There are many core story elements available to manga and anime creators. A character on a quest. A “frenemy” that must be defeated and won over to our cause. A love triangle or harem dynamic. Sending characters to an isekai world where their mundane knowledge and skills will prove invaluable. Another popular approach is using misunderstandings, which set up a situation where characters get the wrong idea. That leads to much drama and humor. Let’s explore the best anime misunderstandings in this blog post!
Why Misunderstandings Are Easy in Japanese
As I’ve written before, the Japanese language seems custom-built for vagueness, and misunderstandings are super easy when talking. Japanese people often leave the subjects off of their sentences if the context is clear to everyone speaking, leading to funny situations. It’s very easy to confess to your crush, then lose your nerve at the last moment, and instead praise the taste of the sushi you’re eating.
Part of mastering Japanese involves learning to read the overall conversation so you’re not caught off guard when the topic moves in a new direction but you’re still in the last one. Japanese know that foreigners will make these kinds of mistakes and are very understanding when they do.
The Best Anime Miserstandings Ranked
One anime I enjoyed a lot was The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses. I was sure the mechanic of Mie-san forgetting her glasses and thus needing to get closer to Komura each episode was going to run out of steam, but they pulled it off time after time. When Mie-san sees Komura doing the kabe-don romantic move with another girl, which she can’t quite make out because she’s forgotten her glasses yet again, much cute confusion happens.
Another manga and anime that was good at setting up amusing anime misunderstandings was Don’t Toy With Me, Nagatoro-san.
It’s so embarrassing when the boy you like asks you to take a DNA test, and you misunderstand which “mucous membranes” you need to swab. The source is Nakaimo: My Sister is Among Them.
If there’s a queen of anime misunderstandings it has to be Hana Uzaki’s MILF-tastic mother Tsuki, who was always getting the wrong idea about Sakurai’s intentions towards her daughter…and her. When he told her that he was finally able to hold one of Hana’s cats, he left out a few words, making Tsuki believe Sakurai had slept with her daughter, and was looking forward to enjoying some Oyako-don (“parent-and-child rice bowl”) in the future.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War was one of the best-written anime series I’ve come across, with almost every episode being a real treat. Perhaps the most hilarious moment came when Kaguya misunderstood what “first time” meant.
There’s nothing cuter than a pure anime girl who thinks that babies come from a boy and a girl kissing. Emilia-tan, kawaii!
Sometimes, anime misunderstandings can backfire. Gamers! is about boys and girls who love video games, but who can’t connect romantically because of poor communication skills. It got so frustrating to watch that I rage-quit the anime after a few episodes. Did the characters ever work things out?
Thanks for reading this blog post about the way anime misunderstandings create drama and funny situations. What misunderstandings in anime have you enjoyed? Which ones did you dislike? Tell us in the comments below!
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