Line #8 SmallReferencePools/AnimeAndManga


1	!! Small Reference Pools from Anime and Manga:
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3	* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' is the only HumongousMecha anime show you can count on anybody knowing about. Depending in the country, people may or will know about or have heard of ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' (or ''Anime/{{Robotech}}''), ''Anime/GoLion'' (or ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''), ''Anime/MazingerZ'' (or ''Tranzor Z''), ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'' (or ''Grandizer'', ''Goldorak'' or ''Goldrake''), ''Manga/GetterRobo'' (or ''Starvengers''), ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'' (or ''El Vengador''), ''Anime/CombattlerV'', ''Anime/VoltesV'', ''Anime/{{Daimos}}'' (or ''Starbirds''), ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', ''Anime/CodeGeass'', ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' and ''Anime/DarlingInTheFranxx'', with other {{Mecha Show}}s often including cameos or shout-outs to any of them. The rest of the many series that fall under the HumongousMecha genre are mostly known to Mecha Anime fans only.
4	** Similarly, ''Franchise/SDGundam'' is the only SuperDeformed Mecha series you can expect anyone to be familiar with. Outside of the Mecha Anime fandom, most don't know about the other series with SuperDeformed Mecha (Like the ''Anime/MashinHeroWataruSeries'', ''Anime/MadoKingGranzort'', ''Manga/LordOfLordsRyuKnight'', the ''Anime/NGKnightLamune40'' series, ''RPG Densetsu Hepoi'' and ''Anime/{{Granbelm}}''), series where the SuperDeformed Mecha are sentient and individual characters (Like ''Anime/ShippuIronLeaguer'', ''Karakuri Kengō Den Musashi Lord'' and ''Bakujuu Gasshin Ziguru Hazeru''), or even [[FollowTheLeader examples of other Mecha Animes trying to cash-in on the success of]] ''Franchise/SDGundam'' (Like what ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' tried with ''Super Space-Time Retsuden Vacuum Road Mamoru'').
5	** Unfamiliarity of the mecha anime genre has led people to assume incorrect connections among these shows. There are people who think that certain unrelated Japanese mecha shows have inspired Western releases such as ''{{Anime/Robotech}}'', ''{{Anime/Voltron}}'', and ''[[Anime/GoShogun Macron 1]]'' (or vice versa), unaware that these are {{Frankenslation}}s of their Japanese originals. Then there are those mecha anime accused of ripping off another, even if the compared anime are actually made by the same people/part of the same franchise or the one accused to be a rip-off is actually {{older\|ThanTheyThink}}.
6	* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' is the only MagicalGirl series ever done. And the only ShoujoDemographic series.
7	* ''Manga/DragonBall'' and ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' are the only {{Shonen\|Demographic}} known by pretty much everybody, no matter the place or age. ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', ''Manga/OnePiece'', ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' and ''Manga/RurouniKenshin''...are also fairly well-known among the general public. The rest of shonen manga? Not much. In works written by millennials or those with similar mindsets, references to ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', ''Manga/InuYasha'' or ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' may pop up.
8	* ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' is the only soccer or sports manga ever made. Okay, ''Manga/SlamDunk'', ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'', ''Manga/YowamushiPedal'', ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'', and ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'', ''Anime/YuriOnIce'', ''Anime/{{Free}}'' and ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo'' are other sports series but they are the only ones. Seriously.
9	* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is the only sci-fi anime involving star ships and interstellar travel. It's also the only {{seinen}} anime. Maybe ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' might show up if you're lucky.
10	* Creator/{{CLAMP}} and Creator/RumikoTakahashi are the only female creators in the manga industry. Additionally, ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', and ''Manga/InuYasha'' are Rumiko Takahashi's only works, and CLAMP's entire body of work consists solely of ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'', ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura'', ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'' and ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''.
11	* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' is the only series of the "armored warriors" subgenre. If you are American, replaces ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' with ''Anime/RoninWarriors''.
12	* Apparently, to those not all that familiar with it, ''all'' {{Anime}} and {{Manga}} are either [[AnimationAgeGhetto geared towards children]] (like ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'') or {{Hentai}}. Or more broadly, all anime, as opposed to "cartoons", which anime technically is, is for adults (and thus not appropriate for children), a stigma that exists among both anime fans and mainstream society. It's just the opposite, in fact. Because of cultural and societal differences, what Japan considers "family-friendly" is similar, but not entirely the same as the Western definition. Often, those same people use the words "anime" and "manga" interchangeably, or not even realize that the word "manga" exists. (They're used interchangeably in Japan. Japanese people often use the word "manga" in much the same way English speaking people would use the word "cartoon", which refers to both comics, animation, or any other kind of drawing.)
