| Its difficult for me to understand why one of the main forms of humor in anime is abuse. I can see it being funny every once in a while when the person that gets abused did something really stupid to deserve it. However, most popular comedy anime include abuse just for the sake of having abuse (even when the vast majority of the time it isnt warranted). Here is a major example of an anime where the mass appeal simply confuses the hell out of me Prison School (havent really watched it mainly cause a huge premise of the show puts me off) From looking into the show and watching a few minutes of it, it seems like its nothing more than an excuse to beat up some guys simply for the sake of beating them up. Where is the humor in that? Why is something like Prison School so highly rated when it seems to be nothing more than a series about male bashing? I honestly cant understand the appeal. Can someone more enlightened than myself please explain it to me? |
| I don't find it all that funny either, but comedy is subjective. Also, http://www.dictionary.com/browse/schadenfreude . |
╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭ |
| Ohhh, a masochist have appeared. I need to get my dear whip... |
jgames111 said: Because most comedy derived from some sort of pain, and abuse is one of them. I mean slapstick humor can be considered abusive, and can easily come off as gruesome, but when done right can be hilarious and even legendary like Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes. That being said the problem is when something is not funny it can come off as uncomfortable. An example is Rick and Morty which I honestly don't find that funny, so often what is supposed to be a dark raunchy comedy, just come out as dark and depressing. Comedy is thin line to walk, but with shows like Konosuba I don't mind them walking that line when I am having so much fun laughing. You make a fair point, something like Tom and Jerry it is easy to seperate myself from the characters because they arent even humans. Plus the overall tone of those shows is really light with upbeat and goofy music. However, something like Prison School takes a very human approach. Thus making it easier to place oneself in that world. So i guess it would take someone who really isnt bothered by the suffering of others to enjoy a show like that. (aka masochist or sadist) Unfortunately for me, I probably have too much empathy. Which makes it very difficult not place myself in the shoes of the characters in an anime I may be watching. Guess I just dont get pleasure from suffering or abuse at all. Whether it be the one suffering or the one making others suffer. |
jgames111 said: Because most comedy derived from some sort of pain, and abuse is one of them. I mean slapstick humor can be considered abusive, and can easily come off as gruesome, but when done right can be hilarious and even legendary like Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes. That being said the problem is when something is not funny it can come off as uncomfortable. An example is Rick and Morty which I honestly don't find that funny, so often what is supposed to be a dark raunchy comedy, just come out as dark and depressing. Comedy is thin line to walk, but with shows like Konosuba I don't mind them walking that line when I am having so much fun laughing. I mean Rick and Morty is supposed to be dark and depressing lol. Granted I do realize it isn't for everyone. |
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Privs said: jgames111 said: Because most comedy derived from some sort of pain, and abuse is one of them. I mean slapstick humor can be considered abusive, and can easily come off as gruesome, but when done right can be hilarious and even legendary like Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes. That being said the problem is when something is not funny it can come off as uncomfortable. An example is Rick and Morty which I honestly don't find that funny, so often what is supposed to be a dark raunchy comedy, just come out as dark and depressing. Comedy is thin line to walk, but with shows like Konosuba I don't mind them walking that line when I am having so much fun laughing. You make a fair point, something like Tom and Jerry it is easy to seperate myself from the characters because they arent even humans. Plus the overall tone of those shows is really light with upbeat and goofy music. However, something like Prison School takes a very human approach. Thus making it easier to place oneself in that world. So i guess it would take someone who really isnt bothered by the suffering of others to enjoy a show like that. (aka masochist or sadist) Unfortunately for me, I probably have too much empathy. Which makes it very difficult not place myself in the shoes of the characters in an anime I may be watching. Guess I just dont get pleasure from suffering or abuse at all. Whether it be the one suffering or the one making others suffer. I think that's an admirable trait to have. |
 "ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴇᴇɴ ᴅᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɪɴsᴀɴᴇ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴜsɪᴄ."  |
