue; it's the reliance upon them. Many times when a story is character driven, you can't depend on a trope alone to carry it; at that point you need to properly flesh out a character. I agree with Austin in that this can be extended to any form of media, with the new film "Inside Out" by Pixar being a prime example, in which the tropes are literally provided through the character's names, yet nothing is actually done to flesh said characters out. In returning to anime however, it is possible to rely upon tropes if the plan isn't to have the character's drive the story by themselves, but rather to drop said trope in a fantastic or awkward circumstance to flesh out it's performance in that situation, thereby lending more personality to the character. – JAYUCKSON9 years ago
I don't think tropes are bad - it's really how you use it. If you overuse it too much, of course it can get annoying, especially when the 'power of friendship' defeats some of the most fearsome villains. But in regards to creating a story, you do need to rely on tropes to populate the world, i.e having the rival, the best friend, the animal sidekick, etc. – YsabelGo9 years ago
I second jayuckson's assertions. The troops themselves are not an issue as they are part of human advancement and advancement of skill. The issue is that while there are tropes there aren't enough deconstruction of then to tell better stores for instance Madoka Magicka as a deconstruction of the magical girl genre and its many tropes. – fchery9 years ago
Looking at the website TV Tropes.org is a good example of tv tropves and where they are used. It might prove to be an enormous help for whoever decides to take this on. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
Probably the biggest thing to note with this is that tropes are useful only to a certain extent. Tropes exist for a reason - they keep coming back again and again because we, as a species, are interested in them. But tropes can only be interesting and dynamic and complicated when there's more than just the trope itself; when the character exists outside of the trope, or when the cliche is played around with. Community might be an interesting show to investigate with this in mind - it takes on a lot of tropes and genre parodies and tries (sometimes succeeding, sometimes not) to turn them on their head or do more with them. – kcecka9 years ago
Nowadays, many sports animes have become popular: Free! , Haikyuu!! , Kuroko no Basuke, etc. It makes sense for fans who love these sports to watch these animes, but how do they attract non-sports fans to watch it? Is it the storyline, characters, themes, or something else that intrigues them? This article can focus on one anime in particular, or talk about sports anime in general.
DBZ-syndrome is a major drawing/detracting factor. I've been (shamefully) a huge fan of sports manga/anime since I was little, and the fact that these people who aren't Saiyans or heroes with superpowers that can perform these "moves" in real-life events has always been attractive. At the same time, it can be a big factor in turning off many who invest in these sports because it's completely unrealistic. I can't deny that I've tried to mimic Prince of Tennis moves in my own games though. Hey, those are cool. – Austin9 years ago
I am a really big fan of Furudate-sensei, so that lead me reading Haikkyuu!! The above theory is nice, everyone wants to go super saiyan, but I have no interest in being a volleyball player. I am a big fan of Hajime no Ippo, but I really like boxing. So yeah, I know this note is unhelpful (lol). But I am stumped in the idea that I read Haikyuu!! when I can say that I don't know volleyball, or have an interest on it. I like Furudate's art though. I think I like the will to be relevant in sports and take it as a metaphor to the having ambition. – Jill9 years ago
Adachi Mitsuru's Cross Game and its anime adaptation deserves consideration for this topic. It uses sports (here baseball) as a plot device that drives much of the story as well as a sort of thematic glue that unites the characters and their conflicts. In other words, is athletics the only thing that gives the anime depth or is it simply the setting in which the story is being told? – rj2n9 years ago
I think there's a bit of a sports anime version of this "DBZ-syndrome" as well. If you look at Kuroko no Basuke, the abilities of the generation of miracles can lean towards the logic defying and superhuman, but I also think that contributes a bit towards the excitement of the anime (and let's not forget prince of tennis, a sports anime that could truly care less about physics). However, there are other anime like baby steps and haikyuu that don't rely on every other athlete having some crazy powerful ability, but do a very good job of explaining the sports mechanics, and using life off the court to draw viewers into the story. I think this spectrum of sports anime gives a bit more to offer when we're looking at what can attract viewers to the genre. – crpreble9 years ago
I think the animation helps. Free! has some of the most beautiful animation I've ever seen in an anime (the eyes!). Also, from what I've seen of Kuroko no Basuke, the style is really exciting. I might actually check it out in the future. – OkaNaimo08195 years ago
I agree-I am not a sports fan, and don’t even play sports. Though watching Haikyuu, it draws me in. Yes, the characters and animations have a HUGE part in drawing fans in, I think the sports helps add action that so many anime watchers like. – Kthemangalover4 years ago
In anime, first episodes are usually very short and the length of any other in the series (20-30 minutes), and therefore demonstrate a different use of pace to that of western programmes (some of which even include pilots of extended lengths). Because of this, it could be argued that some audiences are put off by opening episodes in anime that seem rushed or simply do not contain enough content to be immediately appealing. Explore reception to anime pilots and the importance of continuing watching a series even if not entirely convinced by an opening episode. It may also be interesting to look at anime that breaks convention by featuring longer pilot episodes (e.g comedy series Great Teacher Onizuka).
Another long anime pilot is the one from Fate/Zero. The first episode is twice as long. I actually found it very off putting, because I didn't realize when I started it that it was so long. For me, it felt too long. – OddballGentleman9 years ago
The anime company Studio Pierrot has been often recognized for the many instances where they take the manga of a creator and then change around certain details or even whole characters or plot points to suit their purposes. More importantly, Studio Pierrot's changes produce very different reactions from creators and fans alike.
