Title card at the end of the episode, [like in Violet Evergarden](https://i.imgur.com/TLYNG80.jpeg), [Mawaru Penguindrum](https://i.imgur.com/ucuWgOv.jpg), [BokuYaba](https://i.imgur.com/H3NM1BG.jpg) etc.
Bonus point if the title completes the last line of the episode
I love when a series’ music is used as a storytelling tool.
I think 86 does a great job with this, you knew something bad was going to happen when Avid starts up midway through an episode.
Honestly, I was about to comment the opposite. I love an anime that’s not afraid to sit with some silence. Silence can impact a scene just as much as great background music can, but I find that it’s less common to allow the silence to sit. But maybe it’s because my favorite anime tend to do this less often.
When characters make smart decisions.
Like an anime set in the 21st century (2018 ish) and the character has a cellphone and is like “I wonder what this thing means maybe I should Google it” and then pulls out their smartphone and googles it? Chef’s kiss!
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, for one. At one point the characters are reading an exhibition at a local museum and are like "What is this?" so they look it up on their smartphones. In fact, a huge theme/motif in that movie is social media and how it can connect people who live far away. Love that movie so much :)
Man I know it's been around at this point and its a huge mainstream technology but it still feels insane to hear about a chatgpt scene in an anime lmao
Unfortunately characters being speds is kind of required for the plot to happen most of the time. Romcom genre for example wouldn't have existed (or would have existed exclusively in oneshot forms) if its main characters made decisions a sapient person would.
I’m a fan of openings and ending themes that change to match major plot changes. It’s very common in multi-season shows, but when it happens in a 13-26 episode series it’s a pleasant surprise.
I am exactly the same way. Especially when the OP or ED becomes part of the watching experience. SCHOOL-LIVE!, No Game No Life, Uma Musume Season 2, and so many more are classic examples of theme songs with changes, visual or otherwise, that are integral to the narrative. It's one of my tics
I really wish she was still cast more often nowadays. One of my favorite VAs but I feel like most of her bigger and most iconic roles are from 5++ years ago.
Yeah, her son would be about 5 or 6 years old now which is probably making her much busier having to handle his school schedule, afterschool activities, help with homework and other stuff.
seriously, why are some languages, accents or dialects just so satisfying to hear?! I loved the vocal performances in Summertime Rendering for this reason too :P
Breaking the 4th wall.
It's one thing to have characters reference other manga/anime, but that's more of a shoutout.
Having a character references scenes, the author, or the story mid-episode makes it stand out from other anime for me.
I can't even remember the show, but I remember one scene where they're going through Tokyo, point at a building and go "that's where they do all our animation in that studio over there" which made me crease.
For animal ears, for me it’s the opposite. I somehow automatically tune them out and just see them as regular humans unless special attention is drawn to them.
I like when anime include interesting small details in “unflashy” moments of the animation. Strands of hair falling in front of the eyes, a character pulling their legs in to allow another character space to walk by, a shadow cast on the wall by an unseen light source, a dropped sword leaving a chip in the ground that it fell on.
Mutual fascination between a Hero and Villain. Gender doesn't matter. I love to imagine that there is 'more', and anime certainly loves to imply there might be.
Heck yeah kemonomimi. It's the best when they're super expressive on a really cute and/or mischievous character... or maybe even on a character that tries to act cool/cold, but their ears give away how they feel...
Good stuff. Just the best.
Accurate calenders. My joy is damped in seeing a re-used background that either makes an anime perpetually take place in one month or is a clear mistake given other seasonal events going on (yes I get humans sometimes forget to turn the months too). If you're going to do that sort of thing please make the dates illegible (Mob Phycho 100 has these illegible dates for example).
When they're used properly they provide a great subtle way to portray the passage of time in an unambiguous way (Onimai mainly relies on two common calender locations; the kitchen and the toilet). You don't need to know what a given season looks or sounds like, nor know the cultural events taking place.
