Current Survey Information!

You might have looked at our current survey in the sidebar and thought, "I don't know what some of these words mean!".

Well I'm here to clear it all up!

In anime and manga there are some signature character types... Included in our survey are some popular character types in anime.

Tsundere - A character that is a mixture of mean and then nice. One type of tsundere is mean at first and gradually becomes nicer and the other type is mean most of the time but has occasional times when they are nice. See:: The Four Tsundere Wonders

Yandere - A character that is a mixture of gory evilness and niceness/love. See:: ::: When They Cry, Halloween だ!:::

Boke - A character that will usually say stupid things, zone out, or be oblivious to the obvious.
Example: Otani from Lovely Complex

Otani frequently mispronounces english words and is oblivious to many hints from his friends. Though his opposite love interest, Risa, also has her boke moments...






Tsukkomi - The tsukkomi character is opposite the boke character. They are the character that notices the faults of the boke character and points them out frankly to them or to the viewer. In Japan, they play the straightman in the comedy routine.
Example: Tomoya from Clannad

Even in this picture Tomoya is frankly commenting on Fuko's sadness. Tomoya frequently points out others faults so he's an example of the "Tsukkomi" character.








Otaku - Any character that has an extensive interest and hobby dealing with anime, manga, video games, or collectable figures.
See:: Female Otaku Needed for Cosplay

Imouto - Applies to any character that is a younger sister. See:: November :::Tsundere of the Month:::

Shy - A character that is shy or timid.
Example: Hinata from Naruto

Hinata likes Naruto but can never find the right words to tactfully have a conversation with him. It's until she grows older in Naruto Shippuuden that she "opens up to him".







Intelligent - A character that is a tensei (genius) or just plain smart. These characters usually have glasses and frequently adjust them ^^
Example: Ishida Uryuu from Bleach

That's practically all he's got going for him in Bleach. Being smart enough to understand the physics of his flying arrows and the limits of his body.









Outgoing - Applies to any character that is very social or extraverted. I would say it applies to some shounen heroes as well.
Example: Haruhi from The Meloncholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi is pretty outgoing. She singlehandedly starts a club at her school naming it the S.O.S Brigade and proclaims it's to investigate the supernatural and extraterrestial phenomena. She has no problem approaching other clubs to compete with them and no problem bossing around the main guy character, Kyon.



And there you have it!!! Use this guide to vote on our sidebar survey!!

The Manzai Routine

Calling all comedy lovers!

Hi everyone! I bring to you one of the funniest comedy acts in Japan: The Manzai Routine! Also known as the "Boke-Tsukkomi Routine"

What does this mean exactly?

Well the person playing "Boke" would normally make a stupid comment and then be "punished" or tsukomu'd by the Tsukkomi who corrects him/her. This type of comedy is really funny and is evident in anime and manga as well!

Here are some examples:

In the manga Love Roma, Hoshino's relationship with his girlfriend is usually in a boke-tsukkomi style because of the Always-Honest-Hoshino and the embarrassed girlfriend ^^. Hoshino even claims their relationship to be a Manzai one:

Note: You may have to click the image to see it better (alternatively read this on mangafox here)

It's quite a wonderful manga and I highly recommend it if you like comedy/romance ^^

Another funny Boke-Tsukkomi relationship is from Lovely Complex:



This anime is about a romance between a very tall girl and a very short boy. You can imagine the comedy in that. Although this anime is quite old, it's still a very good story =).

Lucky ★ Star also has some very funny Manzai moments. Take Kagami and Konata for example. Kagami is always quick to jump into her tsuntsun half of her tsundere personality to pounce on the ridiculous comments Konata has to offer. It's also very funny ^^.


Sometimes when the Boke is punished, they actually enjoy it! Take Toaru Kagaku no Railgun for example. Everytime Kuroko annoys Misaka (the Railgun) with her awkward comments, she shoots her with an electric shock that looks very painful.


Another funny Boke-Tsukkomi example comes from my favorite anime: Clannad!
As Kyou tries to teach Kotomi how to play the Tsukkomi role, she ends up being the Boke as Kyou tsukomu's her. Here's a video clip of this in action!

Note: This comes from episode 11, and is a partial spoiler.



(Uploaded myself of course ^^)

And thanks to Chansu for the contributions from the Touhou department:

In this one, Cirno is announced as the "new tsukkomi"--wait! TWO tsukkomis? This has got to be interesting...



A Touhou collection of studio Ghibli jokes... or should I say... Shibli? If you're a fan of My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo, or any other Ghibli movie, you're sure to enjoy this:



So as you can see there are tons of Boke-Tsukkomi duos out there in anime, manga, and even fan-made videos, so if you like this type of comedy, don't hesitate to check it out! ^^

That's all for today, thanks for reading!
:::Deretsun:::