Coming of Age Story: Difference between revisions
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{{trope|wppage=Bildungsroman}}
{{Cleanup|Several of the examples have little or no context.}}
A story featuring an adolescent making the mental leap from child to adult. In real life, this happens over the course of several years. Literature and some television are media that have the space to show the story at a slow pace. But for a movie, things have to be compressed to several months at the most, so expect some ''really'' accelerated character development. Tends to happen to a character anywhere from 13 to 20 years of age.
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=== Anime and Manga ===
* The entire subplot of ''[[Dragonball Z]]'' is essentially Gohan growing up with adventures similar to Goku's, his father, albeit far more violent. Like its predecessor, ''[[Dragon Ball]]'', the series ends when Gohan {{spoiler|is married and has a family of his own.}}
* ''[[Candy Candy]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two.|ef - A Fairy Tale of the Two]]''
* ''[[Naruto|Naruto Shippuden]]'' shows the title character's growth from the least talented ''and'' least loved ninja in his village to a fully recognized prodigy who has saved thousands of people and faced down some of the worst criminals the world has to offer.
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** Then again, before Hikaru there was Amuro Ray of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' and probably the best of the earliest examples in mecha anime. Amuro got slapped very often by Bright Noa and this helped shape him into a man. Even Bright explicitly tells him that a good smacking would force him to become one.
* ''[[FLCL]]'', ([[Widget Series|at least insofar as it is a story and not simply an experience]]). All of the crazy shit that's happening is all symbolism for the confusion of puberty. Baseball, kissing, rock and roll, it's all there!
** ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'', also made by [[Studio Gainax]], plays this straight.
* If you boil all the [[Unwanted Harem]] bits and leave only the core of the plot, you can see that ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' is basically a story of Negi growing from good-natured and smart but somewhat clumsy and socially awkward kid, into a great hero
* ''[[Narutaru]]''. Shiina copes with loss and tragedy and learns a great deal about friendship, love, and the complexities of people and the world. {{spoiler|[[Kill'Em All|Then she and her partner/ShadowArchetype, Mamiko, wipe out all of mankind together]].}}
*
* ''[[Now and Then, Here and There]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Piano]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Mokke]]'', where ghosts are being used to illustrate [[An Aesop|lessons about life]]. It's actually rather well done.
* ''[[Binbou Shimai Monogatari]]''{{context}}
* The main premise of ''[[Hidamari Sketch]]'', if not
* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]''
* ''[[Windy Tales]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Hitohira]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Diamond Daydreams]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Twin Spica]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'', when it boils down to it. It's really mostly about [[Butt Monkey|Tsuna]] being shaped and [[Training from Hell|trained]] by Reborn into becoming a real man fit for being the 10th Generation Vongola boss.
* ''[[Ashita no Nadja]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Eureka Seven]]'' showed the maturation of several characters, even beside the protagonist Renton.
* ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'' seems to be a coming-of-age story for Rosette, particularly in the manga. It might be one for Chrono as well, although he'd be a "late bloomer" example as he's [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]].
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* ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]'' is a coming-of-age story, among other things, for [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|just about all the good guys]]—yeah, especially Miaka. Bonus points because, while it takes somewhere between a few weeks to a few months for them to finish their journey in the book, it's only [[Year Inside, Hour Outside|two days in the real world]].
* To some extent, ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]: The Second Raid'' might count as a coming-of-age story for Sousuke. During the season, {{spoiler|he got separated from Kaname}} which pissed him off royally. By the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX9Iy70gTvw last episode], he even goes so far as to verbally insult a '''GENERAL''' to get his will through. Mardukas and Kalinin both comment on it afterward (although it's clear [[Stalking Is Love|why he did it]]); it was also the first instance where he properly socialised with Tessa (so much so that she was gawking at him in shock).
* ''[[Cross Game]]''{{context}}
* Arguably a main point in ''[[NieA 7]]'', at least for [[Ordinary High School Student|Mayuko]].
* ''[[Uta Kata]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Nanaka 6/17]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Sakende Yaruze]]'' is basically a Coming of Age Story for Nakaya that runs parallel to a [[Children Raise You]] story for his father Shino.
* ''[[Gun X Sword]]'' is a coming of age story for Wendy. It's not the main plot, but it's a pretty important subplot.
