I've lived with anime/manga since I was 6-7 years old, I've seen great shows like Spice & Wolf, FMA, Ghosts in the Shell, Berserk, Ame & Yuki (one of the most beautifull and worthly thing I've seen), etc.., and I continue to "see" them because It has become a part of my world and my imagination..
...but in the same time, I begin to be really tired of those stuffs...
Because, for like 10 years (perhaps even more), I see over and over the same cliches, the same tropes, the same things who really annoy me and destroy step by step my enjoyment for anime/mangas.
I've many things I can't stand in manga/anime but I decided to do a top 10 of worst cliches...
So let's begin to pull off all my hatred, this is my Top 10 worst anime/manga cliches!
10-The Pokemon Arc
I think you know how a Pokemon episode works.
=> Characters coming to Nowhere-land
=> Meeting forgettable characters when we surely don't see them anymore (or rarely) and helping them
=> Bad guys coming and making Good guys mad
=> Beating the crap out of bad guys and resolving in the same side-characters problems
=> Partying and leaving for new adventure
=> Characters coming to Nowhere-land
=> ......
Where is the surprise in this after 5-6 times?
But sometime, some mangas/animes have the guts to act differently or put some good surprises. It depends how the author makes his story.
9-The White Knight Spirit
A male character doesn't want to hit a female one even she's a monster or endangered his comrades.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not mysogyn at all. I like very much when a female character is not the "lady in distress" and can fight back and I believe galantery is an important good manners aspect..
But I just find It's not the case when a male character want to not fight a girl/woman just because she's a girl/woman.
In my opinion, It's as impolite and unfair as being brute with hers. It's mostly like direspecting to what Chun-Li represents. A female character who can fight and being as strong as a man.
I think the male characters who has given me a huge bitter state about galantary was Sanji from One Piece at CP9 arc. (Between saving his friend from a horrible being and to not hurt a woman, he's chosen the second option?) and Kenichi from
8-The Snatch Moment.
"Have you ever crossed the road, and looked the wrong way? A car's nearly on you? So what do you do? Something very silly. You freeze. Your life doesn't flash before you, 'cause you're too ****in' scared to think .You just freeze and pull a stupid face"
From Snatch, a movie I recommend you.
When protagonist use his "last-breath attack", the badguy, even the skillest and smartest one, does something really stupid......
Nothing and take all of the attack in the face.
This badguy is, most of time, supposed to be a profesionnal, having experiences from many battles, and should be like the Final Boss, the ultimate Antagonist and make the dumbest choice in the simplest situation.
That just kills all the badassery and the threat from him..
Each time I see a Snatch Moment, I've the feeling to see Gunnery Sergeant Hartman coming and shouting "Well, any ****ing time, sweetheart!"
7-Godlike Powers
In most of action or mecha anime/manga I've seen, powers/skills become ridiculously godlike.
Reality distortion, Nuke destruction, having a mecha as big than the Universe and using galaxies like freesbies.
I find it boring because, most of time, It has no tactic, no subtilities and absolute no controls. It just a power demonstration to show who has the biggest one.
I really prefer when characters have not too big powers and must use its wisely, so we can have good turnarouds. It makes the fight more interesting than just the "Who push the Nuke button first?".
And strangely, more spectacular fights are, more they have non consistence...
I find all of those bright effects and explosions are as palpable as air and I don't sense this feeling of "giving all of me to survive".
It's no more than a kata, a over-the-top "Micheal Bay" theatrical scene.
Many action/shounen/meccha I've seen ended like this but I think the worst I've seen is come from Naruto.
They're "Ninjas" with steatlh, infiltration, surviving trials at the beginning and, since Shippudden, most of theirs skills can vaporizing a mountain in a single move.
Just imagine the next "Tenchu" or "Shinobido" game with Naruto stuffs...
6-HighSchool vs Fantasy
In some universes with a part of action/fantasy (purely fantasy or contemporary), the plot takes places in a goddamn Highschool where they train future "Humanity swords and shields".
In those worlds, military armies, mercenaries and co. are just full of incompetents and they leave the fate of the world into student hands....
