Shoujo genre refers to anime, manga, and series targeting teen girls. The stories usually follow a romantic story between the main leads, and things often become repetitive. The more you watch, the more you notice how often some things have happened in every single anime. Whenever I watch a shoujo anime, I play a game called “Spot the cliche,” and it’s funny how there are tons of them in every single anime.
These anime are mostly enjoyable till it comes to these cliches. While some things are unique in the story, some overused concepts almost irritate the viewer. I’m not a Shoujo fan myself, but I do know that every single Shoujo manga has some elements that make the entire plot predictable and boring to some point. It ruins the whole point of the story. So today, we’ll take a look at 10 of these cliches in Shōjo anime.
1. Weak Female Protagonist
Even while the whole anime is targeted at teen girls, the main female protagonist is usually weak, which is a big issue that every fan has. They tend to have weak minds and will. They often find themselves in weird situations, trapped or accused of things. Which then leads to the male protagonist standing up for her or rescuing her from the situation. Either way, they’ll just find a method to get in trouble so that they can be saved by their man and fall in love.
The situation varies, but the outcome remains the same in most of the stories, like being Bullied by another female rival character like Orange, warning off to some sketchy neighborhood for some reason, and encountering some creep thereon that needs to be saved again, this happened in Blue Spring Ride. This sends a wrong message to the entire female audience worldwide, and honestly, it needs to change. Always showing a weak, fragile, and dumb female protagonist is wrong, yet so overused that it became a cliche.
2. That one Childhood/New friend
There are always these Childhood friends (male or female) or some new friend who is way too gentle and trusting. Our main characters always enjoy spending their time with them other than their relationship. However, they always turn out to be people who try to steal the lead from the person they love. Or maybe always loved the main character and now poses a challenge as their love rival. Most of the shoujo anime have this cliche to create a situation of conflict and jealousy. Every single story needs to have a love rival, and this whole concept has been used multiple times to intrigue the viewers. The same scenario is applied to both the protagonists at times. The introduction of a new love rival is almost constant in some anime.
Renai Shijou Shugi
Renai Shijou Shugi is one of the examples of such elements. Several guys challenge Tamaki as Seri’s boyfriend. The entire plot has people being jealous and fighting for the position of being Seri’s boyfriend. Another example would be Watashi ni XX Shinasai! where the character named Akira challenges Shigure, boyfriend of Yukina. The whole situation was based on Akira’s one-sided love for Yukina and him being jealous because Yukina was already in a relationship with Akira.
3. Misunderstandings are the Plot armor
One of the most irritating cliches of shoujo is that tons of misunderstandings only grow over time. At times there are several misunderstandings, just in a single series. This continues to the point where misunderstandings become the whole plot. It’s a way to lead the viewers to the Drama-land. It’s so annoying to see the characters fighting or doing dumb stuff just because their communication was bad.
The biggest example of this scenario would be “Black Prince and Wolf Girl.” The main couple seems happy and dates each other throughout the series. However, the main source of conflicts as well as drama is miscommunication and misunderstandings. These are the main reasons that led them to be upset or confused.
4. Either one of the characters has to be extremely good looking
This cliche is the most Unrealistic thing in this article. One of the protagonists has to be perfect, and no, not just “good looking” but more of a “God/goddess-like” person. He/she will become the dream boy/girl for the protagonist. Instead of creating interesting characters with unique personalities, it’s usually about how good-looking they are. They make one of them seem like a perfect robot meant for the main lead. Regardless of their gender, their love interest will be simply perfect with zero flaws are known. At times in some anime, the main character has good looks but no other good qualities whatsoever.
5. Kabe-don
Kabe-don is the biggest cliche move in the history of anime. It became such a cliche that other anime creators started mocking this move in some anime as well as manga. Kabe-Don is the sound made by a character’s hand when they slam it against the wall—usually done while pinning someone to the wall. This became such a popular move that they even made a kabedon cafe in Japan.
Kabedon
Naming every anime/manga that features Kabedon would be impossible as there are Kabedon scenes in every Shoujo anime. It’s extremely rare to see romantic stories without a Kabedon scene. Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji, Kaichou wa Maid -sama, Fruit basket,Shinshi Doumei cross and many more. While it’s all fun and games in anime but this happening, in reality, would mean sexual harassment for sure. But in the Shoujo world, it’s approved and often shows how dominating and awesome the character is.
6. School Festival
Japanese Schools hold many cultural festivals throughout the year. And these festivals always become the center of attention in the progress of the couples. The students in shoujo anime/manga usually put great effort into these festivals and arrange some artistic and innovative events like a maid cafe, a ghost house, and many other things. This event ends up becoming the main character’s opportunity to take a step closer to the person they love.
The main character “accidentally” finds the love of their life in a classroom or some other place where they are all alone. This scenario becomes the victim of super dramatic scenes. Some might include kissing, watching fireworks, or simply fighting about something small. They’ll either grow their relationship during the school festival Or they’d get close while they work together for the culture festival.
