Poll: How Big is Too Big?

[Coakle]

Btw, I know this is not the point of the thread but I have to ask: how come manga/anime artist draw their characters with such big eyes?

It's very quick and easy to draw. The artists want characters that exhibit a wide range of emotions, but they don't have the budget or time to create a complex face for each frame or panel. Increasing the size of the character's eyes is a trick that cuts down on drawing time, so it's easier to 'stay on model' without compromising emotional range.

It's a medium that puts an enormous value on speed and output. If you wonder about the thought process an artist goes through, speed and output are the constraining factors that an artist works in when making creative decisions.

These factors often lend a certain 'human element' to the work. I don't see this as a bad thing. The human element is one of the reasons I love manga and anime. It gives personality to the names that appear in the OP and draws attention to the fact that this was created by people with foibles.

My favorite example is a manga where a character's power turns color into black & white as a side effect. You can bet this character will not hesitate to use his power during sections that are colored in. I love it when this happens.

 

[Altorin]

as others have said, it completely depends on the tone. If you're doing something realistic, don't stray beyond even 2. If you're doing something that's meant to play on the tiny super cute derpdederpdederp, then 9's fine. heck, make them bigger. I don't care.

Only 1 or 2 look at all normal to the standards of the average human being, but anime isn't really about human beings.

 

[N33t]

I am fine with one through five. Six is also ok, but its borderline. Seven and above is too big for me. However, if we are talking chibi comics, 7+ would be fine. Honestly I would kinda expect that size for a chibi.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Hmm, 5 is my limit. After that I really start to notice them and describe the character as "The one with the big eyes!".

 

[Strazdas]

the first row looks perfectly normal. 4 is large but ok i can live with that. 5 was the line where i went nope nope nope nope and voted.

One thing to note about this is that its a cultural thing. Japan has been jelous of the "wide eyes" of westerners for a while (to the point of some woman making plastic surgery just to "fix" their eyes), and when one anime came out with the characters having wide eyes everyone seem to have loved that, so it became a trait sort of.
Im not saying i agree with the thinking or like it or any such (i personally find the asian smaller eyes quite attractive), but thats the background of this fasion. Now, i do not watch anime. i got nothing against it, but i only saw like 20 anime feature movies and some anime when i was a child. the reason for this is simple - time. there is so much to do and only 24 hours in a day, so i got to cut short somewhere and i chose to do that with anime amongst other things. I also dont read comics for the very same reason.

 

[greatcheezer2021]

4 is pushing it. 5 is too big, as according to topic.

what bothers me is that there will be characters with the same exact eyes as every other main character. secondary, or maybe tertiary. its not like anyone will be paying attention to this post anyway, but the hairstyle and more exaggerated lines are used in each different numbered tile thing not like you'll care anyway

 

[rutger5000]

Depends anything large then 2 is too large to be attractive or cute, but if it's just for fun then I have no problem with anything up to 7. There are exceptions of course, I consider Yotsuba to be adorable and she has like size 7 eyes.

 

[Auron225]

1-2 are alright
3-4 are ideal imo
5 is still ok
6 is pushing it a bit. It's my limit.
7 is too much
8 & 9 just look ridiculous.

 

[kurupt87]

Damn, I thought I'd get to tell the story about how a virgin saw my cock and started crying.

 

[renegade7]

First, I want to say that given that poll and the title this thread is not about what I thought it would be about.

I think anything between 2 and 5 there is going to be best, unless you're trying to go for realism, then I would definitely say 1, maybe 2.

6 and 7 seem tolerable. After that, it's kind of pushing it into ridiculousness, although I think 8 or 9 might work in a really cartoony setting.

 

[JochemHippie]

When your jaw hurts trying to- Oh.

Well, more then 6 would be a bit odd, but if the atmosphere asks for it then I'm more okay then anything up to 8 (9 scares me D

 

[JochemHippie]

Something with double posts.

 

[tofulove]

When i first saw the title, i was thinking this was a penis size thread. When i saw the poll, i was like this is a penis size thread. When i looked at the op post, i was like oh not a penis thread.

 

[sumanoskae]

Well, it's not a deal breaker or anything; if the show is good, it's good. I can look passed all the characters having severe deformities and crippling brain tumors.

Sometimes an over the top art style is even appropriate (See Madoka Magicka; made all the more disturbing because all this awful shit is happening to children's cartoon characters)

 

[Idsertian]

5 is acceptable for me. 6 and beyond is just too much.

Though anything beyond 1 on a real face, is obviously going to look a bit odd.

 

[pearcinator]

5 is as far as I would go...6 is too big. 9 scares the shit out of me!

Now, when talking about the eye size...

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

I like six because it reminds me of older style anime. Anything above that is too grotesque. 1 and 2 are also hideous. 3 is where it starts getting acceptable.

Btw, I know this is not the point of the thread but I have to ask: how come manga/anime artist draw their characters with such big eyes?

Because they frequently only have one week to draw a ~20 - 30 page chapter, and because eyes and eyebrows are extremely expressive.

 

[DjinnFor]

Looking at the diagram, at what point do you say "Nope, too big?"

None.

1 is human. 2-7 is just varying depictions of ages in the same stylization. 8 & 9 are completely different art styles. I can appreciate all of them. 8 & 9 aren't much different than your average modern saturday morning cartoon as far as eye size goes.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

In my opinion, the first row is enough. Anything more than this delves into "AAAAAAADFKDKFSKFD;SMFS; IA, IA, CHTULHU FHTAGN!" territory.

 

[Robert Marrs]

6 looks to be the cutoff point for me. Everything above it is just too much. 1 is probably the worst though she looks like an alien in that picture.