Returning the Handkerchief: Difference between revisions

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* [[Averted]] in the [[Anachronic Order|chronologically last]] episode of ''[[The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', ''Someday in the Rain'': Kyon returns soaking wet from a walk in the rain and Tsuruya cheerfully lends him a handkerchief in passing, but neither of the two think anything of it, and the handkerchief is never mentioned again.

* In ''[[D.N.Angel]]'', Satoshi lends his handkerchief to Daisuke in the first volume; Daisuke gives it back in the second volume during a chapter that begins to explore Satoshi's character more. This is definitely played for the [[Ho Yay]].

* Inverted, subverted and combined with an [[Indulgent Fantasy Segue]] in ''[[Bludgeoning Angel ~~Dokurochan (Light Novel)~~|Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro Chan]]''.

* Inverted, subverted and combined with an [[Indulgent Fantasy Segue]] in ''[[Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan|Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro Chan]]''.

* This is how Ikki and Karin meet in ''[[Medabots]]''.

* There's a mutant, and averted, version of this in ''[[Victorian Romance Emma]]''. Realizing that a well-to-do caller on her mistress has genuinely forgotten his gloves, she rushes out to return them. Initially, she fails, but manages to actually do so later. A further mutation of this occurs when she and the man in question begin to start up a friendship, which looks to be very quickly heading for romantic territory when Emma tells him she's always wanted a silk handkerchief for her own. He buys it for her on the spot.

* Done by [[Dogged Nice Guy]] Takahara in ''[[Taishou Yakyuu Musume]]''.

* Happens between Usagi and Mamoru in the manga version of ''[[Sailor Moon]]''.

* In ''[[Hekikai no ~~Ai ON (Manga)~~|Hekikai no Ai ON]]'', Tatsuya starts to weep when he believes he'll never be a "man of high caliber" and Seine gives him a handkerchief. Later, he tries to invoke this trope just to talk to her because she say to him to stay out of her way.

* In ''[[Hekikai no AiON|Hekikai no Ai ON]]'', Tatsuya starts to weep when he believes he'll never be a "man of high caliber" and Seine gives him a handkerchief. Later, he tries to invoke this trope just to talk to her because she say to him to stay out of her way.

* Occurs in episode 12 of ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'' between [[Les Yay|Utena and Anthy]].

* In the ''[[Gacha Gacha]]'' manga by Tamakoshi, this occurs between Clara and Kouhei, although Clara is not the sweet type, the Kouhei got dirtied because she insisted on him fixing her bike.

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== [[Literature]] ==

* Walt Whitman's ''Leaves of Grass'' collection has a poem that references the "dropping the handkerchief in hopes of Mr. Hotness noticing it" variant positing that ''Nature itself'' is the Handkerchief that [[God]] has dropped to get our attention.

* In ''[[Les Misérables (~~Literature~~)|Les Misérables]]'' Marius finds a handkerchief left behind on the seat where Cosette and Valjean were sitting. He assumes it was Cosette's and makes a point of showing it to her to demonstrate his feelings. However, since the handkerchief was actually Valjean's, she doesn't have any idea what he is going on about.

* In ''[[Les Misérables (novel)|Les Misérables]]'' Marius finds a handkerchief left behind on the seat where Cosette and Valjean were sitting. He assumes it was Cosette's and makes a point of showing it to her to demonstrate his feelings. However, since the handkerchief was actually Valjean's, she doesn't have any idea what he is going on about.

* Early in ''[[The Three Musketeers (~~Literature~~)|The Three Musketeers]]'', D'Artagnan meets Aramis while the latter has his foot on a handkerchief. D'Artagnan picks it up and hands it to Aramis, accidentally revealing Aramis's relationship with a lady and creating an opportunity for a duel.

* Early in ''[[The Three Musketeers (novel)|The Three Musketeers]]'', D'Artagnan meets Aramis while the latter has his foot on a handkerchief. D'Artagnan picks it up and hands it to Aramis, accidentally revealing Aramis's relationship with a lady and creating an opportunity for a duel.

* In ''[[The Lion the Witch ~~And~~ ~~The~~ Wardrobe]]'' the male beaver returns Lucy's hankerchief, which he got from Tumnus, to demonstrate that he can be trusted.

* In ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]'' the male beaver returns Lucy's hankerchief, which he got from Tumnus, to demonstrate that he can be trusted.

== [[Live Action TV]] ==

* When Richard is forced to impersonate a notorious womanizer with an incredible reputation for being really good in bed in the ''[[Legend of the Seeker]]'' episode "Princess", he complains about how many women in the Margrave's palace are dropping handkerchiefs in front of him.

* In the [[~~Smashmouth~~]] music video for their cover of "I'm a Believer", the trope is subverted; the lead singer spends the video chasing after a woman who dropped her keys, only to return them without comment, even when the woman attempts to flirt with him.

* In the [[Smash Mouth]] music video for their cover of "I'm a Believer", the trope is subverted; the lead singer spends the video chasing after a woman who dropped her keys, only to return them without comment, even when the woman attempts to flirt with him.

* ''[[The Office]]'' subverts this in the Season 5 episode "Blood Drive"; after lightly flirting with a woman at the blood drive, he finds she left her glove behind. As the people running the blood drive are restricted from giving out personal information, Michael runs a Valentine's Day mixer at the office, advertising the missing glove in an attempt to attract her. But she never comes.

== Theater ==

* ''[[Othello]]'' may be the earliest subversion. Cassio doesn't love Desdemona, but Iago makes sure he finds and returns her handkerchief, so as to frame him for having an affair with her. (It's worth noting that early critics were appalled to see a lighthearted comedy trope used to set up multiple murders, although opinion has softened over the years as critics have become more used to the concept of [[Playing ~~With~~ a Trope]].)

* ''[[Othello]]'' may be the earliest subversion. Cassio doesn't love Desdemona, but Iago makes sure he finds and returns her handkerchief, so as to frame him for having an affair with her. (It's worth noting that early critics were appalled to see a lighthearted comedy trope used to set up multiple murders, although opinion has softened over the years as critics have become more used to the concept of [[Playing with a Trope]].)

== [[Video Games]] ==

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== [[Western Animation]] ==

* In ''[[Barbie and ~~The~~ Diamond Castle]]'', Jeremy and Ian find Liana's handkerchief after she and Alexa spurn their advances, and they use it as an excuse to follow after the girls.

* In ''[[Barbie and the Diamond Castle]]'', Jeremy and Ian find Liana's handkerchief after she and Alexa spurn their advances, and they use it as an excuse to follow after the girls.

* An old ''[[Bugs Bunny]]'' short has him advise his victim to start courting. He then dresses up as a woman, drops his handkerchief, and promptly freaks out (in his female persona, as if the guy had done something lewd) when the guy returns it.