13	* Don't you know? All anime is sci-fi with 50 foot tall neural-interfacing robots. This is however sadly what a lot of professional US animators (such as is the case with Creator/JohnKricfalusi) seem to believe, mainly because ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' was for a long time the only Japan-US collaboration.
14	* Many people who aren't big anime fans have only heard of ''Pokémon'', ''Anime/YuGiOh'', ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', ''Manga/OnePiece'', and ''Anime/SailorMoon''. And most of these people believe that ''Dragon Ball Z'' refers to the entire ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, when it's really just the second of three series, after the original ''Dragon Ball'' but before ''Anime/DragonBallGT''. Younger generations might know ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' and ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''. Also Creator/StudioGhibli, but their only films are ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro'', ''Anime/SpiritedAway'', ''Anime/KikisDeliveryService'', and ''Anime/{{Ponyo}}''.
15	* Starting in the 2020s, there's a trend of primarily Western artist drawing [[{{Retraux}} 90s style anime art,]] and it will almost always look like the art from ''Anime/SailorMoon''. This will usually include a pink tint, which wasn't even present in the original release and is the result of poor film preservation causing the colors to fade. And sometimes, they would incorrectly label it as 80s style anime, even though Sailor Moon wasn't released by then, and most 80s anime didn't even look like that to begin with.
16	* To a number of anime fans, all Japanese "anime" is ''Manga/{{Akira}}'', ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'', ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', or any other show, movie or OVA that has graphic violence, swearing (though that's more of an issue with dubbed anime; it's a long story), nudity, and/or other "adult content" that one (usually) wouldn't see in a Western "cartoon". Never mind that the first animated film to be rated X was [[WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat an American cartoon]] [[OlderThanTheyThink made in the early-1960's]] by [[Creator/RalphBakshi a man]] that used to work for [[Creator/{{Terrytoons}} a studio]] that had its influence on a lot of influential manga-writers who were young at the time, such as Creator/OsamuTezuka.
17	* ''Manga/{{Chihayafuru}}'' and ''Manga/HoneyAndClover'' are the only {{Josei}} manga.
18	* Depending on who you ask, anime and manga didn't begin until the 1980s or 1990s. [[OlderThanTheyThink Manga has been around since early 1900's, and anime since the 1950s at least. Maybe even longer.]]
19	* The only anime that Creator/StudioPierrot has ever made are the aforementioned ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' and ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', maybe even ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' depending on who you ask. In Japan, they're actually more remembered for a series of MagicalGirl shows they made in the 1980s (with one revival series in 1998). Ever heard of ''Anime/TheMysteriousCitiesOfGold''? Yep, that was them. ''Anime/SaberRiderAndTheStarSheriffs''?
20	* ''Anime/LupinIII'' is the only anime TMS ([[Creator/TMSEntertainment Tokyo Movie Shinsha]]) has ever made. Or on the American side, that ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'' and ''Anime/LupinIIIPartII'' are the entirety of the ''Franchise/LupinIII'' Franchise.
21	* Amongst Japanese viewers, Eiken (not the anime OVA, but the studio) tends to be known more for ''Manga/SazaeSan'' these days (it IS Japan's longest-running anime TV series). Back when they were called TCJ, they made once show that is still very well remembered in Japan to day: ''Tetsujin 28-go'' (AKA: ''Anime/{{Gigantor}}'').
22	** Speaking of ''Sazae-san'', because the show is not very well known outside of Japan, some non-Japanese fans might think that other shows are the longest running anime.
23	* Fans who know about Toei tend to really only think of ''Anime/{{Voltron}}'' (AKA: ''Golion'' and ''Anime/DairuggerXV''; two unrelated shows) ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', the aforementioned ''Manga/DragonBall'' (especially ''[[Anime/DragonBallZ Z]]''), ''Manga/OnePiece'', ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'', and ''Anime/PrettyCure'' (although that's more specific to Japan). Some might remember ''Anime/MazingerZ'' (dubbed as ''Tranzor Z'' for English speaking countries), or even ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' (and then, fans may likely only know the later OVA from the 1990s), hardcore fans might know that they are responsible for animating ''WesternAnimation/GIJoe'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers''. They also did ''Sailor Moon''.
24	* If it isn't ''Anime/SpeedRacer'' or ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'' (or ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman''), then ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' (or rather ''[[Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross Macross]]'', ''[[Anime/GenesisClimberMospeada Mospeada]]'', and ''[[Anime/SuperDimensionCavalrySouthernCross Southern Cross]]'') was the only show Creator/{{Tatsunoko\|Production}} made (and then, the latter may or may not have been work-for-hire). Some may remember ''Anime/{{Superbook}}'' (which tends to be talked about more than its companion series ''Anime/FlyingHouse''), but may not know that that was a Tatsunoko production.
25	* And don't expect it to be called anime if it's ''Manga/AstroBoy'' or any of Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's works.
