Before I get into this, I just want to point out that I am a huge fan of various anime and manga. But they both follow certain trends that really irk me. Here are the five things that get under my skin:
1. A Character is Cuter/More Attractive Without their Glasses
(Izumi from Love Stage!!)
As a person who wears glasses, I find this to be personally offensive. Some people do look better without glasses, but definitely not all of them. Manga and anime have had a habit of making a character go through a situation where they take their glasses off or have them get taken and then all of a sudden they're considered pretty/handsome. This sends the negative message that people with glasses are not at all attractive and that they should change themselves. Which is wrong on so many levels. I have seen plenty of manga and anime characters with glasses that look great as they are. There should be more glasses-positivity in this field.
2. Girls that Hit Guys who Accidentally see Them in their Underwear or Naked
(From Love Hina)
I can understand wanting to hit a guy who peeps on a girl on purpose, but when it's an accident, I don't think violence is the answer. These kinds of situations makes the girls look like they think that even their best guy friend is a pervert when they're not. If it's clear to us, the readers/viewers, that the peeping was accidental, it should logically be clear to the girl that it was accidental. Guys getting punched for an unintentional mistake happens way too often in manga and anime.
3. Teenage Soldiers
(From Mobile Suit Gundam 00)
Why use perfectly good adults to fight a major war when you can use teenagers instead? Teenagers that aren't even 18, might I add. Why this keeps on happening baffles me. And reasons like 'only teens are able to use this type of equipment' are so stupid and practically a cop-out. I'm sure a manga and/or anime would still be as interesting if the teenagers were swapped with adults. This field really has to stop intentionally putting teens in harms way.
4. Giving Big Breasts to Underage Girls
(Yoko from Gurren Lagann)
The girl above is a prime example of unrealistic body proportions given to underage girls. Doesn't matter what age she looks, she's only 14! Since when do fourteen-year-old females get breasts like that? On top of that she's wearing a bikini; also what someone of her age shouldn't have. Young girls designed with her body type make me wonder if certain authors and artists aren't just closet pedophiles with vast imaginations.
5. Boob Physics
(From left to right: Saya, Rei, and Saeko from Highschool of the Dead)
This term refers to the severely unnatural movements of a woman's breasts. Whether this is the primary focus of an anime or it just happens at random, it is always ridiculous and over-the-top. There has to be other ways of attracting a male audience that don't involve girl's breasts moving in such a manner that makes them seem like they have minds of their own. 'Boob Physics' is a terrible, sexist and gross term that should be eradicated from anime and manga completely.
Is there anything else that annoys you about anime and manga? If so, please comment and share below!
