Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Forum administrators, Interface administrators, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
116,195
edits
Narm Charm: Difference between revisions
→Film: removed bad link
(update links) |
Looney Toons (talk | contribs) (→Film: removed bad link) |
||
| (18 intermediate revisions by 9 users not shown) | |||
Line 2:
[[File:wizardofoz.jpg|link=The Wizard of Oz (film)|frame|Moments like these are silly, but also just too heartwarming to laugh at.]]
{{quote|''"Part of [[Resident Evil]]'s charm is that it still takes itself seriously, despite having the most atrociously written story and dialogue..."''
|'''Ben "Yatzee" Croshaw''', ''[[Zero Punctuation]]'', on ''[[Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles]]''}}
During a dramatic moment, there is [[Narm]]: a line is said [[Chewing the Scenery|too emphatically]], or [[Special Effects Failure|the alien is obviously a guy in a rubber suit]].
Line 8 ⟶ 9:
So why isn't the entire audience laughing?
Perhaps the rest of the work is so good, and [[Willing Suspension of Disbelief|they are too wrapped up in it to be bothered]]. Or what's cheesy is more the [[So Bad It's Good|fun kind of cheesy]], so they are grinning, not laughing. Or maybe [[Rule of Cool]] is working its magic. Or perhaps the Narm feels natural in the scenario presented (see image).
This is '''Narm Charm''', something that by all reason should kill the drama, but doesn't. Of course this is subjective. Some people will still find the scene to be true narm. Others will find no narm. But to some, it's '''Narm Charm''' and all part of the fun.
Line 15 ⟶ 16:
Compare [[Camp]], [[Ham and Cheese]], [[So Bad It's Good]] (when something is liked because of the [[Narm]]).
{{examples}}▼
{{noreallife|this is an [[Audience Reaction]] trope, and as far as we know, Real Life does not have an audience.}}
▲{{examples}}
''Do not state you disagree with an example, or that other people would. No example here is meant to be absolute''.
Line 29 ⟶ 32:
*** This attack is such narmy goodness that it, along with the series in general, is parodied/referenced just as much, if not more, in as many separate shows as any other Gundam series.
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYudr9h6ezw "I WILL BECOME SUPER ASIA, AND BECOME CHAMPION OF ALL!"]
*
* The [[Narm]] from ''[[Trigun]]''{{'}}s Vash and Knives is entirely appropriate for their childlike, naive personalities. Vash is an idealist who honestly believes that all the evil and suffering of the world can be conquered by love and peace, takes harm on himself to spare others, and wants nothing more than for people to stop hurting each other. Meanwhile, Knives can casually kill anybody that he pleases -- including his brother ''whom he actually does love'' -- but collapses in incredible fear and confusion when he himself is hurt. This arguably makes Knives' psychopathy that much more terrifying, hating pain but happily inflicting it on everybody he considers "beneath" him, as though they were mere insects undeveloped enough to experience pain themselves.
* ''[[Code Geass]]'': "You fellas know full well what this [[Badass]] mother can do!"
** Any time Emperor Charles gives a speech, it is bound to masticate scenery left, right and center, especially whenever said [[Big Bad]] uses the [[Engrish|corny]] but Badass [[Catch Phrase]] of his Empire: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5brR14OGWUU ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!], Pronounced like [[Those Wacky Nazis|heil]].
Line 43 ⟶ 46:
* The official English translation of the ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' manga has some rough spots, but it's also responsible for several great lines from Negi, such as asking if he can have a cookie after [[Marshmallow Hell|getting wedged between Shizuna's boobs]], and yelling "Damn my charisma!" upon getting mobbed by a group of high school girls who think he's the cutest thing ever.
** Not to mention Evangeline's: "They who have the most guns, kick butt." and "Are you on CRACK?" <ref>Her reaction when Negi asks her if he can be her disciple.</ref>
** Chisame's response to
* ''[[Princess Mononoke]]'': {{spoiler|"Forest Spirit, we give you back your head!"}}
* In the first ''[[Pokémon]]'' movie we hear the two Dewgong crying in their ridiculously comical voices. But the fact that they're crying over {{spoiler|Ash being killed}} stops it from being funny. It also helps that the next shot is of the Vulpix crying which is a genuinely sad sound.
Line 56 ⟶ 59:
** In the beginning of the second season, as Suou narrates about how the world has changed since the Gate appeared, a very futuristic flying car briefly appears on screen. Kind of narmy because of how much of a cliche flying cars are as a symbol of the future, but it kind of works because weird [[Magitech]] and [[Black Box]] technology is a big part of the setting. And the fact that flying cars are just [[Rule of Cool|cool]].
** The scene in the second season where [[Complete Monster|Ilya]] talks to/scares the crap out of those tourists might qualify. It's really hard to tell if that moment was meant to be somewhat humorous or not. If it was meant as a serious moment, they failed, but it works well as [[Black Comedy]].
* In ''[[Mobile Suit
* In the first episode of the second ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' series, Yugi summoning Exodia is narm charm enough. Then watch the uncut video, especially past 3:00.
** The dub dialogue is on fire, helped by [[Dan Green]]'s delicacy...
Line 88 ⟶ 91:
* In ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' Satoko's breakdown in episode 10 involves her somehow throwing a guy twice her size all the way across the room, with the chair he's sitting on. The voice actor's delivery, combined with the music, is what makes the scene work.
** [[Madness Mantra|"Gomenasai...gomenasai...gomenasai...gomenasai...."]]
* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]''. Father's expression are often over the top, but he's still the main source of [[Nightmare Fuel]] of all the series... {{spoiler|especially when he looked pregnant of Hohenheim after having just absorbed him... but his [[One-Winged Angel]] form was '''''absolutely terrifying'''''}}.
* Episode 167 of ''[[Naruto]]'' Shippuden. Full stop. It goes into full-on Looney Toons action at various points, including the "hammer person into ground without killing them" and "Road Runner legs" effects. Yet, it can also be absolutely awesome.
** Sasuke's [[Evil Laugh]] in Shippuden episode 214 and manga chapter 483 is Narm Charm. It's hilarious mainly because it's ''[[The Comically Serious|Sasuke]]'' but it also shows how [[Ax Crazy|far gone he is]].
Line 94 ⟶ 97:
** And to this day, people still wonder whether [[Takehito Koyasu]] [[What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?|was on drugs]] when he thought of this one.
* The Intelligent Devices of the ''[[Lyrical Nanoha]]'' series have always spoken in rather questionably-translated English ("It can be done. As for my master.") Then [[The Movie]] came along and gave them proper English lines. Many English-speaking fans are not pleased with this, as they found the Devices' broken speech endearing.
* ''[[Hellsing]]'''s [[World of Ham|hamminess]] and over-the-top violence should be ridiculous, but many fans love the series because of it.
* Belldandy from ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]'' continues to call Keiichi "Mister Keiichi" even
* In ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'', Kotetsu/Wild Tiger used to wear a [[Superheroes Wear Tights|spandex costume]] that [[Fan Nickname|fans have affectionately named the crapsuit]]. General opinion was that it was either [[Adorkable|endearingly dorky]] or just plain dumb... until Kotetsu {{spoiler|[[Break Out the Museum Piece|Breaks Out The Museum Piece]] as part of a plan to prove to the public he's the real Wild Tiger and strikes a [[Triple Take]] [[Asskicking Pose]] at the end of episode 21}}, at which point the fandom decided it was the sexiest, most badass superhero costume ever.
** Many aspects of the show count as Narm Charm—the [[Ho Yay|relationship]] between the two leads, the frequent use of [[Japanese Stock Phrases]], the [[camp]]y costumes and the theme of [[Band of Brothers|friendship]] being
* The [[Engrish]] opening and ending themes to the ''[[Berserk]]'' anime manage to be both hilarious on account of their mangled pronunciation and borderline-nonsensical lyrics (and a completely straight-faced use of the line "[[Innocent Innuendo|I can get it off!]]") and awesome on account of being damn good songs regardless.
* The ''Manga Bible'', as noted in [[World of Ham]] article, the characters are so dramatic, the [[Anachronism Stew|anachronism]] so blatant (calling someone "punk" in 1500 BC, think about it), but it still manages to keep the [[Original Flavor]] from the source while maintaining it as
* ''[[Demon King Daimao]]'' has Kena Soga, who, depending on the dub version, either has a certain charm to how her voiced is portrayed.
** [[Aki Toyosaki]] has a more wacky and cartoony route for her, while Melissa Davis makes her overly-dramatic and goofy.