* ''[[Tamayura]]''{{context}}
* Almost all of the ''[[World Masterpiece Theater]]'' series are Coming of Age-stories, but it's played the straightest in ''[[Anne of Green Gables]]'', where Anne visually [[Animation Anatomy Aging|gets older]] as the story progresses.
* ''[[Galaxy Express 999]]'' is sometimes described as being a sci-fi bildungsroman.
* ''[[Megazone 23]]'', at least the first part. It contains elements of most of the examples from the top of this page and {{spoiler|ends on a decidely [[Downer Ending|negative]] [[Crapsack World|note]].}}
* ''[[Wandering Son]]'' has this, but the anime and manga portray it in a different way. The anime seems to be more so about kids learning to be comfortable with their bodies and growing up, apparently changing the protagonists from [[Transsexualism]] to simple [[Wholesome Crossdresser]]'s. The manga isn't nearly as obvious as the anime, but it's still apparent. The manga began in late elementary, and currently the protagonists are in early high school.
* ''[[Tokyo Magnitude 8.0]]''.{{context}}
* Once you look past the [[Fan Service]], many of [[Masakazu Katsura]]'s works turn out to be this.
* Aside from the [[Unwanted Harem]] elements, ''[[Rosario + Vampire]]'' is this for Tsukune. He starts of as a directionless [[Ordinary High School Student]], but gradually becomes a more mature and confident individual, and dedicates himself to promoting peaceful relations between humans and monsters.
* In ''[[Ciguatera]]'' the main character matures greatly by the end of the story
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=== Comic Books ===
* ''[[Y: The Last Man]]'' features a reasonably realistic delayed coming of age story amongst the [[Gendercide]], war, cloning, cultists and conspiracies going on all over the place.
* [[Spider-Man
* ''[[Runaways]]''.{{context}}
* Many of the [[X-Men]], with a heavy dose of [[Puberty Superpower]].
* ''[[American Born Chinese]]''
=== Film ===
* ''[[A Little Princess]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Driving Lessons]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Breaking Away]]''{{context}}
* ''[[SLC Punk!]]''{{context}}
* ''Edge of Seventeen''{{context}}
* A fairly large portion of Australian movies are examples of this. They also tend to be rather samey
** ''[[December Boys]]'' is probably the most notable example of recent{{when}} years, only because it had [[Daniel Radcliffe]] in it, and [[Never Trust a Trailer|promoting largely used his role in it, even though it was relatively minor.]]
* In [[Master and Commander (film)|''Master and Commander'']]
* ''[[Star Wars]] Episode IV: [[A New Hope]]'', and the movies following it. 19-year-old Luke takes his first steps into a larger world and goes on the Journey of the Hero. Okay, it's also a [[Space Opera]], but he really does grow up through the films.
** Anakin in the prequel trilogy is a straight-forward example, growing up from a young child to a Padawan apprentince to a Jedi Knight and to Darth Vader
* ''[[Now and Then]]''{{context}}
* ''[[The Graduate]]''.{{context}}
* 17-year-old Baby goes through this in ''[[Dirty Dancing]]''.
* ''[[A Bronx Tale]]''.{{context}}
* A perennial subgenre is the teenaged ensemble comedy. Examples include:
** ''[[American Graffiti]]''{{context}}
** ''[[Cooley High]]''{{context}}
** ''[[Fast Times at Ridgemont High]]''{{context}}
** ''[[Stand by Me]]''{{context}}
** ''[[The Outsiders]]''{{context}}
** ''[[Dazed and Confused]]''{{context}}
** The ''[[American Pie]]'' franchise.{{context}}
** Many of [[John Hughes]]' 1980s films (''[[Sixteen Candles]]'', ''[[Pretty in Pink]]'', ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'') could be regarded as examples of this.
* Many interpret ''[[The Thief and the Cobbler]]'' as this for the main character Tack, who begins the story skinny, pale, and mute, but by the end
* ''[[Mystery Team]]'' is the Coming of Age Story for three eighteen year old men who have still act and behave like seven year olds.
* ''[[Super8]]'' is the tale of a young boy and the girl he likes coming to grips with a shared family tragedy... while a scary escaped alien runs amok in their town.
* ''[[Stilyagi]]''.{{context}}
* ''[[High School Musical]]''.{{context}}
=== Literature ===
*
* ''[[A Separate Peace]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Audrey, Wait!]]''{{context}}
* ''[[The Chosen]]''{{context}}
* ''Thumbsucker''{{context}}
* ''Running with Scissors''.{{context}}
* Nearly anything written by [[Judy Blume]].{{context}}
* ''[[The Confusions of Young Törless]]'' is one of these, with a heaping helping of expressionism, aristocratic teen angst, and [[Boarding School of Horrors|violence]].
