Beginner's Guide

Anime, A Beginner’s Guide: Chapter 12-C: Comedy


At a Glance

Cromartie High School

In The 2,000 Year Old Man, Mel Brooks uttered his famous saying: “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.” With this in mind, it’s safe to say that comedy is a universal constant. People love to laugh. And, where there’s a need to put smiles in the faces of the masses, comedies are sure to rise and fill the void.

Comedy anime follows the same basic rules as the typical western comedy. While cultural differences may give a distinct flavor to anime titles, the end goal remains the same. Jokes, physical gags, and a generally over-the-top approach to given situations fuel shows as they attempt to elicit chuckles from the viewer. After all, so long as the sitaution is embarrassing or painful, it’s funny!

The Basics

Common Traits

  • Characters drive the humor and the story flow.
  • Emphasis on humor
  • Exaggerated character actions and facial expressions
  • Focus on the absurd or the offbeat
  • Often paired with other genres
  • Common visual gags used to add extra emphasis to scenes

Popular Sub-Genres

  • Action
  • Drama
  • Romance
  • Slice-Of-Life
  • Sci-Fi

Examples

Dirty Pair: In the future, man has conquered the stars. Planets and colonies teem with human life, and the universe grows smaller with each passing day. Of course, with the growing spread of humanity, there is also a growing criminal element. To help combat this malevolent stain on society, the WWWA was formed to help maintain control (and make a few bucks in the process). In the WWWA’s Criminal investigations department, a pair of Trouble Consultants have earned a very special reputation. Kei and Yuri make up the Lovely Angels, better known as the Dirty Pair. The two are the most accomplished agents, with an impeccable success record. However, they also have a reputation for leaving a path of destruction in their wake. The destruction is always due to outside circumstances, so there is always a grain of truth to the girls’ favorite excuse of “It’s not our fault!”

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsKA3Rq5f9c’]

You’re Under Arrest!: Natsumi Tsujimoto is the latest addition to Tokyo’s police force. As a member of Bokuto Police Department’s traffic division, Natsumi and her partner Miyuki must take to the mean streets to serve and protect Tokyo’s innocent population. The average criminals in Tokyo tend to skew a bit odd however. Looting Santas, baseball-uniformed vigilantes, and scooter-bound bargain-crusaders are just a sampling of the offbeat law-breakers that plague the city. Still, the girls at Bokuto stand undaunted. As they take to the streets in their tricked-out, turbo-charged mini patrol car, one can only wonder who has more to fear: the cops, or the criminals!

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0mKODt8uto’]

School Rumble: Tenma Tsukamoto is an average student in Yagami High School’s class 2-C. She attends courses, does her homework, and manages to be a decent student. She also has a major crush on her classmate, Ooji Karasuma. Unfortunately, she’s unable to express those feelings to Karasuma, and can’t help but stumble over her words in his presence. To make things worse, she just found out that Karasuma will be transferring out in a year!

Kenji Harima is a delinquent. He was kicked out of school due to his bad-assery, and was glad to be free. He fights, he curses, and he rides his bike in a tough-guy’s perfect existence. That is, until he sees her. The angel of class 2-D, Ms. Tenma Tsukamoto, herself! He vows to go straight and win her heart, and returns to school in hopes of getting closer to his dream girl.

Of course, things are never so easy. On top of the triangle of not-quite-love, class 2-C is filled with colorful, somewhat off-kilter characters like rich girl Eri Sawachika and the monstrously strong Karen Ichijou. And, of course, they all push against the walls of the triangle of confusion between Tenma, Oji, and Kenji with their antics. Will anybody find a happy ending in this, or will the rumble end with a murky finish?

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBd-fY6gi4g’]

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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