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Tiresome Tropes written Apr 18, 2020 15:38:26 GMT
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And I hope that wherever life has taken you, that you're happy.
What anime/manga tropes do you read/watch that you see a lot of and are getting a little bit tired of it? Or more importantly: What are some tropes you wish you'd see more of?

For me it's the classic hero shouting about having to save their friends 24/7 and effectively the louder and more verbal they become about how they have friendship, the more effective their sudden level-up becomes. I've read Naruto/Fairy Tail/God knows what else and I see it a lot and quite frankly: I'd love one where the character is well aware of that but has no need to shout it to the sky. Take Yuno from Black Clover, he's much quieter than the MC and I personally find that much more enjoyable, now I haven't caught up/finished(idk if it is finished??) with it but from what I've seen that's A+ and I'd love to see more main characters who are well aware their friends are relying and that they'll save them but if I could have them not shout it all the time at the enemy that'd be fabulous.

That said, what tropes do you find in recent/old anime/manga that you have outgrown? 

P.S. Feel free to also suggest anime/manga.


last edit on Apr 18, 2020 15:50:45 GMT by Deva
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Tiresome Tropes written Apr 18, 2020 16:18:26 GMT
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If you are reading this, I am beautiful.
I can't stand the "maniac bright-eyed energetic innocent pixie girl" with "emo lonely my parents are killed when I was 3 cool guy." And the girl is usually pinning after a guy that wants nothing to do with her, but then they suddenly end up together because he was hit by an epiphany. I'm looking at you, Gray and Juvia. I feel that this kind of dynamic is extremely toxic, both in real life and in anime/manga/roleplay. A similar trope to this will also be "masochistic girl forever pinning after a guy that constantly hurts her in hopes that he will change, and he does." I'm looking at you too, Lelouch and Shirley

What I do prefer is something akin to a "golden tag team" couple. A couple like Misaki and Usui from Maid-sama- because they feel right for each other, they are both ambitious, smart, and fully capable without each other. Another amazing example will be Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane from Kaguya-sama. Maybe Lelouch and CC would've been a better fit too. Erza and Jellal from Fairy Tail also feels good together. Lucy and Natsu- both extroverted, happy-go-lucky, loyal. I feel like couples that are so vastly opposite strikes me as strange- like Raven and Beastboy from Teen Titans.




last edit on Apr 18, 2020 16:19:13 GMT by Mizo

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Tiresome Tropes written Apr 20, 2020 19:44:27 GMT
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Oh. My. God.

I've been reading a lot of shoujo-esque, and my god, the tropes are ENDLESS. 

What I hate to see:
1.) The main character being absolutely oblivious about the feelings of her love interests. This is especially frusrating because MOST of the time, the character is usually really perceptive about everything else. But, for whatever reason, they can't connect the dots with anything romance related. Sometimes it makes sense (Fruits basket), but sometimes it's  so out of character that it's annoying as hell. I've recently gotten into manga/manhwa/anime/light novels that deal with a female character being reborn into a romance novel or otome (Dating sim) game. They know the story by heart, they can read everyone's facial expressions perfectly, but for whatever reason, they NEVER understand when another person likes them. They always fall back on, "oh but in the original story, he falls for another" but doesn't remember the fact that every supposed interaction that Love interest had on the original heroine has been changed due to the MC's interference. So they freaking go onwards thinking that no one likes them, when you have several men literally blushing every 20 seconds around her. LIKE HOW DO YOU NOT REALIZE THIS WHEN YOU ACTIVELY READ ROMANCE NOVELS/PLAY DATING SIMS??? Even if I was in denial, my first thought would be "wait, do they like me? Hahah no way...unless" BUT NO, it takes the person literally spilling their feelings in order for them to understand ANYTHING.

I'm looking at you Inso's law, Survive as the Hero's Wife, The Justice of Villainous Woman, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom.

What I love:
Bro, if the male lead in what I'm reading goes to the main character whenever a misunderstanding occurs, that boy instantly becomes a favorite. The whole "misunderstanding so the characters avoid each other" is SO annoying and overplayed. I love some good drama, but it's usually always some dumb thing that was misinterpreted. It's so nice just to see characters talk things out with each other and lean on eachother for support - especially if it's a relationship or coupe-to-be. 
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Tiresome Tropes written Apr 27, 2020 2:57:58 GMT
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I really hate that one ignorant/clueless character who's always like- chasing around the mc bc they love them, and doing absurd/unrealistic/stupid to slowly become a "damnsel in distress". Like holy crap stop that, cease, begone thot. if she doesn't have a spine, she's not worthy of the mc's affection (or my husband, k thanks).

