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INTEREST: Readers Rank Over-Played Shojo Manga Tropes


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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:14 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Are there any other stereotypical shojo plot devices you're tired of?


The magical girl thing in general's the most annoying, 'cus I can't tell those damned outfits apart. But that gimmick is not necessarily a trope exclusive to shoujo, so...
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bj_waters



Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 234
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:16 pm Reply with quote
Wow, I'm surprised that "main character's love interest is (sometimes secretly) rich and has a bad relationship with/is misunderstood by his father/family" didn't show up, because that's one that makes me roll my eyes on a fairly regular basis. Rolling Eyes

I just finished a series that had this in it, and I found it quite disappointing because, once again, the plucky lead has to use her personality and quirks to "save" her guy from his family. I mean, I get that there's a wish-fulfillment/power-fantasy angle to the whole thing, but it does get to be a bit much.

But then I'm a (straight) guy, so maybe I just don't get it.
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MajinAkuma



Joined: 15 Aug 2014
Posts: 1199
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:19 pm Reply with quote
There should also be "the (rich) alpha bitch, who bullies the main characters because of jealousy".

Or, "the main character is too shy in terms of romance".
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MajinAkuma



Joined: 15 Aug 2014
Posts: 1199
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:40 pm Reply with quote
GATSU wrote:
Quote:
Are there any other stereotypical shojo plot devices you're tired of?


The magical girl thing in general's the most annoying, 'cus I can't tell those damned outfits apart. But that gimmick is not necessarily a trope exclusive to shoujo, so...


I think this is mostly your problem. The Pretty Cure fans can call all 40 main characters apart. And the color pattern is basically the same since Yes! 5; there is always a pink, blue and yellow one.
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Royalq



Joined: 24 Feb 2015
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:16 pm Reply with quote
- Met when they were super young, like 4, and made a promise to find each other and get married when they are older. Get older and dont recognize one another.
-Super ridiculously negligent parents move away and leave 15 yr old girl to live by herself. Hot guy next door.
-Super focus on something frivolous like her after school club, violin, helping people. Doesnt notice the 15 smoking hot guys throwing themselves at her.
- Likes the guy thats super mean to her and treats her like crap. Persistent as hell.
- willing competes with another girl for her own boyfriend. Who does that??
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Z-Raid



Joined: 18 Feb 2014
Posts: 132
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:16 pm Reply with quote
Personally, I'm sick of really poor communication between the main character and the love interest leading to this huge misunderstanding and conflict. It's not something exclusive to shoujo series but good god sometimes half of the problems that pop up in shoujo wouldn't have happened if people just TALKED to each other.
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Hameyadea



Joined: 23 Jun 2014
Posts: 3679
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:20 pm Reply with quote
*WARNING! Long post ahead. Proceed with caution*

Not surprisingly, almost all of these recurring tropes, with a little-to-no modification, can be applied to shōnen mangas as well:

ANN wrote:
1. The main character is scatterbrained. - 34.6%
3. The main character is an airhead but their friend is in love with them. - 27.2%
6. They run smack into a guy while running around a corner, and he's really good looking. - 24.2%

(Well, no need to touch-up this one Laughing It's also possible to change 'scatterbrain' with 'unnaturally dense')

ANN wrote:
2. For some reason, an attractive guy ends up living with the main character. - 28.2%
9. The cool guy moves in next door. - 19.4%

(Swap 'guy' for 'girl' and Voilà)

ANN wrote:
4. Characters' hands touch while reaching for the same book. - 26.8%

(Again, pretty common for blushing moments in shōnen mangas as well. Also, the rate at which those 'little touches' happen, one would think at some point someone is gonna scream 'SEXUAL HARASSMENT')

ANN wrote:
5. They're in love with the 'school prince' (most popular boy). - 24.6%

(School prince -> school princess)

ANN wrote:
7. The boy they parted ways with when they were younger grew up to be a cool high school student, and then transfers into their school. - 24.0%

(The infamous 'childhood friend/osananajimi trope, we meet again)

ANN wrote:
8. The main character's only redeeming feature is their cheerfulness, but they're still popular. 21.2%

(We know that one as well all too well)

ANN wrote:
10. The main character makes friends with someone who's their total opposite. - 17.6%

(Tsunderes, Yanderes, Kūderes, danderes and derederes. Also, former-enemies-turned-friends)

ANN wrote:
11. The boy who saved her from delinquents is also the transfer student. 16.4%

(Again, a small change from passive to active action and we're done -> the girl who was saved by him is also the transfer student)

ANN wrote:
12. It turns out their crush is actually their sibling. - 13.0%

(It turns out that their sibling isn't blood-related, so it's cool Cool)

ANN wrote:
13. The guy they end up liking is actually a prince. - 11.4%

(Would a 'rich lady/ōjo-sama' still count? I would)

ANN wrote:
14. The guy they end up liking was actually the enemy. - 10.8%

(Daughter of the MC's parents' rival company)

ANN wrote:
15. They meet their soulmate thanks to time travelling. - 10.0%
16. The two characters were lovers in a past life. - 8.0%

(OK, these two clauses just had me scratching my head. Seriously?)