With Sailor Moon for instance, while some fans appreciated the extended filler episodes meant to make the one-dimensional villains like the Specter Sisters be more sympathetic and have them survive to be redeemed instead of being killed off like in the Sailor Moon manga; the creator herself though, Naoko Takeuchi, decried the changes made by Studio Pierrot as going against her manga's characters by sexualizing the Sailor senshi as fan-service and altering their personalities to be less serious.
In the case of Masashi Kishimoto, on the other hand, he not only embraced the changes Studio Pierrot made to his manga Naruto, he even wrote out future chapters to have the characters Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki become a couple; but because the changes made went against the previously established story, some Naruto fans ended up rejecting the manga along with the Studio Pierrot fan-service this time around.
Therefore, given these conflicting opinions, should Studio Pierrot's changes be trusted or valued at all, even if they may be at odds with the original creators' intent or fan approval potentially?
It's important to consider the merits that justify a studio's license for artistic originality when it takes over a work and creates an anime adaptation. Even as a personal detractor of Studio Pierrot, I think additions or changes made by them should be taken as is because as a newly introduced part of a franchise or series, they have the authority now to take the IP in whatever direction they see fit. Fans and viewers just need to become educated on who did what for what reason, give credit where credit is due, and criticism where necessary. What is 'better' or 'original' is irrelevant; the fact is that whatever changes made are now part of the franchise and it's up to the fans to determine what is good or not. – Austin9 years ago
As with any Anime article speaking of the author's original intent, sources are very important. For example, saying Kishimoto had Naruto and Hinata be a couple because of the Anime is not only news to me, but it goes against some contradictory things I've heard, like Studio Pierrot raising Naruto/Sakura hype instead. In the Kobayashi interview, Kishimoto actually admitted to seriousl consider making Hinata heroine. I'm not saying this to contract anything but to point to how important sources are when attributing a quote to an author. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
The part about Naruto/Hinata being largely Studio Pierrot's idea is from an (English translation of) interview from around 9 months ago with Kishimoto. But you're right, perhaps I should've listed it as a source since I was under the impression that more people knew: http://falconia.tumblr.com/post/104920253714/recent-interview-with-kishimoto-sensei – dsoumilas9 years ago
Important to bear in mind the purpose of adaptation and the audience the changes, and the show in the first place, are targeted to. Also be careful of skewing the 'audience' into purely netizens. I've always noted source material 'true fans' to be marginal in their extremes of distrust of change in adaptations. There's also a bandwagon-ish quality to their opinions. – JekoJeko9 years ago
This may be late, I just saw this again, I previously forgot about my gripe with this. Regarding Studio Pierrot having the idea of Naruto/Hinata getting together, the source given to me is in context of the movie, not the ending of the manga, which is what sort of settled this shipping issue. I'm not bashing the existence of this, but I don't think Naruto is a fair example, especially in terms of who Naruto ends up with. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
Michiko and Hatchin is an anime set in a fictional country on a continent similar to South America. The story involves two dysfunctional characters in a "mother/daughter" relationship that it equally, if not more, dysfunctional. Question is, why is it so popular? As a "mother daughter" relationship, it clearly is designed to leave a lot to be desired, but what is it about the over-the-top relationship that draws people in. One could say that it's the diversity in the show itself that is refreshing enough to keep people engaged in the story line. Or is it the hope to see Michiko and Hatchin's relationship grow in affection, as one would expect from a "mother/daughter" duo? Also, why is it that Michiko sought Hatchin out, and how does her relation to the man she loves put Michiko in a conflicting position of love and hate for Hatchin? This is to analyze and dive deeper into the relationship between the two and how it appeals to the audience.
Is "Michiko and Hatchin" popular? How popular? It's hard to tell since it's not something that has blown up in terms of memes, gifs, or fan-art: which seems to be the way to gauge popularity for things these days. I know I'm a fan, and am still working my way through the series now. But I haven't really been aware of its popularity before I ready your description here. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
I think it's important to note the demographics of popularity. From my experiences when it first aired on Adult Swim, it was highly circulated among women looking for variety in female characters and minorities seeking representation. I understand where you are coming from though, because as a whole the scale of popularity can be a bit iffy, I think it depends on where you look. "Popular with who" would probably be the question here. – Aurianna9 years ago
There are many anime aimed toward children, although only a small number of those are aired on televisions in the West. What are some of these series? Why might they not have been aired on television and instead released on DVD only? There is an Answerman on Anime News Network on "Why are anime still censored?" which could be useful to refer to. Fancy Lala, Creamy Mami, Kaleido Star other magical girl series, and maybe even Tamako Market are some examples that could be considered appropriate for that audience.
If possible, read "Killing Monsters" by Gerard Jones! – Ian Boucher9 years ago
It would be a curious thing to know what quality parts of the anime allowed for translations in other countries, with the U.S. being a notable recipient. It might be a decent idea for someone to study the background of countries that aired the anime (perhaps who aired the show and what the demographic are watching), to see what distinct traits might be consistent with the argument. – N.D. Storlid9 years ago
I definitely agree with this. There are a number of children's anime that came out in Italy and France, for example, that didn't make it here. Maybe there is more of an audience for them in those countries? – Jordan9 years ago
The harem genre is a term used for anime that have one guy surrounded by a bunch of girls (usually they have a romantic interest in the main character). Sometimes there are 'reverse harems' where it's 1 girl surrounded by a bunch of guys. Take a look at the history of the harem genre in anime, which series have been popular, why the harem genre is popular/interesting and some of the most entertaining, high quality, maybe even odd harem anime. Are love triangles a more effective system?
