Sakana: Difference between revisions

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A [[Comedy]] with a side of [[Slice of Life]], ''Sakana'', created by [http://www.smackjeeves.com/profile.php?id=63098 Madeline Rupert], is one of the more popular webcomics hosted on [[Smack Jeeves]]. It follows the lifes of two [[Loser Protagonist|awkward]] Japanese brothers working at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. Taro, the older brother, while a [[Nice Guy]] and [[Big Brother Instinct|very protective of his younger brother]], is kind of a sociopath, and the younger brother, Jiro, is a talented register worker, but terribly afraid of girls. Other important characters are their friends, family and co-workers, especially [[Fun Personified|Taisei]], the slightly silly and always cheerful best friend of Jiro, and Yuudai, the [[Jerkass|gruff]] and [[Deadpan Snarker|snarky]] primary register worker, who bears [[Sitcom Arch Nemesis|a constant grudge]] against Jiro for being better at selling fish than he [Yuudai] is.

The plot revolves mainly around the awkward yet hilarious situations the brothers encounter, such as Jiro's misadventures with girls, but is not afraid to delve into more serious matters.

The plot revolves mainly around the awkward, yet hilarious situations the brothers encounter, such as Jiro's misadventures with girls, but is not afraid to delve into more serious matters.

[http://sakana.smackjeeves.com/comics/1032298/001/ Start here]!

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* [[Anime Hair]]: Jiro has this due to it looking like a shark fin. It apparently grew this way over time, since he didn't had it as a child.

* [[Animal Motifs]]: Each of the primary characters' design is based on some kind of seafood: Jiro has hair similar to a shark fin, Taro's design is based on a whale, Taisei's hair looks like jellyfish and Yuudai resembles an eel.

* [[The Atoner]]: Part of the reason Cashier Girl wants to get close to Jiro is {{spoiler|to make up for her childhood bullying against him.}}

* [[B-Side Comics]]: [http://www.mangamagazine.net/manga-and-comics/SAKANA-Sundays/detail-page/473 SAKANA Sundays] is a collection of various lighthearted short stories that don't interfere with the main storyline.

* [[Because You Were Nice to Me]]: The reason [[Jerkass|Yuudai]] defends [[Nice Guy|Taisei]] when a woman insults him. He has been nice and friendly to him even when he was been abrasive. {{spoiler|It's no surprising he ends up having a crush on him.}}

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** Yuudai is pretty sensitive to people talking about his scar. {{spoiler|[[Domestic Abuse|With good reason]].}}

* [[Betty and Veronica]]: {{spoiler|A rare gay example, with [[Nice Guy|Taisei]] (Betty) and [[Jerkass|Arata]] (Veronica) for [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|Yuudai]]. This is played around a bit, as Arata is the abusive old acquaitance while Taisei is the seeming "unattainable beauty". Regardless, Taisei wins by a landslide, but Arata isn't one of those who give up easily...}}

* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Taro is very much a [[Nice Guy]], but don't ''ever'' piss him off, much less messing with his [[Big Brother Instinct|little brother]]. It will be the last thing you'll do.

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* [[Big Brother Instinct]]: Taro is a pretty ~~cool~~ ~~big~~ ~~bro~~, he cares a lot for his little brother, ~~and is~~ always there to help him out, ''threatens Yuudai with a knife'' when he's about to say something bad about Jiro {{spoiler|(and later punches Yuudai in the face when Yuudai's seemed to do that again)}} and is always concerned that Jiro may be hurt. This also applies to the time when Taro was a [[Delinquents|delinquent]], but then it was taken to rather hilarious extremes:

** Not that Jiro is absent from this trope as well, as he doesn't need to use violence to scare the crap out of people. Just ask {{spoiler|Arata and Yuudai.}}

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{{quote|'''Taro:''' [[Crowning Moment of Funny|DATE MY BROTHER OR I'LL THROW YOU DOWN THE STAIRS~~!!!~~]]}}

** Cashier Girl/{{spoiler|Chie}}. A sweet, perfectly likable young lady who can wreck your shit in less than a minute.

* [[Bi the Way]]: Shigeru and, as of late, {{spoiler|Taisei}}.

