What is your most hated trope in manga right now?

[Dwarfy2k]

I hate the MC is unaware of how strong he is troupe. Killer shark Isekai has a chapter of that exact kind of MC dying and it was so satisfying. I also hate when they become arrogant/cocky when they get strong due to getting lucky and having done little to no work for their abilitiy. It seems it's hard to get a balance between these two for writers with an OP MC.

Also usually those MC's have a bevy of women/men around them literally throwing themselves on them and being like "Why does noone want to date me derp derp". I haven't read Killer Shark Isekai but that sounds like a great chapter lol.

 

[smart_fella255]

I also dislike it when the FMC is new to the school and meets the MC before she gets to the school, or if they are close right away (because they sit right next to another, which is another trope that is overused.)

 

[goldencircle]

harems: prevent me from getting emotionally invested
monthly release schedules: i've forgotten the last chapter by then
split chapters: almost same reason as above, and prevents me from wanting to start a chapter because you don't know how many split parts a chapter is going to have, so why bother starting. and when a chapter completely out, the next chapter is split so there's a risk of starting yet another split chapter.

 

[Devourer]

Im immediately dissapointed if i see UI in an isekai.

 

[mister_nobody]

I hate A LOT of things in recent novel and manga trend, but I think I can boil it down to one thing and one thing only: Emotionally Distant self-insert.


Imagine this. A 20-or-so old guy died and reincarnated as a child of loving parents, and he pretends he's a child in front of them and his friends. And I don't mean, "I have memories of my past life even though I'm mentally a child," I mean a full-grown-ass adult with fully matured mind with all of his memory intact. The kind that is basically an adult in every way except his age. Yeah, that's creepy. That's manipulative. These people genuinely love him, they care for him, they give their heart, body, and soul for him, but he lies to them without even sparing a single thought. For what reason? You can't defend this kind of character without making them sound emotionally distant from their own parents. The authors don't want them to be vulnerable, since these characters are self-insert, they just want to be loved unconditionally. "There HAS to be a world where people love me even if I constantly lie to them, right?" Although, I think the author forgot that you can't expect people to genuinely love you if you're not being genuine with them back.


Just tell them, man. If they love you and you love them back, then be vulnerable around them. It hurts being lied to.


This applies with almost everything I have beef with. Super OP abilities? It's just an excuse for the self-insert to be different than the rest of the cast. Same with why there's rarely any decent character other than the self-insert protagonist. "I don't want to have an equal, I want to be unique, I want to be the top of everything." But the authors will never say it out loud, heck, they will even outright deny it at times. Why? Because that's a vulnerability. Saying it will make the author emotionally vulnerable. That's also the reason why slave girls are such a common trope. I mean, come on, you can have a girl with you all the time without any deeper reason than money? "oh, but I saved her so even if she's a slave I never actually used money" Yeah but she is still a slave and you're just making excuses. The author could make her anything but a slave, they just want an excuse not to be emotionally invested. Even garden variety, black hair black cloak, blander than slice of bread, plain main characters. They're literally just stolen asset, there's no shred of author's own characteristics in them.


It is the fear of being genuine that is plaguing the mainstream novel and manga, heck, even the entire internet, that makes these stories so bad. Authors no longer put themselves out, they hide behind layers of "intellectual" difference (which, with Japanese authors, unfortunately doesn't amount much) between one story and another. This is why we keep seeing copy paste of every isekai ever that has ever existed ever. These stories just don't have heart anymore.


Also, who the hell ever decided that getting reincarnated means receiving a cheat-like ability? That thing has become such a big trope in Japanese web novel scene that newer novels actually subvert that trope by making the protagonist "not" getting cheat-like abilities after questioning the "God/Goddess." Also, also, as a believer, I hate how Japanese authors think they know everything about God and religion and afterlife, even though their only knowledge of things of such nature is based on other shitty isekai.