There are exceptions to this, where the char gets some development and become tolerable. But outside of this.. like.. why? why are they there? they're so useless.

I'm heavily look at characters like that one chick from Tendou: Sirius the Jaeger. Just.. like.. why. can you not.
last edit on Apr 27, 2020 3:00:06 GMT by dijit.exe
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Tiresome Tropes written May 23, 2020 14:30:02 GMT
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i hate when the situation calls for haste but folks be out there thinking time has stopped for, let's say, a long hug. no matter how long this takes, for some reason, the antagonists chasing them have become significantly slower / have stopped moving. i know it's to really show the feelings of the characters finally reuniting or something but it's so annoying haha. i'd rather they get caught while they do this. makes more sense.

and i upvote the hate on the "perversion is the main trait of my character". just... die.
last edit on May 23, 2020 14:31:53 GMT by spork

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Tiresome Tropes written May 25, 2020 20:12:10 GMT
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i'm reallyyyyyyy over the self-insert man protagonist that starts off super weak but somehow through sheer luck ends up super OP UNLESS it's in very specific contexts and done well ofc. HOWEVER i would love to see a female protagonist end up in the same situation :)

on the flip side i will NEVER get tired of the trope in woman-orientated media where the woman lead ends up reincarnated with her memories of her bad end and then tries to save herself by avoiding all the red flags she previously triggered and ends up with a reverse harem along the way LMAO. i would also loooove to see more strong, adept but not overly sadistic woman leads/head-over-heels, pining (but still standing at the same level as her) men love interests in romance media!!! two examples i can think of would be remarried empress and "Tonari no Kinniku Joshi". i love strong woman leads but often times (esp. in manga/manhwa/manhua) they often end up as sadistic or mean characters and i'm like :(

tldr: give me less men-orientated power fantasies and more dominant women who aren't absolutely awful
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Tiresome Tropes written May 25, 2020 21:06:42 GMT
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Needless ecchi is a pretty common thing I find in what starts off as a promising show. Seems to be a minimal effort to be tactful.

Look, I get it. Sex sells and pulls views like any other. But the whole "tripping down a flight of stairs and somehow most of my clothes fall off while managing to land crotch first onto the MC's face" thing has me curious. How did this trend start? Who decided this was funny? It's just cringe.

For humor? Absolutely. A non-serious plot? Go for it. It's just over-used, and primarily female. Where is the male ecchi? Ah, but then again, why would a room full of starved male writers and animators want to bother with that? Wouldn't want to look gay or anything, someone might notice.

Whatever, I 'm just rambling at this point. I know there are many MANY animes where this isn't a problem. I've just been surprised with how many ridiculous ones I come across with a cool story that is totally lost in tits. It's disappointing, but eh. Whatcha gonna do. I'll stick to shoujo.
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Tiresome Tropes written May 26, 2020 2:14:19 GMT
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May 25, 2020 21:06:42 GMT @akio said:
It's just over-used, and primarily female. Where is the male ecchi? Ah, but then again, why would a room full of starved male writers and animators want to bother with that? Wouldn't want to look gay or anything, someone might notice.

Probably more accurate to say it's the audience and clientele that the industry caters to, but I'm no expert. There is a surprising amount of women working in the animation industry. It's just sad that most content is dictated by sales and, as you said, sex sells.

Hence why I'm quite tired of the "good for nothing MC but actually has a niche talent/skill/trump card to overcome his struggles!" trope. I do like Shield Hero, though. Though I think, for that it's more along the lines of the author cleverly writing in the protagonist being shrewd and crafty rather than relying on a special trait — though I do hear that comes more into play in the light novels later down the road.
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Tiresome Tropes written May 26, 2020 4:47:55 GMT
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I watch a lot of Shoujo/Magical Girl anime, or anime that depicts strong female leads, and I love them. I love that the women are powerful and strong and develop and progress in their own right, and become fundamentally better as the anime/manga progresses.

However, I'm not a big fan of the guys they are usually paired with. Like, I get it. Because of the central focus of feminism and woman power, their canon s/o tend to be more in the background, useless in power, and generally just there for 'back-up' and in support of the main character(s)/strong female lead. But! it's kind of decimating and crippling to the character in question, because not only is her love interest not developing or powering up at all, which undermines him in a fight, but he is not as multi-faceted as the female characters, and often times, is more of a cardboard copy and placed just so the mc can have a love interest, rather than given any type of real back-story or purpose(Sailor Moon, Mermaid Melody, Tokyo Mew Mew). Even anime that nothing to do with magical girls, and are more catered towards slice-of-life, drama, and romance generally share this trope when it comes to having a male lead who falls in love with more than one girl. It constantly annoys me how the women are strong and independent and have depth you can dip down into, but the protagonist who can't choose between them is often idiotic, young, and seldom ever explored or developed very much past the drama in the series(Domestic Girlfriend, Orange Road). 

