Whether it is animation or live action, animators and actors go to great lengths to make their characters expressive and emotions believable.
They're damned if they don't. Sometimes, though, characters will be unable to perceive what the spectator can, even if it's rubbing their nose. Facial cues? Inflection? Grunts? Contortions? None of these will tell them anything if you can't speak.
It can be played for comedy or drama. It'll usually involve a
Cute Mute trying to convey a message. Such message will invariably go
whoosh! over the head of the receiver, or sometimes even the emitter. If it's a comedy, the receiver is most surely a
Jerk Ass. If it's a drama, some traumatic experience may have affected the receiver.
Related to
Nonverbal Miscommunication.
Examples:
- Elfen Lied: Kouta and Yuka can't figure out what's wrong with Lucy/Nyuu contorting, running around and only able to say Nyuu! with different inflections; they just stare at her blankly, wonder what her name is and she ends up peeing on the floor.
- Potemayo: Poor Mikan can't perceive hostility from Potemayo, no matter how often she gestures, growls or shouts shaaaaa!. Jumping onto Mikan's head in a facehugger fashion seems to work.
- From the animated Zorro show from the 1980s: At one point Zorro dresses up as a Spanish soldier and takes the Captain hostage. The Captain tries to alert his Lieutenant via winking. Quoth the Lieutenant: "Captain, you are winking! Do you have something in your eye?" Captain: (facepalm).
- Mass Effect uses a variant: There's an alien race whose facial cues are so subtle (and the body language involves scent) that other races are completely incapable of interpreting it. They've adapted, though, and often say how they're stating something when dealing with other races.
- To elaborate, they sound almost exactly like Eeyore and say what emotion they are expressing at the beginning of a sentence. For example, imagine Eeyore saying: "Fearful surprise. Why are all of you aiming your guns at me."
- Count Duckula has Nanny, who takes everything literally.
- In Eyeshield21, unless you're a powerful man, you'll be mystified by Komusubi's speech and writing. Which means, out of the main cast, only Kurita can understand him. His own father always know what he's talking about, as well.
- In The Simpsons, Homer Simpson does it on more that one occasion:
Chief Wiggum: Gee, I'd hate to close you down. Maybe we can reach a little, uh, understanding here. (Holds out the palm of his hand and motions his fingers so as to suggest that this is a bribe).
Homer: I understand.
Bart: Um, hey, Dad, I... I think he wants...
Chief Wiggum: Uh, let me put it this way. I'm looking for my friend Bill. (nods as he says Bill) Have you seen any Bills around here? (nods)
Homer: No. (points at Bart) He's Bart.
Chief Wiggum: (groans) I... Listen carefully, and watch me wink as I speak, okay?
Homer: Okay.
Chief Wiggum: The guy I'm really looking for, wink (winks), is Mr. Bribe, wink, wink (winks twice) (holds out hand again).
Homer: It's a ring toss game.
Chief Wiggum: All right, that's it, I'm shutting this game down.
——
Homer: (sickly sweet) Oh, look at me! I'm making people happy! I'm the Magical Man from Happy-Land, in a gumdrop house on Lollipop Lane! (leaves the room, slamming the door) (pokes his head back in) Oh, by the way, I was being sarcastic. (closes the door)
Marge: Well, DUH!
- Real Life: Inability to read facial cues and such is a symptom often found in some autistic spectrum disorders.
