Dont Try This At Home / Anime & Manga

Don't Try This at Home in Anime & Manga.

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• The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You has its fair share of these warnings:
  • Chapter 25 warns against swallowing food whole "unless your throat is made of a special alloy".
  • Chapter 58 warns against putting oneself in People Jars.
  • Inverted in chapter 109, which features Rentarou giving himself and the girls numerous ways to simulate drunkenness so as to be able to have a pretend drinking party to welcome new girlfriend Momoha into the fold. When Momoha and Mai list off the things they've done in one panel, each line points to a footnote reading "Good boys and girls, feel free to try all of this at home!"
• The Anime series Hayate the Combat Butler parodies this trope — the series' version of Censor Steam, a genie carrying a sign that covers the suspect content, occasionally shows up with a Don't Try This At Home variant instead for not quite as egregious misdemeanors, like littering.
  • In the manga version, the chapter where Hayate defeats a robotic butler by sticking silverware into its joints and shorting it out is actually titled something like "Good Little Kids Shouldn't Try This At Home! And Neither Should The Bad Ones!"
  • Good boys and girls should never jump out of a moving train.
• The anime Cromartie High School has an animated disclaimer to open the show. The gist of the spoken disclaimer is "The guys that appear in this anime are delinquents. Please do not, under any circumstances, imitate anything they do.", then shows protagonist Kamiyama sitting in a jail cell (with a caption that translates, "Do not imitate! Or this will happen!"). The dub adds a little emphasis in case the subtitles aren't turned on: "Don't do it, man! I'm serious! It's a BAD idea!" Which is made more amusing by the fact that the tough delinquent characters hardly ever actually do anything dangerous or likely to get anyone in trouble.
• That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Before Satoru dies from his stab wound, he tells his co-worker to get rid of all the content on his computer. His co-worker drops Satoru's computer into a bath with a message popping to say "Never do this at home" as this is a sure-way to start a fire or get electrocuted.
• Sonic X:
  • In the first episode, Sonic jumps on top of an S-Team race car during a chase, causing the driver to protest that they don't want any kids copying him; Sonic duly warns the kids in the audience never to stand on moving cars. This is possibly a parodical Shout-Out to the original Sonic Sez segments of the first animated series. The dub plays it a little differently. Sonic does the same thing and receives the same complaint from the driver: "What if some kid tries this?" Sonic turns to the camera and says:
    Sonic: Kids, don't use Formula One race cars to chase hedgehogs!
  • In a later episode, a Chaos Emerald was found under water, and Chris Thorndyke was helping Sonic go get it. During an attempt with a hosepipe, Chris holds up a sign saying, "Good kids: Don't imitate this!!" Sonic then holds up a sign saying, "You mean I'm not a good kid?" This only happens in the Japanese version—for the international version, 4Kids Entertainment ruined the joke by blanking out the signs and not bothering to put in any replacement text. This happens again a bit later, when Chris holds up a similar warning sign as they are about to use a bell in their scheme, and 4Kids, of course, blanked it out senselessly.
• In episode 10 of Fruits Basket Hatsuharu trips Kyo with a rope while Kyo is running (fortunately Kyo gets an Instant Bandage). Hatsuharu then breaks the fourth wall to say that doing this could cause serious injury to anyone besides Kyo, so Don't Try This At Home.
  Kyo: Don't try it here! Who are you even talking to?!
• Parodied in episode 25 of the first Slayers anime, when "Pritty Lina's Magic Lecture" explains how Zelgadis does one of his spells.
  Zelgadis: This is dangerous, kids, so don't try it at home!
  Lina & Gourry: Like they could?!
• Skip Beat! shows Corn jumping off a terrace, grabbing a flagpole sticking out of the building's wall, twirling around it for a bit and then landing safely on the ground. A note on the page says 'Good kids, don't try this at home!'.
• Bleach:
  • When Flipping the Table in Bleach, a note attached to the table reads "CAUTION: For use in sight gags only!"
  • Also used in the Hueco Mundo arc by Dondachakka after Pesche reaches into his loincloth and pulls out his sword
• At the end of one chapter of Sgt. Frog, the Sergeant can be seen with his back turned to the reader, using a screwdriver to take a Rubik's Cube apart. There is a caption at the bottom of the panel saying "Don't try this at home, kids".
• School Rumble, Episode 2, shows the main character, Tenma, climbing down the school's outer wall from the second floor using a pair of toilet plungers as tools. As soon as she steps out the window, a caption appears reading "This is a joke. Please do not try at home."
• Kaleido Star's first OVA has May climbing from one speeding taxi to another with the standard "Good children should not attempt this!" message. All while the Gonzo team were clearly having too much fun with the camera angle now that they weren't on TV.
• In Chapter 0 of Kamichama Karin Chu, Kazune is going to England. Not wanting him to go, she replaces his passport photo with a picture of Francis Xavier, a Jesuit missionary. There's a caption of Nya-ke/Shi-chan saying, "This is an illegal act called 'forrrgery of official documents,' so good kids, don't trrry this ★" under the panel.