| Prison School is completely over the top, stylized seriously, and ultimately altogether outrageous. That's why I loved it. Gakuto being completely delusional typically deserved to be hit, and Andou was actually a hard, hard masochist. The concoction of the cast was funny, and yes it typically was abusive, but the over the top nature solidified it as humorous IMO. But for example the comedy scenes in Your Lie in April that resulted in the MC bleeding at times I just couldn't laugh at. It was a reserved, serious show 99% of the time so those breaking scenes hurt it harshly for me. Also, they were not funny. I think the mood has entirely everything to do with it. I don't typically find the MC getting whacked around by a tsundere very funny at all. |
| A lot of people get a kick out of the misfortune of others, especially when it's under a comedic setting. The element of surprise is also a factor. You don't expect a judge to catch a falcon punch to the face in the opening scene of Barakamon. You don't expect there to be a 100 hit combo in Clanaad. What makes Prison School entertaining is that it's a serious comedy in one the most absurd premises ever. The characters treating their situations like a life or death manner and the art style being so well detailed is hilarious. |
84DaysWithoutMar 26, 2017 11:44 PM
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AxBattler said: @Privs If it is a red line that you simply can't handle, then I don't think any amount of explaining will change it. Still, for a start, the boys in Prison School -did- do something "really stupid" if it was in real life. The abusive behaviour of the committee members also set them up as the antagonists to be "defeated". And what the boys did to get out of their predicaments is the part I like about that show. Also, being entertained by fictional violence doesn't make mean one needs to be entertained by real violence. Though, are you just as/more troubled by all the "Best <insert activity> Fail" videos on YouTube? Fail videos arent really my thing either. I typically find myself wondering if the people are alright or if they got seriously hurt. Only exceptions being when the person is clearly doing something stupid and the resulting fail may just be a bump on the head or a bruise or something else minor. You know when its obvious they will be fine but enough to maybe make them stop doing stupid things in the first place. That might get a laugh out of me. |
| i dislike prison school too but for different reason... however, abusive comedy always there since long time... i mean slapstick is a thing... |
 "If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on." |
| Basically because schadenfreude is a thing. And thank God for schadenfreude (what I can do, I love slapstick). |
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| For the same reason tsunderes are so popular We are all masochists |
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| The only people who finds abusive anime's as humorous are people that are either sadists or masochists. |
 I am not a friend of justice. I am an enemy of evil. STAPLE STABLE |
Here fixed for you. I won't understand why people like yandere or tsundere type characters too so oh well. Illyricus said: Basically because schadenfreude is a thing. And thank God for schadenfreude (what I can do, I love slapstick). |
sasalx said: I know, right?Illyricus said: Basically because schadenfreude is a thing. And thank God for schadenfreude (what I can do, I love slapstick).  ................................................... |
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Kyamana said: The only people who finds abusive anime's as humorous are people that are either sadists or masochists. so, are you sadist or masochist? i mean, your signature is hitagi.. |
"If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on." |
Kuma said: so, are you sadist or masochist? i mean, your signature is hitagi.. To be fair, Senjo is more of a "verbal tsundere" than a physically abusive one. The only time I can think of her actually harming Araragi is in the first episode before they knew each other and because she felt threatened by him. Damn if she doesn't give him a good verbal beating sometimes though. OT: I find that humor very hit or miss and hard to watch too. It really depends on how extreme the violence is and how much the character "deserves" it. I'm also the type of person who doesn't usually like fail videos because half the time I feel sick worrying that they might have gotten seriously hurt... Of course, this is anime, so it's not like anyone is actually getting hurt, but I can understand OP's sentiments and discomfort. |
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straysocks said: Kuma said: so, are you sadist or masochist? i mean, your signature is hitagi.. To be fair, Senjo is more of a "verbal tsundere" than a physically abusive one. The only time I can think of her actually harming Araragi is in the first episode before they knew each other and because she felt threatened by him. Damn if she doesn't give him a good verbal beating sometimes though. wut? she literaly always bring scissor and cutter around and oftenly for threatening even actually abusing him... even worse when she know he is immortal... even still continue until they going out together... |
