This Is Reality: Difference between revisions

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'''Rachel:''' "Yeah, well, Wolverine has a big advantage over us. He's not real." |''[[Animorphs]]''}}

A sort of [[Lampshade Hanging]] affirmation of the [[Fourth Wall]], with a subtle joke and a bit of dramatic irony rolled in. Basically, one character tells another, "This Is Reality", "This is not a movie", etc. in order to get them to divorce themselves from an unrealistic ~~notion -- only~~, little do they know, it indeed ''isn't'' reality. This phrase is often used when [[Defied Trope|defying]] a trope.

A sort of [[Lampshade Hanging]] affirmation of the [[Fourth Wall]], with a subtle joke and a bit of dramatic irony rolled in. Basically, one character tells another, "This Is Reality", "This is not a movie", etc. in order to get them to divorce themselves from an unrealistic notion—only, little do they know, it indeed ''isn't'' reality. This phrase is often used when [[Defied Trope|defying]] a trope.

Not to be confused with [[You're Insane!|madness]]. [[Memetic Mutation|Or]] [[This Is Sparta|Sparta.]]

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== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]] ZZ'' had an [[Anime Theme Song|opening theme]] titled "Anime Ja Nai", or "It's Not Anime", whose final lyric is "Honto no koto sa" ("It's the real thing!"). In this case, it was used to signify a lighter tone than the [[Darker and Edgier]] ''Zeta Gundam'' ~~-- at~~ least for the first half of the series.

* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]] ZZ'' had an [[Anime Theme Song|opening theme]] titled "Anime Ja Nai", or "It's Not Anime", whose final lyric is "Honto no koto sa" ("It's the real thing!"). In this case, it was used to signify a lighter tone than the [[Darker and Edgier]] ''Zeta Gundam''—at least for the first half of the series.

** Amusingly, ZZ was, [[G Gundam|untill the mid nineties]], the most cartoonish non-SD Gundam show there was. If you take the time to check the rest of the lyrics, the song actually does fit the tone of the series better. It's either about a bratty kid trying to convince the grownups that his daydreams have some kind of significance, or to convince them there's more to life than their dreary, buttoned down worldview. [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism|Which intrepration you prefer will probably tell you all you need to know about whether or not you'll enjoy this]] [[Broken Base|polarizing]] series.

* Danced around in the final episodes of ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'', in which several characters point out that reality isn't as black and white as anime.

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* Played straight in ''[[The Boondock Saints]]'':

{{quote|'''Agent Smecker''': Television is the explanation for this. You see this in bad television. Little assault guys creeping through [[Air Vent Passageway|the vents]], coming in through the ceiling? That [[James Bond]] shit ''never'' happens in real life! ''Professionals'' don't do that!}}

** In a sense, this is an [[Inverted Trope|inversion]]. Usually, the character is contrasting [[Real Life]] and fiction, declaring that they are not in a work of fiction (and causing the audience to chuckle). Smecker, on the other hand, has just unwittingly ''likened'' [[Real Life]] to fiction (since a trope that only happens in "bad television" has just popped up). His intended point was that the killers were ~~unprofessional--though~~ if he followed his own logic, he might have realized that they are, in fact, in a work of fiction.

** In a sense, this is an [[Inverted Trope|inversion]]. Usually, the character is contrasting [[Real Life]] and fiction, declaring that they are not in a work of fiction (and causing the audience to chuckle). Smecker, on the other hand, has just unwittingly ''likened'' [[Real Life]] to fiction (since a trope that only happens in "bad television" has just popped up). His intended point was that the killers were unprofessional—though if he followed his own logic, he might have realized that they are, in fact, in a work of fiction.

* Played straight in ''[[Star Wars]]: Attack of the Clones,'' where Padme tells Anakin that "we live in the real world; come back to it."

** Which is pretty much smashed to bits by her following line: "You're studying to become a Jedi Knight, I'm a senator."

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'''Uhura''': This isn't reality. [points a phaser at him] This is fantasy. }}

* In what may be case of the fiction [[Turkey City Lexicon|protesting too much]], the film ''[[The Bourne Series|The Bourne Ultimatum]]'' seeks to remind us again and again that "you couldn't make this stuff up", "this isn't some story", and so on.

* In ''[[The Incredibles]],'' Helen/Elastigirl warns her kids that the [[Evil Minions]] are not like the villains in the [[Saturday Morning Cartoon~~|Saturday Morning Cartoons~~]] they watch, and will kill them if given the chance.

* In ''[[The Incredibles]],'' Helen/Elastigirl warns her kids that the [[Evil Minions]] are not like the villains in the [[Saturday Morning Cartoon]]s they watch, and will kill them if given the chance.