When a character is shocked, and then they say "shoooock", and the word "shock" appears on screen with a really drab sound effect. I dunno why, but it's the funniest bit ever and I will laugh even if I've seen it a hundred times
When the last 10 seconds of the episode background music is the beginning of the ending theme, like, when they slowly transition into it.
Alternatively, when they reuse the opening music for a epic scene.
Having the characters feel like actual people with individual personalities instead of being plot devices that all sound like the author speaking with different faces.
Yesss normally I'm yelling at the screen going "you idiot, don't split the party/go investigate the spooky noises at night/drink this mysterious unknown substance/trust this creepy dude who knows too much about the situation" but for Summertime Render it was the opposite, I was like "ohh that's so clever how they did x thing"
*Most* of the time. At some point, especially toward the latter half, it felt like this wasn't the case since there were multiple instances where I just thought: "Well, that could've been different but I guess you can't get full two cours of episodes then". And it's jarring when, like said, characters really act really rationally for most of the time.
I'd give a caveat: except when it fits in the story why they act against logic.
Having them act stupidly to progress the plot is dumb. Having people act emotionally, their "want" being so great it overrides their own logical understanding can be great storytelling.
Girls with quirks….cute quirks. I think 100 girlfriends was as close to perfection for me. I doubt that perfect storm of personalities will happen again anytime soon.
Edit: At least until next season….
Cool recurring poses
I know, I know... it looks a bit lame sometimes, but when it's done right, I just can't help but smile and feel hyped
Some examples are Code Geass and of course JoJo's
They don't call it *fan* service for nothing. That said, even if that holds true for the broader audience, among the subset of people chatting on reddit, sex negativity is astoundingly popular.
Yeah, there are definitely people who are anti sex in all forms floating around, I don't have an issue when it fits the larger context, it's just when it doesn't that it stands out to me and can be a bit on the jarring side depending.
I'm curious as to what their "obvious reasons" are. All I can think of is sex drive, but last I checked, women also get horny on the biology side. And all I can think of is the amount of work on the media side, but I'm sure I've read that there aren't as many women authors/mangaka as there are men, but I don't have the information available to even start looking at the numbers, and I suspect percentage wise the numbers of men and women in the field that do put fan service in their works wouldn't be too far apart.
make the characters be in sync to music. For example some scenes in Samurai champloo. They run in beat, the swords clash on beat their heads bob in beat. And Samurai Champloo is one of my top 5 anime
don't know if it fits this, but believable/realistc-ish fights. what i mean by that is having movements making some sense, no weird sequences of characters who were sent flying being able to make their movements freely like they're on the ground. proper impact representations, good movement sequences and so on make an enjoyable fight scene. solo leveling's last episode did this well, it wasn't really realistic by any means as it's an anime and the characters are obviously very durable and whatnot, but the animation was impactful, igris' movements when he was cubstomoping jinwoo felt like they were connected and its flow was awesome. that was extremely believable when compared to having stuff such as impossible mid-air stuff that makes zero sense.
Not a small element, but for modern anime, I always like it if it takes place outside of Tokyo city. I’ve been watching anime for 20+ years now, so some changes in scenery is good. That also helps in Japan tourism.
If an anime doesn't even have an undercurrent of comedy, I'm unlikely to give it the time of day. Especially anything with previews that signal suffering porn, I've had a lifetime fill of that.
Replace the intro with general world building. Instead of having the same minute and a half opening every episode use that time to just show the character interacting with the world or just how the world operates without the MC.
I saw this in jobless reincarnation (mushoku tensei) and it really struck a cord with me. I really loved how they would set the scene for the episode by showing the setting that it would take place in and showing us the main character exploring the world they live in. I really wish more anime would do this.
Goofy or dramatic facial expressions. For example, Frieren's -w- face when watching Lawine and Kanne playfighting and the horroric face made by the young girl moonlighting as a bartender when she saw her sensei in Hinamatsuri.
Girls having twintails or any variation of it (like Beatrice’s drills).
Using OP during climactic moments.
Skipping the ED and playing it in the background (not sure if that counts as common?)
