Blog Commentary #1: Character Design

[Wp]

To try to add some life into these forums, I will be occasionally linking some anime blogs that have interesting anime commentary. Please discuss this:

http://anime.miao.us/archives/2005/11/30/510/

Where is the imagination in character design? Why is it that half of all shounen manga heroes have spiky blond hair? Why are the heroines cutesy ditzes armed with just a heart of gold?

The hell, where is my imagination? WTF? My characters suck too! Maybe I shouldn't have read this...

[Black Sparrow]

Yeah, anime is depressingly packed with repeat character designs:both in appearance and personalities. That's why we have the tough job of breaking away from cliche and presenting the audience with something new.

The question is, what can we learn from these repeats?

[JessicaRaven]

a lot of my characters can be considered to be homages/parodies/ripped off of some well known characters or character archetypes myself

I think if done right it can be quite interesting


now if I can only figure out how to do it right

[Risky]

That's it, I quit my comic and keenime.

[Wp]

Well, it's understandable to ditch Keenime since it's already half dead. Although I can't see why you're giving up your comic.

[Risky]

Shounen manga spiky blonde haired heroes?

[Cope]

*restarts the spiky hair debate*

[Wp]

Ohoho! You were kidding!

*smacks forehead*

[Forelli_Boy]

I remember this one book called "How NOT to draw Manga" which theorized that practically every character in anime and manga can be derived off any of 6 archetypes, 3 male and 3 female. There were a few sub-archetypes, too.

[Qwanderer]

I could only find the pages with thefirst two types online, but none of my characters particularly resemble either one! Hooray!

And the character who most resembles the blond, rambunctious, spiky-haired hero is a girl. That's something.

[Brockway]

Hmm, welp, my comic cast is like 5/7 female. It seems my comic is closest related to magical girl anime >_<. The only reason one of the guy's is there is as a mcgufin, and I haven't even gotten there yet.

[Dotty]

I like my characters. This blog can go to hell.

Cutesy ditz/super intelligent "herbal" coffee addict heroine ftw!

[Rosediamond]

I think basing characters off of real people may save people from falling too hard onto stereotypes. Then again, a lot of people follow their given stereotypes, so that may be a moot point . . .