** This whole scene makes a lot more sense if you've seen the deleted scene where {{spoiler|Helen's old friend the pilot is still on the plane when it gets hit. Of course, it still makes plenty of sense even without that scene, as the kids were on the plane when missiles were fired, despite Helen's warning of "children on board!"}}

** When Syndrome shows the captured family the TV footage of the landed alien aircraft, he says, "You gotta admit this is cool, just like the movies!"

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== Live-Action TV ==

* The ''[[Scrubs]]'' episode "My Life in Four Cameras" has J.D. fantasizing about what life would be like if he were in a [[Sitcom]] ~~-- completely~~ oblivious to the fact that ''he already is''. (To be fair, though, he's thinking of the more conventional sitcom style than the style ''Scrubs'' uses.)

* The ''[[Scrubs]]'' episode "My Life in Four Cameras" has J.D. fantasizing about what life would be like if he were in a [[Sitcom]]—completely oblivious to the fact that ''he already is''. (To be fair, though, he's thinking of the more conventional sitcom style than the style ''Scrubs'' uses.)

** Also used by Dr. Cox, when he claims that medical mysteries that happen in TV medical dramas are unrealistic. Cue the entire episode being ''full'' of said medical mysteries, and the good doctor even walking with a cane a la ''[[House (TV series)|House]]''.

*** Complete with him saying there are no cameras out there and gesturing at... the camera.

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'''Sheppard:''' The TV character that Dr. Beckett plays in real life. }}

* [[Running Gag]] in the ''[[Charmed]]'' episode "Chick Flick", which revolves around movie characters coming to life. "This is the world of illusion, and you girls are reality."

* Done once in ''[[Greg the Bunny]]'', when Sarah Silverman's character explains to Seth Green's why she's not interested in him. She compares him to the quirky guys who always get the unattainable beauties in romantic comedies, then reminds him that "this is the real world" ~~-- at~~ which point a six-foot tall muppet stumbles past the camera.

* Done once in ''[[Greg the Bunny]]'', when Sarah Silverman's character explains to Seth Green's why she's not interested in him. She compares him to the quirky guys who always get the unattainable beauties in romantic comedies, then reminds him that "this is the real world"—at which point a six-foot tall muppet stumbles past the camera.

* ''[[Space Cases]]'' in the [[Evil Twin]] episode:

{{quote|'''Miss Davenport:''' Doppelganger? Sounds like science fiction.

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'''Dirk''': In the movies the door is pieced together by the prop men so all you have to do is blow on it! }}

* ''[[The Threepenny Opera]]'' introduces the [[Last-Minute Reprieve]] for its [[Villain Protagonist]] by commenting that since the work is fictional, there will be a [[Happily Ever After]] ending.

* In ''[[The Solid Gold Cadillac]]'', Mrs. Partridge introduces herself to the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive~~|Corrupt Corporate Executives~~]] as an actress who used to play in ''Ah, Wilderness!''. One of them asks her, "You're not acting in a play now?" "No, I'm not," she says.

* In ''[[The Solid Gold Cadillac]]'', Mrs. Partridge introduces herself to the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]s as an actress who used to play in ''Ah, Wilderness!''. One of them asks her, "You're not acting in a play now?" "No, I'm not," she says.

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* During the first codec conversation between Snake and Otacon during Act 2 of ''[[Metal Gear Solid|Metal Gear Solid 4]]'', Otacon wonders anxiously whether Vamp is immortal. Snake dismisses this notion immediately, stating "Not a chance. This is the real world, not some fantasy game." As it turns out {{spoiler|Vamp's healing factor is technologically enhanced, allowing him to regenerate wounds from bladed weapons in seconds and recover from a bullet wound to the head in a few seconds more. This explanation distracts everyone, most players included, from the fact that his regeneration ''itself'' is never explained; we saw it work less efficiently, without the enhancement, in [[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]].}}

** Snake seems to be forcing himself into a state of genre blindless; in [[Metal Gear Solid]], he fought more than one supernatural enemy. In [[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]], he brushes off Fortune's ability to have bullets curve away from her with the line "There's no such thing as a witch." {{spoiler|It turns out he's right in this case and her ability is completely technological, but he has no way of knowing that going in.}} In [[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]], he dismisses anything that seems supernatural as some sort of magic trick, not just Vamp. {{spoiler|He's actually right in some cases; Screaming Mantis can't possess a fly. What she ''can'' do is use the nanomachines in people to manipulate their bodies. On the other hand, Screaming Mantis is also just a shell possessed by Psycho Mantis, Snake's psychic enemy from the first game.}}

** This is especially jarring, since the first three ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' games go out of their way to exaggerate the fact that they ''are'' fantasy video games. Characters [[He Knows About Timed Hits|actually talk about game mechanics as character development]], among other ~~things -- like~~ the whole thrust of the plot of ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 2''. The previous games also had psychics, shamans, human-plant hybrids, human hornets nests, electrokinetics, and a ghost.