 

[animefan217]

I hate A LOT of things in recent novel and manga trend, but I think I can boil it down to one thing and one thing only: Emotionally Distant self-insert.


Imagine this. A 20-or-so old guy died and reincarnated as a child of loving parents, and he pretends he's a child in front of them and his friends. And I don't mean, "I have memories of my past life even though I'm mentally a child," I mean a full-grown-ass adult with fully matured mind with all of his memory intact. The kind that is basically an adult in every way except his age. Yeah, that's creepy. That's manipulative. These people genuinely love him, they care for him, they give their heart, body, and soul for him, but he lies to them without even sparing a single thought. For what reason? You can't defend this kind of character without making them sound emotionally distant from their own parents. The authors don't want them to be vulnerable, since these characters are self-insert, they just want to be loved unconditionally. "There HAS to be a world where people love me even if I constantly lie to them, right?" Although, I think the author forgot that you can't expect people to genuinely love you if you're not being genuine with them back.


Just tell them, man. If they love you and you love them back, then be vulnerable around them. It hurts being lied to.


This applies with almost everything I have beef with. Super OP abilities? It's just an excuse for the self-insert to be different than the rest of the cast. Same with why there's rarely any decent character other than the self-insert protagonist. "I don't want to have an equal, I want to be unique, I want to be the top of everything." But the authors will never say it out loud, heck, they will even outright deny it at times. Why? Because that's a vulnerability. Saying it will make the author emotionally vulnerable. That's also the reason why slave girls are such a common trope. I mean, come on, you can have a girl with you all the time without any deeper reason than money? "oh, but I saved her so even if she's a slave I never actually used money" Yeah but she is still a slave and you're just making excuses. The author could make her anything but a slave, they just want an excuse not to be emotionally invested. Even garden variety, black hair black cloak, blander than slice of bread, plain main characters. They're literally just stolen asset, there's no shred of author's own characteristics in them.


It is the fear of being genuine that is plaguing the mainstream novel and manga, heck, even the entire internet, that makes these stories so bad. Authors no longer put themselves out, they hide behind layers of "intellectual" difference (which, with Japanese authors, unfortunately doesn't amount much) between one story and another. This is why we keep seeing copy paste of every isekai ever that has ever existed ever. These stories just don't have heart anymore.


Also, who the hell ever decided that getting reincarnated means receiving a cheat-like ability? That thing has become such a big trope in Japanese web novel scene that newer novels actually subvert that trope by making the protagonist "not" getting cheat-like abilities after questioning the "God/Goddess." Also, also, as a believer, I hate how Japanese authors think they know everything about God and religion and afterlife, even though their only knowledge of things of such nature is based on other shitty isekai.

doubt japanese authors care or aiming for realism, they probably want wish fullfillment and power fantasy.

 

[solstice258]

Reviving this thread for a non-trope that extends outside manga
The "vegetarian" metaphor for non-aggressive people (usually men, ugh) when it comes to romance.
I'm not even vegetarian but it's so dumb it pisses me off.

 

[undeed]

The "vegetarian" metaphor for non-aggressive people (usually men, ugh) when it comes to romance.

you mean "herbivore (men)"?
I've never seen or read that term written as "vegetarian"

Has that term gone global?
I thought that term was only used by Japanese people.

 

[solstice258]

you mean "herbivore (men)"?
I've never seen or read that term written as "vegetarian"

Has that term gone global?
I thought that term was only used by Japanese people.

Oh yeah, that was the origin. They go off from that and make the "herbivore" character actually a vegetarian.
I've seen it in Japanese media so that's why I posted in this thread.

 

[Ferreas]

Something i hate with all my being, it's for rom-com manga, the "perfect school-idol type".

You know, the most beautiful girl in the school (sometime even in the country, bcz why not), with perfect grades, good at everything who like the (loser) mc for no reason ?

It come with the worst thing, like MC being chased by others guys because he talk with the girl, etc... i really want to throw the story in the garbage can when i see this.