* [[Big Beautiful Woman]]: Sango, who is also [[The Cutie]].

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* [[Big Brother Instinct]]/[[Knight Templar Big Brother]]: Taro is a pretty [[Cool Big Bro]], and cares a lot for his little brother, always there to help him out. He ''threatens Yuudai with a knife'' when he's about to say something bad about Jiro {{spoiler|(and later punches Yuudai in the face when Yuudai's seemed to do that again)}} and is always concerned that Jiro may be hurt. This also applies to the time when Taro was a [[Delinquents|delinquent]], but then it was taken to rather hilarious extremes:

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{{quote|'''Taro:''' [[Crowning Moment of Funny|DATE MY BROTHER OR I'LL THROW YOU DOWN THE STAIRS]]}}

** {{spoiler|[[Comedic Sociopathy|And in the end, he really did it.]]}}

* [[Black Bead Eyes]]: A lot of the characters have these, unless they are shocked.

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* [[Blinding Bangs]]: Taisei has these, but sometimes [[Peek-a-Bangs|you can see one eye]] or both.

* [[Bloody Hilarious]]: [[Running Gag|In many]] of the comic strips featuring Taro in his job as a butcher, he cuts fish with such a vigor that the [[High-Pressure Blood|blood splatters all over the place.]] [[Sakana/Funny|And it ALWAYS leads to hilarious situations]].

* [[Broken Bird]]: Yuudai and Angry Lady/{{spoiler|Mori}}.

* [[Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl]]: [[Genki Guy|Taisei]] and [[Grumpy Bear|Yuudai]] could be the ultimate example of this trope.

* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: Despite being the silly, adorable, [[Horrible Judge of Character|naive]] man that he is, Taisei also is the assistent director for a pretty big company and is probably the smartest man of the cast.

* [[But Not Too Foreign]]: Yuudai is half-swedish. He says that that's the reason for [[White-Haired Pretty Boy|his]] [[Implausible Hair Color|hair]].

** [[Averted Trope|Averted]] with Jan.

** [[Averted Trope|Averted]] with Jan, who is full German.

* [[Cannot Spit It Out]]: Jiro has been in love with [[No Name Given|"cashier girl"]], the girl who's working across from him '''for two years''', and had not the courage to talk to her casually, or even ask her ''name''. It's a good thing he has [[Big Brother Instinct|Taro]] and Taisei to help him out.

* [[Cast of Snowflakes]]: Thanks to the artists style being pretty recognizable, no character looks like the other. Even Jiro and Taro, who are ''brothers''. Also, every character has a ~~dictinct~~ personality [[Rounded Character|and their own quirks]].

* [[Cast of Snowflakes]]: Thanks to the artists style being pretty recognizable, no character looks like the other. Even Jiro and Taro, who are ''brothers''. Also, every character has a distinct personality [[Rounded Character|and their own quirks]].

* [[Comedic Sociopathy]]

* [[Comically Missing the Point]]: Taisei is a master in this.

* [[Cool Old Guy]]: Ren Sakana treats his nephews like favorite sons, and even gives them the afternoon off so Taro can keep an eye on Jiro while he goes on a date.

* [[Cool Old Guy]]: Ren Sakana treats his nephews like his favorite sons, and even gives them the afternoon off so Taro can keep an eye on Jiro while he goes on a date. [[Parental Substitute|There's a reason for this]].

* [[Crash Into Hello]]: Taro and the angry ~~looking~~ lady ~~from the~~ ~~train~~. So far, she was pissed off and [[Disguised in Drag|mistook him for a woman]], and he didn't care much about her because [[Big Brother Instinct|he had his mind on how well Jiro is doing on his date]]. We have yet to see what comes out of it, but the author mentioned something along the lines that she's going to be a bigger character.