• In Waq Waq, when Fran uses Ninjutsu: Flying Squirrel to float in the air by holding onto a sheet, the narrator states "Because situations like these will never arise in real life, please do not imitate, you might die."
• Parodied in Samurai Pizza Cats: "Kids, don't try this at home. We're professional cartoon characters."
• Yu-Gi-Oh!: In the dub of anime episode 77, when Mai executes a quick 180 turn in her car, she says "Do not try this at home!"
• Yu-Gi-Oh! GX:
  • In one two-part episode, Amon duels Manjyome while both are standing on ledges suspended from helicopters. Judai - one of the witnesses to the duel - makes this warning in the preview for part 2 (spoken at the end of part 1).
• In one episode of Kämpfer, Mikoto is doing rather dangerous things at a water park, such as pushing Akane off of a diving board. Two disclaimers pop up during the episode: first, "good children should not imitate Mikoto", and later, "even bad children should not imitate Mikoto".
• The second episode of Panda Z features the eponymous character trying to eat a big plate of hot, steaming batteries. Every other scene had a text scroll across the bottom with phrases like "Batteries are not food", "Do not expose batteries to heat", or "Do not cut batteries".
• The Trigun anime gives us this comedic line: "The Deadly Dodgeball Face! A technique that involves holding the ball to your mouth with intense suction! TRY THIS AT HOME, KIDS!"
  • A truly unforgettable moment from the very first episode is when Vash, just prior to getting the actual bad guy Hoist by His Own Petard, glances into the camera and remarks: "Dangerous toys are fun - but you could get hurt!"
• In the Reborn! (2004) OVA, Reborn will appear with a sign saying: "Good kids don't do so." This is because the events in question are things like sleeping on a bus roof while it's driving, having water fights in Hot Springs, and peeing on ice sculptures.
  • Fran literally breaks the fourth wall by saying not to try anything that Bel does at home. Bel is not too pleased.
• At the beginning of every episode of Is This A Zombie?, we're helpfully reminded that "Our protagonist is a zombie. Do not try this at home!"
• Star Driver parodies this occasionally: at one point it holds up a notice, when a character rides the top of the bus to school, that only people who live on the fictional island the show is set is allowed to ride on the roof of a bus. Later it advises viewers to not shoot fireworks at each other "like these idiots are doing", and to not use supernatural powers when your friend is around to get caught in them.
  • One fan sub put an extra humorous notice in one episode: "Please do not imitate rapists."
• In one of the My-HiME sound dramas after the main events of the series, Nao (who is in middle school) offers Mai and the others (who, except for the middle school age Mikoto, are in high school) some alcohol, and they start drinking. Nagi then reminds listeners that they shouldn't try this until they're 20.
• In the Cooking Duel of Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA 2wei, while Suzuka was wrapping up Tatsuko like a mummy to prevent her from further screwing up the cake they were baking, Nanami breaks the fourth wall to address the readers.
  Nanami: Kids, be good and don't imitate this, please!
• When Walker uses an Aerosol Flamethrower in the sixth Durarara!!, the narration notes that this is, in fact, a terrible idea and more likely to set you on fire than your opponent. It then notes that Walker knows this and does it anyway, because he's Walker.
• In the second Ah! My Goddess OAD, packaged with vol. 43 of the manga in September 2011, Keiichi does the old Mentos and Diet Coke eruption trick by holding the Mentos in his mouth and spitting them into a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke. An onscreen caption says "He is using it the wrong way. Children, don't do what he's doing." (Putting the Mentos in his mouth would probably make them less effective anyway since the nucleation points on their surfaces would dissolve away.)
  • Also parodied in the manga, when Welspar had just suffered one of his usual troubles and the manga has a warning... To other cats.
• A shot in Sankarea that shows Chihiro's grandfather eating hydrangea leaves includes a warning to the viewer that hydrangea leaves are poisonous, and that the grandfather's acts should not be imitated.
• In an episode of Heaven's Lost Property, a don't try this at home message pops up when Sohara, Astraea, and Nymph counter Tomoki's attempt to peep on them by using mirrors to reflect sunlight through his periscope into his eyes.
• In episode 15 of My Bride is a Mermaid, Chimp outlines a plan for Kai to kidnap Sun to take as his bride. The screen says, "This is a crime. Don't try this at home."
• In episode 4 of Good Luck Girl!, Bobby says this when he witnesses Momiji pouring boiling water on Momo to feed his masochistic fetishes.
• In episode 9c of Sakura Trick, Kaede fantasizes on riding on the back of Yuzu on the latter scooter. Immediately a big red X was put over her Imagine Spot with an "Illegal Traffic Maneuver!" caption, and the narrator said, "No, you don't!"
• Sailor Moon Super S episode 155 was probably the one time the anime used this trope honestly^note The exact same warning was also used in episode 144, but as it involved the weird actions of a Lemure, the warning doesn't seem so serious. when Chibi-Usa's friend Kyusuke pulled off a crazy swinging and leaping stunt. The anime quickly plastered on the screen, "This is dangerous; do not imitate." The Cloverway dub was sensible enough to keep and translate the warning.