Oh yeah, I get you.
And they use it like soooo often.
And usually the girl being "the most beautiful in X" doesn't even contribute much.
Why can't they just make a rom\rom-com story about just a regular "average" boy and girl?


My personal hate goes to over-the-top shyness in the same genre.
No, yeah, I know sometimes some things are a bit embarrassing, but they never portray it as "a bit", it's nearly always overexaggerated.

 

[Ferreas]

Finally with rom coms: ending the series as soon as the two main characters get together, mainly talking about stories with a lot of chapters and time needed to read it all. Short stories with a few chapters I’m fine with since a lot of progress is made in that time. A manga about two people getting together with 70 chapters needs a big pay off if they still aren’t with each other yet. If you end it as soon as they get together the pay off is tiny and just annoys me as a reader. I want to see them actually do stuff together, I’ve just sat through 70 chapters of them struggling to touch each others hands and call each other by their first name and now when they finally do more interesting things together it just ends… brilliant.

Yeah, looking for some manga to read that goes on, and not stops at "confession, kiss, rolling credits".
So far I've only seen three titles that follow.
If you have some more, please share.

Spoiler: Mentioned titles with slight description

(I guess it's not a spoiler that at some point of romance manga MCs get together.)

First one - The Dangers in My Heart (BokuYaba) - if you can endure somewhat cringy start, it get's good rather fast and the story continues after characters relationship is established. Yes, it is one of those "Best girl in school, worst guy you've seen", but it's incorporated in a good way, is somewhat used for plot reasons, and actually serves as a starting point of a male leads growth. He won't be a potato for the whole time as it often is with romcom. And while other side characters aren't very fond of MMC in the beginning, they don't outright hate him either, he's just a little gloomy, and along with the story his relations with side characters also evolve.
I didn't expect I'd enjoy it when I first started reading it, to be honest I was extremely skeptical and thought I'd drop it rather fast. But it turned out to be quite a gem.

Second one - Sign Of Affection(Yubisaki to Renren) - is an interesting and very sweet story, it's not a school setting but university, the leads have similar social position without this "best in X\worst in X" dynamic, and characters feel alive, they learn, they discover things about themselves and others and they grow. MCs are a deaf girl, she is slightly shy (in a healthy way, she's just inexperienced) but does her best to be with the person she loves. And a rather extraverted guy with big ambitions and actually wholesome and positive motivation. Side chars are nice too and have their own developments and growth in different ways, not staying a static background as it sometimes happens in the genre.

UPD: Oh yeah, I've forgot about Yamada
Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru - nice and cute shoujo romcom, but I'd say more on comedy-slice of life side. Less drama between MCs, but more MCs vs environment type of story. Fmc getting to know MCs friends, and such. A pleasant a light read with adorkable characters.

 

[Tony_Mushah]

looking for some manga to read that goes on, and not stops at "confession, kiss, rolling credits".
So far I've only seen two titles that follow.
If you have some more, please share.

Fuufu Ijou, Koibito Miman is the only title that comes to my mind right now.

Spoiler: Some clarification

As I am writing this, both the main heroine and the protagonist has already kissed, and coffessed so far.

Although, if you are going to read it, it is worth noting that the recent chapters are kinda messy (in term of storytelling). The author is probably trying to develop many side characters but she somehow failed doing it.

 

[MrBump]

Yeah, looking for some manga to read that goes on, and not stops at "confession, kiss, rolling credits".
So far I've only seen two titles that follow.
If you have some more, please share.

Spoiler: Mentioned titles with slight description

(I guess it's not a spoiler that at some point of romance manga MCs get together.)

First one - The Dangers in My Heart (BokuYaba) - if you can endure somewhat cringy start, it get's good rather fast and the story continues after characters relationship is established. Yes, it is one of those "Best girl in school, worst guy you've seen", but it's incorporated in a good way, is somewhat used for plot reasons, and actually serves as a starting point of a male leads growth. He won't be a potato for the whole time as it often is with romcom. And while other side characters aren't very fond of MMC in the beginning, they don't outright hate him either, he's just a little gloomy, and along with the story his relations with side characters also evolve.
I didn't expect I'd enjoy it when I first started reading it, to be honest I was extremely skeptical and thought I'd drop it rather fast. But it turned out to be quite a gem.