* ''[[The Sound of Waves]]''.{{context}}
* ''[[Black Dogs]]'' is a version of this trope that takes place in a fantasy setting.
* ''[[Prydain Chronicles]]''.{{context}}
* ''[[Funny Boy]]''.{{context}}
* ''[[Holes]]''.{{context}}
* ''[[Brian's
* ''[[About a Boy]]''.{{context}}
* ''[[Heralds of Valdemar]]'' features this as a recurring element throughout the various novel series.
* ''[[The Rotters' Club]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Starter for Ten]]''
* ''[[Quantum Gravity]]''
* ''[[Harry Potter]]'', given over seven books.{{context}}
* ''[[Discworld/Mort|Mort]]'', ''[[Discworld/Soul Music|Soul Music]]'' and ''[[Discworld/The Wee Free Men|The Wee Free Men]]''. In fact, the Tiffany Aching books are an extended Coming of Age for Tiffany.
* ''[[Anne of Green Gables]].'' She grows the most in the first book, and the last book is a Coming Of Age of her daughter, Rilla.
* ''[[Jane Eyre]].''{{context}}
* ''[[Sabriel]]'', when it's not a story of a [[Badass Bookworm]] fighting off killer zombies.
* ''[[Of Human Bondage]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Fever Pitch]]'': The book, not the movies. Describes the author's own coming of age through his relationship with football and his favourite club.
* ''[[Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn]]'' is this for protagonist Simon, concurrent to his involvement in a cataclysmic war.
* ''[[Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit]]'': It deals with a young evangelical girl who grows up to find that she's a lesbian, and how this contrasts with her religion.
* In ''[[Purple Hibiscus]]'',
* ''[[Inheritance Cycle]]''.{{context}}
* The ''[[Belgariad]]'' is this in a [[Sword and Sorcery]] setting. Garion is a teenager through most of the story, but the first book covers his childhood from the beginning.{{context}}
* [[Honor Harrington]]: ''The Shadow of Saganami'' series has several young naval officers. The ''A Beautiful Friendship'' series is about an ancestor of Honor's. A few others.{{context}}
=== Live-Action TV ===
* ''[[Smallville]]'' embodies this concept
* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' really seems to embody this trope. Most of the companions go through a coming of age brought about by their travels with the Doctor.
** And the Doctor himself, to some degree. Each incarnation brings new facets to his personality, which almost always includes certain character flaws that he gradually overcomes.
* HBO's ''[[Rome]]'' contains a few examples. Brutus goes from a half drunk socialite controlled by the whims of fate and his manipulative mother to a self possessed stoic cutting the straps from his armor as he walks alone against an entire platoon. Octavian meanwhile goes from a geeky wimp at the start of the series to a very, very, creepy [[Magnificent Bastard]] in the close.
* ''[[Sugar Rush (TV)]]''{{context}}
* An episode of ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'' revolved around Malcolm trying to help his classmate Dabney get into a paintball match despite the resistance of [[My Beloved Smother|Dabney's overbearing mom.]] Once Dabney unleashes years of repressed aggression, his mom comes around to try to drag him off.
{{quote|'''Dabney''': I'm not your little boy anymore. I'm your little ''man''!}}
* Troy has one in the ''[[Community]]'' episode "[[Community/Recap/S2/E10 Mixology Certification|Mixology Certification]]". Over the course of the night his idolization of Jeff and Britta is replaced with the realization they can be just as ignorant as he is at times. Jeff even explicitly tells him he is a man now.
* ''[[Boy Meets World]]'' was one long one.{{context}}
* ''[[Friends]]'' could be considered an atypical one. Rather than focusing on kids growing into young adults, it focuses on young adults growing into their 30s and settling down with families.
* ''[[Red Dwarf]]'' had one in the episode 'Holoship'. Rimmer seems to realize that he doesn't want to be an officer. He wants someone who will love him. Hence why he's not super-excited when he becomes one, and he immediately gives it up when he realizes the woman he loves can't be with him.