* [[Crash Into Hello]]: Taro and the angry lady {{spoiler|aka Mori.}} So far, she was pissed off and [[Disguised in Drag|mistook him for a woman]], and he didn't care much about her because [[Big Brother Instinct|he had his mind on how well Jiro is doing on his date]]. We have yet to see what comes out of it, but the author mentioned something along the lines that she's going to be a bigger character. {{spoiler|Indeed, she turns out to be Chie/Cashier Girl's older sister.}}

* [[Cringe Comedy]]

* [[Cuddle Bug]]: A character trait of Taisei, who is rather prone to cuddling with anything within arms reach.

* [[Dark and Troubled Past]]: Taro, Genji and ''especially'' Yuudai have one, which affects them in the present day.

* [[Date Peepers]]: Taisei, Taro and Yuudai do this when Jiro is finally on a date.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Yuudai has his moments. He is understandably confused when this and his general [[Jerkass|brashness]] [[Sarcasm Blind|doesn't]] work on Taisei.

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* [[Ditzy Genius]]: Taisei is incredibly smart. He's also incredibly silly.

* [[Domestic Abuse]]: A dead serious example. {{spoiler|Yuudai suffered this at the hands of his ex-boyfriend.}}

* [[Double Standard Abuse (Female on Male)|Double Standard Abuse (Female on Male)]]: Subverted. {{spoiler|While Chie decking Jiro as a child is [[Played for Laughs]], at no point the abuse is justifiable, as it left Jiro with serious issues and Chie herself is ashamed of her past behavior and tries to make up for it.}}

* [[Dude Looks Like a Lady]]: Taro, when wearing the disguise Taisei prepared for him while spying on Jiro. [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] [[In-Universe]] by Yuudai.

** [[Disguised in Drag]]

* [[Double In-Law Marriage]]: Hinted at. Jiro and Cashier Girl/{{spoiler|Chie}} are pretty much an [[Official Couple]], but there's the implication their older siblings Taro and Angry Lady/{{spoiler|Mori}} are going to get involved with each other (in a [[Belligerent Sexual Tension|rockier way]], but still). The fact they're [[Birds of a Feather]] also helps.

* [[The Fashionista]]: While Jiro is also interested in shoes or frequently goes shopping with Taisei, Taisei is primarily the one who loves fashion, all kinds of cool clothes and shopping. [[Irony|The bad thing is that he can't wear most of the clothes he likes due to his enormous height]].

* [[Fetish]]: [[Word of God]] says that Taro has a fetish for angry sex, along with ~~Big~~ ~~Butts~~.

* [[Fetish]]: [[Word of God]] says that Taro has a fetish for angry sex, along with big butts.

* [[Fire-Forged Friends]]: One of the main plotlines is the main four becoming this.

* [[Fun with Foreign Languages]]: When Taro meets Jan, the german assistent sushi chef who speaks no english, they, of course, don't understand eachother and wacky hijinks of Taro trying to get his point across ensue.

* [[Freudian Excuse]]: It was recently revealed that Jiro's girl issues stem from when he was around six. A little girl in his class declared him her boyfriend, and when he asked what that meant, she decked him. Their relationship after this point consisted entirely of her abusing Jiro while shrieking "BOYFRIEND!"

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* [[Gentle Giant]]: Taisei is the largest member of the cast (and that's saying something), and he's also the kindest and the happiest.

* [[Green Eyed Red Head]]: Jan is one.

* [[Grew a Spine]]: Jiro slowly but surely grows one. Look no further when he [[Tranquil Fury|very calmly]] {{spoiler|kicks Yuudai's abusive ex out}} or {{spoiler|quickly shuts Yuudai up when his pricklish behavior gets too much for him to tolerate.}}

* [[Grumpy Bear]]: Nothing but his [[Kindhearted Cat Lover|cat]] (and maybe Jiro being "devastated"...) seems to make Yuudai's day brighter.