Second one - Sign Of Affection(Yubisaki to Renren) - is an interesting and very sweet story, it's not a school setting but university, the leads have similar social position without this "best in X\worst in X" dynamic, and characters feel alive, they learn, they discover things about themselves and others and they grow. MCs are a deaf girl, she is slightly shy (in a healthy way, she's just inexperienced) but does her best to be with the person she loves. And a rather extraverted guy with big ambitions and actually wholesome and positive motivation. Side chars are nice too and have their own developments and growth in different ways, not staying a static background as it sometimes happens in the genre.

Spoiler: Titles and possibly some minor spoilers

Yeah I've read both of those, wasn't super into sign of affection but I generally don't like shoujos as is, I find the male protagonists to be pretty annoying in most of them, and also most involved a never ending love triangle. Overall though it was good in its progression. And yeah I've been reading bokuyaba since chapter 10 came out, always a top recommendation for me to anyone.

For any I can think of: Sweat and soap, it's a little weird at first (you'll see why) but after it's really good. Although it's less about getting together and more so going through the various stages of being together. They get together very early, but it's about the Fl overcoming some insecurities and them as a couple learning how to become better for one another.

Horimiya is pretty beloved, however it becomes less about the romance and more so the slice of life of the friend group so it fell of for me, although I'm definitely the minority for that opinion. You and I are polar opposites has a similar structure for that too, however the last couple has the aforementioned problem I originally talked about in that they get no screen time after getting together (if they even do it's pretty unclear) there are 2 other couples that get together though. Quite a few think the ending was too sudden, I agree although it realistically could have ended there, although it would have been better with a few more chapters to finalise everything comfortably.

Probably some others but those are the ones I usually remember off the top of my head. Most have confessions pretty early on though, bokuyaba is really an outlier since most authors that have no confessions early on have no idea how to further the story hence they end it early.

 

[Ferreas]

Spoiler: Titles and possibly some minor spoilers

Yeah I've read both of those, wasn't super into sign of affection but I generally don't like shoujos as is, I find the male protagonists to be pretty annoying in most of them, and also most involved a never ending love triangle. Overall though it was good in its progression. And yeah I've been reading bokuyaba since chapter 10 came out, always a top recommendation for me to anyone.

For any I can think of: Sweat and soap, it's a little weird at first (you'll see why) but after it's really good. Although it's less about getting together and more so going through the various stages of being together. They get together very early, but it's about the Fl overcoming some insecurities and them as a couple learning how to become better for one another.

Horimiya is pretty beloved, however it becomes less about the romance and more so the slice of life of the friend group so it fell of for me, although I'm definitely the minority for that opinion. You and I are polar opposites has a similar structure for that too, however the last couple has the aforementioned problem I originally talked about in that they get no screen time after getting together (if they even do it's pretty unclear) there are 2 other couples that get together though. Quite a few think the ending was too sudden, I agree although it realistically could have ended there, although it would have been better with a few more chapters to finalise everything comfortably.

Probably some others but those are the ones I usually remember off the top of my head. Most have confessions pretty early on though, bokuyaba is really an outlier since most authors that have no confessions early on have no idea how to further the story hence they end it early.

Spoiler: RE: Titles and possibly some minor spoilers

I've read Horimiya and really liked it too. Great amount of character growth, really nice side characters and in the second half author really gave them a lot of attention. Which is good in some ways I think.
It felt like the main story ended after the Christmas chapter. And while it was good, the story did feel a bit rushed and weak because of that. Like they did the deed, and it was illustrated in a warm touching way, but at the same time felt nearly effortless and impactless. Same with the ending of that exact Christmas chapter, it was a big moment, but somehow it didn't feel big.