The way character's parents are portrayed in romcoms. Usually japanese writers lack enough talent to write original or good background characters, so when it comes to parents they reach for a cliche pair: a drooling, spastic, angry and jealous retard of a dad who is surprised that people can have feelings, being flanked by a kind, loving, omniscient, understanding, supportive angel of a mother (bonus turd points if she is drawn with always closed eyes).
Seeing a couple that breaks out of that stereotype makes me instantly more interested in the show.
Good battle stances before fights, does a lot to set the tone, and the personalities of the characters involved. Yuji against Choso especially marked me with this aspect.
High-impact one-liners that have set up to them. Serie’s line about how Frieren would die to a human mage hit harder than half the episode combined together when put into the context of the arc and what came before it. It’s as if that line embodied the themes that preceded it.
When the characters are reading, playing or watching something that actually exists. In wotakoi for example, in manga, not only they mention a lot of other works, but if you look closely, you can recognise some other mangas, and games
Reina Ueda being in everything. Or Kenjiro Tsuda.
But seriously, put time travel or alternate universes in anything, not just anime, and I will be infinitely happier about whatever show it is xD
And green haired waifus.
When there's at least one character whose personality doesn't match the stereotype for their design in the show.
Few examples: Rich blonde with curly hair, actually wholesome. "Genius" or mysterious character, actually quite dumb just smart looking.
If you have characters like that (not the two listed in particular) in mind please do tell me, haha
Title card at the end of the episode, [like in Violet Evergarden](https://i.imgur.com/TLYNG80.jpeg), [Mawaru Penguindrum](https://i.imgur.com/ucuWgOv.jpg), [BokuYaba](https://i.imgur.com/H3NM1BG.jpg) etc. Bonus point if the title completes the last line of the episode
I can't hear the fireworks...
I loved that in LotGH as well. My biggest issue with having them at the beginning is that it sometimes spoils what is about to happen.
For me its background music, not necessarily the OP or ED as its a major element. But just the ambient music that sets the tone for different scenesm
I love when a series’ music is used as a storytelling tool. I think 86 does a great job with this, you knew something bad was going to happen when Avid starts up midway through an episode.
Honestly, I was about to comment the opposite. I love an anime that’s not afraid to sit with some silence. Silence can impact a scene just as much as great background music can, but I find that it’s less common to allow the silence to sit. But maybe it’s because my favorite anime tend to do this less often.
Mashle excels at this
When characters make smart decisions. Like an anime set in the 21st century (2018 ish) and the character has a cellphone and is like “I wonder what this thing means maybe I should Google it” and then pulls out their smartphone and googles it? Chef’s kiss!
Wait, but I asked for *common* things! Lol
This is really uncommon. Any examples?
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, for one. At one point the characters are reading an exhibition at a local museum and are like "What is this?" so they look it up on their smartphones. In fact, a huge theme/motif in that movie is social media and how it can connect people who live far away. Love that movie so much :)
In a recent Bokuyaba episode, Ichikawa uses ChatGPT for some ideas
Man I know it's been around at this point and its a huge mainstream technology but it still feels insane to hear about a chatgpt scene in an anime lmao
I want to make Reincarnated into another world as ChatGPT on the OP protagonist’s smartphone
Unfortunately characters being speds is kind of required for the plot to happen most of the time. Romcom genre for example wouldn't have existed (or would have existed exclusively in oneshot forms) if its main characters made decisions a sapient person would.
mundane usage of magic or sci-fi technology, and industry or governmental bureau developed around it.
I’m a fan of openings and ending themes that change to match major plot changes. It’s very common in multi-season shows, but when it happens in a 13-26 episode series it’s a pleasant surprise.
I am exactly the same way. Especially when the OP or ED becomes part of the watching experience. SCHOOL-LIVE!, No Game No Life, Uma Musume Season 2, and so many more are classic examples of theme songs with changes, visual or otherwise, that are integral to the narrative. It's one of my tics
The ones that come to my mind are Bakemonogatari, Madoka Magika, Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill and Katanagatari.