• March Comes In Likea Lion uses this for a minor, one-panel joke in Chapter 38. As Hina and Momo are watching a squirrel-related cartoon show, one of the Kawamotos' ever-hungry cats claims that they could go for some squirrel (before adding that they could instead eat just about anything, as per their usual M.O.). A disclaimer outside the margins of the panel tell the readers "Don't eat squirrels."
• Repeatedly used in the more cartoonish parts of the His and Her Circumstances anime.
• Ghost in the Shell: In Human Error Processor, Togusa runs across the street between two speeding cars, and a footnote advises that readers should not try this unless they are cyborgs. Which kind of says something when you realize most accounts paint Togusa as the least augmented of the team.
• In The Testament of Sister New Devil OVA, Maria puts some of Mio's panties in a soup and tricks Basara into eating it. The screen says "Don't do this at home."
• Yo-kai Watch has a warning before each episode, most likely for comedic effect considering how unrealistic the series is.
  Whisper: Any attempt to replicate youkai behavior would be ill-advised.
• During episode 4 of Yuki Yuna is a Hero, warnings appear onscreen when Karin downs several health supplements in a row. One of them mentions that she's a trained professional.
• In Initial D, a warning pops up saying to not replicate anything that is being shown and to follow traffic laws before the intro starts.
• Done in-universe in a post-Cell Game episode of Dragon Ball Z: before trying to break 19 large tiles on live television, Mr. Satan takes the time to give the warning, with a twist: he doesn't warn the children at home to not imitate him but the parents to make sure the children don't try it. Considering he's a parent himself and his only daughter does try and imitate him, it's a very sensible warning.
• Dr. STONE features lots of accurate and well-explained science, so this trope was bound to show up:
  • When Senku acquires sodium hydroxide (aka lye), he explains that it can be used to dissolve bodies, and then tells good boys and girls not to do so. Another character then points out that good boys and girls wouldn't need to dissolve bodies in the first place.
  • The anime shows the following disclaimer at the end of each episode:
  This Is a Work of Fiction, but the plants, animals, and production methods described are based on reality. Foraging and making things on your own accord is extremely dangerous and, in some cases, illegal. Please do not imitate without expertise.
  • In one episode, Senku and friends make gunpowder. The actual process is shown and described in detail, followed by a robotic version of Senku popping up and Breaking the Fourth Wall to warn viewers that doing this WILL create real, explosive black powder, and that it is extremely dangerous.
• During the omake in episode 6 of Mysteria Friends, there is a scene depicting the show's resident Butt-Monkey Lou getting fireworks shot at her by her "friends". This is given the disclaimer "DO NOT ATTEMPT".
• In Chapter 13 of The Demon Girl Next Door (and its equivalent Episode 6), Yuko ate Momo's grotesque-looking attempt at cooking a hamburger steak without any consideration that it might be less than edible, since Momo had intended to make it for her. After Yuko mentions how she defines the word edible (anything that doesn't trigger a gag reflex), a warning message appears:
  Warning: This girl has undergone special training in this field as part of her family's circumstances. Please be very careful to confirm whether food prepared and left out during the summer is safe to eat.
• In episode 5 of Excel♡Saga, the vice-mayor's mistress is tossed in the fridge when Kabapu walks in, and some background text reminds kids not to stuff themselves in the fridge.
• A note in Chapter 255 of GTO: The Early Years says this about the boys playing with fireworks.
• In Chapter 105 of Great Teacher Onizuka, a note says Kunio (who's playing with fireworks, including putting one in his mouth) is a professional, and not to try this at home.
• Dotto! Koni-chan: An episode has Koni giving Emi the TV energy by rubbing his hands really fast on her plug while she's pedaling on her bike. The Latin American Gag Dub goes the extra mile with Koni Breaking the Fourth Wall and saying "Kids, don't try this at home, it's pure cartoon nonsense!"
• My Dress-Up Darling: Less because it's dangerous and more because it's creepy and morally wrong, but when Gojo asks the cosplayer Sajuna "Juju" Inui how she found out where he lived, she confesses that she watched him in secret when he attended a cosplay event with Kitagawa, and then followed him in the train back home and up to his place. Both the anime and manga quickly add a disclaimer caption that you shouldn't do this in real life.
• Bocchi the Rock! throws in an inversion for the sake of comedy. When Kikuri describes her "Happiness Spiral" (read: her ability to always stay positive via regular consumption of truckloads of alcohol) she takes the time to exclaim that all kids watching should try it at home because it's great and will make their life better. (Of course, Bocchi is both Seinen and a late-night show, so the usual PSA target demographic is probably not watching the series to begin with.)
• How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? will warn against attempting some of more advanced moves without a lot of training. One thing they warn never to do is hold a competition to see who can stay the longest in the sauna.
• SPY×FAMILY often warns the viewers (via Caption Humor) not to try some of the crazy stunts the protagonists often get themselves into, such as kicking people for recovery therapy, or trying to use blowfish poison for medical purposes.

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