Line #16 Main/SeizaSquirm


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4	[[quoteright:300:[[Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/seiza_slump_6961.jpg]]]]
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6	In Japan, the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiza seiza]]'' (literally "correct sitting") position is a very formal kind of kneeling, sitting on your heels with big toes crossed. The position features heavily in tea ceremony, meditation, martial arts, and other formal rituals. This is not an easy position to get used to, and can become uncomfortable very quickly.
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8	In anime, a character's tolerance of seiza immediately separates those who possess charm and grace from those who merely want to show that they do. Any character who lacks sufficient natural dignity must then undergo a heroic battle not to squirm, fidget, or otherwise show any sign of the agony that he or she is in. Alternatively, the discomfort could be for… [[PottyEmergency other reasons]]…
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10	This is sometimes used as (another) method to out the wannabe-[[TheOjou ojou]], while casting a quietly respectful light on another character.
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12	Note that in some martial arts such as {{iaijutsu\|Practitioner}}, practitioners use a sort of half-seiza called ''tatehiza''. While the left leg is in the full ''seiza'' position, the right leg is planted on the ground so the practitioner is on one knee. It allows for a quicker transition to standing.
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14	----
15	!!Examples:
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17	[[foldercontrol]]
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19	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
20	* ''Anime/PrettyCure'':
21	** Happens to Erika in episode 7 of ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'', as shown in the page image.
22	** Also, we have a brief moment like this in episode 5 of ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure''.
23	** And again in episode 27 of ''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure'', with Mana and Makoto.
24	** Episode 16 of ''Anime/KirakiraPrecureALaMode'' has Ichika able to hold the pose, but she falls over right when she tries to stand up.
25	** Yet again in episode 18 of ''Anime/TropicalRougePrettyCure''. This time, it's Laura who suffers this trope during a tea ceremony class. She's a [[JustifiedTrope justified]] case because [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent she's actually a mermaid]], and it's her literal first full day with human legs as much as it is [[NewTransferStudent her first day at Aozora Middle School]].
26	* ''Anime/SailorMoon'' had an episode that played on this: neither Usagi nor Chibiusa was able to last through a tea ceremony, while their slapstick attempts to remain dignified highlighted the VictimOfTheWeek's "pure heart."
27	* Minor character Nitta-Sensei in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' used seiza as a punishment while on a field trip. While some students took it better than others, he also punished one of his fellow teachers (the protagonist, none the less) along with the students on the basis that it appeared that said teacher was helping them break curfew. Apparently, if a co-worker lacks tenure, you get to do that sort of thing. [[note]] Said protagonist is also only [[ImprobableAge ten years old]]. [[/note]]
28	* ''Manga/KashimashiGirlMeetsGirl'': Yasuna and Hazumu can sit in ''seiza''; Tomari and Asuta can't.
29	* In the ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' manga and one of the [=OVA=]s, there is a form of martial arts called the [[CookingDuel Martial Arts Tea Ceremony]], conducted entirely from ''seiza''. Ranma-chan requires a ribbon tied around his/her ankles to stay that way for the entire fight.
30	** Played completely for laughs in a later episode, where the mere idea of the IronLady that directs the Martial Arts Tea Ceremony ''standing up from the seiza position'' terrifies everyone in the tea ceremony dojo...
31	* In ''Manga/AiYoriAoshi'' the entire cast take part in a tea ceremony where they sit like this. Kaoru, Aoi and Miyabi, who all come from rich families, find little problem with ''seiza'' while the rest of TheUnwantedHarem squirm -- and of course find another point to moe over Kaoru.
32	* Yuuki in ''Manga/MugenDensetsuTakamagaharaDreamSaga'' uses seiza as a punishment.
33	* Happened in the animated version of ''VideoGame/YoakeMaeYoriRuriiroNa''. There, also used as a punishment.
34	* Happens as a punishment to Lavi and Allen in ''Manga/DGrayMan''.
35	* In ''The Sigh of Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' light novel, when the cast films in [[BigFancyHouse Tsuruya's house]], Kyon tries to imitate Yuki, who is sitting in what's described as seiza. He can't take it for more than a couple of minutes.
36	* ''Manga/ShrineOfTheMorningMist'', episode 17. The two junior members of the cast fidget and squirm in the seiza, while the rest hold their position with grace.
37	* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' once featured Himura Kenshin's legs going numb (and him falling to the side) during a rather long tea ceremony with Shinomori Aoshi.
38	* In the first episode of ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'', after hitting Naota, Haruko didn't squirm while in seiza, she ''rolled and slid'' around, seemingly at random. She also managed to maintain it perfectly, so even though she was freaking out trying to figure out what to do about running over Naota, she was doing it with style, dignity, and grace.