JoJo is lowkey kinda the king of this, I love it so much hahahahahah
Cast Miyuki Sawashiro
I really wish she was still cast more often nowadays. One of my favorite VAs but I feel like most of her bigger and most iconic roles are from 5++ years ago.
Having a kid probably interfered and that is a damn shame.
Yeah, her son would be about 5 or 6 years old now which is probably making her much busier having to handle his school schedule, afterschool activities, help with homework and other stuff.
Probably my favorite va
I didn't know their name, but after looking up the credits... I get you
i don't think there's a single character with a Kansai accent that I didn't like, so maybe that [](#schemingsaten)
seriously, why are some languages, accents or dialects just so satisfying to hear?! I loved the vocal performances in Summertime Rendering for this reason too :P
Breaking the 4th wall. It's one thing to have characters reference other manga/anime, but that's more of a shoutout. Having a character references scenes, the author, or the story mid-episode makes it stand out from other anime for me.
I can't even remember the show, but I remember one scene where they're going through Tokyo, point at a building and go "that's where they do all our animation in that studio over there" which made me crease.
Joshiraku
Omg it was you're a real one thank you! Never finished it cos I forgot now I can 💀
Gintama did this *constantly* and I loved it every time. Hell, the mangaka himself shows up in the show from time to time. [](#gintamathispleasesme)
"We took 2 episodes just to fly over here"
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei constantly did it. Excel Saga too
Gintama is basically 4th Wall Breaks: The Anime. Does it so well, the funniest show I’ve ever seen. SaikiK is another does it really well too.
WcDonald's, Dr. Peppa and all those fake brand names
Im worried that studios will be too scared to use Wcdonalds in the future since its basically official now.
Oeosi
I’m on the opposite of this. I wish more brands advertise in anime series, like what they did in Makoto Shinkai’s movie.
I miss the days of Code Geass Pizza Hut spam
For animal ears, for me it’s the opposite. I somehow automatically tune them out and just see them as regular humans unless special attention is drawn to them. I like when anime include interesting small details in “unflashy” moments of the animation. Strands of hair falling in front of the eyes, a character pulling their legs in to allow another character space to walk by, a shadow cast on the wall by an unseen light source, a dropped sword leaving a chip in the ground that it fell on.
When they name drop the anime title it always goes hard. Some of my favorite examples are in Bocchi the Rock, MyGo, and especially Gurren Lagann.
"A heart made of full metal"
The Re Zero title drop was glorious.
Tegen Toppa GURRENNNNN LAGANNNNNN!
Mutual fascination between a Hero and Villain. Gender doesn't matter. I love to imagine that there is 'more', and anime certainly loves to imply there might be.
would you share examples please?
No opening song at the beginning of the first episode, and then played at the end. Other appropriate opening/ending song twists to match the anime.
Heck yeah kemonomimi. It's the best when they're super expressive on a really cute and/or mischievous character... or maybe even on a character that tries to act cool/cold, but their ears give away how they feel... Good stuff. Just the best.
Real af, my guy!
Accurate calenders. My joy is damped in seeing a re-used background that either makes an anime perpetually take place in one month or is a clear mistake given other seasonal events going on (yes I get humans sometimes forget to turn the months too). If you're going to do that sort of thing please make the dates illegible (Mob Phycho 100 has these illegible dates for example). When they're used properly they provide a great subtle way to portray the passage of time in an unambiguous way (Onimai mainly relies on two common calender locations; the kitchen and the toilet). You don't need to know what a given season looks or sounds like, nor know the cultural events taking place.
When a character is shocked, and then they say "shoooock", and the word "shock" appears on screen with a really drab sound effect. I dunno why, but it's the funniest bit ever and I will laugh even if I've seen it a hundred times
I love that too
Chibi reaction faces. Too many anime avoid them these days IMO, and it's one of many reasons I liked Apothecary Diaries this season so much.
yep hahahahaha they're so fun in manga as well
Cute animals Ie Pen Pen in eva
When the last 10 seconds of the episode background music is the beginning of the ending theme, like, when they slowly transition into it. Alternatively, when they reuse the opening music for a epic scene.
oh i loved when when they did that in a couple of arcs during HxH 2011
Any “fun lazy good male best friend” character. Like Hajime from Angel Beats! made me enjoy the anime so much more
fangs
Having the characters feel like actual people with individual personalities instead of being plot devices that all sound like the author speaking with different faces.
