Cliches. I absolutely DESPISE cliches. It shows that the writers are too lazy to come up with anything original, and IT TICKS ME OFF.

..............

BUT there are those cliches that you just can't help but love. Whether it's because they're cool, funny, or downright awesome, you just can't resist loving the crap out of them! And it's no wonder they never seem to leave.

My name is Jared, and today we're counting down My Top 10 Anime Cliches!

#10. Deserved Slapstick

What I mean by this is a character doing something wrong/bad and paying for it. It's not only satisfying to see the douche-bag of a person they are getting what they deserved to them RIGHT in the face, but it also creates a sense of comedy.

And I KNOW I've mentioned COUNTLESS times where this was done wrong because the writers were too stupid to realize that a character needs to do something wrong for this to take effect in the right way, but that really does need to be at least MENTIONED when talking about slapstick.

But when you do it right, OH MAN do you do it right! You often not only see a mean and generally unlikable character having it given to them School Days style, but it's just so fun to watch.

I know it's been done INFINITY times and I know it's getting old at this point of time, but I can't help but at least chuckle every time I see this.

And that's why it makes #10 on this list.

#9. The Relaxing Episode

Alright, so you have five episodes IN A ROW of hardcore fighting and a deep story. Yeah, it's cool to watch, but it also gets hard to keep on doing so.

Non-stop action and story, and trust me on this one, will ALWAYS eventually bore you to death. So what do you do? A Relax episode.

What I mean by that is an episode that generally has a lot of comedy in it and is there to keep a good pace in the show. I like these because not only does it give us a chance to breathe and just enjoy the show without taking in much information, but it keeps the anime consistent and well-paced.

And there's not much else I can say on this one. I just like a good episode where I can wind down and enjoy some funny moments.

And that's why they make #9 on this list.

#8. The Past

Finally, a SERIOUS entry on this list! It's about time!

Anyways, what I'm referring to here is when a character reveals a very dark and depressing past that has scarred them to this day. This is not only EPIC AS HELL, but we also get quite a lot of character development and story here!

And don't lie, when your favorite character in an anime gets some good backstory, YOU GO HYPER FAN-GIRL 5,000!

And it's hard not to get completely sucked into what's happening on the screen. These moments are often done really well with some dramatic as hell music in the background, and you can bet I shed a few tears on each one.

And that's why these moments are #8 on this list.

#7. The Epic Character

YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! That ONE character that is such a BADASS you can't help but fall right out of your chair whenever you see the-

*Falls out of chair* OW!

So, yeah! A lot of anime use this cliche and even though it's getting kind of dated, you still gotta love it. I mean, where would we be without our Kazuma Yagami? Our Kyoya Tategami, our Meta Knight, our Masquerade, and our Bass.EXE?

I don't think I have to say much more, I just like that one REALLY cool character! They're awesome, powerful, and put a sense of triumph in every anime they appear in.

And that's why they make number 7 on this list.

#6. Swords

That literally it. Just.... Swords! I mean, you can't have a cooler weapon than a freaking SWORD!

I don't even know why I picked these out of all the weapons in the anime world, they're just so awesome! And that statement is even more true in supernatural anime.

Characters could be using Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis, summoning monsters, they have so many options for powers!

But when you pick a sword in a world where everyone has magical abilities and supernatural powers, THEN YOU ARE THE MOST EPIC BAD-ASS ON EPIC BAD-ASS AVENUE.

But by far the best type of sword is the flame sword. Words cannot possibly comprehend how epic the fire sword is.

Epic is a severe understatement. Saying it's awesome is insulting it. No word in any dictionary ever made can even come close to stating how truly amazing the flame sword is.

It takes anything and annihilates everything. Enough said.

#5. The Hopeless Moment

Now we get into the Top 5, starting with The Hopeless Moment.

What I'm referring to when I say that is a situation in an anime that seems like there's no solution. A part of the show that seems like you can't do anything, and that the heroes have lost.

For example, let's take the second Shrek movie. (SPOILERS FOR THE FEW PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET THAT HAVEN'T SEEN THAT MOVIE.)

In the near-end, everybody is tied up and left in a dungeon. The Prince and Fiona are already starting their dance, and it seems like there's no way out of it.

But then Gingy, being the epic bad-ass of a gingerbread he is, manages to untie everyone's chains and set our heroes free so they can stop the Prince from kissing Fiona before midnight.

........................

I can't believe I just talked about Shrek in an anime article. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED! =D

Anyways, this isn't really JUST for anime as you just saw, but it's one of the better examples of how this can be handled.

The most epic part of "The Hopeless Moment" is when something miraculous happens that saves the heroes, like the earlier mentioned Gingy.

Plus, it's ALWAYS hilarious seeing the bad guy be all like "WHAT!? But I KILLED YOU! @___@" And having them being slaughtered by the hero.

And that's why The Hopeless Moment makes #5 on this list.

#4. The Funny Character

Do I even need to explain this? XD

Similar to the relaxing episode, The Funny Character not only gives a sense of comedy and relief during the middle of the serious moments, (While not actually ruining the serious moments) but it just makes the show more enjoyable.

A great example of this is Sunohara from Clannad. He's always doing silly things that make the audience laugh while never really coming off as annoying.

*COUGH COUGH LOVE HINA COUGH COUGH*

Lastly, I can't believe I put the funny character over the epic one..... Wow Jared.

Wow.

SO YEAH. With that one funny character always making the best out of the worst situations, they make #4 on this list. =D

#3. A Catchy Theme Song

HELL YEAH! I was waiting to get to this one for a LONG time.

So, theme songs. A great opportunity to not only get your viewer interested into your show, but to give them a fun and catchy song to sing to!

FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.......

All jokes aside, I love a great opening. But you know what I HATE!? When an anime has a great theme song and downright ABANDONS it.

I know I say that a lot, but I can't help it, IT'S SO ANNOYING.

And that's all there is to say about good theme songs. They hype us up for the show and make us glad we're alive.

And that's why catchy theme songs are #3 on this list.

#2. Twists

Have you ever watched an anime and one part made you go "WOAH! :O"? That's what I mean.

Twists not only offer a drastic turn in the anime's story, but often reveal a key plot-point that was earlier in the story, or just a reveal of an amazing fact.

It really keeps you intrigued in the anime while also telling a story, and that's harder to do than it sounds.

Plus, let's face it, twists will probably never die. And you can't blame everyone for using it either, because twists in the story are just that effective.

And that's all I can say for this segment. They're effective and always surprise the hell out of you.

And that's why twists make #2 on this list.

#1. Secret Evil Organizations

HELL. FUCKING. YES.

Yeah, you didn't see this one coming did you?

AND THAT'S WHAT I CALL A TWIST! =D

Seriously though, I downright LOVE these in anime. They're so mysterious, so bad-ass, and so funny ALL AT THE EXACT SAME TIME!

Some examples of this are World Three/The WWW from Megaman Network Warrior, Ragnarok from Kenichi The Mightiest Disciple, and a million others out there that are so COOL.

And that's one of the best parts of these, just how downright AWESOME they are.

They also really add a good story to the anime, and I feel that they always turn out great.

Secret evil organizations are mysterious, epic, and sometimes even funny! And that's why they're #1 on my list.

And that was my Top 10 Anime Cliches. Go right ahead to leave a comment on your favorite anime cliches in the comments below!

This is Jared signing out.