There are still a lot of other annoying tropes, and were quite a few as well (the I'm-late-so-I'm-running-with-the-bread-in-my-mouth hasn't been used as often as it used to be, so now it mostly for self-parodying, for example)
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DjAlmostFive



Joined: 22 Jan 2015
Posts: 16
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:23 pm Reply with quote
Z-Raid wrote:
Personally, I'm sick of really poor communication between the main character and the love interest leading to this huge misunderstanding and conflict. It's not something exclusive to shoujo series but good god sometimes half of the problems that pop up in shoujo wouldn't have happened if people just TALKED to each other.


THIS! It's by far the thing drives me nuts more than anything in Shoujo. For example, season 2 of Kimi Ni Todoke. Communication!
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secondkas



Joined: 18 Sep 2014
Posts: 95
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:39 pm Reply with quote
I shut down from a shojo series once the love rival appears and the love triangle/polygon starts. The main couple is so perfect together that they need other people to tear them apart? Really? Their own individual baggages are not enough to cause conflicts? Plus I feel sorry for the hapless third party who exists just for that role; he/she has no value in the story other than to ruin lives.
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Keichitsu0305





PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 7:07 pm Reply with quote
I actually like the whole 'your crush moves in with you' because the odds of it happening in real life is hilariously low and it shows how desperate the author is trying to pair the two.

As an avid shoujo manga reader (new and old content) here are a few I dislike:

The first love is the only love PERIOD. Anyone else is trying to 'ruin' your chances of being with your soulmate.

The abusive jerk is aloof because *insert tragic past cliche* and the heroine feels sorry for them which must means its love! (Bonus points if the message is that only romance can cure past trauma) Actually, irredeemable abusive jerks are uninteresting sob stories unless written well.

Love polygons. (This for any genre or demographic)
Poor communication because the author needs to drag out whatever stupid misunderstanding to gain false tension.

Ditsy heroine who, despite being drawn generically pretty, thinks she's the most plain Jane in her class. Bonus if they are super shy or girly to the max.

Anytime when rape or sexual assault is used for the heroine's love interest to save her (Again this is for all genre's or demographics)

The best friend(s) who are only good for providing an ongoing joke, wisdom, a Yankee, or weird kink.

I could go on (I haven't even talked about the love interest) but then that would take a full blog post. Embarassed
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 7:12 pm Reply with quote
More of a general manga trope: "Their still only teens, but they each live alone"--I can't count the amount of series in which the teenaged characters don't have any parental figures whatsoever. Or only one parent is ever mentioned, and the fact that generally people have two parents is just never addressed.
I first noticed this in Inuyasha when Kagome's missing dad--and Miroku & Sango's nonexistent moms--never got an explanation, and it's bugged me ever since.
And who raised Naruto?! We see him living alone with nominal supervision at 11, and the gap between his disastrous birth and then is never addressed! And who the hell are Konohomaru's parents? We only ever see his grandfather and uncle! Once you start noticing it, it gets annoying. <_<
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Touma



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 2651
Location: Colorado, USA
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 7:25 pm Reply with quote
From the article
Quote:
15. They meet their soulmate thanks to time travelling. - 10.0%

The only one of those that I remember is Inuyasha.
Is that shojo?

Quote:
16. The two characters were lovers in a past life. - 8.0%

Sailor Moon is the only one like that that I can recall.

Most of the others are things that I know well.
Though they are frequently used, perhaps over-used, they really do not bother me at all.
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Wingbeats



Joined: 23 Feb 2015
Posts: 272
Location: Boise, Idaho
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 7:56 pm Reply with quote
The two I find myself rolling my eyes at the most nowadays:

1. The "oops we tripped and now he's on top of me! Awkward sexual tension and blushing commence!"

-To be fair, that one is not just shoujo, but all over anime and manga in general....I just laugh at it now every time it happens.

2. The "Oh we suck at talking to each other and communicating so queue a massive misunderstanding!! Oh noes!"

-also all over anime/manga/media in general. So tired of it! xD
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mdo7



Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 6248
Location: Katy, Texas, USA
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 7:59 pm Reply with quote
Wow, this is a very interesting list to read.
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shiranehito



Joined: 27 Dec 2011
Posts: 793
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 8:24 pm Reply with quote
I don't read shoujo very often because of these overused tropes. Most of the time the plot really predictable and there's nothing surprising anymore.

But shounen manga also have their overused tropes, like wimpy protagonist who'll turn out to be super awesome over time, etc etc.
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