26	* Companion to the above: Many will think that Anime refers to the art style typically found in them and not realize that it is a catch-all term for Japanese animation and comic books. Expect anything {{Animesque}} to be called an Anime, regardless of whether or not it is actually produced in Japan.
27	* According to the Franco-Belgian comic book publisher ''Dupuis,'' the only manga worth remembering is ''Goldorak''. Not even its original name (''[[Anime/UFORoboGrendizer Grendizer]]'') would be used.
28	* If you're lucky enough to catch an anime reference in Western media, chances are it'll be to ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', ''Manga/{{Pokemon}}'', or ''Manga/SailorMoon'' by virtue of being massive phenomenon in the '90s. ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'', ''Manga/YuGiOh'' [[note]]mainly in the '00s[[/note]], and ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' might also get a mention.
29	* Anime and manga often make a ShoutOut to another anime or manga series. Sometimes fans catch the reference, because the series being referenced has also been released in the West, but sometimes it hasn't been, and is mistaken for a reference to something more familiar. For example:
30	** Western anime fans are often unfamiliar with the delinquent "yankee" stereotype in Japan, and assume all delinquents are a reference to either [[Manga/YuYuHakusho Yusuke and Kuwabara]] or [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure Jotaro, Josuke, and Okuyasu]]. The manga ''Otoko Ippiki Gaki Daisho'' stars a delinquent that may have inspired all of the above, and he's from a manga from the ''1960's''. The fact that the series hasn't made it to the States yet may contribute to its obscurity over here.
31	* In the 2000s, ''Manga/{{Gravitation}}'' and ''Manga/{{Loveless}}'' were the only works in the BoysLoveGenre.
32	* Motorsports anime and manga? To most people, ''Manga/InitialD'' is the only one that exists.
33	* If a pre-80s anime gets referenced in Western media, it's either ''Manga/AstroBoy'' or ''Anime/SpeedRacer''. ''Anime/{{Gigantor}}'' sometimes pops up as a third option. Sometimes ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'' will get a mention, but usually only to make a joke about ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 The Lion King]]'' having similarities. Don't expect a reference to any ''Astro Boy'' series besides the original, or to many characters besides Astro himself.
34	* [[Creator/{{JunjiIto}} Junji Ito]] is the only horror mangaka, and his only works are ''Manga/{{Tomie}}'', ''Manga/{{Gyo}}'', ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'' and ''Manga/TheEnigmaOfAmigaraFault''.
35	* ''Literature/MariaWatchesOverUs'' is the only YuriGenre anime that gets referenced most of the time.
36	* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'', ''Manga/LuckyStar'', ''Anime/KOn'', ''Manga/{{Nichijou}}'', and ''Manga/BocchiTheRock'' are the only SchoolGirlSeries.
37	** In regards to [[Magazine/MangaTimeKirara THE SchoolGirlSeries magazine]], expect people to only know the aforementioned ''K-on!'' and ''Bocchi the Rock!'', alongside ''Manga/LaidBackCamp'' and if you're lucky, ''Manga/HidamariSketch'' for the older crowd.
38	* The only high school shojo romances are ''Manga/BoysOverFlowers'', ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', and ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''.
39	* The only {{Deconstruction}} anime are ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' for the {{Mecha}} genre, ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' for the MagicalGirl genre, and maybe ''Literature/FateZero'' for the action genre and ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' for the {{mons}} genre.
40	* ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'' is the only shojo with an ActionGirl protagonist that isn't a part of the MagicalGirlWarrior genre.
41	* The only {{Mon}} genre anime are ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', ''Anime/YuGiOh'' (but only the original series!), and ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' (but only Tai, Agumon, and Agumon's evolutions, and occasionally Renamon), maybe ''Anime/{{Beyblade}}'' and ''Anime/DuelMasters'' (which is only known as supposedly being a ripoff of ''Yu-Gi-Oh!''). Nowadays, it's often just ''Pokémon'' since the others have become less known among younger audiences.
42	* The only mystery anime are ''Manga/CaseClosed'' and ''Manga/{{Erased}}''.
43	* The only modern non-Ghibli anime movies are ''Anime/YourName'', ''Anime/ChildrenWhoChaseLostVoices'', ''Anime/{{Promare}}'', maybe ''Anime/FiveCentimetersPerSecond'', maybe ''Literature/IWantToEatYourPancreas'' (if only for the strange title), ''Anime/WeatheringWithYou'', and maybe ''Anime/TheGardenOfWords''. Note that most of these are Creator/MakotoShinkai films.
44	* The only anime that explore LGBT themes in a non-{{fanservice}}d way are ''Anime/YuriOnIce'', ''Anime/CaroleAndTuesday'', ''Literature/MariaWatchesOverUs'', and ''Anime/WonderEggPriority''.
