Manga Tropes, Maids and More

Jasmine Nasha
Feb 4, 2023
6 min read

Updated: Apr 13, 2023

Let’s talk romantic-comedy manga - a genre filled with meant-to-be couples, conspiring antagonists, love triangles, heartbreaks and hijinks, and so many elements that can make you blush. Regardless of their different plots or complex storylines, I guarantee you that all of these series are built entirely off of tropes - plot devices or character attributes that are used so commonly in the genre that it's seen as commonplace or conventional.

Ironically, tropes are hallmark identifiers of certain genres and yet by using a literary trope in a story, the writer must strike a balance between what’s anticipated from the trope vs a copy-paste recycling of another story that did it better. Common tropes in novels include forbidden love plots, scenarios where enemies turn to lovers, and the rom-com signature meet-cute of accidentally running into the very person who will become the focal point of your love story. If done right, tropes become so much more than hollow copies of their inspiration. Tropes can become a fun element anticipated by readers.

In my opinion, manga specifically excels at utilizing tropes. The fact that manga is structured as long-form content and can go on for years means that we can expect to see many tropes used in a variety of ways - character personalities, plotlines, and setting, to name a few. They even extend outside of the traditional genre. For example, Rumiko Takahashi’s InuYasha, although a primarily action-based plot set in Feudal Japan, was balanced with comedic romances and a spicy love triangle. Yoshihiro Togashi’s YuYu Hakusho is another action story with demons, ghosts and death, but also portrays a delicate and pure romance between the protagonist and his childhood semi-tsundere friend.

Speaking of tsundere - the term is one of five common personality tropes seen in manga. It refers to a character who is outwardly aggressive and violent by default, until they meet a specific person who brings out their soft and affectionate side. The other personality types are Yandere - A cute but deadly type of character, often presented as super feminine on the outside but a love-sick stalker in reality; Kuudere - A reserved, distant and stoic seeming character but truthfully sweet and caring on the inside; Yangire - Similar to yandere in the sense where they can seem cute and friendly at first, only to become dangerous and violent suddenly but due to mental illness or past trauma; and Dandere - The very shy, quiet, easily flustered character, often known as the “country bumpkins'', “childhood friend”, or in one of my favorite references in Misashi Kishimoto’s series Naruto - a total Hinata Hyuuga.

Out of the five types, I prefer to follow a tsundere character because I often see the most hilarious and surprising romances come from their storyline. In fact, let’s talk about my favorite tsundere character Misaki Ayazawa from Hiro Fujiwara’s Kaichou wa Maid-Sama! (The High School President is a Maid).

In this series, Misaki is the high school class president and the meanest tsundere you’ll ever find. As President, she does everything in her power to protect the few females there are from the mass of obnoxious boys whom she hates, occasionally taking her aggression a little too far. Whenever that happens, the boys run to their proclaimed savior Usui Takumi. A tall, handsome, and perfect in every way possible kind-of guy, Usui is the only one who can keep Misaki at bay, though he’d rather not get involved. He cares not for any of the flattery or attention. That is until he uncovers Misaki’s secret. Moonlighting as a waitress at a Maid-Latte cafe, Misaki works part-time to help alleviate her family’s financial situation. However, dressing up as a maid serving primarily men would be humiliating if anyone from school found out. In exchange for keeping her secret, Usui claims Misaki as “his own personal maid”, a tease that extends him privileges to visit the cafe every day and eventually form a bond with her that she desperately comes to rely on.

Diving deeper into the tsundere-trope, you learn that it works so well because Misaki’s violent personality isn’t just a one-sided, unexplained character trait that you would expect from a standard trope. In fact, her aggression comes from the resentment she has for her father having abandoned the family and leaving them destitute. The situation forces Misaki to work extremely hard in helping provide for her family. Over time, the resentment festers into anger towards all men despite Misaki embodying strong masculine qualities herself. She sees herself as a champion for her female classmates while ignoring her own femininity. She does not dress up or spend money on being fashionable, does not rely on anyone for help, and pushes herself to the point of collapse. Usui always comes to her rescue, handling her tsundere traits with a touch of romance while also challenging it. He wants Misaki to grow, to form better relationships with the boys in her class and learn to ask for help. Through their budding romance, Misaki’s growth is evident and ongoing even when her tsundere side is in control.

As their story continues, the series plays on two other tropes common to rom-coms when it introduces Misaki’s childhood friend Hinata Shintani. A once chubby country bumpkin, Hinata grows up to be a handsome young man intent on winning Misaki’s love. Misaki is anything but aggressive towards Hinata, valuing him as the only good boy she had ever met. “The Childhood friend” trope is often tied to a soft and kind character attempting to escape the friend zone. In doing so, Hinata declares war against Usui for Misaki’s feelings, noticing how the two have formed their own special bond. “The Love Triangle” trope is thus introduced. Usui clearly has strong feelings for Misaki, teasing her and forcing her to reconcile with her own emotions. He’s patient with her, but jealous and possessive, and refuses to let the childhood friend even stand a chance.

Given that manga can often run many-many volumes long, there’s room for what I call “Setting Tropes” or “Chapter Themes”. These are chapters that take place at the beach, at a school festival/sports festival, at a summer festival, on school field trips, amongst cherry blossoms, or with fireworks. Because of the length of a single storyline, it’s possible to see all of these occur in the same series. At the end of the day, we are following the character’s journey, and these plots are often about the long-winded romantic journey. Note that there are usually critical moments occurring in these situations, and those are the moments we look forward to.

The school festivals and field trips put Misaki in a position where she had to learn to develop a rapport with her male classmates and trust in their capabilities and leadership when creating plans to participate in the school activities. These chapters occurred earlier in the series when Usui was still often seen as an antagonist by Misaki.

The Beach Chapter brings the cast out of their element and forces some situational challenges - wearing a swimsuit in public, being in a place where boys drooled over beautiful women - Misaki had to grapple a bit with her own femininity and outward appearance. At this point in the story, she had developed a trusting relationship with Usui even though he would tease and flirt with her. Her ego regarding her strength against any predatory boys, her ability to feel comfortable in sexy clothing, and her self-regard as a woman was all challenged in these few chapters.

Festivals and Fireworks Chapters also bring the cast into a different setting, but there’s so much anticipation built up at this point. These chapters are perfect date settings and often include the main female adorned in a beautiful kimono, the male piggy-backing the female back home for some reason, and a climactic moment amidst the fireworks. Sometimes this last moment is not always the best. There have been stories where love triangles are revealed or a confession is rejected beneath the chaos of the fireworks. Other times, it’s the perfect moment between the pair you’re rooting for, as it was for Misaki and Usui when they shared their first kiss. (It only took months of courting.)

I guess I have rambled on long enough. To wrap this up, rom-com manga does tropes best. I’ve never been disappointed to see romantic tropes play out in manga because they’ve always served the story well - or maybe I’ve yet to run into a bad one! Either way, I hope I’ve turned you on to a few great rom-com titles. If this all sounds interesting, here’s a short list of others I encourage you to check out!

1. Horimiya, by HERO

Also known as Hori san to Miyamura

A pure romance between a popular girl and a shy guy.