* The fight between {{spoiler|Masako and Yuri}} in Episode 15 of ''[[Mawaru Penguindrum]]'' is so ridiculously over-the-top (it involves {{spoiler|Yuri swinging ping-pong paddles to swat Masako's slingshot balls}}, for crying out loud!) [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|that it warps back to ridiculously awesome]].
** Also the buttloads of [[Engrish]] in episode 16. [[Memetic Mutation|HERY MR. PRESIDEEEEEEEENTTTTT!]]
** When {{spoiler|Masako pulls her [[Facing the Bullets One-Liner]]}} in episode 22, we see {{spoiler|Esmeralda next to her opening a paper fan.}} It would've made the whole scene [[Narm|hilarious in normal circumstances]]... but come on, {{spoiler|Esmeralda [[Undying Loyalty|is THAT loyal to her partner and to #1]], and [[Together in Death|she's ready to die with Masako]]}}! How can that '''not''' be [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|really touching]]?
** The whole scene where Ringo remembers her parents eventually deciding to split up is reenacted via stuffed animals. It's ridiculous, but considering she was a young child at the time it actually works and conveys how traumatic it was for her. And by the same token, most of Ringo's [[Imagine Spot]]s are so over the top ridiculous that you can't help but laugh, but they also managed to convey just how screwed up the girl is.
* The ''[[Bleach]]'' Concept Cover albums. The engrish is absolutely INSANE, with one of the best examples being Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, by '' BEAT CRUSADERS '' sung by ''' '' [[Fumihiko Tachiki|KENPACHI ZARAKI]] '' '''. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av9jyBLuSlE This is either the funniest or most absurd thing this troper has ever heard.]
*** On that note, go see "Science Show" from [[Kosuke Toriumi|Szayel's album.]]
** For an unexplained reason, Ulquiorra's release has him in a ''dress'' and waist-length hair. {{spoiler|It stops being cute about 15 seconds later when the Arrancar nearly cuts Ichigo's head off with a pointed pole made of energy.}}
** When Ichigo sees {{spoiler|one of Aizen's... "special" transformations}}, he reacts via saying [[Precision F-Strike|"What... the fuck... is THAT...?!]] It should be hilariously out of place, but the context in itself was so odd that it worked—Ichigo was pretty much [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall|voicing EXACTLY what was going on in the readers's heads.]].
== Comic Books ==
Line 123 ⟶ 124:
"You're '''huge'''! That means you have '''huge guts!'''"
'''"RIP AND TEAR!"''' }}
* [http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3218/snowflamedesnewguardian.jpg Snowflame], a [[Super Villain]] from the [[The DCU]] who was powered by cocaine! [https://web.archive.org/web/20130710074641/http://www.cracked.com/funny-5066-snowflame/ No, really.]
* When ''[[Green Lantern]]'' tried to give a sympathetic [[Backstory]] to Dex-Starr, by all rights it should have fallen flat on its face. Dex-Starr's inherent comedy (he's a homicidal ''kitty-cat'') should not mesh well with a tragic origin. It's not even a terribly good origin, it's standard "came from abusive family" stuff. But is something just terribly heart-wrenching about it that manages to make it work. [[Tear Jerker|"I good kitty."]]
* Many "relevant" and "edgy" [[Bronze Age]] stories like the ''[[Green Lantern]] / [[Green Arrow]]'' team-ups featuring the evils of drugs, poverty, racism, etc, are hilariously over-the-top, [[Anvilicious]], and two-dimensional, but the fact that the stuff was [[Fair for Its Day|ground-breaking at the time]], plus the writers' complete sincerity about the sentiments expressed in the stories, save them from most of the contempt usually afforded to such preachy PSAs.
* With just one overwrought line and goofily gaping expression, [https://web.archive.org/web/20131219020225/http://echorrorcomicsarchive.com/wp-content/qdir/main/2008_10/crypt23.jpg the issue 23 cover] of [[EC Comics]]' ''Tales from the Crypt'' manages to tell the most awesomely concise horror story ever...
{{quote|''LOCKED! I'm locked in this MAUSOLEUM with... with this THING!''}}
* In ''[[Doctor Strange]]: The Oath'', a critically-injured and unconscious Strange has been carried through the doors of a hospital by his manservant Wong. Though they have obviously come in through a pouring rain, his Cloak of Levitation is at full billow. In fact, it has actually ''opened the door'' to let Wong in.
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* This trope is the reason ''[[Half Life:
** {{spoiler|JOHN FREEMAN: SAVER OF HUMENS}}. ;tear
** {{spoiler|Gordon Freeman's}} death. Especially true in dramatic readings. How can such a goofy scene, containing the word comFART, be taken seriously? This is how.
Line 140:
* In [[Fan Vid]] culture, "[http://fanlore.org/wiki/Lord_King_Bad Lord King Bad]" vids are deliberately created with this kind of aesthetic.
* ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5160534/1/Kamina_die Kamina die]'' (supposed) [[Troll Fic]], {{spoiler|"simon am proud"}}.
* There's something oddly [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|heartwarming]] about the last two chapters and final author's note of ''[[Starkit's Prophecy
** Likewise, the line "ACCEPT JESUS [[Precision F-Strike|MOTHERFUCKERS]]!" still manages to be [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|awesome]].
* ''[[Tea of Sagittarius]]''. Especially the
{{quote|'''Anonymous:''' "My Blowjob can't be this Psychological"}}
* The game of peek-a-boo famously played during the Grendel fight in the film of ''[[Beowulf (film)|Beowulf]]''. It makes the whole scene slightly ridiculous, but that's kinda the point: Beowulf's ego makes him do silly things (unless anyone out there can think of a ''logical'' reason for fighting an insane, man-eating giant whilst in the buff).
** [[The Order of the Stick|He thought it would make him invisible]].
Line 156 ⟶ 155:
* ''[[Cars]] 2'' has {{spoiler|Lightning's responses to Mater trying to get away from him in England, thinking that Mater is still sore about their fight when in reality [[Why Am I Ticking?|it has nothing to do with that.]] [[Power of Friendship]] and how over the top the film is as a whole makes it work.}}
{{quote|'''Mater:''' {{spoiler|Stay away from me, or you could get hurt real bad!}}
'''Lightning:''' {{spoiler|I know I made you feel that way, but none of that matters, because [[
** Lightning goes as far as to {{spoiler|''attach himself to Mater's tow cable to keep up with him.''}} The following lines are exchanged ''twice'':
{{quote|'''Mater:''' {{spoiler|Let go!}}
Line 162 ⟶ 161:
** It might also be justified by {{spoiler|[[Fridge Brilliance|Mater being Lightning's first truly close friend, leaving the racecar unsure how to handle when they get into a fight.]]}}
* In Disney's take on ''[[Sleeping Beauty (Disney film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'', Maleficent awesomely delivers the line "and now shall you deal with ME, oh prince, AND ALL THE POWERS OF ''[[Hell]]''!"
== Film - Live-Action ==▼
* [[Batman]] films have a fair amount:
** Certain scenes in ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', less by not killing the drama and more for injecting a little realism—not to mention [[The Woobie|pity]]. Not everyone can [[Say My Name|bellow their beloved's name]] and sound bereaved and heroic, you know.
*** And the Joker's socks when he's sitting in his cell. Helps that both they and
*** Batman's rusty voice. Some people went along with it because he was obviously trying to disguise his real voice, but it became unintentionally funny when he started using it in front of [[Morgan Freeman]]'s character, who already knew who he was.
**** [[Fridge Brilliance|There have been comics that have played with the idea that Bruce Wayne is the mask and Batman is the real person. Perhaps Bruce felt it was best that Lucius would see his true self in order to cooperate]]
Line 174 ⟶ 170:
*** "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb."
** A lot of the enjoyment found in ''[[Batman and Robin (film)|Batman and Robin]]'' is from this and Freeze's puns.
* Every line delivered by Schuler Hensley as [[Frankenstein]]'s monster in the 2004 movie
* Richard Roxburgh's ''[[Dracula]]'' is the same, to a slightly lesser degree.
* [[Brian Blessed]] has fans who consider his [[Large Ham]] acting to be the best part.
Line 189 ⟶ 185:
* In general, [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] ''should'' be extremely narmful all the time because of his incredibly thick Austrian accent, but people have got so used to hearing it it barely matters anymore. To quote Jack Slater in ''[[Last Action Hero]]'', "Vot accent?"
* Parts of the 1973 film version of ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar]]'' are rather corny today, yes, but the corny lines in no way detract from the rest of the movie.