* [[Hate Sink]]: It has one in the form of {{spoiler|Arata Tasaki, Yuudai's [[Domestic Abuse|abusive]] ex. Between harassing him via text messages, showing up to Yuudai's workplace unannounced and acting insulting to both Yuudai and Jiro, outing Yuudai in the process}}, it's clear he's designed to be hated. {{spoiler|And let's not forget what happened when he run into Yuudai again after work...}}

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* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: This is what Yuudai really is, combined with [[Jerkass Facade]]. He may be gruff and short-tempered, but he's a caring and shy man underneath who warms up to those who are really nice to him. His softer side is best displayed with his [[Morality Pet|Morality Pets]], his cat Hime and {{spoiler|his [[Love Interest]]}} Taisei.

** Also Genji, the cousin of the brothers, as he apologized (while Taro already left) to Taro after he tried to sponge off some money. Also, [[Word of God|Word of Mad]] is that Genji would love to not be a raging dickhole to his family, [[No Social Skills|but has no idea how not to be a raging dickhole to his family]].

** Mori was introduced as a very rude and angry woman, but that is more because of personal issues, and does care about her sister and friends deeply.

** Mura can be a dick to others (especially Yuudai), but is a softie with his family.

* [[Keet]]: Taisei, although he's rather tall.

** Jan also qualifies.

* [[Kindhearted Cat Lover]]: [[Hidden Depths|Yuudai]], who has a cat called [[Everything's Better with Princesses|Hime]] which he loves very much, and who is pretty much his only friend.

** Taisei likes them too! But then again, [[Friend to All Living Things|it's difficult to find something]] [[Gentle Giant|he]] [[Friend to All Living Things|doesn't like]].

* [[Living Emotional Crutch]]: The Sakana brothers towards each other, [[Orphan's Ordeal|with good reason]]. Also, [[Cute Kitten|Hime]] is pretty much the main reason [[Broken Bird|Yuudai]] hasn't lost his mind completely.

* [[Loser Protagonist]]

* [[Love At First Sight]]: More or less. {{spoiler|Yuudai}} was already shocked when he first saw {{spoiler|Taisei}}, but his feelings were fully solidified when he showed him selfless kindness and treated him as his friend.

* [[Love Bubbles]]: "Cashier Girl" has them and [[Bishie Sparkle|sparkles]] in Jiro-Vision.

** In chapter seven, a lovestruck Jiro is surrounded by [http://www.mangamagazine.net/read-manga/SAKANA-Chapter-7-Chapter-7/125/6/7 gigantic roses and sparkles].

* [[Love You and Everybody]]: Taisei, in contrast to Yuudai.

* [[Loving a Shadow]]: This is the main reason why Taisei's previous relationships failed. The women he attracts are interested in his "serious salaryman" mask he puts at work, but once they learn of his cheerful and childlish true self, they dump him. {{spoiler|Yuudai is pretty much the exception to this rule.}}

* [[Luminescent Blush]]: [[Tsundere|Yuudai]]! Have some [http://sakana.smackjeeves.com/comics/1205262/106/ here], [http://mynameismad.deviantart.com/art/SAKANA-134-279277820?offset=25#comments here], and, perhaps a more visible one due to it being coloured, [http://mynameismad.deviantart.com/art/tumblbumbls-2-251972475?q here].

** Not surprisingly, [http://www.mangamagazine.net/read-manga/SAKANA-Chapter-7-Chapter-7/125/6/10 it happens to Jiro, too]. In [[The Rant]], Mad even [[Lampshade Hanging|hangs a lampshade]] [http://mynameismad.tumblr.com/post/21768015103/yuudai-hes-moving-in-on-your-blushing-territory on it], and on the aforementioned number of [[Luminescent Blush|Luminescent Blushes]] Yuudai pulls off.

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* [[No Sense of Personal Space]]: Taisei. The awkwardness level of it is especially high because he's so tall.