45	* The only anime where the characters are anthropomorphic animals is ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'', ''Anime/{{Aggretsuko}}'', maybe ''Anime/BrandNewAnimal'', ''Anime/TheCatReturns'', and maybe ''Manga/ShirokumaCafe'' and ''Anime/OddTaxi''.
46	* ''Manga/BananaFish'' and ''Manga/NatsumesBookOfFriends'' are the only shojo manga with male protagonists.
47	* The only 3DG anime are ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'' and maybe ''Manga/LandOfTheLustrous'' and ''Anime/TrigunStampede''. Also, that [[SpecialEffectsFailure terrible]] ''Manga/ExArm'' anime. And ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' and ''WebAnimation/GenLock'', even though they're [[{{Animesque}} anime-inspired]] and not actually anime.
48	* While anime and Japan is known for their perception of [[{{Meido}} maids]], the anime that put a face to the archetype in the 2010s are ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' and ''Manga/BlendS''. Ask someone older and they might bring up ''Manga/{{Mahoromatic}}''.
49	* The only anime filmmakers are Creator/StudioGhibli, Creator/MakotoShinkai, Creator/MamoruHosoda, and Creator/SatoshiKon.
50	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', ''Franchise/LittleWitchAcademia'', and maybe ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' are the only shows about going to special school where they teach you about whatever's special about the setting. Everything else like ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', and ''WesternAnimation/HighGuardianSpice'' is ripping them off. Or they ripped off ''Film/SkyHigh2005'', ''ComicBook/XMen'', and ''Literature/HarryPotter''.
51	* ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'', ''Literature/KonoSuba'', ''Literature/NoGameNoLife'', and ''Literature/ReZero'' are the only isekai anime ever made. ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'' may also get referenced solely because of its long title. Additionally, every isekai anime is about a teenage boy getting hit by "Truck-kun" and reincarnating in another world as an overpowered mage, complete with a harem, and they all have overly long titles. ''Literature/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' is the only shojo isekai.
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53	!!Aversions and notable exceptions of this trope from {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}:
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55	* Averted in ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'', mostly in the novels. We have a story which uses Euler's Planar Graph Formula as a plot device. Jean-Jacques Rousseau is mentioned in another short story extremely casually, and half the historical references are of Japanese history. Best of all, Yuki's books always refer to the current plot, like when she reads ''Literature/{{Hyperion}}'' in ''Melancholy''. Koizumi, especially in ''Melancholy'', peppers his words with philosophy, like the Anthropic Principle and the Omphalos Hypothesis. Even the title sequence for the first season isn't spared. Read up about it in the GeniusBonus and the ViewersAreGeniuses page.
56	* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'', an anime based around a MagicalGirl Ballerina, smashed this trope. Classical music serves as almost all of the background music in the show, and while a number of famous works are included (for example, Music/{{Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky}}'s ''Theatre/TheNutcracker'' and ''Theatre/SwanLake''), both more obscure composers (Smetana, Mussorgsky, Satie) and less-popular works from famous composers (Beethoven's Egmont Overture) were also included. And it features a lot of ballets too, from ''Giselle'' to the aforementioned ''Cinderella'' to ''Coppelia''.
57	* ''Manga/NodameCantabile'' naturally also uses works not by Beethoven & Mozart. The animators love "Veni, creator spiritus" from Mahler's 8th, for example, a fact that escapes the Other Wiki's notice. And Purcell's ''Abedlazar''...
58	* The GagDub of ''Anime/CrayonShinChan'' includes references to many obscure things, all the way to making a reference to ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER}}''. An interview by one of the writers said they deliberately tried to avoid this.
59	* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' features cameos and references to well known Japanese celebrities, but also much more obscure ones (one of the sadistic antagonists reading Trevor Brown probably takes the cake).
60	* The fairy tale anthology anime ''Anime/GrimmsFairyTaleClassics'' included many obscure fairy tales such as "The Iron Stove" and "Jorinde and Joringel", in addition to well-known ones like "Cinderella" and "Snow White."
61	* Meta example: The Japanese surname "Yagami" is spelt with the kanji for "eight" and "god" -- so, 八神, "eight gods"; it turns out to derive from a placename. However, most Western anime fans first encounter it through [[Manga/DeathNote Light Yagami]], who spells it with the kanji for "night god." This has resulted in at least two [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha similarly]]-[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters named]] characters on this very wiki being written up with incorrect name meanings of "night god." Whoops.
62	** Don't forget the beautiful princess Yagami-hime (八上姫), in Myth/JapaneseMythology. She's spelt with the kanji for "eight" and "rising up".
63	* The titular ''Anime/CastleInTheSky'', named Laputa, is based on the [[FloatingContinent Laputa]] seen in ''Literature/GulliversTravels''. There are no references to the [[SignatureScene much better-known scene]] where Gulliver is tied down by the tiny Lilliputians.
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Context SmallReferencePools / AnimeAndManga