To start, I want to note what I’m talking about today will probably apply to most comedies, but this is a doujin website run by weebs and I don’t exactly consume much comedy outside of anime so my commentary will be limited to comedy animes. I’ve certainly noticed a common theme of the comedic anime that I hold in high regard and this season’s offerings only further served to cement the pattern. It’s come to my attention that almost every comedy anime I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in the last several years were ones that touched on deeper themes and the struggles of life.
To show you what I mean, let’s take a look at two comedies this season: Wave, Listen To Me! and Kakushigoto. Both of these animes are labeled as comedies. That’s about where the similarities end. Wave is a radio anime about a girl trying to… well Wave is an anime about a girl who doesn’t really care about radio but she gets into radio anyway… but then she doesn’t care.. but she does a little bit... God dammit, I kid you not I’m currently CAUGHT UP on this fucking anime and I still have no idea what this shit is even about. I was warned that it was heavily Japanese in its comedy so some of the jokes may not land, but nobody told me this shit wouldn’t even have a plot. It feels like episode after episode the characters dick around and face no real conflict or work toward any goal. The main girl doesn’t even appear to be passionate about radio and she’s been doing it for the past several episodes. What the fuck is happening? There are some jokes that land and me cackle a bit, but the sense of misdirection and emptiness quickly comes back to remind me I don’t like the plot, or these characters, and it makes it hard to appreciate any of the smaller jokes.
The worst part is they gave it a banger ending to fool me into thinking this shit was gonna be good.
Now let’s look at Kakushigoto, which is about a dad trying to continue working as a lewd (by Japanese standards) manga artist while providing for his young daughter whose mother has passed away. In an effort to keep doing what he loves, he spends his days getting into various hijinks and extreme lengths to ensure the daughter doesn’t learn about his career. It’s clear that the mother’s passing has caused a heavy hit on this family and the comedy takes time to show it in scenes that are much sadder than the others. The father-in-law, who looks down on “lesser” jobs like a manga artist also occasionally shows up from time to time to establish a serious tone and provide a small source of conflict. As someone who works at Doujins.com, I can relate to the dad’s struggle of keeping secrets from those close to me, and root for him. Keep in mind the majority of the screen time is still comedic in nature. And here lies the difference. When the small jokes are occurring throughout the episodes, even if I don’t laugh I appreciate the moments because I already enjoy the plot and characters. I’m rooting for them, even when they’re doing something ridiculous and I keep watching because I want to see how this ends (there’s been a ton of foreshadowing about an uncharacteristic ending for a comedy, and I’m interested to see what they do with it).
You know this anime has a bit more going on just from the cover.
Wasteful Days of Highschool Girls, Grand Blue, Love is War, none of these comedies shy away from having serious, heartfelt moments about a deeper theme (growing up and friendship, trying something new, and love respectively) and that’s what I love about them. Anytime I try a comedy anime that doesn’t seem to have a moral attached to it, it never seems to hold my attention, and I’m curious if it’s a similar situation for you guys. So without further ado...
What anime comedies are your favorite? Do you notice any patterns? Are good plot and characters still necessary even when the focus is on jokes? Leave a comment below! Trust me, I won’t tell your daughter about it.