39	* When the title character of ''Manga/HikaruNoGo'' takes the exam to become an insei, his mother is convinced that he will fail, seeing that the boy "can't sit seiza for five minutes". Had seiza been a criteria for Go ability, she would have been right.
40	** Amusingly, he DOES wind up maintaining seiza for the duration of his exam - solely because he becomes so absorbed in the game that he forgets about the discomfort. Immediately after the game is over, he collapses from leg-cramps.
41	* ''Manga/TwentiethCenturyBoys'': Shouhei Chouno is kneeling in front of the portrait of his legendary grandfather. He's been trying to follow in the grandfather's footsteps and has so far been a failure. He vows to keep trying, and starts to stand up to stride off dramatically, only to find that his legs have gone to sleep.
42	* ''Manga/SkipBeat'' has its protagonist, Kyoko Mogami, have worked in a [[RyokanInn ryokan]] since childhood and was trained in tea ceremony. As such, she's quite used to sitting in seiza and manages to remain graceful, even if her feet are falling asleep. This becomes particularly impressive when she substitutes an actress in a scene requiring seiza, but Kyoko has a sprained ankle at the time. She still sits in proper seiza and looks on serenly... until the pain gets so bad that she becomes catatonic and ends up fainting.
43	* We get shown a short scene in ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' during the Midsummer Festival, where Mikoto, Uiharu and Saten are all participating in a tea ceremony with Saten sweating and squirming in her seat. The other two don't look to have any problems.
44	* In the first half-season's opening credits of ''Anime/HanasakuIroha'', there is a scene where Ohana and Nako, dressed in kimonos, are getting up from the seiza position and, while Nako gets up normally, the much less experienced Ohana crumbles down with a painful face expression.
45	* In ''Anime/DualParallelTroubleAdventure'', the [[{{PMC}} Earth Defense Force]]'s inexplicable Traditional Japanese Obaa-Sama at one point drags most of the main cast into some Flower Arrangement training on the reasoning that 'During times of war, it is doubly important to maintain a high level of culture'. The training includes sitting in Seiza, and while all the girls manage just fine, OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Kazuki almost instantly collapses as his feet fall asleep. Followed seconds later by MadScientist Ken Sanada. How [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Ken's daughter]], Mitsuki, wound up being so comfortable with Seiza is somewhat of a mystery. The other two girls, however, are easily explained, since one of them is from an old Japanese family, and the other is an [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Alien Bioroid]] EnergyBeing CloudcuckooLander, who most likely can't [[FeelNoPain feel pain]] anyway.
46	* Used in ''Manga/HekikaiNoAiON'' for Seine and Tatsuya while Tsukasa scold them for sneak out of the house for a midnight stroll.
47	* Used in the ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}'' episode ''Tendonman and Chawanmushimaro''. The Donburiman Trio, eager to get some of Chawanmushimaro's chawanmushi (well, mainly Katsudonman and Kamameshidon. Tendonman was the one that was actually invited.), sit in this position through one of Chawanmushimaro's poetry sessions. Chawanmushimaro's an expert at sitting like this, but the Donburiman Trio show absolute discomfort, wriggling their feet constantly. When Baikinman shows up, the trio jump up to run away...and promptly fall flat, forced to crawl and lay down to support themselves for a while.
48	* In episode 22 of ''Anime/SaintSeiyaOmega'', Ryuhou's seiza is flawless during the tea ceremony with [[spoiler:Haruto's father]], but as soon as he thinks nobody is watching him, he begins to squirm and fidget.
49	* ''Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka'': After some particularly over the top antics (even for him), Onizuka gets punished by being tied up in seiza position (along with weights just to make it all the worse).
50	* In the original ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' series, Sora recalls how her ''very'' traditional and strict mother Toshiko scolded her for being unable to correctly sit in ''seiza'', nevermind that she had an injured foot at that time.
51	* In ''Anime/StrikeWitches'', there is a short story of [[UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} Fusoan]] Shimoraha teaching [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Orussian]] Pokryshkin seiza for mental training. Pokryshin had so much trouble with it, she later adapted it as a form of punishment for the rest of of the Brave Witches.
52	* Nove makes Einhart do this during a next episode preview in ''Anime/VividStrike'' as punishment for [[spoiler:risking her championship title without permission.]]
53	* During the ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon'' arc, Ash falls victim to this while praying to Tapu Koko before his battle against Kahuna Hala. Fortunately, Hala is rather understanding of this.
54	* ''Manga/OnePiece'': According to TrollingCreator Creator/EiichiroOda, failing to bow to [[Recap/OnePieceDrumIslandArc the Hiking Bear]] will cause it to force you into this position for one hour. While this never happens on-panel, one of the video games [[ShownTheirWork features it as an obstacle]].