I know those universes must appeal teenage people but, It's just freaking silly!
Plus most of time, we don't see those saviors doing the most obvious thing when we mention just the word "student"........STUDYING!!!!
How work their Highschool? How hard can be super-hero studies? There are students failling? We just see the building with books and blackboards.
It's like throwing 6 dumb losers in those establishments and after 1 years, they're the next "Avengers" without knowing any details of how they've done.
5-Fanservice
I'm a dude, so It's normal to have a weak for erotism.
For me, It's like restaurant dish. The first important rule is "presentation". It must gives me want to look, gives me a good impression and of course, gives me "appetite". But with an overuse of Ecchi, the dish transforms into an ugly and fatty piece of meat.
I don't like when ecchi takes over the plot, scenario, characters,etc..just to make ecchi stuffs. I won't described every ecchi overused like ballon boobies or rainbow-color panties, there are too much.
The biggest exception for me is Monster Musume no Nichijou. Because I find it uses fanservice ""wisely""
But fanservice is not only about sexy stuffs. It's also:
-Highlighting too much a single character over others who deserve more attentions. Like Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail (for me, she's the living Fanservice bowl of this manga)
-Over-the-top gory bloody gruesome moments just to make gory bloody gruesome and gives a false mature atmosphere.
-Ressurect dead characters, time-travel, for nostalgic people...
-Giving everything fans want (Naruto: the Last Movie?)
More fanservice become intrusive, more I think the anime/manga has nothing interesting to show.
4-The Big-Head Jerk/The Psycho Girl
Everyone hate different type of characters. I hate somes too but especially 2 ones: the Big-Head and Psycho-Girl.
-The Big-Head Jerk
Like his name say, he's a arrogant and loudly brat who loves to show off with over-the-top exagerated poses and humiliate his opponent because "They dare to be on my way! I'm a God! Look how much I'm superior than you!".
But, the thing It drives me nuts about them is when they've a "deep moment". They make once again a pose and talk like It has a sudden personnality change and make speeches who can be summarised as:
"Me, I've not only the biggest penis of the universe but with it, I've find all universe truths and the meaning of life! So believe in me who believe in you, those who follow my path, the True Manliness path!".
There's too the teenage young boy wanting so much to proof to everyone his values he acts like a dumb arrogant macho-man and once he has been beaten, he cries like a baby for X episode/chapter, claiming "I've shown my weakness, It's too shamefull!!"
-The Psycho Girl
She is really damn annoying for me. I rarely have empathy for her. Either is a hysterical mean mad girl who love hurting/killing people by the most disgusting way, either she's a merciless "Angel of Death" who has absolute no emotion and brutaly kill her targets.
Plus when she makes this kind of slasher smile, I feel an urge to punch her in the face to erase this silly face...
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/...20120803020420
The Samurai Schoolgirl archetype is an abomination to me. It's nothing more than a sexual object in my opinion. An "otaku fantasm" killing machine who obeys her master who can do everything to her without objection..
It's painfull and hopeless to watch this kind of character...
I put those both of them in one is because they've both common points: They're immature children who have no respect for life and, because nobody have the guts to tell the opposite, are persuased they have the right to hurt/dominate/humiliate/kill...
3-The Power of Frienship and Mankind.
I'm agree It's important to have something to cherish and protect, and friends can make the world better, but damn, It' has become a lame excuse for melodramatic moments where everyone crying and gives Deus-Ex-Machina power-ups, plot armor. It's overused, It makes fight finalities dumb, and the morale sillier..
This picture explains very well this point http://i.imgur.com/zkz5sS1.png?1
I'm sure that will make Twilight Sparkle of MLP a huge facehoof.....
But I can't stand the "Humans are good!" morale.
Because, It's to say "You kill humans because you're nasty bad guys who think Humans are weak. We kill you too but we do for protect innocents, for justice and virtue...".
That sounds really hypocritical! A war is a war! There is no "Good vs Bad" aspect. (exept in dumb stories).
It's as hypocritical and dumb as bad environmental message but It works because It flatter human ego.