I notice the reverse in a lot of shonen anime as well, with the lead character and his friends powering up, learning more about themselves and their attacks, but the women in the series either develop much later, seem strong and then are somehow equally not as strong as the male character for some reason, or barely get any recognition at all(Bleach, Naruto). Inuyasha is really the only "shounen" series that I've seen that does a good job of going against the grain, and makes learning and strength and development somewhat equal for everyone involved, or at least excusable, and has strong leads all around with their own developments and accumulating statuses in power as the series progresses.

tltr, can we just have a strong male lead for our strong independent women and vice-versa??

I mean, look at Rin and Hatsuharu, or Tohru and Kyou. shot.

last edit on May 26, 2020 5:09:49 GMT by Deleted
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Tiresome Tropes written May 26, 2020 5:13:31 GMT
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May 26, 2020 4:47:55 GMT @dreams said:

I watch a lot of Shoujo/Magical Girl anime, or anime that depicts strong female leads, and I love them. I love that the women are powerful and strong and develop and progress in their own right, and become fundamentally better as the anime/manga progresses.

However, I'm not a big fan of the guys they are usually paired with. Like, I get it. Because of the central focus of feminism and woman power, their canon s/o tend to be more in the background, useless in power, and generally just there for 'back-up' and in support of the main character(s)/strong female lead. But! it's kind of decimating and crippling to the character in question, because not only is her love interest not developing or powering up at all, which undermines him in a fight, but he is not as multi-faceted as the female characters, and often times, is more of a cardboard copy and placed just so the mc can have a love interest, rather than given any type of real back-story or purpose(Sailor Moon, Mermaid Melody, Tokyo Mew Mew). Even anime that nothing to do with magical girls, and are more catered towards slice-of-life, drama, and romance generally share this trope when it comes to having a male lead who falls in love with more than one girl. It constantly annoys me how the women are strong and independent and have depth you can dip down into, but the protagonist who can't choose between them is often idiotic, young, and seldom ever explored or developed very much past the drama in the series(Domestic Girlfriend, Orange Road). 

I notice the reverse in a lot of shonen anime as well, with the lead character and his friends powering up, learning more about themselves and their attacks, but the women in the series either develop much later, seem strong and then are somehow equally not as strong as the male character for some reason, or barely get any recognition at all(Bleach, Naruto). Inuyasha is really the only "shounen" series that I've seen that makes learning and strength and development somewhat equal, or at least excusable, and has strong leads all around, with their own developments and accumulating statuses in power.

tltr, Can we just have a strong male lead for our strong independent women, please??

I mean, look at Rin and Hatsuharu, or Tohru and Kyou shot.


THANK YOU. It's a lot like that in modern movies and television series too with strong female protagonists. It gets super annoying and it's not cute. Like writers/animators you're not slick with that mess, make equally powerful couples/foils it's not that hard!

And you're RIGHT about this trope with shonen anime, don't get me started- (rofl) The love interest is either shouting the protagonist's name, crying, or giving idealistic speeches about hope and friendship. And oh my gosh, the women who are stronger/or equal to in strength to the protagonists are chasing after him or another male character, but their strength is never addressed and takes a back seat to how 'crazy' or 'psychotic' or 'lovestruck' she is. There is this disgusting parallel between the love interest and the 'crazy' female side character based on their personalities and strengths and it's incredibly problematic. I don't see many anime doing this anymore, but there used to be a "meek= good" and "assertive=bad" trope back then with the love interest being the former and the side female being the latter and it was plain messy. *eye roll*


last edit on May 26, 2020 5:22:28 GMT by briar
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Tiresome Tropes written May 26, 2020 5:16:12 GMT
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i've been having some pretty dark thoughts.
I hecking loathe pretty much every isekai that's come out in the last decade because of their cardboard cut out projection template Protagonist-kun with negative personality who always saves the day and always gets a bunch of girls fawning over him so some basement dweller can put himself in the dude's shoes and pretend like they have some modicum of worth - *SHARP INHALE* I hate a lot of tropes associated with isekais, though, like the shameless ripping of video game GUIs that look terrible and make no sense in the setting, or the, "Wow, look at that! Being weaboo trash suddenly makes me a genius here!"

