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EDIT: I made this post 2 years ago but theres still people who are uninformed about what anime have "no storyline" To better educate the uneducated, I would like to present to you my case...


Comedy Anime 101: Situational Comedy or SITCOM
i laugh everytime I read an anime review or post in an episode discussion about how comedy anime "X" sucks so much because 'there is no story line.' Ladies and gentleman, I would like to clear up any ignorance that there is to 'comedies with no story lines.'



Well there you have it. I know you all know what a situational comedy is. I'm sure youve seen Simpsons, Seinfeld, Friends, or any comparable show in your country. So next time you go wasting your time to try to conceive a storyline that is really not there or go opening your mouth like you know what you're talking about; I would like you to think "Is this style of comedy right for me?"

It bothered you this much huh?

Meh well half of it is copy paste, but being on here for over a year and still see ppl being ignorant for the fact there is more than one way to tell a story ^_^

Personaly I dont care what type of comedy itis as long as its funny

Um, ok, thanks for clearing that up ^_^

I also don't care what kind of comedy it is, as long as I find it funny. I hated Seinfeld but like the Simpsons. :) Fumoffu is all kinds of awesome. For comedies I usually dont care THAT much if there is no growth or progression with the characters, though if they do the same thing over and over again it can get old fast.

Meh
The term comedy has become to over used
Recent things that are classed as comedy but arnt funny
The Office - Wheres the funny bits
Peep show - I get more lols outa the news (Not the band)

But in calling things comedy that arnt funny arnt they just tryin to sell the program to those that will only lol if theres that canned lafther on it but in a way that can make things funny but nt funny if its done at the wrong time like if one person says "Your mums dead" but that can be funny if it is sai a certain way an.......................................................damn its happend again
Must stop these rambles

I am sorry but Seinfeld or the Simpson at least have some real plots. Simpsons is not something like Azumanga Daioh; it has over the top, outrageous storylines. Seinfeld has actual character growth and continuity (sometimes). Most situational comedy animes lack any story line at all.

Do you think so? I never followed Seinfeld but I watched a lot of episodes, and since the first episodes of the first season until its end, the characters seemed pretty much the same to me. Maybe, except, they got a bit more shallow and picky, but that's all I can think of.

Stuff like Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star have plots and stories. It's just that their plots and stories are both incredibly simple, broad, and open-ended. Enjoyment comes not in realizing where you started, where you're going, and where you ended but rather in just enjoying a refreshing sense of simplicity where you need not worry about such things and can just enjoy the small things about life.

Just like in life, if you're too focused on where you're going and how you're going to get there, you'll fail to notice and enjoy the small things around you that are sometimes funny and sometimes beautiful.

Azumanga Daioh and Luck Star's plots are stories about the daily lives of Japanese school-girls and the many events they encounter and conversations they have as they progress through their lives. Simple, broad, and open-ended.

Ahhhh~ You learn something new everyday.

Actually, this brings up an interesting point. There are different forms of comedy, and a lot of people seem to miss the sometimes subtle differences. For example two types of comedy common in anime are slapstick, where physical violence is used as a device, and, less frequently used, perhaps because of the young masses that anime targets, wordplay or puns (particularly suited because Japanese language often uses one word to represent many different ideas).

I would question whether those parodies could really be considered sitcoms. One of the defining features of sitcoms is some level of consistency within the show. Take, for example, Excel Saga. For that parody there is virtually no guiding scheme except to parody, no logic or order. Each episode is a different situation entirely, closer to a sketch. The audience has no real expectations of events, and the only continuity in the show comes from the handful of characters that remain throughout the show. The supposed foundation of the show comes from a (very) loose plot involving two girls working with an evil mastermind to take over the world, but it's just a cover for the sketch humor in the show.

Punctuation please? I could barely make sense of that last sentence, lol. Anyway, just because you don't find it funny, doesn't mean it's not comedy. The Office is deadpan humor intended to be dry and familiar to people who have worked in a typical office before. There are no laugh tracks, or any cues to laugh for that matter, aside from pregnant pauses. That would defeat the purpose of the show.

Thanks for opening the eyes of those ignorant, Ranivus.

But I doubt they will be convinced.

As far as I'm concerned: As long as a comedy anime is funny, I don't really care about anything else.

I think if they are sitcoms they are weak ones at best. The tie in from the situations aren't that good from episode to episode. For example, things that took place in the Cosby show years ago can affect what happened in the later seasons. There is still some connection. Slice of life seems like it should have category in itself and not necessarily a sitcom. Or maybe it's a genre in a genre.

Parodies can still be called 'situational' comedies. Its one thing to use a parody for one joke, but if the whole episode a "parody" of another show its a situation the characters have to go through till the end. Situational comedy only needs one common thing, the characters. Just because their setting changes drastically, their habits are typically the same through every episode. Excel saga is alot more of a sitcom than a sketch comedy. Sketch comedy are usually compared to things like SNL, MAD tv, or even The Whitest Kids U Know

If you want sketch comedy check out Vermillion Pleasure Night, Colorful, or Gagyu Manga Biyori.

Ranivus, you have just set a new world record for the amount of epic win a topic can contain.

yep... some of the reviews are retarded to me (ie ones for lucky star), like it's a slice of life so OBVIOUSLY No use bashing a show about not being something it never tried/was intended to be.

Hmm, I suppose so. Yeah, I'm watching Gyagu Manga Biyori. It's not bad so far. ^^

just because it's a sitcom doesn't mean it has an excuse to be not funny.

Comedy is not a thing you take seriously, it must be unresnble if you thenk in any juke you will see it stuped "Do any one se smart comdy -_-; " .

I love the very stuped comdy like "School Rumbel" and "Seto No Hanayome" wiard scenes like "Super gaint manga editor" or "Song of sleep" XD.

same time is good to have comedy as flaver like "FMA" and "BLEACH"

Wasn't the Seinfeld the epitome of "it's a show about nothing?"


Anyways, I think since the inception of this thread, MAL has increased tenfold so I think now would be a good time to revive this. And it would be interesting to see how many "intelligent" (i use that term loosely) banter will be had by this. Please i would like to see if i have informed the uninformed or if the unwashed masses that still say "stupid anime x has no storyline" can convince me otherwise.



^best... comment... EVER