- Joined
- Apr 2, 2012
- Messages
- 477
- Reaction score
- 17
I've been working on my NaNO stuff, and I've found that some of my characters are making references that readers unfamiliar with anime/manga may not exactly get. My protagonists in question are both gamers and anime fans, and as a result they have made a few references to anime that I'm not sure I should include in the story despite it being totally in character to make these references. Now, I know some degree of "geeky" references are fine, because some geeky things are universally known. Marvel/DC, for example, are well-known enough that if a character says "X person reminds me of Lex Luthor" people will "get" what the character is saying because, even if they don't read comic books Superman is well-known enough that most people will have a general idea of who Lex Luthor is.
However, my characters are not referencing only "big names." They are not making a LOT of obscure references, mind you, but so far they have referenced both Madoka Magica and Code Geass, comparing certain characters to Lelouch and Kyubei, respectively. They have also used the term "moe" several times, and called at least one character a "genki girl." While most anime fans will immediately get all these references(CG and Madoka are fairly "big" animes, and terms like moe and genki are often-used terms when discussing anime characters). However, I am wondering if these references are just so blatantly otaku-centric that non-anime fans will just be left confused by them and, if so, are they even worth including despite the fact it is in character for my protagonists to use these terms when and how they do? I mean, I could communicate the same messages without using the references, or in some cases substituting a more well-known but just as geeky reference in place of the otaku-centric one. For example, when they compare the main antagonist to Kyubei from madkoa, they could instead compare her to, say, the rabbit from Monty Python. You get the same general message across(looks cute, but underneath the adorableness there is evil), it's still geeky(Holy Grail is considered a "geeky" movie) but unlike the anime reference of Kyubei, non-otaku readers will likely at least know whats being talked about since the Rabbit from Monty Python is probably more universally known then Kyubei from Madoka.
Likewise, when one of my protagonists compares the other to Lelouch from code geass, I could substitute any Marvel/DC manipulator mastermind that is fairly well known(the aforementioned Lex Luthor immediately springs to mind, but I'm sure there are others that are well-known enough and get the message across) for Lelouch and still have a reference that is geeky enough, while not alienating non-anime fan readers.
However, the only downside to switching the otaku references for more "well known" geeky references is that, these characters are both meant to be otakus as well as gamer geeks. So, while the anime references would be less well-known then Marvel/DC references or references to other geeky media, the anime references would be more in character for these protagonists.
So the question is, how far can I go with anime references? Would it be best not to include them at all unless they are massively well-known(such as, say, a reference to pokemon)? Any opinions on this would be great.
However, my characters are not referencing only "big names." They are not making a LOT of obscure references, mind you, but so far they have referenced both Madoka Magica and Code Geass, comparing certain characters to Lelouch and Kyubei, respectively. They have also used the term "moe" several times, and called at least one character a "genki girl." While most anime fans will immediately get all these references(CG and Madoka are fairly "big" animes, and terms like moe and genki are often-used terms when discussing anime characters). However, I am wondering if these references are just so blatantly otaku-centric that non-anime fans will just be left confused by them and, if so, are they even worth including despite the fact it is in character for my protagonists to use these terms when and how they do? I mean, I could communicate the same messages without using the references, or in some cases substituting a more well-known but just as geeky reference in place of the otaku-centric one. For example, when they compare the main antagonist to Kyubei from madkoa, they could instead compare her to, say, the rabbit from Monty Python. You get the same general message across(looks cute, but underneath the adorableness there is evil), it's still geeky(Holy Grail is considered a "geeky" movie) but unlike the anime reference of Kyubei, non-otaku readers will likely at least know whats being talked about since the Rabbit from Monty Python is probably more universally known then Kyubei from Madoka.
Likewise, when one of my protagonists compares the other to Lelouch from code geass, I could substitute any Marvel/DC manipulator mastermind that is fairly well known(the aforementioned Lex Luthor immediately springs to mind, but I'm sure there are others that are well-known enough and get the message across) for Lelouch and still have a reference that is geeky enough, while not alienating non-anime fan readers.
However, the only downside to switching the otaku references for more "well known" geeky references is that, these characters are both meant to be otakus as well as gamer geeks. So, while the anime references would be less well-known then Marvel/DC references or references to other geeky media, the anime references would be more in character for these protagonists.
So the question is, how far can I go with anime references? Would it be best not to include them at all unless they are massively well-known(such as, say, a reference to pokemon)? Any opinions on this would be great.