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'': "[[No Man of Woman Born|I am no man!]] AAAAAAAAAA!!!"
** In that exact same scene: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAO4t8672hc&NR=1 The Witch-King's ridiculously large mace]. Everyone from the prop designers to the actor who had to swing it all thought it was the largest, heaviest, most ridiculous part of the scene, and yet Peter Jackson made. it.
** {{spoiler|Denethor's}} death scene (where he [[Go Mad from the Revelation|goes nuts]], lights himself on fire, and ''jumps off a cliff'') in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|
** "I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound!"
* [[Star Wars]], oh so much.
Line 202 ⟶ 198:
* [[Ian McKellen]]'s delivery in ''[[X-Men (film)|X-Men]]'' is full of this.
* ''[[Godzilla]]''. [[Godzilla (film)|The 1998 American version]], even more so.
** Speaking of which, any movie by [[Roland Emmerich]] such as ''[[Independence Day]]'', ''[[The Day After Tomorrow]]'' and
* Nero in ''[[Star Trek (film)|Star Trek]]'' tends to be ridiculously [[Large Ham|over the top]] (see: his introduction as "Hi, I'm Nero" and "[[Shout-Out|SPOOOOOOOOOOOCK]]"). It just makes the movie more fun. "FIRE EVERYTHING!"
* ''[[Galaxy Quest]]'': "By Grabthar's hammer... by the suns of Warvan... you shall be ''avenged''." Though in that case the original line was ''trying'' to be silly in an [[Affectionate Parody]] sort of way for ''[[Star Trek]]''. The context the line is delivered in is genuinely [[Badass]] and makes up for it. It helped that it was [[Alan Rickman]] saying the line.
* ''[[G.I. Joe: The
* Logic doesn't get in the way of the narm-charmtastic climactic scene of the 1966 Italian film ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WY9vR0DsNY&NR=1 Dio, Come Ti Amo!]'' The heroine Gigliola, played by [[Eurovision Song Contest]] winner Gigliola Cinquetti, taps into the p.a. system of an airport in order to sing a love song to Luis, her boyfriend who is [[Race For Your Love|departing on a plane that is on the runway about to take off]]. Her song is broadcast not only through the airport, but, in a quirk of Italian electrical engineering, also into the headsets of the ground crew and the pilots of Luis' flight. Sure, in reality the pilot, the ground crew and the airport's p.a. would probably not all share the same system, but that's besides the point. Adding to the inexplicit absurdity of the scene is the fact that her love song is also audible to the passengers on the departing plane, one of whom is Luis who disembarks from the plane to return to Gigliola. Yet for all of the gaps in plausibility, your heart can't help but be moved when Gigliola and Luis kiss on the tarmac.
* ''[[300]]''. Especially, Gerard Butler's delivery of the iconic ''[[This Is Sparta]]'' line.
Line 225 ⟶ 221:
** Among his gems: "Every Bison Dollar will be worth five British pounds. For that is the exchange rate the Bank of England will set once I've kidnapped their Queen."
** For you the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life [[But for Me It Was Tuesday|but for me... it was Tuesday]].
* In ''[[Night at the Museum]] 2'', Octavius tends to come across as almost constantly narmy, taking himself way too seriously and [[
* Fully half the movies scored by [[Ennio Morricone]] have a moment where first you think: "What the hell is this music," and immediately afterward, "Holy shit [[Crowning Music of Awesome|this is awesome]]!"
* ''[[Peter Pan (film)|Peter Pan]]'': "[[Clap Your Hands If You Believe|I do believe in fairies!]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFnul4k5hUM I do! I do!]"
* ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'' is entirely about the great enjoyment one can have at the late night double feature picture show, a classic way to see the best in B-Movies.
* The B-movie ''[[Zombie
** What keeps ''[[Zombie
* ''[[IT]]'': "Oh yes, Georgie! They float! And when you're down here with me... YOU'LL FLOAT TOOOOO!!!!!"
* ''[[The King's Speech]]'' had this moment where Bertie is encouraged to talk about his childhood, and he tries to...but because of his stammer, he has to make himself sing parts of it. Hearing him suddenly sing something instead of speaking would almost be funny {{spoiler|if he wasn't talking about how he was abused by a nanny, who would deprive him of food and hit him so he'd cry in front of his parents, and that his parents didn't notice what was going on for years}}.
Line 236 ⟶ 232:
* Some of the actions in the fight scenes of ''[[Ip Man]]'' can easily be mistaken for [[Slapstick]]. However, the choreography was so good that such scenes fit right into the fights.
* The films of Nick Zedd.
* General Zod in ''[[Superman (film)|Superman
* ''[[Titanic]]''. Even ''with'' lines like "You must do me this honor, Rose. You must promise me to survive" - toward the end of the second half of the film audiences will be dreading Jack's inevitable demise.
* According to the people who cast the film, the role of Buttercup in ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'' was given to the only actress they found who could deliver the line "You mock my pain".
Line 246 ⟶ 242:
* The final scene of ''[[Dead Poets Society]]'' is almost universally considered to be a very powerful and moving ending to the film. But think of how it would sound written down on a script and what one would think it would end up like...
* ''[[Troy]]:'' Achilles' captive Briseis wakes him up with a [[Sword Over Head|sharp knife]] to the throat. After imploring her to "[[Kill Me Now or Forever Stay Your Hand|do it]]" ''("[[The Fatalist|we all die some time]]")'' he grabs her and [[Coitus Ensues|has his way with her]], prompting her to drop the knife slowly out of her hand. ...[[Better Than It Sounds|Yeah]]. As one reviewer said: ''"[[Even the Guys Want Him|Only Brad Pitt]] could do this (old-style Hollywood) scene and not have the audience burst into laughter."''
* Johnny Simmons was cast as Young Neil in ''[[Scott Pilgrim vs. the World]]''
* ''[[The Neverending Story (film)|The Neverending Story]]'': When Artax starts sinking into the [[Death by Despair|Swamps of Sadness]], Atreyu's reaction is shameless and over the top... but damn if that isn't the key to making that scene ''work'' without viewers wondering what the hell the horse has to be depressed over.
* ''[[Ghost Rider (film)|Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance]]'' is entirely composed of this trope. [[Nicolas Cage]] can [[Large Ham|take the credit for much of that]].
== Literature ==
* All of team Jacob and team Edward should be able to agree that despite what makes the whole ''[[Twilight (novel)|Twilight]]'' Saga so good is its
* ''[[X Wing Series]]'': Certainly the newbie Tatooine pilot Gavin Darklighter's response to seeing Coruscant for the first time was [[Narm/Star Wars|narmy]], but it helps illustrate just how young the kid is.
{{quote|"It's just a city, the whole thing, one big, huge, really big city. It's ''[[Single Biome Planet|all]]'' city."}}
Line 258 ⟶ 253:
* Frank Peretti, a Christian horror writer, is very adept at the use of Narm Charm. Apparently, he realizes that his plots are extremely outlandish, and in order to avoid Narm he cranks up the absurdity of it his situations [[Up to Eleven]] and lets you know it's okay to laugh through witty prose, thereby leading to situations—such as a town erupting into terrifying/hilarious chaos around a false Messiah—that are bizarre, hilarious, and somehow, really, really terrifying. [[Adaptation Decay|Unfortunately, this does not translate well into]] [[Narm/Film|the film versions of his work]].
* ''[[Little Women]]'' plots a course through [[Mary Sue]]s, [[Purple Prose|wildly extravagant and sentimental prose]], [[An Aesop|Aesops]] (some of them [[Family-Unfriendly Aesop|rather questionable]]) in [[Once an Episode|nearly every chapter]]... and comes out as a gripping romantic drama with a deserved place in the highest pantheon of American literature.
* Discussed with an internal example in ''[[Star Trek: Klingon Empire]]''. The old animated show
* Let's face it: Both the ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'' books and [[Harry Potter (film)|films]] can be quite [[narm]]ilicious... but the thing is, the quality of it is just so good, it can easily be forgiven. One particular example is the ending of [[
** * [[
* ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]''. This conversation was used in the climax of the story. At first it seems to be a trivial discussion about counting fingers, but it's actually about a man being [[Mind Rape|tortured]] into changing his perspective in order to ''[[Two Plus Torture Equals Five|see things that aren't there]]''. Some might say it's worse than [[Room 101]] itself.