7. Crappy friend
This becomes more of a life lesson, I guess, but it’s an obvious cliche in shoujo anime and manga. In most of the shoujo manga, the best friend of the main protagonist is usually responsible for spreading rumors about the protagonists, trying to win over their boyfriend/girlfriend, and always hanging out with the main character.
Fushigi Yuugi
From Fushigi Yuugi to Zettai Kareshi, all the works by Watase Yuu feature a best friend that turns out to be evil and is obsessed with the fact the main character’s boyfriend is. The worst-case scenario was that in the anime Alice 19th, the evil boyfriend snatcher was the main character’s sister.
8. The Second Guy Is Always Better
Shoujo anime also has an overused concept of having a bad boyfriend. The male protagonist of the story might look handsome, but their thinking is quite troubling and disrespectful. The most used cliche is usually that his heart has turned to stone for some reason, or they’ve never been sure about how they feel about the female protagonist. Some of them are even emotionally abusive as well as toxic. Their emotional abuse is usually written off as a misunderstanding. A suiting example would be the Main lead from Black Prince and Wolf Girl.
This brings us to the second point that there’s always another man in a love story. They need to introduce someone to create more drama. Now this second guy is often the opposite of the male protagonist. The main character is usually a rude, self-absorbed person, while the second dude is always calm, caring, and every other thing a person needs from others. This guy would be a combo of “goodness.” Thus whenever she gets into a fight with a male protagonist, she’ll run back to the second guy and tell him everything. While he has feelings for her, he’ll try to be supportive.
9. Opposites
The two main protagonists are always from two different dynamics. For example, a rich boy falls for a poor/middle-class girl. Or a Good looking girl falls for an average-looking guy and so on. The characters are never on an equal footing with normal or similar scenarios. No matter how weak, dumb, or mean the main girl is, she will most certainly land a perfect guy who will become obsessed with her, insisting that she is the only one for him.
Ouran Host Club
10. It’s always the first guy
Almost every shoujo anime follows this pattern as per which the male protagonist is always the first guy that the female protagonist bumps into in the hallway or the first guy the girl met standing near the vending machine. The first guy who picked up her scale, the first guy who accidentally saw her naked, and many other instances. The conclusion is that the female protagonist always ends up with the first guy, which honestly doesn’t make sense, and yet the same thing is marked as the “First encounter.”
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba On February 14, 2021, a new season of Demon Slayer with the working title Demon Slayer Season 2 “Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc” was revealed. It is based on the manga of the same name by Koyoharu Gotouge. The project will be directed by Haruo Sotozaki, as it was in the previous season, with character designs by Akira Matsushima and animation by Ufotable. In this article, you will know about the top 15 Muzan Quotes. So let’s get started.
In Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, the main antagonist is Muzan Kibutsuji. He is the Demon King, the first of his kind, and the forefather of all demons. Muzan is also the leader of the Twelve Kizuki, a group of the world’s most powerful demons who answer to him directly. Muzan has transformed into a demon a millennium ago while attempting to cure his terminal illness, and his goal has been to live without fear of death and become truly eternal since then. He intends to accomplish this in two ways: by tracking down the Blue Spider Lily or by creating more demons in the hope that one of them will one day be able to overcome their sensitivity to sunlight.
Muzan, as Demon King, has complete control over all those who have assimilated his blood to become demons, with the exceptions of Nezuko Kamado, Tamayo, Yushiro, and later Chachamaru. Muzan is of the same bloodline as the Ubuyashiki Family, it is later revealed. Muzan is a cold-blooded killer who is ruthless, intimidating, and extremely intelligent. He has little regard for his subordinates and sees no value in any human he has met. He is rarely seen upset or happy, and most of the time, even when murdering his subordinates, he appears completely monotone and detached.
His facial features are exaggerated in the manga to make him appear more expressive, especially when he is enraged (possibly as a way to display his normally unreadable emotions). In the anime, his expressions change slightly, but his voice tone remains nearly constant, emphasizing his monotonous demeanor. Many demons admire him because of his imposing and cruel nature. Let’s look at Muzan Quotes that you should know as a Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba fan.
15. “People who are dead never come back to life. Instead of sticking to such things, why don’t you just work for dairy money and live quietly?”
Muzan’s cold words enraged Tanjiro by insulting his victims and their families. Muzan is cold-blooded, ruthless, intimidating, and incredibly smart. He brutally murdered a pair of drunk men for being rude to him and their female companion for doing nothing, all while proclaiming his perfection and superiority over them, displaying his pettiness by refusing to accept any humiliation and will do whatever he wants until the humiliation is removed.
Muzan
Muzan only saw insults and threats in it, which only adds to his hatred for humanity and the Demon Slayers. He also believes that because he has never seen a God or Buddha, Heaven has absolved him of murdering thousands.
14. “If you become a demon, you can live forever.”
Before transforming Michikatsu Tsugikuni into a demon, he made this offer to him. Tsugikuni was a fantastic swordsman who chose to become a demon under Muzan’s influence and became known as Kokushibo.