* [[Oblivious to Love]]: [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]]. {{spoiler|After Jiro tries to ask "cashier girl" out on a date, but [[Cannot Spit It Out|is too nervous when talking to her to actually do so]], he ask her for some change. Depressed, Jiro goes back with the change, but Taro notices a piece of paper with her phone number on it...}}

* [[Official Couple]]: Jiro and Cashier Girl/{{spoiler|Chie Yamamoto}}. Also, it looks like {{spoiler|Taisei and Yuudai}} are on the way of becoming this.

* [[Oh Crap]]: Our three [[Date Peepers]] pull an epic one [http://sakana.smackjeeves.com/comics/1343981/122/ here].

** Jiro also does this pretty frequently. {{spoiler|[http://www.mangamagazine.net/read-manga/SAKANA-Chapter-7-Chapter-7/125/6/11 This is probably the best example] (beware, spoilers!)}}.

* [[Orphan's Ordeal]]: The Sakana brothers' parents died long ago in a car crash, which was extremely traumatic for both of them. Even to this day, they're still very much affected by their absence.

* [[Pint-Sized Powerhouse]]: Despite being the smallest character out of all the important characters introduced right now (5'4'' or 163 cm), Taro, former [[Japanese Delinquents|delinquent]], is probably the most [[Badass]] and strong.

* [[Plucky Girl]]: "Cashier Girl" sure has to be one when one of her jobs is training gigantic, feral-looking dogs for "companionship".

* [[Recurring Extra]]: A guy with a cap with the phrase [[Fun T-Shirt|"THIS GUY"]] on it shows up frequently in the background. He seems to be a [[Chekhov's Gunman]], because the artist revealed that he will have a bigger role in the future.

* [[Rule 63]]: [http://mynameismad.tumblr.com/post/19486809384/what-if-a-genderbending-beam-came-and-shot-the-whole#notes With official art provided by Mad herself ], please enjoy [http://mynameismad.tumblr.com/tagged/girlkana Girlkana].

* [[Rule 63]]: [http://mynameismad.tumblr.com/post/19486809384/what-if-a-genderbending-beam-came-and-shot-the-whole#notes With official art provided by Mad herself], please enjoy [http://mynameismad.tumblr.com/tagged/girlkana Girlkana].

* [[Running Gag]]: The brothers epically failing to get "cashier girl"'s name. {{spoiler|It's Chie, by the way.}}

** Taro being in awkward situations because of him being covered in blood or looking [[Axe Crazy]] due to his work as a butcher.

* [[~~Salaryman~~]]~~: Taisei.~~

* [[Genki Guy]]

* [[Scenery Porn]]: There are some rather neat and detailed drawn shots of parks, Harajuku and, of course, the Tsukiji Fish Market.

* [[Serious Business]]: Because he's a butcher, chopping up fish is [[Serious Business]] to Taro.

* [[Shadow Archetype]]: Yuudai is what would happen if Jiro's issues and misfortunes were turned [[Up to Eleven]] and had nobody to pull him out of his misery. Fittingly enough, Jiro is the one who helps Yuudai get his life back on track.

** Yuudai has a shadow of his own in the form of {{spoiler|his ex-boyfriend Arata, who has his [[Jerkass]] tendencies [[Up To Eleven]] and none of his redeeming qualities.}}

* [[Ship Tease]]: Between Taro and Yuudai. [http://mynameismad.tumblr.com/post/13488765706/somebody-mentioned-something-about-shipping-these No, really].

* [[Sibling Rivalry]]: Averted with his actual brother, but Taro has this with his cousin Genji.

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* [[Sickeningly Sweethearts]]: Jiro, in an attempt to eat a cheap place on his date, accidentally goes to a place where ''[[Up to Eleven|everyone]]'' is this, which only furthers his ~~embarassment~~.

* [[Sibling Yin-Yang]]: The Sakana brothers, Jiro and Taro. Jiro is the meek, reserved and shy younger brother while Taro is the passionate, thrill-seeking, extroverted older brother.