** Room 101 is just a means to an end. Specifically, YOUR end...
Line 266 ⟶ 261:
'''Winston:''' "Four! five! Four! Anything you like." }}
** [[Room 101]] itself works as an example. We've seen how lesser works have made the "your worst nightmare come to life" less scary than it should. Indeed, at first glance, the idea that, after months of the most devious psychological and physical torture known to man, the thing that breaks Winston is "give up your love, or get your face eaten by rats", still kinda sounds like something out of a ''[[Saw]]'' movie. But when you read it... it works, dammit.
* ''[[
* [[Narm/Star Wars|Pellaeon]], in the [[New Jedi Order]], delivering a [[Shut UP, Hannibal]] that ends "You may win the occasional battle against us, Vorrik, but the Empire will ''always'' strike back."
* From ''[[Lord of the Flies]]'', the line {{spoiler|"Roger sharpened a stick at both ends"}} should, by all rights, be laughable (what, is he going to {{spoiler|trip and fall on it}} or something?) In context, however, it's the sign of the boys' complete degeneration into unbridled savagery.
* ''[[Ugly Betty]]'' is more or less one long deliberate attempt at creating this.
* As is ''[[Pushing Daisies]]''.
Line 287 ⟶ 281:
** In "The End of Time", we have {{spoiler|The Master Race}}. Fun to watch? Yes. Hilarious? Oh hell yes! Terrifying and dramatic? Errr...
*** The parts where he was eating or {{spoiler|flying}} were especially good.
** Then there's {{spoiler|[[Timothy Dalton]], showing the scenery no mercy as Rassilon. "'''[[
** [[Matt Smith]]'s tenure has kicked off in fine form. [[Faceless Eye|Giant eyeball aliens]] in [[Cool Starship|snowflake spaceships!]] So cheesy, they're awesome. [[Crunchtastic|cheesesome?]]
** The horrible fates of The Family of Blood. Trapped in the edge of every mirror for eternity? Thats so stupid its cool.
Line 305 ⟶ 299:
* ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' embodies this. A stuntman crouching under a pizza has never been a more sympathetic character. And when there is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAvRBDQqSmY appropriate contrast], even a wildly overacted scene becomes downright touching. Then, of course, there's the ridiculously [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|over-the-top and bombastic]] music. Only this show could take [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCamCYip2t4 this piece] and make it the most iconic fight music in television history.
** This is the reason that even the legendarily bad episodes (like, say, "[[Star Trek/Recap/S3/E01 Spock's Brain|Spock's Brain]]") are [[So Bad It's Good]] instead of completely unredeemable. TOS episodes that were heavy on the [[Narm]] were ''always'' entertaining. Compare ''actual'' bad episodes that are dull and full of [[Padding]], like "The Alternative Factor". People will go for "Brain and brain, what is brain?!" every time.
* Then there's ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' which occasionally also runs on pure cheesiness. It's the series outright honesty and belief in itself, and its writers' (and actors') refusal to shy away from uncomfortable subjects, which means it gets away with a lot of it (when you have characters living in a future when humans are, supposedly, a much more reasonable, understanding bunch, and got there ''the hard way'' via a couple of near
** In particular there's the episode "[[Wham! Episode|Chains of Command]]". Picard's dragged out, thick-tongued [[
** It has been remarked, as well, that [[Patrick Stewart]]'s strength as an actor is his ability to deliver bad dialogue with utter conviction. Case in point is ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'': ''"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!"'' Controversial. Some fans see it as [[Narm|horrible]], some as so bad it's good, while others see it as simply good, and a few even consider it a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] for Picard, who didn't have the strength to so much as stand but still made the effort to make a last shout of defiance.
* ''[[CSI: Miami]]'': It may sound hilarious...but I...[[Glasses Pull|[puts on shades] ]] [[Rule of Cool|make it cool]]. '''''[[The Who|YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!]]'''''
* There's a scene in the fourth season of ''[[Angel]]'' where {{spoiler|Cordelia,
** Then there's the memorable scene from season 3's "Loyalty" where Wesley seeks out information from the Loa, an ancient, godlike spirit of knowledge with glowing red eyes and a booming voice. The Loa berates Wesley, confirms his worst fears, and delivers an incredibly ominous warning of doom to come. Oh, and the form that the Loa takes happens to be ''a giant, talking, hamburger-shaped drive-in speaker''. Somehow, the conversation with the giant, shouting hamburger is hilarious while still being the dramatic peak of the arc.
* Most speeches in ''[[Babylon 5]]'' the series are full of [[Narm]]. On the other hand, Mira Furlan and Andreas Katsulas were such great actors, any speech delivered by Delenn or G'Kar still managed to be utterly compelling.
Line 329 ⟶ 323:
{{quote|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}i8ju_10NkGY YAR HAR FIDDLE DEE DEE! YOU ARE A PIRATE!]}}
* ''[[Fringe]]''. [[Hollywood Science|Science, even the most far-out, fringiest science that ever fringed DOES NOT work that way]]. But it's ''soooo'' much [[Rule of Cool|fun]]. [[Nightmare Fuel|Nasty]], [[Squick]]tacular fun.
* ''[[The Thick of It]]'': On paper, "COME OUT OF THE CUPBOARD HUGH..." looks
** The best example would be from episode 7 of series 3, the [[Wham! Episode]] in which Malcolm is sacked. Before leaving [[Whitehall|10 Downing Street]] for what his enemies are sure will be the last time, he vows to them "YOU WILL SEE ME AGAIN! YOU WILL ''FUCKING'' SEE ME AGAIN!" before striding out with his [[Badass Longcoat|long black coat]] flowing behind him. This should be cliched and [[Narm]]y- and in a political satire, [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]- but Malcolm, [[Magnificent Bastard|being Malcolm]], renders it [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|awesome]].
* This trope occurs at the conclusion of Season Two of ''[[Robin Hood (TV series)|Robin Hood]]'' during the death scene of {{spoiler|Marian}}. On the one hand, the build-up involves a confusing and contrived sequence of events, and the death scene itself is drawn out to an utterly ridiculous extent in which {{spoiler|Marian}} has a sword in her stomach and yet is able to carry on a completely coherent conversation for several minutes; on the other hand, {{spoiler|''Maid freaking Marian''}} is dying and the [[Emotional Torque]] is [[Over Nine Thousand]] and [[Like You Would Really Do It|no one can believe it's really happening]] and it's the most horrible, devastating thing that's ever happened on any [[Robin Hood]] retelling ''ever''.
Line 338 ⟶ 332:
'''Marian''': Now and forever, my love. }}
* The creators of ''[[The Weird Al Show]]'' note in the commentaries that Brian Haley as The Hooded Avenger had the unenviable task of delivering the majority of the show's [[Anvilicious]] morals. But his Adam West style utter conviction to the part makes it work.
* [[Bea Arthur]], in ''[[The Star Wars Holiday Special]]'', is able to take her usual [[Deadpan Snarker]] persona and apply it to good effect during her song-and-dance sequence in the Cantina on Tatooine, though she's helped in that it's just about
* The hilarious, homoerotic, and oddly charming Long Underwear Boxing scene in [[The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson]].
Line 347 ⟶ 341:
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMUNl5_HSUs "Ride Forever,"] a song by Paul Gross of ''[[Due South]]'' and ''[[Slings and Arrows]]'' fame. The lyrics are undeniably cheesy, but the song manages to be genuinely stirring at the same time.
* [[Bollywood]] musicals.
* Anything by [[Manowar]].
* [[Megadeth]]. Dave Mustaine's lyrics can be really cheesy and silly ("Peace Sells" and "So Far, So Good", for example, or his [[Break Up Song|Breakup Songs]]), and let's not forget his nasal, [[Donald Duck]] vocals, but their music is so face-meltingly awesome and [[Epic Riff]]-laden (not to mention epic solos!) it makes one think if they're using it to compensate for the words and vocals...
** People who criticise Mustaine's vocals tend to be the ones who say Megadeth's recent albums are the best of their career. There's a simple reason for this. His vocals on these albums are quite annoying, he probably provided his best vocals on Countdown To Extinction, Youthanasia and Cryptic Writings. Many Megadeth fans like his vocals as they aren't over the top or too aggressive, unlike many other metal singers.
Line 353 ⟶ 347:
* For some fans, [[Opera]].
** And "Neapolitan songs" (''canzone napoletana''), most of them composed pop tunes which have become indigenous, similar to the songs of Irving Berlin or George M. Cohan. Italian singers can deliver "O Sole Mio" (My Sunshine), "Funiculì, Funiculà" and "Santa Lucia" with passionate sincerity.
* The storyline behind [[My Chemical Romance
* King Diamond's "Welcome Home" when the lyrics are considered. It being King Diamond, he's either snarling or screaming his balls off, and then there's lines like "We're going to repaint the front door soon".
