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Characters by the window?


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r3ronaldo
SPAMMER


Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Posts: 48
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:20 pm Reply with quote
I have recently noticed that in anime scenes where the main character is sitting in a classroom, the main character always sits by the window. To name a few it happens in death note, melancholy of haruhi suzumiya, and kanon. I wonder if there is a reason for this or do they just do it because. What do you think?
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Mushi-Man



Joined: 17 Nov 2008
Posts: 1537
Location: KCMO
PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:32 pm Reply with quote
I can think of two reasons. One, to set a mood or tone for the scene. And two, who doesn't want a nice view of out doors during boring lessons? I doubt there's any big reasons as to why the creators would do this.
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sk1199



Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 162
PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:48 pm Reply with quote
How about so the illustrator doesn't need to draw an extra character? Or, so they don't have some "blur" in front of the main character?
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LydiaDianne



Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 5633
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:45 am Reply with quote
Having the main character near the window is an excellent plot device:

Daydreaming - It's really kind of hard to daydream when staring at someone else's head...unless they're the person you're daydreaming about.

Seeing someone on the ground below - It gives that character an excellent opportunity to see another character walking up to the school building...either coming to school late or being first to see the new kid.

Seeing someTHING outside the window - be it aliens, mysterious mecha that only they can see, ghosts or whatever else, it's rather hard to do when you're sitting on the other side of the classroom.
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furizaa



Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 78
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:30 am Reply with quote
Not really from an anime standpoint, but from my own, I like sitting by the window in all of my classes, so I can't really blame characters in a story to do so as well. But like the above posters said, I also like to daydream out the window a lot too. Razz
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KendoGirl



Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 31
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:48 am Reply with quote
LydiaDianne wrote:
Having the main character near the window is an excellent plot device:

Daydreaming - It's really kind of hard to daydream when staring at someone else's head...unless they're the person you're daydreaming about.

Seeing someone on the ground below - It gives that character an excellent opportunity to see another character walking up to the school building...either coming to school late or being first to see the new kid.

Seeing someTHING outside the window - be it aliens, mysterious mecha that only they can see, ghosts or whatever else, it's rather hard to do when you're sitting on the other side of the classroom.


I'd say it's pretty much this, but it could also be a way for the animators to avoid drawing so many students around the main character (like someone else also said) or possibly to use the sky in the window to help focus the viewer's attention on the main character.

If there are things going on in the background I usually look there first in case I see something cool xD so maybe it's used for those with a short attention-span!
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BunnyCupCakes



Joined: 02 Apr 2008
Posts: 224
Location: The Sunshine State
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:19 am Reply with quote
Ha, I have a window seat in my math class.
It's pretty awesome ;D

But yeah, what others said >.>
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doctordoom85



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 2091
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:15 am Reply with quote
In School Rumble, this was actually a funny plot point: Tenma wants to sit next to Karasuma when seating assignments are being made, and realizes she has 8 options (front, behind, left, right, or one of the diagonals). She then looks to see where he's sitting, and realizes he's at the window seat in the very back. She yells, "my options are suddenly so limited!" Laughing
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Shobob



Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 29
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:32 am Reply with quote
In every anime I've encountered, the windows of the classroom are always on the left side, (if the blackboard was infront of you) and the right side is wall.
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Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7981
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:36 am Reply with quote
I'd say it's because landscapes/structures are easier to draw than people, but that's just me personally. The other reasons provided are also very valid as well.
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Jinxso



Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Posts: 101
Location: Toronto, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:47 am Reply with quote
The character by the window also provides lots of potential story hooks.

-- Character looks out the window and sees a important plot point going on between 2 "main" characters

-- Flash backs

-- Comedy, the good old hit the day dreamer on the head for not paying attention

-- etc etc

You can go on and on. I consider this similar to other common anime themes.

-- Boys bleeding from the nose when they get excited. for example.

To be expect and enjoyed for what it is.
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abynormal



Joined: 09 Apr 2008
Posts: 427
Location: Louisiana
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:33 pm Reply with quote
Shobob wrote:
In every anime I've encountered, the windows of the classroom are always on the left side, (if the blackboard was infront of you) and the right side is wall.


You know what? You're right! I don't think I've ever seen an anime classroom with the widows to the right of the chalkboard!

Only exceptions I can think of are in Honey & Clover, where Morita dashes into a lecture hall that has no windows at all. Most of the time the characters are in an art studio anyway.
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Showsni



Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 641
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:58 pm Reply with quote
abynormal wrote:
Shobob wrote:
In every anime I've encountered, the windows of the classroom are always on the left side, (if the blackboard was infront of you) and the right side is wall.


You know what? You're right! I don't think I've ever seen an anime classroom with the widows to the right of the chalkboard!

Only exceptions I can think of are in Honey & Clover, where Morita dashes into a lecture hall that has no windows at all. Most of the time the characters are in an art studio anyway.


Maybe Japanese schools are all like that? Does anyone know?
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jcaliff



Joined: 28 Sep 2004
Posts: 156
Location: Houston
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 8:16 pm Reply with quote
In the three years that I taught junior high and elementary school in Japan, I think all but one of the classrooms were oriented with windows on the left. There's usually a raised platform with a podium for a teacher at the front of the room, so the orientation is set. The room that was different was in a separate building and had windows on two sides.
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abynormal



Joined: 09 Apr 2008
Posts: 427
Location: Louisiana
PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:09 pm Reply with quote
jcaliff wrote:
In the three years that I taught junior high and elementary school in Japan, I think all but one of the classrooms were oriented with windows on the left. There's usually a raised platform with a podium for a teacher at the front of the room, so the orientation is set. The room that was different was in a separate building and had windows on two sides.


I see. I guess it's a case of standardized layouts, then.
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