5 Anime Tropes Fans Are Sick Of Seeing

They say there are only a certain number of stories in the world and that all others are simply reiterations of previous to-dos. For instance, many love stories find their roots with Shakespearian plays, and anime is no different. Well, except for the Shakespeare bit mostly.

When it comes to anime, many series ride trends as they head into TV screens across the world, and some fans are sick of certain tropes. Over in Japan, one website decided to poll college students about their most detested scenarios in the anime, and the results will sure shock some long-time fans.

[H/T] Rocket News

Resurrection

If there’s no meaning in death, then can life ever be truly enjoyed? For some anime fans, it looks like the answer is no. One very popular trope in the world of anime is that of revival as countless characters have been brought back to life. In shows like Dragon Ball Z and even Sailor Moon, main characters would be ‘killed’ off only for them to be brought back from the dead or reincarnated all the same. Apparently, anime fans would like some of these resilient stars to play dead and stay that way.

Alternate Worlds

In series like Re:Zero and Sword Art Online, fans watch as the shows’ protagonists find themselves whisked away to strange new worlds where they must fight to survive. Whether the alternate worlds are virtual or not, the change in setting often gives heroes a chance to unleash their true potential and make a name for themselves where nobody else knows them. However, some fans are tired of the magical adventures and would prefer for anime characters to live within the confines of our real world.

Harems

Talk about wish-fulfillment. There are few things unexplored in the world of anime, and schoolyard crushes are free game in terms of storylines. However, there is one genre of anime that takes excavation a bit further and wonders what would happen if one boy or girl had a flock of suitors chasing after them. These so-called harem shows are often short and stuffed with fan service, but fans are starting to grow bored of their cyclical structure. One fans bemoaned that all the shows are “exactly the same,” so maybe a wrench needs to be thrown at the genre to give it some new life.

Time Travel

You may think that time travel never gets old, but it apparently can for some fans. Series like Steins;Gate thrive off the trope, but plenty of others have tried (and failed) to use the complicated trope for their gain. In the end, many anime series that include time-travel as a scenario do so to recon disasters or even undo personal tragedy. For some, the deus ex machina intervention cheapens the story, and fans would rather prefer to see the characters deal with the consequences of their actions.

Body Swapping

In recent years, anime seems to have been inundated with stories involving body swapping. Popular series like Kokoro Connect brought back the dying trope while the award-winning film Kimi no Na wa brought the trope to new heights. However, it looks like fans are already sick of the notion. The scenario was the number one down-voted anime trope, and it all comes down to predictability and overuse.