* Japanese remixer [[Hyadain]]'s remix of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkIEVrFVeG4 Bubble Man's Theme] from ''[[Mega Man 2]]'' is made of this. Despite the grating use of [[Gratuitous English]] and the fact that it's pretty much about about [[Foe Yay|Bubble Man's love for Mega Man]], the song works anyway, because it's very well arranged, has nice vocal work and, well...it's not on the [[Tear Jerker]] page for nothing.
** '''All''' of his Robot Master remixes are about confessing love—More or less subtly—towards Mega Man.
** Heat Man's
* "Infection" by [[J Rock]] band D'espairsRay. This song should have been horrible: The imagery was cliched, the grammar was bad, some of the lyrics made no sense and the rest were drenched in Engrish—but somehow, it still worked and could be considered a tearjerker.
** The PV for REDEEMER. Just... the PV for REDEEMER.
Line 373 ⟶ 367:
** Ditto for [[Immortal]], who in addition to the above, also have [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VBdAY8eA9w music videos] where they look like [[Kiss]] [[LARP]]ing
* Heavy Metal fans can simultaneously celebrate [[Dio]]'s "Holy Diver" as a great old-school Metal standard, while realizing that the lyrics make no sense and and the music video is ridiculous in a [[So Bad It's Good]] way.
* [[
** "Heart of a Dragon" somehow manages to sound rather triumphant despite sharing a melody with the children's song "Three Little Speckled Frogs".
* Heino. Anything by Heino, especially if it refers to "letzten Abendrot," cowboys, or involves clapping.
* The [[Muse (band)|Muse]] single "Uprising" is, by itself, a really catchy [[Queen]]-style revolutionary anthem. That is, until you notice that the music video, the CD and the vinyl single artwork all
** From the same album, "Guiding Light". It's basically a full-on '80s [[Power Ballad]], complete with seemingly endless drum reverb (which fits nicely with the jet engine segue at the beginning); a Queen-inspired guitar solo is the icing on the cake. For a band that's often accused of taking itself too seriously these days, it's a refreshingly clear-cut "just enjoy this" moment on the album.
** And while we're at it, "Knights of Cydonia" needs a mention, doubly so when you consider the music video. It combines an overt political [[Take That]] with overly sincere "fight for your right" chants, Wild West imagery, kung fu, unicorns, laser beams, and a heavy dose of [[Epic Rocking]]; and the end result is somehow legitimately chilling.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaN7RwckVIQ "The Final Countdown" by Europe]. Hugely stupid hair metal anthem that's firmly in [[Guilty Pleasure]] territory, but ''awesome''.
* [[Sarah Brightman]]. Dear god, she could sing the telephone book and make it sound profound. For example, we have "Fleurs de Mal" (Flowers of Evil), "A Question of Honor" and "How Can Heaven Love Me?" And the lyrics are even goofier than the titles...
* Michael Crawford was the original lead in the musical ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]''; Brightman was the original Christine, and he may be her male counterpart in terms of Narm Charm between that and his subsequent albums. His [[Large Ham]] delivery is effectively what every comic spoofing the delivery of stage musical actors post-1986 is making fun of, and he's often used it in the service of overblown ballads—he's done whole albums devoted to [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]], Disney, ''and'' [[Christmas Songs]]—but he does it with an amazing tenderness and sincerity that cuts through the clutter.
* Everything by [[Journey (band)|Journey]].
Line 398 ⟶ 392:
{{quote|"When the [[Unusual Euphemism|centipede]] is hot, you're bound to feel the fire."}}
* Ultravox's "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" is listed under [[Narm]], but it and the rest of the band's output while Midge Ure was their leader (which could also be considered narm-y) still have fans with people who are in love with that overarching, melodramatic European synthpop element to this band's music. It does also put that era of the band's existence at odds with the John Foxx era, which was more detached and punk-oriented, but one can still hear elements of the older Ultravox in 1980's ''Vienna'' and it's not uncommon for one to be a fan of both the Foxx and Ure eras of Ultravox.
* [[Kanye West]] spent the better part of a year alienating fans and non-fans alike with his [[Jerkass]] behaviour. We all agreed that Kanye's first step should be to apologize for the [[Moral Event Horizon|Taylor Swift incident]] and then get back to rapping. He's gone back to rapping, but [https://web.archive.org/web/20140331061745/http://nahright.com/news/2010/06/02/kanye-west-power-mixed-mastered/ we were fools to think he would apologize]. And when he can spout lines like "Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it/I guess every superhero need his theme music" and "I don't need yo pussy, bitch, I'm on my own dick" with that much sincerity, well... [[Crowning Music of Awesome|more power to him]].
* [[Lady Gaga]]. It's what she does and will continue to do. Marry The Night makes this certain.
* [[Kate Bush]].
Line 410 ⟶ 404:
* [[Van Canto]]. Their recreations of classic metal songs with nothing but a drummer and lots of vocal effects are both awe-inspiring and a bit silly.
** Singing the song titles as lyrics definitely tops the silliness: "bataree, baa -- taree, bataree baa -- taree..."
* By nature, a very large number of [[Award Bait Song|award bait songs]]
{{quote|''I looked at you, you looked at me,
''I knew it then, but you couldn't see it,
''And now you've come around.
''I walk away, you stay behind,
''But I've got the memories to remind me,
''Of how you used to...
''Hold me so tight, be by my side,
''And make it alright... }}
* "Celtic Rock" by Donovan. On paper, it borders on self-parody, as the guy tries to do hard rock in the style of a stereotypical Celtic tune. Nonetheless, you can't stop bobbing your head whenever it plays. Summed up best in another tune of his, "Roots Of Oak":
{{quote|''Let me not hear facts, figures and logic,
''Fain would I hear lore, legend and magic! }}
* "Let's Get Rocked" by [[Def Leppard]]. Using "rock" [[Gosh Dang It to Heck|as a radio-friendly substitute]] for "fuck" makes the song hilarious fun, resulting in lines like "LET'S GET THE ROCK OUT OF HERE!" Same goes for the gratuitous strings when the singer discovers that his girlfriend only likes classical music.
* [[Army Of Lovers]] (a Swedish dance group) made a brief career out of this. They were deliberately so over the top, baroque, hypersexual, kitsch and camp that it was something amazing to behold. Which was exactly what they wanted.
Line 431 ⟶ 425:
* Love's album ''Forever Changes''. Between the easy listening-style arrangements (heavy on the strings and Tijuana Brass-like horns) from a band that had been one of LA's hard rock pioneers, Arthur Lee's twee vocal stylings and his out-there lyrics (like opening a song with the line "Oh, the snot has caked against my pants"), the album simply should not work at all, and a lot of people have been underwhelmed by it. But it managed to capture the darker side of The Summer of Love and The California Dream better than any other album of its era, while its odd sound gave it a timeless feel that managed to appeal to future generations.
* The more dramatic works of [[Tim Minchin]] tend to do this on purpose - the metaphors and lyrics he uses tend to be so bad that they swing around into brilliant. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frNpdG4F9mw You Grew On Me], in particular, would be a hilariously bad love song comparing the narrator's love with a tumor, if he didn't sing it with absolute conviction.
* "MacArthur Park" is infamous for some truly Narmy lyrics, but Richard Harris sings it so well and so beautifully accompanied that it more than crosses the line into this trope.
* "Killer" by [[Van der Graaf Generator]]. You'd think a song where Peter Hammill expresses sympathy towards a shark while singing in an over the top manner would garner nothing but ridicule. And yet, it happens to be one of the band's most beloved tunes.
* "How To Touch A Girl" by [[Jojo]] is delightful cheesy in
* "Believe Again" by [[Delta Goodrem]] falls into this to the fans who love the song.
* Here's what the song
* The "
* "Warmness on the Soul" by [[Avenged Sevenfold]]. It's a [[Silly Love Songs|silly love song]] and M. Shadows sounds like he's in downright pain while he's singing, and yet whether it's because it's cute or because it's one of the only happy songs the band has, you can't help but like it at least a little.
* The song "Burning" by Mia Martina is sooooo ridiculously silly and cheesy... And yet strangely it ''works''. The cheesy sax and the generic lyrics (fill me up, fill me up, fill me up, your love is like a drug) are so ridiculous but you can't help but smile.
** The [[Everything Sounds Sexier in French|French]] version, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uG8LeAOmzg even moreso].