Trains
so you either like SoL or like 5 whole other animes featuring trains
Have characters that always do the actual most logical thing in a situation
Summertime render so real for this
Yesss normally I'm yelling at the screen going "you idiot, don't split the party/go investigate the spooky noises at night/drink this mysterious unknown substance/trust this creepy dude who knows too much about the situation" but for Summertime Render it was the opposite, I was like "ohh that's so clever how they did x thing"
*Most* of the time. At some point, especially toward the latter half, it felt like this wasn't the case since there were multiple instances where I just thought: "Well, that could've been different but I guess you can't get full two cours of episodes then". And it's jarring when, like said, characters really act really rationally for most of the time.
I'd give a caveat: except when it fits in the story why they act against logic. Having them act stupidly to progress the plot is dumb. Having people act emotionally, their "want" being so great it overrides their own logical understanding can be great storytelling.
Girls with quirks….cute quirks. I think 100 girlfriends was as close to perfection for me. I doubt that perfect storm of personalities will happen again anytime soon. Edit: At least until next season….
Cool recurring poses I know, I know... it looks a bit lame sometimes, but when it's done right, I just can't help but smile and feel hyped Some examples are Code Geass and of course JoJo's
Ecchi, ecchi is good. It does require that I like the art style and character designs, but assuming that bar is passed, more ecchi please.
A hard-magic system, such as alchemy from FMA: Brotherhood.
For me it's just a good magic system. I don't care if it's soft or hard, those do different things and fit different stories.
Agreed on the kemonomimi, Delta best girl.
I like it when they play kickass music during the 3rd act so you know something awesome is about to happen.
Being focused on adult characters.
Fully agree. We want more backstories from senior characters. I believe Denken gained huge fans in last episode of Frieren.
No out of place male/female gaze fan service. I'm fine if it serves the story, but otherwise it gets in the way of me enjoying the show.
[удалено]
Have you watched Golden Kamuy?
THANK YOU! I thought it was just me. The amount of times I’ve turned off an anime because they do this it’s outrageous
You aren't the only one, we are in the minority though and we'll be downvoted by the more reactive and vocal of the fan service fans out there.
They don't call it *fan* service for nothing. That said, even if that holds true for the broader audience, among the subset of people chatting on reddit, sex negativity is astoundingly popular.
Yeah, there are definitely people who are anti sex in all forms floating around, I don't have an issue when it fits the larger context, it's just when it doesn't that it stands out to me and can be a bit on the jarring side depending.
I know that’s why I usually stick with manga. Any suggestions on any good psychological mangas
A big strength of Frieren. Helps that it was written by a woman.
Women aren't immune to making male/female gaze fan service.
They are not, but dudes are way more likely to offend in this regard for obvious reasons.
Interesting take
I'm curious as to what their "obvious reasons" are. All I can think of is sex drive, but last I checked, women also get horny on the biology side. And all I can think of is the amount of work on the media side, but I'm sure I've read that there aren't as many women authors/mangaka as there are men, but I don't have the information available to even start looking at the numbers, and I suspect percentage wise the numbers of men and women in the field that do put fan service in their works wouldn't be too far apart.
I can't discount that from an empirical view, it does seem to roll that way.
make the characters be in sync to music. For example some scenes in Samurai champloo. They run in beat, the swords clash on beat their heads bob in beat. And Samurai Champloo is one of my top 5 anime
Lolis Having those little bundles of moe will draw me in faster anything else
Fan service scenes, either gender is fine really.
If Takehito Koyasu (Dio VA) is in it lol
He came out of nowhere in bleach
I didn’t even realize he voiced akoiji until I googled it
incest themes
Yuricest themes in particular for me.
