Competence Zone: Difference between revisions
Replaced redirects
Looney Toons (talk | contribs) m (added Category:Competence Tropes using HotCat) |
(Replaced redirects) |
||
Line 13:
Subtropes include [[Adults Are Useless]] and [[Teens Are Monsters]]. See also [[Improbable Age]], where the '''Competence Zone''' is imbalanced enough for viewers to notice. In a [[Teenage Wasteland]], whether the characters have reached the '''Competence Zone''' yet or not with respect to self-governance varies.
{{examples}}
== Examples of too young ==
Line 19 ⟶ 20:
* In ''[[Love Hina]]'', Motoko is a serious [[Huge Schoolgirl]] who's treated like the other twentysomethingers, while the meek Shinobu is treated like a kid, despite them being only three years apart in age.
** Likewise Sarah's first appearances simply establish her as a [[Bratty Half-Pint]]. Both the comic and show have a deliberate and funny 'reveal' scene where we notice than even the small Shinobu is ''much'' taller than her.
** Nah, Motoko is generally portrayed as being in the middle of the hierarchy, after accounting for the fact that she could kick the
* ''[[Future Boy Conan]]'' sets this line at around 10. The heroic kids are not only smarter than most of their adult counterparts, the title character is ''stronger and faster'' too. Once you become a grandparent you are competent again. At least until you get killed.
* This seems to be in effect for ''[[Hayate the Combat Butler]]'', everyone is within three years of 16 who is competent. The others are side characters just tossed in for humor (which of course is the point of the story).
Line 35 ⟶ 36:
=== Literature ===
* In the ''[[Xanth]]'' book series by Piers Anthony, the Adult Conspiracy is a seemingly magically-enforced pact among ''every adult in the world'' to prevent children from learning about sex, swearing, or nudity. Every adult ''human'', at any rate - the rest of 'em don't seem to care too much; centaurs and demons being depicted as more carefree, for example.
* In the earlier ''[[Harry Potter]]'' books, Ginny was outside the Competence Zone and in general portrayed as a helpless innocent. This is despite the fact that she is only one year younger than the trio and thus ''always the same age Harry was in the last book''. This was subverted in ''[[Harry Potter and
** Followed confusingly in the climactic battle, where the good guys weaken their numbers by sending the under-17s away. This is [[Justified Trope|justified]] because, well, adults don't generally like youths putting their lives on the line, and Harry and Co.'s adventures were generally without adult approval.
*** Sending away the under-17s could also be seen as a parental consent thing. You think Hogwarts would stay open if parents thought the teachers were willing to draft the students to fight their battles? Look at what the Ministry did when they were accusing Dumbly of using Hogwarts to train his own personal army to topple Fudge and take the title of Minister by force.
| |||