Michikatsu was persuaded by Muzan Kibutsuji to become a Demon, taking the name Kokushibo after being frustrated by his inability to surpass his brother and fearing the fated death of those who awakened their Demon Slayer Marks. He took three days to fully transform into a demon because he was also a Breathing user.
Muzan
13. “Nobody was useful. I will smash the Demon Slayers tonight. I will kill them all”
Muzan had been outraged by humanity and the Demon Slayers. When his demons failed to kill the Demon Slayers, he decided to do the job himself.
To deter Tanjiro, Muzan created a distraction by transforming a young man into a Demon, but not before Tanjiro declared his intention to pursue Muzan to the ends of the earth to kill him. Muzan, enraged by his threats, would send multiple Demons to kill Tanjiro throughout the series, including Yahaba, Susamaru, and Enmu.
Muzan
12. “You look ugly. Tanjiro Kamado, we can’t tell which one is a demon anymore. You make me sick”
Tanjiro sustained serious injuries while fighting Muzan, but he remained defiant. Muzan made fun of Tanjiro, calling him ugly and weak.
Muzan, who has a terrible facial burn, reveals that he injected his blood into Tanjiro during his previous attack and that his body will be destroyed, boasting that he is already dead.
Tanjiro And Muzan
11. “Only feelings are eternal and undying. That is true. I have no recollection of killing a single human being.”
Muzan is a cold-hearted, ruthless, and intimidating character. He had killed far too many people in his lifetime. He felt no guilt or shame about it and even brags about it at times. He’s extremely violent, heartless, and the type of person who will go to any length to achieve his objectives.
10. “So what if you only got rid of one Hashira? As if that were such an accomplishment.”
Muzan is ruthless and unforgiving. Battling and defeating a formidable foe meant nothing to him if the goal was not met. Azaka, who was congratulating himself on defeating the flame Hashira, was put in his place by Muzan’s words.
9. “A foregone conclusion that a demon will beat a human.”
Regardless of who the human was, a demon’s hunting and killing was a common task. Muzan was annoyed that Akaza was congratulating himself on defeating the Flame Hashira because to Muzan, he was just another worthless Human.
8. “I haven’t got any punishments. I’ve been freed of the murder of hundreds of thousands of people. I haven’t seen God or Buddha for a thousand years.”
Muzan had killed hundreds of thousands of people in his thousand years on the planet. He believes Heaven has absolved him of the responsibility for the deaths of thousands because he has never seen a God or a Buddha.
7. “Akaza, Akaza, Akaza!! I am disappointed in you”
Muzan is never satisfied with simply defeating one Hashira. Muzan’s favorite character, according to the official fan book 1, is Akaza. But even Akaza finds it difficult to please his autocratic boss.
Muzan
Muzan inquires as to whether Akaza has discovered the Blue Spider Lily, but the demon admits that he has not. He then assures Muzan that he has executed the order to kill a Hashira. Muzan, on the other hand, is unimpressed, wounding the demon and claiming that Akaza was unable to kill three other slayers. As a final blow, Muzan expresses his dissatisfaction with Akaza and orders him to leave. The humiliated demon then vents his rage on Tanjiro’s sword, destroying it and vowing to assassinate the young Demon Slayer.
6. “What I hate is “change”.”
Demons of the Upper Moon Muzan was enraged that the Demon Slayer Corp had defeated one of the Upper Moons. He gathered the remaining Upper Moons and ragged them.
5. “That man is the true monster. I’m not one of them.”
Yoriichi was Muzan’s archenemy. Yoriichi had been dead for a long time, but his face reappeared in Muzan’s blood memory after Tanjiro reawakened his Demon Slayer Mark, reigniting Muzan’s fear.
Muzan
4. “Don’t let on that I’m here. I’ll be able to tell right away if you do…. I keep a close eye on you at all times.”
When Tanjiro asked him about Muzan, Numa no Oni became extremely terrified. Muzan is terrifying to demons.
3. “Don’t be a cheapskate!! Flies!!”
The Demon Slayers irritated Muzan because they continued to attack him in any way they could.
Muzan
2. “Head down and kneel. Prostrate before me.”
Muzan summoned the Lower Moons to his base, Mugenjo hearing Muzan’s voice made them stiffen their bodies. Muzan is the absolute existence they can never resist. Every demon born from Muzan’s blood is cursed with a deadly curse that activates if they reveal any information about him, most commonly by saying his name in the presence of Demon Slayers. Demons such as Tamayo and Nezuko, on the other hand, have broken free from the curse.
1. “You told me what to do. You deserve death.”
According to Rokuro, the Lower Moon Rank 2 Demons are not allowed to deny Muzan’s words or speak their own. Muzan also can read the thoughts of demons. If he doesn’t like them. They deserve to die.
Muzan
This curse can only be obtained by ingesting Muzan’s blood. Power appears to be easy to avoid, but for demons, it is both intoxicating and terrifying. Many people follow Muzan because he wields great power; they don’t want to jeopardize their lives, so they obey his orders.