"If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on." |
Kuma said: wut? she literaly always bring scissor and cutter around and oftenly for threatening even actually abusing him... even worse when she know he is immortal... even still continue until they going out together... Like I said, aside from the first episode, I can't remember a time she actually went through with any threats and physically injured him in any way (I could be forgetting something, but I don't think so?). Yeah, she talks a lot of shit, but she's basically all bark and no bite. Hell, as the series progresses, she even loses a lot of her bark as she grows less insecure/defensive (which can largely be attributed to her relationship with Araragi). |
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| ''From looking into the show and watching a few minutes of it, it seems like its nothing more than an excuse to beat up some guys simply for the sake of beating them up.'' Well,you clearly didn't watched entirely or read the manga,that's not the point on Prison School. They made something terribly wrong,why should they not take the consequences of that?Exaggerated?I don't know,but the ''humor'' in Prison School are more related to the ''sexual'' scenes,if you read you will see what i'm talking about. Not gonna deny that have some ''abusive scenes'',but that's NOT the focus(Except for Andre,he like it),so you could really call it ''sexual related anime'',but it's not abusive at all. |
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Kuma said: I prefere sadists than masochists. I also don't find senjougahara as a sadist character because she doesn't seem to enjoy hurting Araragi except from the 1st episode of Bakemonogatari.Kyamana said: The only people who finds abusive anime's as humorous are people that are either sadists or masochists. so, are you sadist or masochist? i mean, your signature is hitagi.. |
| I am not a friend of justice. I am an enemy of evil. STAPLE STABLE |
| Maybe you just think about it too much, it's just a cartoon so don't treat it so seriously. And obviously not every type of humor is going to appeal to everybody. Also, the humor in Prison School is mostly centred around ecchi (not the generic ecchi you see in many anime when guy bumps into a girl and grabs her tit by an accident, but really heavy and weird ecchi scenes), fetishes and misunderstandings. Sure there are many abusive scenes, but it's really hard to treat them seriosuly after seeing so much weird and perverted shit. |
fuyukiMar 27, 2017 5:38 AM
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| Prison School has more than just abuse. It also has a LOT of piss and shit. Look forward to that if you decide to continue it. But yeah you can't explain humour to someone. Either you get it or do you don't find it funny. Intellectually understanding why people find other things funny than you will not help you although it shouldn't be too hard. jgames111 said: Calal-Chan said: I mean Rick and Morty is supposed to be dark and depressing lol. Granted I do realize it isn't for everyone. Yeah but the difference is with a show like Bojack Horseman which also has lots of dark and depressing moments, when is clearly trying to be hilarious, it does get that laughs. The laughter in between those darks and depressing moment makes me want to go on. With Rick and Morty there, not a lot of laughter for what is supposed to be a comedy. Making it hard to want to continued especially when it does not have a straight narrative and are episodic so is not like I am really invested in the story either for the most part. Well whatever I should not derail this thread as in the end of the day, is more of the fact that I just don't find the show funny. Granted I can appreciate how creative it can be. Bojack is way, way, way more depressing than Rick and Morty. Rick and Morty might have some dark comedy but Bojack is way realer and hits much harder with its depressing themes. I don't know what even is so depressing about Rick and Morty. That show is mostly all-out craziness and comedy with only the occasional dark twist but dark does not mean depressing. Bojack is depressed to the core. No matter what you think of the comedy in both shows I find it really odd to interpret Rick and Morty being more depressing than Bojack. You're the first person who even said anything close to that. Definitely weird :> |
| I probably regret this post by now. |
| Did you find bugs bunny funny? kay then. I really just don't understand the difference really. (and yeah Bojack > Rick and Morty) |
The anime community in a nutshell.  |
| Prison School isn't meant to be funny because "women are beating perverts up lmao XD", it's funny because it takes ridiculous stituations generally very seriously and has a lot of over the top facial expressions, some very raunchy situations and also keeps you on your toes for what's going to happen next. But in general I agree, "comedy" like this is something I can barely tolerate. Say what you will about the recent Seiren's quality or lack thereof, at the very least it had the decency to avoid this stupid trope throughout it's run. |