I dislike lazily done secret villains. I think that trope can be done well, but it's definitely become something more common as a way to subvert expectations without any real build up or payoff, and it completely kills pacing and doesn't feel satisfying when the threat is conquered, since... we only, like... dealt with the threat for the little bit when the baddy was revealed. Honestly, this is more an issue I have with western media, but Nines bringing up Shield Hero reminded me of the heckin' Pope, and now I'm having war flashbacks, sdljfkshdkfjsdh.

I've never been a fan of the 'do you accept your harsh reality or submit to ideal fantasy' trope, not because I don't think it has potential, but mostly since I've never seen it done very well given that potential. It doesn't help that the answer media always wants you to believe is 'well, duh, accept harsh reality', but then they put all their time in making the protagonists scream about it when they never actually address why they (and by extension, you) should come to that conclusion. It's like an answer we're expected to see as 'correct' without any thought put behind it. I dunno.

Training arcs. *sobs* Jojo's did it right when they montaged for, like, maybe two minutes. Anyone who tells me part one was paced poorly is a LIAR.

Love interests that barely matter until the very end so they can have a female character to pair main boy up with in hopes for a sequel series. BT Like, if you're not going to build up a compelling romantic connection between two characters, just don't include it at all, please. It's even worse when the pairing makes no gosh darned sense, and the writers may as well have been throwing names into a random number generator.

Edit, because I had this sitting as a WIP in the quick reply for hours and two people replied, sdlkjfhkdjfh, but hard seconding the above two posts, honestly? I was mostly thinking, like, Naruto/Bleach for tacked-on love interests, and it's extra slap-in-the-face-y when those characters get shoved to the sideline because the writers only know how to power up the main protagonist and their rival. *sobs*
last edit on May 26, 2020 5:24:22 GMT by pharaoh leap
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Tiresome Tropes written May 26, 2020 6:34:26 GMT
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Yeah the Ichigo/Orihime and Renji/Rukia ending bugged the hell out of me because at the very surface, Orihime's crush on Ichigo was highlighted the most and it's never really shown him reciprocating her feelings.

On the other hand, my dream endgoal of NaruHina was answered with Naruto -The Last- and YEAH... THAT MOVIE... JUST... BROUGHT ME TO TEARS... I'M GOING TO BE A SUCKER FOR SAYING THIS BUT... EVEN IF IT MIGHT NOT MAKE UP FOR AN ENTIRE SERIES WORTH OF DEVELOPMENT... MY THANKFUL SHIPPER HEART LOVED THAT MOVIE...

Fruits Basket does a pretty good job portraying various relationship dynamics. Sometimes portraying some not very nice ones as well. I do really love how Tohru comes off as emotionally weak yet strong at the same time... I recommend this in-depth analysis video made about her which dives into her writing and development.
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Tiresome Tropes written May 26, 2020 12:19:57 GMT via mobile
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what do you want to know? my height, hobbies, quirks, the color of my underwear?
the way that i just freeze and groan loudly when i just want to enjoy one of my old favorite series but oops there's just casual incest / pedobear content (or some other stuff that's just a super huge yikes going on that was really iffy when i was younger but has definitely gotten a lot more problematic as i've gotten older)

because look i may be shameless garbage that likes kuroshitsuji and vampire knight and loveless but just. can we not do the yikes stuff please? like? can we all just agree? to just not?

and i'm honestly not sure what's worse, when it's something that's just..... the main scope of what's going on in the series (like loveless) or where it's something largely going on in the periphery (like vampire knight) because on one hand it's impossible to escape but on the other it's just annoying any time it pops up and the series is otherwise fine except for this specific part of it.

idk i've just been going on a kick lately where i want to go back and revisit my old faves and i keep freezing up as i realize oh yeah xyz thing happens and y'know what that's really uncomfortable why is this a thing i'm gonna have to deal with thanks i hate it-
last edit on May 26, 2020 12:20:52 GMT by Kuroya

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Tiresome Tropes written May 26, 2020 16:06:36 GMT
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ok obviously mary sues and gary stus are a pain but i'm just gonna rant about it a bit because i started watching seven deadly sins & elizabeth pisses me the off so much. she's much too caring, no matter the dire situation, cries a lot, blames herself a lot (which honestly, would make me feel bad too & ok this man is dead and all she does is self-pity versus idk focusing on the dying man??), also she's the constant victim of the main dude's perversions haha idk maybe i'm just a hater B-|  

SPOILER: Click to show
and they i find out she get powers or something later on with a ton of wings and whatever.... im... okay? so she's still annoying but now she can fly. thanks.

last edit on May 26, 2020 16:12:31 GMT by spork

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