** The Yamamoto sisters also fit this trope. Chie {{spoiler|aka "Cashier Girl"}} is a sweet, feminine [[Nice Girl]] {{spoiler|who used to be an [[Enfante Terrible]] in her youth}}, while Mori {{spoiler|aka "Angry Lady"}} is a bitter tomboy {{spoiler|who was a much nicer child.}}

** Also [[Genki Guy|Taisei]] and his older brother [[The Quiet One|Genkei]].

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* [[Sickeningly Sweethearts]]: Jiro, in an attempt to eat on a cheap place in his date, accidentally goes to a place where ''[[Up to Eleven|everyone]]'' is this, which only furthers his embarrassment.

* [[Single Woman Seeks Good Man]]: Cashier Girl/{{spoiler|Chie}} is very much interested in Jiro, who is a very awkward but sweet guy. Jiro is very much this as well, as he likes her for her [[Nice Girl]] personality {{spoiler|and is more than shocked when he discovers she used to be his childhood bully.}}

** Same sex example: After {{spoiler|Taisei}} shoves him with genuine kindness, {{spoiler|Yuudai}} finds himself attracted to him in less than a day. {{spoiler|This is due to his [[Dark and Troubled Past|sad backstory]], in which he was in a five-year long abusive relationship with a colossal [[Bastard Boyfriend]].}}

* [[The Stoic]]: Shigeru is a pretty calm and cool dude.

* ~~{{spoiler|~~[[Straight Gay]]: Yuudai. Who would have guessed?}}

* [[Straight Gay]]: {{spoiler|Yuudai. Who would have guessed?}}

* [[Straw Loser]]: [[Berserk Button|Don't tell him that]], but is very obvious Yuudai is this for Jiro, whose lack of social graces are such he makes Jiro look like [[The Social Expert]] by comparison.

* [[Sweet Tooth]]: Yuudai likes donuts. And Pocky.

* [[Talking in Your Sleep]]: A common thing for Taisei. He also is described as a "traveling sleeper", meaning he tends to roll around in his sleep, sometimes crushing or coming too close to his poor roommates by doing so.

* [[Tranquil Fury]]: If there's something [[Sibling Yin-Yang|Jiro and Taro]] have in common, is that they show this trope when they're angry, and it's not a pretty sight.

* [[Trapped by Gambling Debts]]: Heavily implied about Jiro and Taro's cousin Genji. And his dad Ren is getting sick of bailing him out, so he's gearing up to cut Genji off...

* [[Tsundere]]: Yuudai is very ''tsun'' around his co-workers, and very ''dere'' [[Kindhearted Cat Lover|around his cat]]. The moments where he actually shows his kind side to them are rare indeed. He is not a bad guy, though.

* [[Tsundere]]: Yuudai is very ''tsun'' around his co-workers, and very ''dere'' [[Kindhearted Cat Lover|around his cat]]. The moments where he actually shows his kind side to them are rare indeed. [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|He is not a bad guy, though]].

** He is also [[Ho Yay|notably flustered]] whenever [[No Sense of Personal Space|Taisei]] invades Yuudais normally well-protected comfort zone [[Love You and Everybody|just by being friendly]]. {{spoiler|No wonder he gained a crush on him.}}

* [[Tsunshun]]: Yuudai per [[Word of God]].

* [[Tsunshun]]: Yuudai per [[Word of God]]. Also Angry Lady/{{spoiler|Mori}}.

* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: Taro and Yuudai, due to the latter's prickly personality. Later on, Yuudai becomes this with his former [[Sitcom Arch Nemesis]] Jiro (though "best buds" it's still a bit of a stretch)

* [[Wham! Line]]: Ohoho. And what a [[Wham! Line]] it was.

{{quote|{{spoiler|'''"Cashier Girl":''' No! You haven't done anything wrong! I'm the monster here! I've felt guilty for so long I just have to say it! I'm sorry, Jiro Sakana. I'll never forgive myself for what I did in preschool.}}}}

* [[X Marks the Hero]]: Subverted, while Yuudai is a main character, he's not really heroic.

* [[X Marks the Hero]]: Subverted, while Yuudai is a main character, he's not really heroic (he would a [[Byronic Hero]] at best).