** This is especially jarring, since the first three ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' games go out of their way to exaggerate the fact that they ''are'' fantasy video games. Characters [[He Knows About Timed Hits|actually talk about game mechanics as character development]], among other things—like the whole thrust of the plot of ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 2''. The previous games also had psychics, shamans, human-plant hybrids, human hornets nests, electrokinetics, and a ghost.

* Near the end of ''[[Resident Evil]] 4'', Lord Saddler tells Leon via radio he'll never defeat Los Illuminatos because life isn't, "one of your Hollywood movies."

** Well, he was right, it wasn't a [[Wrong Genre Savvy|Hollywood movie.]] Leon kicks his ass anyways though.

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** "Lisa the Vegetarian":

{{quote|'''Bart:''' Cartoons don't have messages. They're just a bunch of hilarious stuff like people getting hurt. * Homer opens the door, smashing it into Bart's face}}

* In the ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'' episode 'Film Flam', Darkwing takes Gosalyn to see an animated feature at the local cineplex. Dismayed by the violent themes, he hastens to explain the difference between [[Lampshade Hanging|cartoons]] and ~~[[This Is Reality|~~reality]].

* In the ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'' episode 'Film Flam', Darkwing takes Gosalyn to see an animated feature at the local cineplex. Dismayed by the violent themes, he hastens to explain the difference between [[Lampshade Hanging|cartoons]] and reality.

** Another ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'' episode has Darkwing meet a [[Captain Ersatz]] of [[James Bond]] named Derek Blunt, who turns out to be very different from the way he is portrayed in the movies. In particular, he is unimpressed by and dismissive of Darkwing's various gadgets, calling them "gimmicks" and declaring "A real agent works with what's at hand." Darkwing, [[Even Heroes Have Heroes|a fan of the movies]], is [[Fan Disillusionment|disappointed by the reality of the situation]], but, as is typical of these stories, they end up as friends anyway by the end of the episode.

*** "Derek Blunt" sounds like he was more directly inspired by Derek Flint of ''[[Our Man Flint]]'', who was a ''parody'' of [[James Bond]].

* Also used in ''[[Disney Animated Canon|Cinderella]]'' by The Grand Duke, ribbing the King for setting up a ball in hopes that the Prince would find a bride. The scene plays out exactly according to The Duke's description, to the point where he finishes with "...a fine plot for fairy tales, but in real life, it is foredoomed to failure!"

* ''[[Ace Lightning]]'' ~~-- Mark~~ actually says this trope, word for word, to the titular character. Along with such lines as:

* ''[[Ace Lightning]]''—Mark actually says this trope, word for word, to the titular character. Along with such lines as:

{{quote|"Ace, we've been through this, they're ''gnomes'' -- they're not going to attack you!" }}

* In the ''[[Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy]]'' episode "Urban Ed", Eddy and Ed are on the top of a cardboard "skyscraper" pretending to be pigeons and dropping spoonfuls of yogurt onto the people below. Ed [[Anvil on Head|drops an anvil]] off the building, and Eddy tells him "You're gonna hurt someone! This ain't a cartoon!", at the same time seemingly oblivious to the fact that Ed has just [[Hammerspace|produced an anvil from nowhere]].

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* In ''[[Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!]]'', when the Sun Riders (Who at this point are Evil) have taken over the Super Robot and forced the Hyperforce to flee. Chiro suggests that they instead use the Sunriders old fighting Mecha and they head to where they've been told it's stored... only to find out that it is only 20 feet Tall (Compared to the Super Robots Skyscraper) and is in disrepair, at which point the following Exchange Takes place:

{{quote|'''Chiro:''' * Slams his fists into the ground* That's IT! I Give up!

'''Sprx:''' If this was just some TV show, Kid, We could give up. ~~[[This Is Reality|~~But THIS is ther REAL WORLD!]] }}

'''Sprx:''' If this was just some TV show, Kid, We could give up. But THIS is ther REAL WORLD! }}

* An episode of ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' detailed the replacement of Dee Dee with a [[Dumb Blonde|Blonde]] [[Brainless Beauty]]. After Dexter expresses frustration at her failures to recapture Dee Dee's naivete and mischieviousness, she exclaims, "What kind of crazy show is this, anyway?" Noticing Dexter's confusion at this outburst, [[Fourth Wall Observer|the blonde asks him if she truly has entered]] "''[[Fourth Wall Observer|Dexter's Lab]]'', [[Fourth Wall Observer|the TV show"]] only for Dexter to respond, "This isn't a TV show! I'm a real little boy, and this is my lab!"

** In addition, this is brought up in the opera episode: Near the end, Dexter actually sings out, "This isn't fantasy. This is reality."