* Many ''[[Crash Test Dummies]]'' songs hit a sweet spot between [[Narm|narmy]] and genuinely moving. Brad Roberts' voice is so bassy that it can make you crack a smile or snicker at an inappropriate time, and yet it doesn't make [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX4U6XWYvus "Superman's Song"] or [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t05G0983BcI "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm"] any less profound.
▲== Other ==
* [[Roger Ebert]], [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20021213/REVIEWS/212130305/1023 in his review] of ''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]'', gave a half-hearted insult to the material through a compliment to Patrick Stewart (or vice-versa): he noted that Stewart has a talent for making completely ridiculous dialogue riveting.▼
{{quote|'''Ebert''': "It is always said of Stewart that his strength as an actor is his ability to deliver bad dialogue with utter conviction. I say it is time to stop encouraging him."}}▼
* Every single [[Cluster F-Bomb|"F*cking Short Version"]] video found on [[YouTube]].▼
* [[Disney Theme Parks]].▼
* [http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/ Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs] descriptions. One of their more popular perfumes is described as ''"The scent of sexual obsession, slavery to sensual pleasure, and the undercurrent of innocence defiled utterly. Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla."'' Completely overdone, but it damn well ''sells''.▼
* The final launch of the [[Space Shuttle]] has a moment of this. "On the shoulders of the Space Shuttle, America will continue the dream." That is an incredibly cheesy line by ANY standard, [[NASA]], so why is it working so well?▼
** Also the final launch of ''Discovery.'' "The shuttle now rolling over on its back for the eight and a half minute ride into orbit. ''Discovery'' now making one last reach for the stars."▼
== Professional Wrestling ==
Line 457 ⟶ 441:
* The '80s and '90s (between the time of Hulkamania and the Attitude Era) was home to some of the most ridiculous gimmicks in pro wrestling history. [http://www.wrestlecrap.com/oldinductions.html Many] are best forgotten. But some, due to the wrestler's commitment to the gimmick, are now regarded as Legends.
** [[G.I. Joe|Sgt. Slaughter]], Repo Man, Doink the Clown, [[Meaningful Name|Irwin R. Schyster]], and (to a lesser extent) The Goon are all prime examples.
** Even [[The Undertaker]], regarded for over twenty years as one of the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]]'s top stars, is no stranger to unintentional hilarity; especially during the time he was managed by [[Paul Bearer]]'s shrill voice and goofy facial expressions.
* Not even ''[[Ring of Honor]]'' is immune: See Rhett "The Thrust... is a Must!" Titus, basically "Ravishing" Rick Rude with more obvious comedy and sexual references. The reason the fans essentially took his side in the Titus-Daizee Haze-Delirious love triangle was because of this. His wrestling wasn't the "best in the woooooorld!" but the sheer lulz and his sheer enthusiasm/sincerity more than made up for it.
* To some fans, this is kinda the point of pro wrestling. [[World of Ham|Pretty much everyone is a]] [[Large Ham]], sometimes the moves look fake,<ref>well, yeah, [[Kayfabe|they kind of are]], but that's not the point</ref> the writing isn't usually much better than any other [[Sitcom]] aimed at the [[Lowest Common Denominator]], but if your [[Willing Suspension of Disbelief]] remains unbroken, and if someone [[Vince Russo|named]] [[Vince McMahon|Vince]] doesn't book something incredibly stupid, it's actually not bad (except maybe [[So Bad It's Good|in the kind of way that makes it good]]).
== Tabletop Games ==
Line 467 ⟶ 450:
** More subjectively, the setting can feel like the writers are just trying too hard. [[Memetic Mutation]] clearly shows that some people love it for that anyway.
** Read any description of something from ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' on this wiki and you find something so incredibly absurd that it becomes absurdly incredible. For example:
{{quote|The Sisters Repentia, that is those who have deemed themselves to have "failed" in some way, charge into battle [[Full-Frontal Assault|virtually naked]], with maybe a few scraps of cloth, prayer votives ''nailed'' into them, and a blindfolding hood (along with a [[
** Really, the whole setting could be summed up by saying
== Video Games ==
* The [[Silent Protagonist|only line]] spoken by the player character in ''[[System Shock]] 2'' is a response to SHODAN's [[We Can Rule Together]]. It's "Naaah."
* ''[[Warcraft]]'' has a truly atrociously written story, with cardboard-cutout characters with perverse amounts of power accorded to each (whenever the plot demands), extraordinarily poor attempts at generating drama and some pitiful attempt at moral relativism within the whole Horde/Alliance conflict. Not to mention some really, ''really'' hammy voice acting. It still manages to have its moments of entertainment.
* In ''[[Persona 3]]'', Aigis has apparently finally tuned in to human emotions and confesses her love for the hero. This kind of touchy-feely dialogue is endemic to anime and JRPGs and it ''always'' turns out sounding gut-wrenchingly corny in English. Not this time. Could be considered a Crowning Moment of Dubbing, but it's really no surprise considering the excellent quality of the rest of the dub.
** ''Persona 3'' managed to make the line "Let's put a smile on everyone's face." sound cool.
* ''[[Sonic Adventure 2]]''{{'}}s {{spoiler|Last Story's ending}} is considered very memorable, with mostly good dialogue, but Tails' ''"[[Memetic Mutation|we all did it together]]"'' line is considered notoriously cheesy even apart from the [[Accidental Innuendo]].
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
* The super [[Super-Deformed]] look in ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' got noticed even when the game was raking in accolades. Yet it was an understandable consequence of Square getting to know the system. And even the game's detractors rarely use that as a negative against the game.
** {{spoiler|Aerith's death}}. [[Blind Idiot Translation|The dialogue is nonsense]], but between that ''music'' and the scene of {{spoiler|Cloud gently letting her body fall into the pond}}, it still manages to make people sob into their controllers.
** Similarly, when ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' was [[Updated Rerelease|rebuilt]] for the [[Nintendo DS]], several things got changed: the score was updated to match the style of the current ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' soundtracks, cutscenes, as well as CG graphics for the overworld map and voice acting for the cutscenes were introduced. The opening cinematic, as well as some of the cutscenes {{spoiler|Paladin Cecil fighting his former Dark Night self}} looked like [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwyoVV85EYLo this.] But a majority of the cutscenes look like [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mptSyHTRWY this,] with [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNrcaWLnUcc plenty] of the [[Narm]]. Yet, it still manages to keep the philosophy of [[Anyone Can Die]], all the best [[Tear Jerker]]-ing and [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|heartwarming moments]] are still kept in, the battle system is true to its core, and it makes for great nostalgia fuel.
* The ridiculous [[Speaking Simlish|simlish]] mumble in ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]'' was so well loved that by the time Rareware had the money and technology to do full-on voice acting in the up-and-coming sequel, the fans wouldn't hear of it. The corny mumbling was part of what endeared the ''Banjo'' series to them. Rare noted the fans' remarks, and opted to [[Grandfather Clause|keep the mumble]].
* People in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' fandom who complain about the guy covered in bees, the [[No Fourth Wall|fourth wall breaking]], the possessed arm, Big Boss being defeated by an aerosol can and a lighter or the "poison Zanzibar hamsters" (or even the endless melodramatic dialogue) are usually quietly resented (read: pitied) by the other people in the ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' fandom, who love the games because they're really quite silly. Check out [[Narm/Video
** When the [[Hideo Kojima|creator]] is notoriously irreverent of his creation, the best response is to be a totally irreverent fan. It all becomes quite charming with that mindset.
* ''[[House of the Dead]]'' is well known for its bad voice acting. ("Suffer like G Did?"). The latest game in the series, ''[[House of the Dead]] OVERKILL'', took the [[Narm]] football, ran it back for a touchdown, and ended up with a perfectly corny narrator, a [[Bond One-Liner]] dropping agent, and a [[Cluster F-Bomb]] dropping detective. [[Painting the Fourth Wall|Not to mention the deliberate]] [[Grindhouse|grindhouse B-Movie look for the game and cutscenes...]]
Line 510 ⟶ 492:
* Every ''[[Silent Hill]]'' game contains what can perhaps be best described as lacklustre voice-acting coupled with some truly silly lines, the first game being by far the worst offender ("Huh? Radio?") although the second is certainly not bereft either ("You're not friends with that red, pyramid thing, are you?"). The charm comes from a combination of the characters being steadily and constantly [[Mind Rape]]d (and/or completely fucking nuts to begin with) and thus one can hardly expect them to be particularly articulate, the slight reprieve it provides from all the [[Nightmare Fuel]], and that it makes the important scenes, most of which are completely devoid of [[Narm]], all the more effective by comparison (see [[Tear Jerker|anything involving James and Mary]] in the second game).