| I think it's more because of the sense of disconnect when you consider the exaggerated facial expressions and reactions typically involved in these situations. When characters make wacky, cartoonish faces, it's hard to think of them as anything but drawings. It's different when a show has a more serious tone, grounded expressions, and a sense of danger evoked. |
 You gave up your freedom of speech when you clicked Agree to the User Agreement This is not a public platform. My gaze is the measure of all things: I stopped considering "anime" a helpful tag Recommended Essays Exploring Actually Excellent World-Building |
| Because people have a certain level of maliciousness in them by nature. |
| You are not your body, you are your brain, the "self" that emerges from within it. |
| In the case of shows like Toradora! and Rick & Morty, the victims simply take it, rather than agonizing over it which would induce sympathy instead of humor. Additionally the character who causes harm to the other has no actual ill will against the character. With Taiga, it's only her personality, needed to take her frustrations out on something. With Rick, all he wants is to have badass adventure, and any harm left on Morty is unintentional. |
| There is a reason why i give every anime with an abusive tsundere as main love interest a 1/10 |
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| I haven't seen Prison school but it sounds like it's kind of it's 'thing'. I find it far more annoying when it's in some random anime and completely out of place. I can understand laughing at misfortune, but only when they deserve it. |
| Watch Dokuro-chan and you shall know. |
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This goes back way before Anime... But Prison School is hilarious, it's not the abuse but the awkward moments like the "Shower scene" |
I loved The Three Stooges. XD And I grew up on stuff like Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Married With Children, The Mask, etc. This "abuse" you talk about has been a comedy staple for a looooooooooooooong time. Privs said: From looking into the show and watching a few minutes of it, it seems like its nothing more than an excuse to beat up some guys simply for the sake of beating them up. Maybe watch a full episode next time before you make judgments like that, eh? |
| I appreciate all the feedback everyone has provided. It seems to be a combination of two things that put me off stuff like Prison School. First, is as many have stated humor is very subjective. I prefer more verbal humor than physical. Second, like a couple people have stated, forming a connection with the characters in the show (aka empathy). Although the shows like that are clearly exaggerated and made to be silly. Its difficult for me personally not to form some sympathy for people being abused. So it seems I most likely will never enjoy shows that use abuse too often. Kind of wish i could stop putting myself in place of the characters in shows (its involuntary at this point). Maybe then I could appreciate many more of them. |
| I don't get it either. I survived half of Toradora before I couldn't take it any longer. Taiga is an abusive asshole who needs to be in rehab, not telling people what to do and expecting them to stay friends with her. |
| WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
this is the answer op. 100% agree with the link too. that's evil, but i can't say that i'm not like that. |
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TheBrainintheJar said: I don't get it either. I survived half of Toradora before I couldn't take it any longer. Taiga is an abusive asshole who needs to be in rehab, not telling people what to do and expecting them to stay friends with her. maybe....the author got a reference from a highschool girl who are really similar like taiga ? which is why we got a different understanding than them because the difference of environment ? i dont know very well. just a guess. tho i have seen few abusive girls in my country. |
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Tevens said: TheBrainintheJar said: I don't get it either. I survived half of Toradora before I couldn't take it any longer. Taiga is an abusive asshole who needs to be in rehab, not telling people what to do and expecting them to stay friends with her. maybe....the author got a reference from a highschool girl who are really similar like taiga ? which is why we got a different understanding than them because the difference of environment ? i dont know very well. just a guess. tho i have seen few abusive girls in my country. My problem isn't realism but framing. Her abusive behavior is framed as funny and sometimes cute. The darkness of it, the fact it should damage a person's psyche is never addressed. It just looks startling and a bit offensive to someone who did go through some physical abuse. |
| WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
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