=== Multiple Media ===
* The "[[BTS (band)|BTS]] Universe"', but most explicitly in the novels, the webcomic, and the videogame parts of the franchise. While many of the characters
=== Tabletop Games ===
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* All three of ''[[Fate/stay night]]'''s routes. The first two leave his future developments open. The last route, ''Heaven's Feel'', is basically one possible conclusion.
* ''[[Mega Man Star Force]]'' seems to be one of these, as the main character (Geo) starts out by [[Hikikomori|shutting out the world]] in the first game, then grows up through the second game, so that by the third he is able to step up and take charge of the gang when [[Class Representative|Luna Platz]] has been [[Disney Death|datafied]].
* In ''[[The Legend of Zelda:
* In ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', this is essentially [[Blood Knight|Grunt's]] loyalty mission.
* Both the A and B routes of ''[[Blaze Union]]'', which deal with Gulcasa and Aegina respectively. The A route goes over more of the [[Growing Up Sucks|traditional]] [[Sex as Rite-of-Passage|story]] [[Coming Out Story|elements]] covered by this trope, whereas Aegina's path deals more with coming to terms with grief and the truth and finding one's place in the world.
*
=== Western Animation ===
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{{quote|"How long will it last Woody? Do you really think Andy is going to take you to college? Or on his honeymoon? Andy's growing up...and there's nothing you can do about it." }}
* ''[[South Park]]'' has been toying with these in later seasons. "You're Getting Old" and "Assburgers" plays this mostly straight for Stan. Then three episodes later "1%" flips this trope around in its handling of Cartman.
* The main arc of ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' is Danny's growth from an average, awkward and naive kid who just want to fit in with the popular crowd to a much more heroic and down-to-earth (in a manner of speaking) young man.
== Examples of Late Bloomer Subversions ==
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=== Film ===
* ''[[The 40-Year-Old Virgin]]'' Though as the page points out, Andy is the most mature character in the movie.
** Arguably
*** So basically they act like 15 year olds?
*** More likely 15 ''IQ''.
* ''Getting It Right''{{context}}
*
* ''[[Failure To Launch]]''{{context}}
* ''[[Georgy Girl]]''
* ''[[Garden State]]''. Though isn't as comedic since a lot of drugs kept the main character very detached most of his life.
* The ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man]]'' movie is basically about Tony Stark going from an extremely rich manchild to an extremely rich man.
* ''[[A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!]]'', the [[Live Action Adaptation]] of ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]'', is apparently going to be this for Timmy.
* Simba of ''[[The Lion King]]'' becomes convinced by Timon and Pumbaa to live a [[Hakuna Matata|carefree hedonistic lifestyle]] that carries on well into adulthood, avoiding his past and his responsibilities as the future king. Only after Rafiki gives him a rather creative lesson on facing his past does he decide to grow up and go back to reclaim his rightful throne.
* ''[[The Third Man]]'': [[Adult Child|Holly Martins has remained mentally a child his entire life
* ''[[Gran Torino]]'': Walter Kowalsky, even when he is a senior who has raised a family, still lives emotionally as [[Shell-Shocked Veteran|the young soldier that crossed]] the [[Moral Event Horizon]] at the [[Korean War]]. He must [[Heel Realization|assume]] he is a [[Grumpy Old Man]] [[Jaded Washout]] [[Cranky Neighbor]] [[Racist Grandpa]] who has alienated his own family and now that his wife has died is completely alone, so he can be a real [[Badass Grandpa]] [[Papa Wolf]].
* ''[[Labyrinth]]'' has a 16-year-old girl at the start of the movie throwing tantrums like a 12-year-old.
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=== Literature ===
* ''[[Adrian Mole]]'', who basically went through an extended 20-year adolescence from age 13 to his mid-30s.
* ''[[Flowers for Algernon]]'', arguably.{{context}}
* Isabel Spellman from ''[[Spellman Files]]''.{{context}}
* ''[[The Mysteries of Pittsburgh]]'' for Art.{{context}}
* ''[[Cerberon]]'' features the coming of age of the eponymous unicorn. While already an adult at around twenty years old, he learns through the course of the novel what it takes to be a real unicorn and not just a pretty, well-educated horse with a pointy thing on his head.
=== Live-Action TV ===
* ''The Winner''{{context}}
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' is one enormous coming-of-age story (only, you know, with monsters and superpowers) for Buffy, Willow and Xander, and the run of the series is structured to follow specific stages of adolescence.
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[[Category:Youngsters]]
[[Category:Character Development]]
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