* A rather silly plot, low production values, spotty acting, and it being [[Full Motion Video]] made a lot of the story in ''[[Crusader: No Remorse|Crusader]]'' endearing at best... but occasional moments, such as Ely chewing you out if you fail the mission where {{spoiler|Andrews}} dies, have real emotional resonance.
* If
** "Brue brue skiiiiies!"
* The ''[[Dynasty Warriors]]'' series would be a
** '''COW COW'''.
** From around about ''[[Warriors Orochi]]''
** Also: '''COW PEE'''.
** Cao Ren's line in ''DW6'', "Our allies have arrived!", sounds less like a
** Zhao Yun's cry for help in ''DW6'' "Someone! I am in ''NEED'' of ''ASSISTANCE!"'' leaves it unclear whether the player should save him from enemy troops or bring him his Xanax, but remains highly amusing either way.
* ''[[The Chronicles of Riddick]]'': "I think you're gonna need backup."
* Even ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' has this. The opening to ''[[Super Robot Wars Alpha]]'' shows the robots looking so [[Super-Deformed|chibified]] that at first it's impossible to take seriously, which isn't helped by the music (voiced in what sounds like slightly lisped English). Once the music picks up, it immediately swings right around to being kickass, and everything some found rather stupid becomes rather charming (especially the parts where a Chibi EVA-01 goes completely berserk, and the AVF's from Macross avoiding Massive [[Macross Missile Massacre]]s.
** Most of the ''music'' in ''SRW'' falls under this. There's the sheer [[Hot-Blooded]] bravado of the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqh3JYSfY1w Neppu! Shippu! PSYBUSTER (Masaaki Andoh)] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1TU9-QVoGs Everywhere You Go (Ryuusei Date/R-1)], and the fantastic Engrish of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcNAMpccro8 Ace Attacker], and a hundred other examples, but nothing quite outdoes [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TLW9-UmYik Kotetsu no Cockpit], the theme of the Grungust Type-2, a completely unabashed homage to every cheesy [[Super Robot]] cartoon of the '70s, describing in loving detail the Nishiki and each of its attacks, in the grand tradition of ''[[Mazinger Z]], [[Combattler V]], [[Raideen|Brave Raideen]]'', and all the other classics.
* As noted by [[Zero Punctuation|Yahtzee]] on the quotes page, this is one of the reasons why fans love ''[[Resident Evil]]''. You'd expect a zombie game to have a basic plot that says "Zombies! Shoot them!" but ''[[Resident Evil]]'' has a winding detailed story that makes little logical sense. Combine this with characters ripped from B movies, awkward dialog and even more awkward voice acting. Then put it all in between two slices of self-unawareness and you've got a delicious Jill, er, [[Narm]] sandwich.
{{quote|"Complete. Global. Saturation."
Line 528 ⟶ 510:
** Especially during {{spoiler|Kalas' betrayal}}, where he gets [[Drunk on the Dark Side]] and promptly starts [[Chewing the Scenery]]. His lines ("MY WIIIIIINGS!") are ''ridiculous'', but it still manages to be a shocking twist.
* [[John Cleese]] as "Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard" ([[Magnificent Bastard|but not really]]) kind of stole the show in ''[[Jade Empire]]'', at least during the chapter in the capital, because he is such a magnificently overdone interpretation of the Chinese view of Western Imperialists.
* ''[[Memetic Mutation|The Lusty Argonian Maid]]'' play from ''[[
* In ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 video game)
** Most ''Sonic'' dialogue falls under this. This narm is awesome narm. (Especially ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' narm.)
** ''Sonic Adventure'' does this in Sonic's final boss battle. (GET A LOAD OF THIS-GET A LOA-GET A LOAD OF THIS, etc)
Line 565 ⟶ 547:
* Most fans of ''[[Final Fantasy V]]'' cite the generally upbeat characters, silly dialogue, "save the crystals" Light Warriors plot and the game's tendency to [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall|lean on the Fourth Wall]] as the reason they love it... in other words, the very reasons many fans of "Classic Final Fantasy" (before Square [[Unpleasable Fanbase|ruined everything, of course]] seem to ignore it. Which is not to say the game is devoid of seriousness, because in certain scenes there may well be [[Tear Jerker|something in your eye]]...
** Special mention goes to the GBA port, whose English translation [[Woolseyism|Punched up the dialogue]] with some great cornball lines, while keeping the original intent intact. And you've gotta love Gilgamesh saying "It's morphing time!" and "Now we fight like men, and women, and women who dress like men!"
** In ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]'', the scene between Tidus and Jecht, specifically after Jecht thinks Tidus is down for the count. Cue [[Autobots Rock Out|''Otherworld'']] [[Theme Music Power-Up|theme]] and [[Heroic Second Wind|Tidus getting back up to fight]], followed by '''''"There's no
* ''[[The 7th Guest]]''—with the narrator's ghoulish puns and [[Tales from the Crypt|Cryptkeeper-style]] delivery, the lame lines spoken [[Large Ham|hammily]] by obvious non-actors, the honky-tonk closing sound track... [[So Bad It's Good]], and though it chased away any potential for horror, it managed to leave the mystery intact.
* ''[[Bayonetta]]'' is a rare case of just being so hyper-sexualized to the exact point where it becomes delicious [[Narm]], but before it becomes just porn.
Line 576 ⟶ 558:
* ''[[Symphony of the Night]]'': "What is a man?! A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk! ''Have at you!''"
* ''[[Earth Defense Force 2017]]''. Cheap graphics, silly voice-acting, and a buttload of B-Movie monsters to shoot!
* ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' No matter how heart-wrenching the scene where Tidus finds out {{spoiler|what being a summoner entails}}, his voice actor fake-cried as well as Daniel Radcliffe does in ''[[Harry Potter and
** The romance between Yuna and Tidus was narmy, with some spotty voice acting in places, but at the same time it had a kind of innocent storybook charm, like two shy schoolchildren awkwardly starting a relationship.
* ''[[Street Fighter (video game)|Street Fighter I]]'' has [[So Bad It's Good|hilariously bad]] voice acting. [[Talking to Himself|All by one dude]].
Line 594 ⟶ 576:
** The entirety of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq8NE6rkZ8A Xlasher], sung in what sounds like an ''attempt'' at English. That it's composed by [[Ridge Racer|Shinji]] [[Tetris TGM|Hosoe]], a reputable composer, makes it all the more hilarious.
** '''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVDX7jCrLi4&t=1m37s YOU FAILED!] [[Game Over|GAME. OVER.]]'''
* The newer ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' games, especially ''Legend'', contain several instances of narm charm by dint of dealing with the story of how Lara deals with the death of her mother. [[
* The [[So Bad It's Good|almost unimaginably incompetent]] ''[[Deadly Premonition]]'' enjoyed a lot of critical success from game reviewers, who praised the game's intelligence (especially in the [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall|way the relationship between the player and the protagonist is handled]]), the legitimately interesting plot and characters, and its moments of genuine [[Nightmare Fuel]]... surrounded by badly-mixed, terribly-written, horribly-acted dialogue; dreadful music, ugly graphics, poor gameplay and [[Going Through the Motions|hilariously bad animation]] that looks like it was thrown together in five minutes in [[Garry's Mod]]. Naturally, [[Bile Fascination|those qualities of the game have a huge fanbase too]].
* "Purge's evil plan to dance the galaxy mad has come to an end! Now happy days are indeed here again! I'm Ulala,
* From ''[[Do Don Pachi]] DaiFukkatsu Black Label'''s [[Ketsui]] crossover arrange mode: [[Homage|Just a couple more shots]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NCVnX7EjSk&t=2m17s desu]! (Mind you, the announcer normally speaks in Japanese.)
** The vocal version of the iPhone arrange mode's [[True Final Boss]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdH5tdxcPf4 Battle for the Last], sung by [[Hyadain]].
Line 609 ⟶ 591:
* While it is the original [[Survival Horror]] and revolutionary for its time, the original ''[[Alone in the Dark]]'' trilogy is filled to the brim with [[Narm]] like a flask of sweet liquor. The polygonal graphics are extremely cartoonish, contrasting with the darker environments of more modern survival horror games and making the appearance of the [[Off-Model]] characters more frightening than the monsters. The soundtrack, while great listening, isn't what you'd expect from a survival horror nowadays. While the first game focused on puzzle-solving and evading monsters inspired by the [[Cthulhu Mythos]], the other games went in more action-oriented and absurd directions: the second game included the hero [[It Makes Sense in Context|gunning down zombies with a Thompson while dressed in a Santa Claus costume]] while the third had Carnby mowing down [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|cowboy zombies]] [[Gatling Good|with a Gatling gun]]. The cherry on the cheesecake is easily the [[So Bad It's Good]] voice acting: almost every text is read by an over-the-top narrator, often with overblown drama and ridiculous accents.
