This is my new desktop wallpaper!
To me, a lot of what makes anime unique is the facial expressions that characters use. I’m kind of a sucker for these, and any anime that (over)uses them will usually get my vote. I thought it’d be fun to use the Summer 2006 anime as a case test for these expressions.
The Blush
Okay, so maybe the blush isn’t so much an anime facial expression as it is an add-on. Blushing just makes a cute girl (or boy, I guess…) cuter! I’ve noticed this a lot recently while watching anime. I seriously can’t get enough of it! I especially like the squiggly line one.
The Sweatdrop
It always used to confuse me that anime characters would have only one gigantic pore that would create a big ball of sweat on their heads. Now the sweatdrop is like second nature! This technique is used to show that a character is silently startled or worried about something. Apparently in anime, even inanimate objects can sweat.
Beady/Squiggly Eyes
The squiggly eyes are a classic anime expression. You can tell I like this one just by looking at the site’s header. Assuming that it’s the Tenma one… The squiggly eyes are used to express confusion or hopelessness. Here’s a good example of the combination blush/squiggly eyes combo. Priceless!
XD
XD is one of my favorite expressions ever. If you can’t see it, the ‘X’ is the squinty eyes and the ‘D’ is the mouth. I really don’t know why I like it so much, but any anime using this expression will likely be watched by me. XD is good for showing either extreme happiness, or annoyance.
The Popped Vein
Whoa, it’s an expression that people use in real life! The popped vein is just an exaggerated version of the real life counterpart. There’s not much to say about it; it’s pretty kawaikunai… But still funny.
Orz
What anime expression list would be complete without orz? Orz is a way for characters to show complete and utter defeat. I’ve always wanted to try this one in real life. Fortunately, I’ve never had the chance…
Emotional Facial Contortion
The Emotional Facial Contortion is a (thankfully) rare anime technique. It’s used to show surprise or anger in a dramatic (non-funny) way. Among the Summer anime, I’ve only seen it used in Coyote Ragtime Show. Hopefully it’ll be limited to that.
There’s a bunch of other expressions I haven’t included that I didn’t see in the Summer anime. This includes :3, 3_3, and probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting. I’ll probably cover these sometime in the future.
wow im such a moron so thats what orz is. i always looked at it from the japanese character version so the “orz” never meant anything to me lmao 8D
THanks for the insight
btw i think the angry version of XD is XO
OMG! That’s my new desktop wallpaper! o__o
Tsuruya is love~!
i want that wallpaper! ;_;
I love these *_*
Yeah, I didn’t quite know why it was being called a wall paper until I noticed it was a tessellation. Pretty awesome, huh?
It’s good that someone’s finally documented them properly.
You missed
Super Deformed
That expression where the eyes go into horizontal D shapes and the pupils go into points and the character says “betsu ni…”
Mangalated – Where a character is so surprised that he/she becomes deanimated for a second and the art changes to a pencilly style
Also, that is my current wallpaper – awesome ^_^
XD will always be the best, thanks to Ouran 9 and 12.
awesome wallpaper
where do you find these wallies? they’re great!
Good article but what’s up with flowers growing out of people’s heads? I keep coming across it, and have no idea what it’s supposed to convey…
I luv this one lol
^____________________________^
wow I love this you did very well I was inspired look me up and I’ll show you my emotional collections later
P.S. my e-mail is l33tjam@google.com anybody is welcome to respond I’m a decent artist
-Memo
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
Niiice, thank you.
I needed expressions for my anime report for school.
What about the exasperated mushroom coming out of the mouth?
you forgot the one where they fall on their heads when something random or stupid is said
Great article !
However you missed the no-eyes face, you know when characters are extremely dramatic and suddenly their eyes disappear because it is a sad scene.
Who IS that adorable blondie with the beady eyes?? I must watch whatever anime he is in!
You also forgot the one where their eyes go rectangular, seen commonly in Naruto
Dejected is te best word i would use for the mushroom cloud out of the mouth.
…”nosebleed,” anyone?
Hey you forgot the nosebleed , lol i love that expression.
Hey is it even a expression the nose bleed? -.-