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Kyoto Animation, or KyoAni, is a studio known for being kind to its working staff and taking the time needed to bring out the best in each of its anime projects. The charm that exudes from every KyoAni-produced anime is evident as a result, and its stories often share some things in common.
Whether it’s a high school boy finding himself in an unexpected situation at school, or a young girl thrust into situations beyond her understanding, there are some certainties when it comes to a character taking center stage in a KyoAni anime.
10 Drawback: Sadness Is Inevitable
Emotions are at the core of many a KyoAni story. Various characters face traumatic events or have inner demons that were forged in tragic backstories. That might mean reliving a war-torn childhood and learning how to feel true emotions, or it could be starting up a family and losing them soon after. It might be overcoming mental health issues, or it could even be coming to terms with a sporting loss. Whatever the situation, sadness is bound to be part of a KyoAni protagonist’s life.
9 Perk: Romance Is Always On The Cards
Japanese high schools are a prominent setting for KyoAni anime, and that also means these stories are prone to including young romance. It can be a sweet kind of love like in Tamako Market, or it could be an unconventional but heart-warming kind like in Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions. No one quite navigates the nuances of teenage love like KyoAni, making it very likely that its protagonists will have a lot of romance on their plates.
8 Drawback: Taking Part In A Catchy Dance Number
Most anime fans would be able to recognize the Hare Hare Yukai dance from the ending sequence of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Unfortunately for a protagonist of a KyoAni show, it’s far from the only example. The “Future Star” dance in Beyond the Boundary, and the opening cheerleading dance from Lucky Star also fall under this umbrella.
Not everyone is cut out for dancing, but just as Kyon’s dismay clearly displays while doing the “Hare Hare Yukai” with Haruhi, KyoAni heroes don’t have much choice in the matter.
7 Perk: Faithful Friends Will Be There For Support
Every anime protagonist needs a group of friends at their side. It’s a staple of the shonen genre, but it’s also part and parcel of the KyoAni experience. Kyon would have drifted through high school without any fanfare if it wasn’t for Haruhi and the gang, and Violet Evergarden may have never found her true purpose without the aid of Iris Cannary or Erica Brown. Companionship is essential to the KyoAni experience, and its protagonists wouldn’t be the same without it.
6 Drawback: Sharing Time With Supernatural Characters
Some characters strive to enjoy what they would consider a normal and peaceful life. Sadly for them, that doesn’t often happen for the protagonist of a KyoAni anime. Kyon is dragged headfirst into whatever mystical escapades that Haruhi can dream up, Kobayashi is surrounded by magical dragons from another world, and Akihito Kanbara comes into contact with the surprisingly dangerous Mirai Kuriyama. Life is unpredictable, but in the shoes of a KyoAni lead character, the supernatural is commonplace.
5 Perk: A Very Eventful School Life
High school can be an exhilarating and awkward time in equal measure, but while some may drift through an uneventful school period, a KyoAni hero is bound to get swept up in fascinating adventures.
That might be the girls of Nichijou or Lucky Star getting up to all sorts of wacky shenanigans, or it could be the intense competition of being part of a club like in Sound! Euphonium or Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.
4 Drawback: Coming Into Contact With Chunibyos
A chunibyo roughly translates to a person with “8th grader syndrome.” It refers to a teenager that has grand delusions and a wild imagination, such as the belief that they have secret powers. In Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Yuta Togashi is surrounded by various levels of chunibyo characters like Rikka Takanashi, Sanae Dekomori, and even Shinka Nibutani. Having wondrous dreams and acting upon them seems like exactly the kind of trait that KyoAni characters aspire to, but sometimes, they can also just be childish yet endearing fantasies.
3 Perk: Cultural Festivals Are Fun To Attend
Cultural festivals are common in high school-focused anime. Student clubs work to put on food stalls and perform in musical or theatrical shows. In Hyouka, the cultural festival gave rise to a thief called Juumonji, bringing together the students to apprehend him. In The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, no one expected the titular Haruhi to sing an impromptu rendition of “God Knows,” and in A Silent Voice, the cultural festival was a site where the heartbroken protagonists could finally reconcile their issues.
2 Drawback: Frequent References To Other KyoAni Anime
KyoAni loves to be self-referential and showcase small easter eggs of its work within other anime. Viewers can enjoy noticing references to other stories from the acclaimed anime studio, but the protagonists might not be as clued in.
That might include the cast of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid taking part in an opening song that looks suspiciously like the first opening of Nichijou, or the characters of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me, visiting locations such as bridges and cafes that were seen in Sound! Euphonium or The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
1 Perk: Fun Clubs To Take Part In
Anime school clubs can be a fun way to spend time making friends, but they can also be fiercely competitive. The concert band club in Sound! Euphonium is deadly intent on taking their team to the national stage, and the swim club also has lofty aspirations. On the other hand, the SOS Brigade from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a mostly aimless group of friends that make up their fun as they go along, and the light music club in K-ON! became their school’s most famous musicians.
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