55	* ''Manga/CellsAtWorkPlatelets'': In the "You've Been Invited" chapter, the Platelets are invited to a tea party and go to other cells for instructions on proper etiquette. Dendritic Cell teaches them about how to behave during a traditional tea ceremony leading to their legs falling asleep from sitting in seiza.
56	* ''LightNovel/InfiniteStratos'': When the Academy students go to a restaurant, Cecilia gets to be next to Ichika - only to struggle because she is unused to sitting seiza.
57	[[/folder]]
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59	[[folder:Comic Books]]
60	* In one of the side-stories of ''ComicBook/AlbedoErmaFelnaEDF'', the mother of the titular heroine drinks tea while been in seiza. In this case this is justified because the planet when Erma, her mother and their whole family hails from a planet [[{{Wutai}} that shares many of the Japanese cultural traditions]], with some British ones.
61	[[/folder]]
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63	[[folder:Fan Works]]
64	* Extremely averted in ''Fanfic/UndocumentedFeatures'', where anyone who has need to get into seiza will do so without squirming or any other problems. In another Eyrie work, ''Fanfic/NeonExodusEvangelion'', the main characters can even get into seiza in the [=EVAs=].
65	* ''Fanfic/FateHaremAntics'': Taiga Fujimura makes Rin Tohsaka and her Servant Francis Drake sit in seiza as punishment after Drake blew up the school. Drake is not affected, while Rin's feet go numb.
66	* ''Fanfic/{{Constellations}}'': When Lung demands a meeting with the Miko of the Pawprint Shrine, Oni Lee arranges for Taylor to be taught a very formal tea ceremony for the occasion, a ceremony that will require Lung to remain in ''seiza'' position for ''four straight hours'', on pain of [[PhysicalGod doG]][[BoltOfDivineRetribution ly displeasure]]. Lung is unsure whether Oni Lee is indicating his displeasure at Lung's lack of respect for the Shrine or if Oni Lee simply didn't see a problem with this as he has frankly inhuman levels of patience.
67	[[/folder]]
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69	[[folder:Literature]]
70	* ''Angry White Pyjamas: An Oxford Poet Trains with the Tokyo Riot Police'' by Robert Twigger. Twigger, an English man living in Japan, took an aikido course. One lesson consisted of sitting in seiza for an hour without moving, which was particularly hard for Westerners who had not grown up with seiza. By the end, most of the class were hallucinating from pain.
71	--> If you stop when 'it hurts' you may be doing the safe thing, but you are not commanding your body, it is commanding you. There may be a time when your life depends on who is in command.
72	* ''Literature/{{Hagakure}}'': One anecdote describes a feudal lord who sat in this position while playing Go with his peers. Unfortunately because of his obesity, he lost circulation as a result and had to drag himself out of the position, much to his chagrin.
73	* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Kallen Selios, arrogant mana mutation field agent, demonstrates HiddenDepths in this fashion during ''Literature/LoomingShadow''. She has to take part in a formal tea ceremony with the lightning goddess, Ligol, while in this position. Failure to do so is punished by lightning strike. She passes effortlessly, while her {{sidekick}}, Emily, is less naturally composed.
74	[[/folder]]
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76	[[folder:Live Action TV]]
77	* Done as a punishment to Momotaros and Urataros of ''Series/KamenRiderDenO''
78	* In ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'', Richard Brown does a highly exaggerated version of this, especially for live action, as part of his instruction in being a samurai.
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81	[[folder:Manhwa]]
82	* ''Manhwa/{{Rebirth}}'' has this happen to Remi while trying to do a meditation, and gets the PaperFanOfDoom as punishment.
83	[[/folder]]
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85	[[folder:Video Games]]
86	* One of the training minigames in ''Kengo: Master of Bushido'' has the player meditate in ''seiza'' with a man standing behind him with a board. Fail to keep a bobbling cursor in the middle and your character will squirm, earning him a smack. Mess up enough and you fail.
87	* Averted in ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' the Warlock "Sit" emote is this with hands planted on their waist and no squirming, fitting since they're the mostly serious [[KungFuWizard Kung Fu Wizards]] of the [[MageMarksman Guardians]] (well, GunFu Wizards technically.)
88	[[/folder]]
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90	[[folder:Webcomics]]
91	* Largo from ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'' gripes about the position early on in the series. Turns out Piro's friend sold his chairs.
92	[[/folder]]
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94	[[folder:Western Animation]]
95	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', while meditating for airbending practice, Korra and the airbending kids are in this position.
96	[[/folder]]

Context Main / SeizaSquirm