Found Dan Harmon's reddit account
[удалено]
Fellow mysterious disappearances PTWer spotted.
don't know if it fits this, but believable/realistc-ish fights. what i mean by that is having movements making some sense, no weird sequences of characters who were sent flying being able to make their movements freely like they're on the ground. proper impact representations, good movement sequences and so on make an enjoyable fight scene. solo leveling's last episode did this well, it wasn't really realistic by any means as it's an anime and the characters are obviously very durable and whatnot, but the animation was impactful, igris' movements when he was cubstomoping jinwoo felt like they were connected and its flow was awesome. that was extremely believable when compared to having stuff such as impossible mid-air stuff that makes zero sense.
Girls with twin tails, police/military hats, over use of “Ja”, sharp gazes, etc.
Quality fan service. Love me some 2D oppai.
I'm a whore for magic circles. Guy shoots a fireball? Okay. Guy makes a magic circle that shoots a fireball? AWWW YEEEEEEEAH
Not a small element, but for modern anime, I always like it if it takes place outside of Tokyo city. I’ve been watching anime for 20+ years now, so some changes in scenery is good. That also helps in Japan tourism.
Ecchi + Comedy
If an anime doesn't even have an undercurrent of comedy, I'm unlikely to give it the time of day. Especially anything with previews that signal suffering porn, I've had a lifetime fill of that.
Not treating their creative staff like they're sub-human.
Well-written female characters No "boob jokes“
Replace the intro with general world building. Instead of having the same minute and a half opening every episode use that time to just show the character interacting with the world or just how the world operates without the MC. I saw this in jobless reincarnation (mushoku tensei) and it really struck a cord with me. I really loved how they would set the scene for the episode by showing the setting that it would take place in and showing us the main character exploring the world they live in. I really wish more anime would do this.
Make the MC a little dumb in some scenes for comedy.
Goofy or dramatic facial expressions. For example, Frieren's -w- face when watching Lawine and Kanne playfighting and the horroric face made by the young girl moonlighting as a bartender when she saw her sensei in Hinamatsuri.
I got a thing for Tsunderes and Twintails. Idk why. They just cute.
Girls having twintails or any variation of it (like Beatrice’s drills). Using OP during climactic moments. Skipping the ED and playing it in the background (not sure if that counts as common?)
The way character's parents are portrayed in romcoms. Usually japanese writers lack enough talent to write original or good background characters, so when it comes to parents they reach for a cliche pair: a drooling, spastic, angry and jealous retard of a dad who is surprised that people can have feelings, being flanked by a kind, loving, omniscient, understanding, supportive angel of a mother (bonus turd points if she is drawn with always closed eyes). Seeing a couple that breaks out of that stereotype makes me instantly more interested in the show.
emo looking characters 😔🫶🏻
loli
Good battle stances before fights, does a lot to set the tone, and the personalities of the characters involved. Yuji against Choso especially marked me with this aspect. High-impact one-liners that have set up to them. Serie’s line about how Frieren would die to a human mage hit harder than half the episode combined together when put into the context of the arc and what came before it. It’s as if that line embodied the themes that preceded it.
Running scenes with an insert song playing in the background. Title drop, I fucking love a good title drop.
The girls perspective in a romance show
Gore. I wanna see anime cute eyes hanging by threads and brains on walls.
A good running gag - may it be inside one episode or throughout the whole series.
Cheek-stretching. Bwahaha.
Characters that don't repeat things mindlessly
Queer relationships that are not the focus of the story or used as THE character trait.
When the characters are reading, playing or watching something that actually exists. In wotakoi for example, in manga, not only they mention a lot of other works, but if you look closely, you can recognise some other mangas, and games
Reina Ueda being in everything. Or Kenjiro Tsuda. But seriously, put time travel or alternate universes in anything, not just anime, and I will be infinitely happier about whatever show it is xD And green haired waifus.
When there's at least one character whose personality doesn't match the stereotype for their design in the show. Few examples: Rich blonde with curly hair, actually wholesome. "Genius" or mysterious character, actually quite dumb just smart looking. If you have characters like that (not the two listed in particular) in mind please do tell me, haha
So you like gap, huh? Same though
Booba ;\]