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INTEREST: Readers Rank Over-Played Shojo Manga Tropes


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nightmaregenie



Joined: 13 Aug 2007
Posts: 167
Location: Palmy, NZ - student central
PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 2:56 am Reply with quote
Totally agree with everything mentioned so far...I'd also like to add some personal pet peeves:

The childhood friend.

The effing "indirect kiss" via spoon or, god forbid, CPR. Makes me vomit every time.

The over-the-top doting comic relief single dad who encourages the love interest, to the embarrassment of his MC daughter. He's usually utterly incompetent at taking care of himself/the household and the daughter ends up doing everything. He may also secretly be an utterly competent, even legendary, vampire hunter, assassin etc and his daughter knows nothing about it.

...and that's why I tend to gravitate towards josei rather than shojo.
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14886
PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 3:58 am Reply with quote
Oh I know what trope to say, mentioned here before. In fact, a very popular song was made about it by One Direction. Laughing

Out of all the 1D songs, always thought that the most anime/manga-appropriate would be "(You Don't Know) What Makes You Beautiful":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpnuubCJjCU



  • You’re insecure,
    Don’t know what for,
    You’re turning heads when you walk through the door,
    Don’t need make up,
    To cover up,
    Being the way that you are is enough,

    Everyone else in the room can see it,
    Everyone else but you,


    Baby you light up my world like nobody else,
    The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,
    But when you smile at the ground it ain’t hard to tell,
    You don’t know (oh oh),
    You don’t know you’re beautiful!
    If only you saw what I can see,
    You’d understand why I want you so desperately,
    Right now I’m looking at you and I can’t believe,
    You don’t know (oh oh),
    You don’t know you’re beautiful!
    (Oh oh)
    That’s what makes you beautiful!

    So come on,
    You got it wrong,
    To prove I’m right I put it in a song,
    I don’t why,
    You’re being shy,
    And turn away when I look into your eyes,

    Everyone else in the room can see it,
    Everyone else but you,


I mean, look at that lyrics. That's like 99% of anime right there! Razz


niastyle wrote:

One that I always see, but actually kinda like, is the handsome, smart, and/or rich guy blackmails or is a total ass to the main character (and they don't get along) only to find out he's actually secretly in love with her.


Guys always tease the girls they like! *hint*hint*
(Just means he wants her attention.)
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Touma



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 2651
Location: Colorado, USA
PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:08 am Reply with quote
katscradle wrote:
Quote:
Characters' hands touch while reaching for the same book. - 26.8%

Can anyone name a series this happens in? I have the feeling it is a very familiar situation but, can't remember an actual shoujo manga where it happened.

This is one that I feel like I have seen many times, but I also cannot remember any specific instance of it.
I think that it may not be very significant, in the sense of having any effect on the story, but is just one indication of how the characters feel.
I do remember a parody of it in School Rumble with Harima and spoiler[Yakumo].
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TheTsunami



Joined: 19 Jul 2004
Posts: 147
PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:55 am Reply with quote
Definitely the whole "simple misunderstanding creates utter chaos" trope (and not just because I recently finished watching Maison Ikkoku).
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kurowa-san



Joined: 23 Oct 2011
Posts: 51
PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:58 am Reply with quote

Waah! I'm gonna be late for school!
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LibraryJoy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 27
PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 1:46 pm Reply with quote
Warning: Peach Girl spoilers

RE: willag's comment about wanting a romance where the MC's end up with the second guy/girl.

I seem to remember Peach Girl finally ending up with guy #2, but she went back and forth between them so many times, it's hard to remember. Also, in a YA supernatural romance series called the Sense Thieves Trilogy by Corrine Jackson, the MCs of the first book actually don't end up together at the end. The second lead is there throughout the books, but really takes a backseat until book 3. And it made me SO MAD. As a reader of the genre, it felt a little like the contract between author and reader had been violated, plus, I felt like I'd invested a lot of time and emotion in the first relationship that fell apart. I had really liked the first book of the series, and this changed how I felt about it. I ended up cancelling my order of the 3rd book, since I got it first at the library and didn't like it. So examples do exist, but not often, probably for the reasons it upset me.
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SnowCentaur



Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 69
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:12 am Reply with quote
kurowa-san wrote:
-snip-
Waah! I'm gonna be late for school!


THIS! It barely even works as a parody anymore!

In general, the utter predictability of who the girl will end up with, while making "who will she end up with" the major plot point. Either the guy first introduced, the childhood friend, or in case of reverse harems, the plainest, most normal guy (applies to normal harems too).

Then the "helpless girl and cool/tough borderline Christian Grey guy" tropes.

Oh, and that the series END when they're finally together. That's where it gets interesting! (One of the reasons I like Liar Lily, it's so refreshing.)
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vladthetransilvanian



Joined: 24 Nov 2014
Posts: 43
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 8:57 am Reply with quote
This is in answer to willag.

Although one's not a shoujo, I can recall two times were the final love interest isn't the first girl/guy introduced.

First is Kokoro Connect. I can't remember which girl appeared first, but Iori was Taichi's original love interest.

Second is Fruits Basket. Yuki appeared first and was even labeled "school prince", but spoiler[Kyo(who was the third guy introduced at that point) was the one to end up with Tohru]


Last edited by vladthetransilvanian on Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:54 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Color2413



Joined: 08 Jul 2014
Posts: 49
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:39 pm Reply with quote
The one that bugs me is the idealistic, plucky heroine who sees a wrong, decides to try to right it no matter how reckless or stupid her actions, and then not only suffers no real consequences, but usually succeeds against all odds. I suppose this is intended to be "empowering," but to me, it's just annoying--it's as if lack of strategy doesn't matter as long as the heroine's cause is righteous.
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