PA1: Younger than you look...

**kitaek27** · 10:02 PM

PROBLEM ANIME: A rant thread complaining about ideas and aspects that are clearly wrong and awkward with anime.

You're younger than you look... MUCH younger.

Has anyone ever noticed, when watching Anime or reading Manga, that characters who appear as the heroine are usually much younger than they appear?

No matter how you look at them, their vocabulary, skills, personality, and height are all beyond their proclaimed age.

Let us take a look at a well known example: Yusuke Urameshi.

This poor highschool child is killed in an accident, but rather than resting in peace, he is forced to fight demons on behalf of the spirit world. He never gained any specific powers, other than instructions on how to fire off an attack that he can only use once per day. So his powers slowly rise, but if we look at how powerful he was to begin with, we're left to do nothing but wonder.

Did I mention that Yusuke is 14 years old? A freshmen in highschool, beatnig up gangsters and demons.

Not convinced? Heres a look at some characters from Reborn.

Here is looking at Gokudera, a child who uses dynamites as his weapon to fight against anyone who gets in the way of his mafia leader.

What would you guess his age is? Did you know that he and his master is 12 years old, in middle school? I'll have whatever they're smoking.

This cute character is Lambo. He is 5 years old. He has a special weapon called the "10 year bazooka", which makes the user switch places with their future selves from 10 years ahead for 5 minutes.

This is the self proclaimed "Adult Lambo". While at first glance, we would all think, "oh hey, Lambo just used the 10 year bazooka and is now an adult!" But did anyone actually bother thinking what age he really is?

5+10 is 15. This so called "Adult" Lambo is only 15 years old. He should be in Highschool, not working as a hit man and flirting on girls all day.

Still not convinced? Lets have a look at a character that almost everyone knows: Naruto.

Naruto is a ninja who goes around doing dangerous missions for his village. He and his other ninja academy graduates will be going around doing life threatening feats all day long. What are their parents thinking? They're 12 freaking years old!

12 year olds are not ready for knife slinging. Heck, neither are 14 year olds.
Does this look like a 14 year old to you?

I'm looking at a college student MINIMAL.

What are these characters doing? Drinking from the fountain of accelerated growth?

Last I checked, Japanese people were never this tall at these character's proclaimed age. Heck, they never get as tall as Gokudera or Ichigo is.

Solution? Kitae estimates adding approximately 5 years to these character's ages would be appropriate.

**TofuCakee** · 01:09 AM

Mwhahaha Lambo is a lil pimp don't hate on his skills i love the little idiot.

Aravan

i agree.
I am a lurker at onemanga.com, and noticed that most all characters are in middle school. When i was in middle school, i was barely aware of the world, much less looking someone for my lovelove night. And i was ducking the bullies that had been held back a few years, nevermind the gangsters or villians in manga.
It disgusts me that most heroines are perfect goodie goodies of upmost virtue pandering to (jerk) men older than them. Arg, grow a backbone girls, sheesh.

But i have to remind myself that its a cultural thing. Afterall, famous Japanese singers/actresses give up their careers when they marry, though it would make more sense for HIM to be the domestic while living off her fame. But then, i am looking through the film of an American upbringing. We have had 100 years since woman's suffrage and 30 years since title 9 (and the resulting, "you could be president" being told to girls as well has boys.)

As my roommate would say, "it's in the script!" Manga is written, for the most part, to entertain (and inspire?) middle school kids.

Paul

lol, lucky star would be a easy example... there all seniors in high school... (the 4 main)

ashturil

Because of that "fountain of maturity issue" I find love-team problems ensue with characters, especially with Ichigo in Bleach. He looks so mature, he gets teamed up with everyone... and one of them supposedly a 100-year-old-or-more soul...

Why do they look so old?!!

Cyrus

All right, before this goes any further:

Quote:

Has anyone ever noticed, when watching Anime or reading Manga, that characters who appear as the heroine are usually much younger than they appear?

That's a chick. :P

But on topic, as someone who's 23 going on 40 (according to most people), it does happen from time to time. Back in high school people assumed I did so well because I had failed at least once and was retaking the class, even though I was actually a grade below them (schedule mix-up).

It does happen from time to time, but I'll give you Ichigo and Gokudera though, those two look like 10 years older than they should. Girls now a days though...well, I just wonder what they put in the water sometimes.