Thanks for recommendation, I've seen people say sweat and soap was good a couple of times, but didn't get to it yet, will definitely try.


I've read first three chapters of "You and I are polar opposites", not exactly what I'm looking for, but nice and cute too.

 

[Aluminium_Spaghetti]

Yeah, looking for some manga to read that goes on, and not stops at "confession, kiss, rolling credits".
So far I've only seen two titles that follow.
If you have some more, please share.

Spoiler: Mentioned titles with slight description

(I guess it's not a spoiler that at some point of romance manga MCs get together.)

First one - The Dangers in My Heart (BokuYaba) - if you can endure somewhat cringy start, it get's good rather fast and the story continues after characters relationship is established. Yes, it is one of those "Best girl in school, worst guy you've seen", but it's incorporated in a good way, is somewhat used for plot reasons, and actually serves as a starting point of a male leads growth. He won't be a potato for the whole time as it often is with romcom. And while other side characters aren't very fond of MMC in the beginning, they don't outright hate him either, he's just a little gloomy, and along with the story his relations with side characters also evolve.
I didn't expect I'd enjoy it when I first started reading it, to be honest I was extremely skeptical and thought I'd drop it rather fast. But it turned out to be quite a gem.

Second one - Sign Of Affection(Yubisaki to Renren) - is an interesting and very sweet story, it's not a school setting but university, the leads have similar social position without this "best in X\worst in X" dynamic, and characters feel alive, they learn, they discover things about themselves and others and they grow. MCs are a deaf girl, she is slightly shy (in a healthy way, she's just inexperienced) but does her best to be with the person she loves. And a rather extraverted guy with big ambitions and actually wholesome and positive motivation. Side chars are nice too and have their own developments and growth in different ways, not staying a static background as it sometimes happens in the genre.

Kaguya-sama Love is War. I'm fairly sure this problem is more uncommon with manga staring adults, like in Sweat and Soap, and Cheerful Amnesia.
Edit: Also check out my lists of Yuri, they're usually better anyway. The characters are more likely to be interesting and unique, and they're mostly so wholesome.

 

[Sahkuh]

I hate when gag mangas have to drop infodumps and make the story grander than it actually is because the momentum of the manga is going away, instead of gradually adding these story threads.

 

[IsseixKoneko]

I read mostly romance manga so mine will relate to that.

People acting like beautiful or handsome or attractive people are like the last sandwich on a deserted island. I get that Japan and Korea have idol culture and it’s kind of an extension of that. However, I do not care. If I see one more story where someone just being attractive causes like 38 different people to talk to them all at once in class or 200 people to chase them in a crowd etc I’m gonna scream. What’s worse is that nobody really likes to draw just like average or unattractive characters so even the most background of background characters that are chasing after these people are also like significantly attractive. A lot of times it’s like why are you running in this crowd? Just look in the mirror idiot you literally are just as attractive or you’re basically her with a different shade of hair. I’ve almost never seen a single story take it for what it would actually be, which is literal gang stalking that would drive someone completely fucking insane. It’s not even just like being popular in high school if it’s like seven or eight friends crowding around one person because it’s a popular person whatever. It’s when it goes beyond that and it’s like this person literally can’t exist in the country of Japan even deep in the woods without somebody or a crowd finding them because they are just that attractive and people are that desperate for them and them alone. If I was in that position in my life, I would literally just like crawl into a ball and have a breakdown. Again this is not people like having friends. I’m talking about the extreme cases where it’s like that dude can’t exist without 24 girls from all different classes and grades trying to talk to him all at once I’d literally just cry and scream. I never find it funny either when it’s played for comedy, because there’s no joke there usually. Like people chasing after someone isn’t just inherently a joke there has to be a punchline or something that happens or a funny setting or a funny occurrence. It’s like some of these authors think that just putting it in at all is fucking hilarious and that’s just not how comedy works.