I’ve been staring at my blank monitor for a while now, trying to decide if I want to write about my over-all view of things I’ve noticed in mangas…. such as , a) are they cultural , or , b) are they just cliches and tropes we can only read in mangas, and nowhere else. I’ve actually already posted a few of these cliches in my post ,” Notice Me, Senpai “, but I’ve decided to include some of them here. I notice you , senpai.
a) Love triangle.
It seems we cannot get away from this. On Forums, we get to read comments like, ” I knew it ! “, ” Okay , guys, here she comes” !! The obligatory bitch everyone to wants to slap off the face of the earth.
b) The female rival is almost always, rich, pretty, and aggressive. She has better hairstyle. She has friends that bully the main girl. ” You’re ugly. You don’t deserve him. Break up already . ” or “Don’t get close to the Prince. He belongs to everyone. ”
c) The main guy is the school’s Prince. He’s rich, handsome, good at sports, and gets the highest grade . He’s # 1.
d) The main guy is a tsundere. He also has a past that prevents him from showing his feelings for the main girl. The ” past ” , more often than not, involves issues with his family, or with another girl, usually his ex, or a girl he has to take care of, ( she has medical or a family issues , and this girl likes him too, and stupidly, he has to sacrifice his feelings for the main girl to be with that other girl. Ex: Ao Haru Ride ! ! ( one of my most hated manga. Oh, and Bokura ga Ita.)
e) Amusement park and festival fireworks. First dates happen at amusement parks, and if the main girl gets to watch the fireworks with the guy, 10 out of 10, they will be together forever.
f) Indirect kiss……. one or the other gets to drink from the same beverage can . The main guy is oblivious, the girl swoons with excitement, or gets totally flustered.
6) Accidental kiss….. girl trips and falls on top of the guy, and they accidentally kiss.
h) They catch a cold from mere drizzle—> then, they faint
i) The girl gets a scratch on the knee….. and that’s enough for the guy to panic and princess -carry her to the infirmary.
j) rooftop…… a lot of confessions happen at the rooftop.
k) The girl makes home-made chocolates ( it has to be home-made ) for her crush on Valentine’s Day. Meanwhile, the object of her affection gets a ton of chocolates from all the girls at school.
l) the obligatory visit to the shrine on New Year’s eve
m) the main girl falls down the stairs, and somehow, the guy is always there to catch her…. of course, she falls on top of the guy, and they accidentally kiss.
n) one of the parents of either the guy or the girl had passed away. For some reason, death is by car accident , 90% of the time…..
o) The male rival is almost always the better guy, the nice guy never gets the girl..
p) the guy the main girl first meets or sees, is the one she ends up with.
q) 100% , the transfer student is always male…. and he’s super handsome…. and when he gets intoduced, all the female classmates swoon. Note: Why can students transfer to another school in the middle of school term , and still be the top scorer ?
r) Without fail, school festivals and sports festivals are held ( where main guy is the top sportsman )….. and of course, the ubiquitous maid cafes where the usually timid, plain, shy main girl becomes the star of ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ cafe.
s) Main guy who is still a high school student , lives alone in an apartment, in Tokyo ! How he can afford an apartment in Tokyo I have no idea. Definitely not from his part-ime work at a convenience store. ( a konbeni )
t) Kabedon……which means ” hitting a wall ” ,kabe is wall, don is the sound when hand hits a wall )
u) bullying of main girl by bitchy rival and her nasty friends, and for some reason, main guy never notices, or does not care.
v) Christmas Eve is for dating, and eating KFC ( fried chicken ) and cake. Christmas Day , of course , is a regular school day.
w) Piggy-back ride
x) Train station scenes
That’s all for now. You can share some cliches on your comments below.
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