Anime Isn’t Funny
One thing which has always mystified by about anime fandom are all the people who insist a certain show is, in fact, actually quite funny. Whilst there are a handful of exceptions, most shows attempts at humour fall rather painfully flat.
Actually, I’d originally intended this post to be a collection of moments from anime which I actually laughed at, but having spent the best part of the weekend scratching my head trying to think of a few, I decided against it – the problem being that I couldn’t really think of much outside of Honey and Clover and the works of Akitaro Daichi which are, actually, genuinely funny.
That isn’t to say that comedy anime isn’t amusing – there are plenty of shows which I can watch with a smile on my face due to the overwhelming silly atmosphere and attempts at humour, but the fact is that the number of shows which can actually make me physically laugh is pretty minimal.
Its hard to figure out exactly why this is. In #animenano TJ Han suggested that Asian humour simply doesn’t work with one with such a sophistimicated British sense of humour as myself. Personally, I’m not really sure that is actually the case – the problem being that there are plenty of humorous manga which do bring me much merriment. Whilst I’m wouldn’t say there aren’t anime titles I simply don’t get due to the sense of humour not overlapping with mine – even within the works of Akitaro Daichi, I can say I really get Tsukikage Ran – but the fact that I can find manga funny but not anime rules that out for the majority of titles. Even with adaptations of manga titles which crack me up, many of them don’t raise a smile even when I’m watching outside the point in the manga which I’m familiar with.
Twister is funny. Always
I think repetition has a lot to do with it as well. We have got to the point now where we have had far too many shows which simply repeat the same jokes over and over again. Seriously, how many times can one find some poor guy getting mauled over an accidental panty shot funny? The fact is, there are too many shows which are far too similar.
I think the real crux of the problem, however, is that many anime directors simply lack any sense of comic timing. This is what separates Akitaro Daichi from many of his peers – his sense of timing is spot on. I’ve seen too many shows where gags which sound really funny on paper have been ruined by either inadequate or over-the-top build-up. Whilst there have been a few shows which have managed completely spastic humour quite well (like the early episodes of DiGiCharat), there are too many series which seem to completely lack the ability to successfully build up to a gag, or perpetuate a running joke across the series (Azumanga Daioh manages both pretty well, actually).
Nadesico makes one cry MANLY tears of laughter
Ultimately, I think my place in life is just to amuse myself with giant robots and action shows, and generally be a miserable sod about everything – not that its a particularly bad thing.
Anyway, I got around to installing one of those poll plug-in thingies, so go over there —> to vote on the subject.
2006-07-30
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Actually, I laugh quite often at anime. There are certain titles which really crack me up at times.
But yeah, pantyshots never were funny.
2006-07-30
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The really hyperactive shows *usually* leave me flat, in terms of humor. I’ve always though it is kinda hard to make me laugh, because it usually has to couple some kind of surprise with the humor. Like a joke I just really wasn’t expecting, or one that was just so well executed it blows off my stoicism and I laugh.
Azumanga Daioh, I thought, had, as you say, a very well crafted sense of comic timing. It made me laugh.
I laugh at Nana
I laugh at Hachikuro.
I laugh at Ouran, though not always where I’m probably supposed to be laughing.
I don’t think I ever really laughed at Excel, or Pani Poni Dash, though they seem to be well-regarded comedies.
2006-07-31
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DAMN YOU! You just pre-stole my Wednesday post!
But yeah, I find anime largely amusing and smirk quite often. Sometimes I even let out a chuckle to indicate my good times. But anime’s certainly never had me an uncontrollable fit, or where I’ve had to rewind and be like “oh, he didn’t just say THAT!”
I would agree that comic timing is a large problem, but the eastern sensabilities also play a large part as well.
And then I guess we may as well just go back to my old mantra of how you can’t beat a good real life actor, and add the fact that a big part of selling a gag isn’t just the material and director, it’s also the comic him/herself. And since we’re talking about drawn pictures, there’s not really a lot of room for a character to completely knock a punchline out of the park in a way that catches you off guard.
2006-07-31
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@Seth – I think I actually laughed once during Excel, and that was the scene when Excel and Hyatt first arrive in the US – bad English is always funny, even if it was entirely intentional there.
@Crayotic – Yeah, taking real life actors out of the picture probably does have a large effect on the potential humour value of anime shows – there is a whole level of physical humour which only works with actual people, and doesn’t translate well to animation at all (partially due to lack of subtlety in expression, and partially because we have been conditioned through years of watching anime to assume that characters are immune to the kind of physical pain which is funny in LA).
But, yeah, lack of subtlety in most anime probably accounts for a lot.
2006-07-31
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pre-apologize:
space_bar_broken.
suffice_to_say:
penny-arcade=
example_where
humor_possible
in_comics_not_IRL
via_facial_expression
2006-07-31
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I’m inclined to agree, to be honest. When I laugh at anime it’s usually not at the obvious set-up gags; rather the quirky moments and subversive winks. Not to suggest any sophistication on my part – fart jokes still are the win. But timing and uniquely random takes on things are usually get the genuine laughter out of me. A lot of what I love about Honey & Clover is that its humour seems secondary to everything else, and yet fecking hilarious when utilised.
2006-08-01
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It’s rather easy for me to laugh at something, I don’t think I’ve seen any of the series that you mentioned……And odd thing is, I’ve never laughed at Azumanga Daioh at least not the way intended (in other words start to laugh then end it 2 secs. later, akwardly)I have laughed at Excel Saga though it’s hard with the subs running a few lightyears per second….Ouran really cracks me up though.
2006-08-01
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It’s rather easy for me to laugh at something, I don’t think I’ve seen any of the series that you mentioned……And odd thing is, I’ve never laughed at Azumanga Daioh at least not the way intended (in other words start to laugh then end it 2 secs. later, akwardly)I have laughed at Excel Saga though it’s hard with the subs running a few lightyears per second….Ouran really cracks me up though.
2006-08-08
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[...] DiGiKerot’s post about how anime isn’t funny. [...]
2006-12-18
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I don't watch ANIME.
I want to know why people like it.. or what's cool with it.
I might want to try watching it someday,
what can you recommend?