Interesting thread op.
In 80's and early 90s the typical anime hero has a lot more traditionally manly traits. They were usually hot blooded, straightforward mentally strong, good natured and confident. Characters like Goku and Ushio (from ushio and tora) were the prototype for characters theme wise. And artistically they looked like
IDK if it's art imitating life or the other way around but it seemed like in the late 90's early 2000s edgy there was a shift in anime stylistically and thematically. Depressed emo characters became the wave, main characters started to be drawn as skinny pretty boys and any large muscular boastful man in anime was usually a goon or mid-level boss who get's physically overpowered by a prettyboy or a girl. At some point most anime characters looked like a version of this
I mean peep the shift. 90's goku
vs 2017 goku
Which is all fine and good. But the thing with the tortured depressed prettyboy angle that you don't live in an anime.
- Anime women are fascinated by the brooding anti hero yet irl people let you wallow in misery alone
-Sasuke looks like he never did a pushup in his life and can throw lighting at ppl who press him...you can't
-Tenchi can be an awkward oblivious lame and still maintain a harem of women fighting for his attention....but dudes as awkward as tenchi irl don't have women coming from space to be a harem member
Not to mention the cultural differences in anime as well....I can see how identifying with some of these can fukk you up with unrealistic expectations. Luckily the only anime character that rubbed off on me was the GOAT and his deranged amount of self confidence
Can't ask for a better role model
only anime my kid allowed to watch is One Piece till he turns 18
