A reminder of the rules of
Fridge Brilliance:
This is a personal moment for the viewer, so every example is signed by the contributor. If you start off with "
This Troper", really, you have no excuse. We're going to hit you on the head.
This revelation can come from anywhere, even from this very page.
Also, this page is of a generally positive nature, and a Fridge Brilliance does not have to be
Word Of God. In fact, it usually isn't, and the viewer might be putting more thought into it than the creator ever did. This is not a place for personal commentary on another's remark or arguing without adding a Fridge Brilliance comment of your own. If the show in question already has an article, please consider placing that in a Fridge page for that show, and not here.
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Specific
General
- Speed Racer and Sailor Moon (and maybe others) seem really bad in having plot points that are mind-numbingly obvious, like Racer X being Speed's brother, Serena being the Moon Princess and Darien being Tuxedo Mask. It can be painful to watch - unless you realize that the characters don't have the advantage of being objective third-party observers like we are as viewers. How many times in Real Life do we ourselves not realize something that's actually right in front of us? That's where Fridge Brilliance ultimately comes from! That's right - Sailor Moon and Speed Racer are actual examples of Fridge Brilliance in action!
- Actually, in the case of Sailor Moon this always made sense to me. Usagi didn't realize that Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask because Mamoru pisses her off, while Tuxedo Mask is her wonderful hero. Being a 14-year-old girl, she doesn't want to admit they can be the same guy; she hate hate hates Mamoru until the Big Reveal. In the anime. In the manga, it becomes apparent much, much earlier. Given that they were doomed lovers from a past life, though, some of that may be playing into the seemingly dumb. And I just now realized that in the live-action, given that Princess Serenity destroyed the world when Endymion died, maybe she's keeping Usagi from Mamoru for that very reason, by not letting her figure things out until it's blindingly obvious. Then again, Usagi's a 14-year-old girl. They tend to be dense.
- That, and there's also the fact that at least some of it was lost in translation. Granted, "Tsukino Usagi" (meaning "rabbit from the Moon") is a name that can be connected with the Moon, but it would require the characters to actually notice the meaning behind the name. In the translated version, on the other hand, the main character is stuck with the name "Serena", which is so similar to "Serenity" that one would have to be blind not to suspect anything. And as for Mamoru not being associated with Tuxedo Mask, there is a pretty simple explanation - you normally don't try to match masked vigilantes with people you had met on the street, and even if you do, you start with their personalities and behaviour, which in case of Tuxedo Mask and Mamoru, did appear to be completely different.
- Why are Moe characters usually 16? 16 is the age of consent in Japan. Most parts anyways. — {{@Psyga315}}
- A note about attachment in a Psychology textbook led me to realise something about Moe, and anime character designs in general. What neonatal features encourage a caring response, and are even used to gauge adult attractiveness? Big eyes, small noses and chins and high foreheads. — And Thus Discord
- In the very first chapter of Medaka Box, minor character Hyuga casually mentions that Zenkichi helped with Medaka's campaign. It initially doesn't seem to hold much relevance, but it turns out to be a key reason for support; many students supported Medaka as a way of indirectly supporting Zenkichi.
- In Thermae Romae, the reason why you see everybody as Japanese is because the story is told from the perspective of a Roman. So we see people as he sees them.
- Considering that he mostly bumps into old people, it's probably just how the artist draws elderly characters.
- In Eden Of The East, Takizawa is the Seleção Number 9. In the Brazilian championship, the number 9 is usually assigned to the main striker of the team (in fact some sports pundits say phrases like "The team needs a number 9") and considering that Mr. Outsider is a fan of Brazilian soccer, it makes sense that Takizawa is the most important player.
- Elfen Lied: Many called Lucy humming "Lilium" while slaughtering people creepy or said it was Nightmare Fuel. Till it struck me, she does it to remind herself to remain sane, keep herself on track, as her only aim in life is Kouta, whom she remembers through that melody.
- Hyouka: The face of main character's sister always misses the frame. The top border of the frame cuts it off. Nothing suspicious until you remember what's her name. Tomoe
- Gyagu Manga Biyori: In his first appearance, Taishi mentions a friend of his in bypassing - Fish Takenaka, a human who has a fish's tail growing out of the back of his head. Taishi also says (far too cheerfully) that Takenaka drowned the other day. At first, you laugh because the thought of a fish-like human drowning is simply bizarre, but then you remember - Taishi specified that Takenaka likes swimming in the Ink Sea. — Sea Maid 96