It was in Dragon Quest: Dai Quest where this aspect really killed me...Every action human characters did, It's for "Justice!". Killing, Explosing, Decapiting, and others merry-makings, even if opponents have feelings and friends too, It's for Justice and Good!
Even when I was 8-10 years old, I found It's horrible.
2-The T.H.A.C.O.D (Teenage Handsome Action Character Overused Design)
The fact where every characters in a fantasy, action world are pretty, young, thin, without muscles, cute, moe, "boy/girl-band" appareance with a strange and fancy fashion taste..
I just can't stand this damn design anymore.
The thing I really hate with this design is the plot takes place in a world with many battles, great threats, blood, and others happy stuffs.
With those things, we should have characters with, at least, an athletic body, some scars, a "serious" face and when they fight, we fell they give everything to survive and win.
But for "T.H.A.C.O.D" characters, whatever will happen to them, whatever how many living being they kill and how, they always keep this damn "smiling angel face", their body are always thins and when they kill something, It's like "just another day of work".
Plus, I can't get in a serious situation when all the characters look like fresh big-eyed 14 years old teenage with "carnaval" clothings...
And I feel this is getting worse and worse. Look Shining games franchise for example.
Here, I can feel each character is different, they have a unique design. Some are pretty, some badass, some strange, some cute, some stupid, etc.. I feel It's living team with unique personnalities.
Plus, they centaurs, wolfmen, hawkmen, robots, dwarves and co.
And now, look!
Do I really need to explain?!
They looks like coming from the same top-model plastic surgical ****-head tin.
I won't describe "Final Fantasy" franchise. It was fun with FF7. Hard to hit with FF8 and after the 9th, I can't more....
And the cliche I hate the most is.......
1-The Monster Slaughtering
I know this is kinda strange but let me explain.....
First, I'll be honest with you, I love monsters, I love animals, I love anthro characters, I love beasts, more a character looks an beast, more I love It.
But It's not the fact I don't like seeing animals being killed, I can tolerate it. (for food, survival,etc..)
The main reason I hate the Monster Slaughtering plot is I've see Japanese artits love creating creatures like Dragons, Werewolves, fantasy beasts, anthro/demonic/non-human characters, etc.. with badass, majestuous, ferocious, frightening, unique forms.
It's so exciting to see different designs of those powerfull beings, those incarnations of Earth-Mother's Wrath, those feral aspects of life, those terrifying creatures who are above humans in the food chain...............but they're being litteraly raped by a single teenage character with a single attack.
If I stay polite, I am just not interesting in this thing.....
Seeing those huge, mighty monsters being lamentably overcome by young teenages with no muscles get on my nerves.
A good example of what I mean, just looks RWBY teaser. (Not an Anime but looks very like a very cliche anime...)
I was upset for hours after I watched it.
I tolerate Monster Slaughtering when characters have a very strong physique and powerfull look, like Guts from Berserk, Kratos from God of War or Barbarian from Diablo franchise because with them, I feel the battle is intense, realistic, terrifying, hard, a TRUE battle for life!.....
Not with those overused cliche teenages with dumb clothing state who are powerfull because I-don't-know-what-magical-mutant-crap-reason!
An exagereted version of "David vs Goliath" but where David cut Goliath in two with a Gun Buster Blade.
The only exception I've seen with Monster Slaughtering plot is in Shadow of Colossus. Not a fan of this game but, even if the character is a young man, when he fight those colossus creatures, I feel It's dangerous!
To see this boy climbing on the back of those giant monsters where a single mistake is doomed by death, to their weakpoint and trying to not fall when he is on the top of the monsters head.
I can accept it because I feel this boy make inhuman efforts to accomplished his quest. (Even If I find this is a very egoist one).
And the second main reason I hate Monster Slaughtering is because most of cliches I've quoted are in.
-Pretty teenage Humans against demons with their powers of virtues.
-Schoolgirl with katana against badass werewolves in a gruesome and senseless bloody orgy.
-Big-head jerk and big-tits girls against anthro-characters in overpowered mechas
-Etc...
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So that's it!
So what do you think and what's yours worst cliches?