== Web Comics ==
* In ''[[Questionable Content]]'', the big [[Reveal]]—that {{spoiler|Faye's dad committed suicide in front of her}}—is so dramatic that even the big, cartoony sound effect {{spoiler|"BLAM!"}} doesn't ruin the scene.▼
* The bits of comedy that ''[[Megatokyo]]'' contains post-[[Cerebus Syndrome]] often slip into this. For example, in [http://megatokyo.com/strip/1241 this
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20141011214246/http://www.nuzlocke.com/?p=4 Nuzlocke Comics]'' are designed to be way too over-the-top and silly to be taken seriously, but due to the nature of the challenge it's hard not to feel something for the guy whenever a Pokémon faints.▼
== Web Original ==
* From ''[[That Guy With The Glasses]]'':
** Invoked with [[That Dude in the Suede]]' [[Let's Play]]/Review Show series ''Suede Played'', were he plays his favourite silly games.
** ''[[Kickassia]]'' ([[That Guy With The Glasses]]'s second year anniversary video)) THRIVES off this. Almost everyone overacts, scenes are over the top and goofy, and yet it's ''awesome''. Part 4 has some good plot developments, and an honestly creepy scene where the Critic explains what the dynamite is for. And it's because you're not supposed to take anything seriously that you're able to enjoy what happens in it.
Line 620 ⟶ 606:
** [[The Nostalgia Chick]]'s "Dark Nella Saga" was this all the way. Nella left no scenery unchewed, Lindsay's acting is... not the best ever and that's still awesome, both because she knows this and Nella herself can actually act legitimately scary while still being funny.
* ''[[There Will Be Brawl]]'' brings us the famous "Well, excuse me, Princess", said by [[The Legend of Zelda|Link]] himself. However, the way he delivers it, dead serious and even menacing during a falling out with Zelda, definitely make it fit this trope.
▲* In ''[[Questionable Content]]'', the big [[Reveal]]—that {{spoiler|Faye's dad committed suicide in front of her}}—is so dramatic that even the big, cartoony sound effect {{spoiler|"BLAM!"}} doesn't ruin the scene.
▲* The bits of comedy that ''[[Megatokyo]]'' contains post-[[Cerebus Syndrome]] often slip into this. For example, in [http://megatokyo.com/strip/1241 this] recent strip, Ed is taunting and tormenting Ping with text messages while planning to kill her; meanwhile he strikes up a pleasant conversation with our favorite [[Cloudcuckoolander]] Largo and (among other things), complements him on his [[Nice Hat]].
▲* ''[http://www.nuzlocke.com/?p=4 Nuzlocke Comics]'' are designed to be way too over-the-top and silly to be taken seriously, but due to the nature of the challenge it's hard not to feel something for the guy whenever a Pokémon faints.
== Western Animation ==
* Who could ever expect a [[Battle Cry]] of "Let Justice prevail!" to sound anything ''but'' [[Narm]]y? However, when the Justice Guild of America chants their
** A less prominent example from the same scene is the other catchphrase "In Seaboard City, crime doesn't pay" spoken by one of the Guild members. Like the aforementioned
** That entire two-parter runs on Narm Charm. It revels in Silver Age silliness, and is incredibly entertaining, all while it slowly turns into a genuinely creepy mystery with a [[Tear Jerker]] ending.
* ''[[Ace Lightning]]'' was just one big constant dose of Narm Charm for its fans. Mostly from the CGI characters (who were really ''supposed'' to be narmy, since they came from a videogame and were deliberately based on stereotypes) and from the... occasionally dry acting of over enthusiastic humans.
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'': "[[
** The fact that while he said it to the person while ''{{spoiler|engulfing him in fire}}'' probably helps.
*** Being voiced by [[Mark Hamill]] doesn't hurt much either.
Line 640 ⟶ 620:
** Zuko has a couple of those. The main Avatar page lists "You're so beautiful when you hate the world" as [[Narm]], but it and the next two lines ("I don't hate you." "I don't hate you, too.") are very sweet.
* The kids in the ''[[Peanuts]]'' TV specials were voiced by kids who were too young to understand—or sometimes even read—their lines, but their delivery somehow seems to fit the precocious nature of the characters.
** The first special, ''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas]]'', features poorly mixed sound, choppy animation, and sloppy editing, but that's part of what makes it a beloved Christmas classic. In fact, director Bill Melendez was embarrassed to see it repeated every year and wanted to "fix" it years later, but Charles Schulz vetoed the idea.
* The [[Stop Motion]] [[Christmas Special|Christmas specials]] produced by Rankin/Bass are full of these. At one point in ''[[Santa Claus is Comin' to Town]]'', a character is looking at her reflection in a fountain... which is a cardboard cutout of the character placed under the fake water.
* ''[[Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!]]!'' has narm charm almost every episode, intentionally. It even gets away with playing [[The Chosen One]] completely straight, ''[[Star Wars]]'' style.
* ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]]'' lives and breathes this trope. Missing the mark on its beloved [[Green Aesop]]s with every line, it instead creates a level of awesome simply because it's hysterical to consider a supervillain with nothing better to do with his time but dump a tub full of oil into the ocean [[For the Evulz|because he hates the environment]]. Also, any episode that attempted to deal with an issue [[Clueless Aesop|difficult to explain to children]], let alone to adults.
Line 647 ⟶ 627:
*** And the green mullet. Good God, the mullet.
* ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]'': In the middle of [[Extreme Doormat|Wilt's]] Cluster [[Big No]] in "Where There's A Wilt There's A Way," he throws in a teeny, tiny little '''"NUH-UH!!"''' for no apparent reason. This never fails to make me giggle, nor does it distract from the [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|awesomeness]] of the scene.
* [[Large Ham|AQUAMAN]] from ''[[Batman: The Brave
* ''[[Street Fighter (animation)|Street Fighter]]'' has
** The "Final Fight: Double Impact" X-Box Live Arcade port includes episodes of the show where the Final Fight characters appear. This trope is the only possible reason why.
* Fievel and Tanya's rendition of "Somewhere Out There" in ''[[An American Tail]]'' has this, because they cast untrained children to voice the song. But despite how their voices crack at points, it adds a kind of genuine feel to the song that is missing in Linda Ronstadt's version (which turns it into a romantic ballad).
* In the ''[[My Little Pony:
* While some of the voices in ''[[My Little Pony]]'' may sound really goofy but they typically work well for the characters.
* The scene where Kid Flash screams {{spoiler|Artemis's name when she supposedly dies,}} and then later has a yelling fit complete with slamming his fist on the bioship console in the ''[[Young Justice (animation)|Young Justice]]'' episode "Failsafe" may qualify as Narmy, but the drama of the previous event plus the fact that Kid Flash has
* In the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003|2003 incarnation of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'']], The Shredder's catch phrase of sorts is "None of you will leave here alive". In the two
* The ''[[Thundercats 2011|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' version of Lion-O
{{quote|'''Lion-O''': [[Punctuated Pounding|THESE BEARS ARE NOT YOUR PROPERTY!!!]]}}
== Other Media ==
{{reflist}}▼
▲* [[Roger Ebert]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20130328205412/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
▲{{quote|'''Ebert''': "It is always said of Stewart that his strength as an actor is his ability to deliver bad dialogue with utter conviction. I say it is time to stop encouraging him."}}
▲* Every single [[Cluster F-Bomb|"F*cking Short Version"]] video found on [[YouTube]].
▲* [[Disney Theme Parks]].
▲* [http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/ Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs] descriptions. One of their more popular perfumes is described as ''"The scent of sexual obsession, slavery to sensual pleasure, and the undercurrent of innocence defiled utterly. Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla."'' Completely overdone, but it damn well ''sells''.
▲* The final launch of the [[Space Shuttle]] has a moment of this. "On the shoulders of the Space Shuttle, America will continue the dream." That is an incredibly cheesy line by
▲** Also the final launch of ''Discovery.'' "The shuttle now rolling over on its back for the eight and a half minute ride into orbit. ''Discovery'' now making one last reach for the stars."
▲{{reflist}}
[[Category:YMMV Trope]]
[[Category:Sublime Rhyme]]
▲[[Category:Narm Charm]]
[[Category:Esoteric Trope Names]]
| |||