clover
Junior Member
Posts: 79
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Post by clover on Dec 14, 2017 0:57:33 GMT
Yo, so is this Snake Irisis thing some sort of an existing comic trope, or is it something that is new by way of how the author is progressively making it a thing?
I know I've seen snake irises in the comic before to highlight a similar sort of depraved comicality or something.
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Dec 14, 2017 2:20:40 GMT
Yo, so is this Snake Irisis thing some sort of an existing comic trope, or is it something that is new by way of how the author is progressively making it a thing? I'll say the former. I don't remember seeing it before manga got big in the west so I'll tentatively attribute it to the Japanese although facial distortion to represent heightened emotional states does predate that so there's probably pre-manga isolated examples in western media here and there of cat/snake eyes.
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Post by bgb16999 on Dec 14, 2017 5:29:26 GMT
Annie is now possessed by Coyote, as part of a deal she made with him to try getting out of her deal with the psychopomps. Coyote finds the current situation amusing. There is no other possible explanation.
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Post by fia on Dec 14, 2017 16:42:20 GMT
I am tempted to use this as a new avatar Attachments:
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Post by pyradonis on Dec 14, 2017 23:45:16 GMT
I think this is the creepiest panel of the whole comic.
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Post by Per on Dec 15, 2017 1:35:02 GMT
I probably jumped a bunch of corners but I took Annie's face as "Aha! Now I'm gonna share all the proof I gathered today about how my dad's evil!". Why that was my first thought when everyone else's "He praised me!" makes more sense, I have no idea. After I created the thread it actually occurred to me that everyone else might think Annie was about to go all "SEE? BRAINWASHING" and the smile was just stuck on her face after being plastered on all day. So I'd almost give even odds for what might happen tomorrow. If nothing else, I thought the growing section of readers calling for a swift resolution to the "Tony arc" would be reluctant to accept a praise interpretation because it would seem to represent a step backwards. I don't remember seeing it before manga got big in the west so I'll tentatively attribute it to the Japanese although facial distortion to represent heightened emotional states does predate that so there's probably pre-manga isolated examples in western media here and there of cat/snake eyes. Is there a standard symbolism for this sort of thing in manga? I don't read much manga at all, but one I'm reading now does use markedly vertical irises to signal what I would understand to be exasperation with another person's poor timing, bad tact, or exposed character flaw; a strong visual "annoyed grunt" if you will. The sheer force of Annie's psycho smile and background radiance kind of overpower that interpretation, though.
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Post by todd on Dec 15, 2017 2:56:54 GMT
If nothing else, I thought the growing section of readers calling for a swift resolution to the "Tony arc" While I think it's understandable that a lot of readers would like to see the "Tony arc" over soon, it strikes me as the kind of thing that can't be resolved quickly; I think it would be a mistake for Tom to hurriedly wrap it up, even to mollify his audience. Antony's difficulties in interacting with his daughter strike me as the kind of thing that can't be solved in a hurry - it's a deep-rooted problem going back years in his life (whose roots probably reach all the way back to his own boyhood, long before Annie was born, though her presence gave them focus), a "real life"-type problem that can't be solved with etheric or high-tech abilities.
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Dec 15, 2017 4:19:21 GMT
I don't remember seeing it before manga got big in the west so I'll tentatively attribute it to the Japanese although facial distortion to represent heightened emotional states does predate that so there's probably pre-manga isolated examples in western media here and there of cat/snake eyes. Is there a standard symbolism for this sort of thing in manga? I don't read much manga at all, but one I'm reading now does use markedly vertical irises to signal what I would understand to be exasperation with another person's poor timing, bad tact, or exposed character flaw; a strong visual "annoyed grunt" if you will. The sheer force of Annie's psycho smile and background radiance kind of overpower that interpretation, though. As an outsider looking in there doesn't appear to be a "standard symbolism" in manga but there is an evolving set of conventions with a core set of fast and easy "go-tos" that changes very slowly indeed, same as in American comics. I think good artists try to strike a balance between putting their own spin on things (thus making their art fresh and unique) and keeping enough of the conventions that their audience can interpret what's going on in the story fairly easily, but some good artists are very conventional in their style and will lean on writing or color palate to make things interesting while others will ditch convention wherever they can (which is a lot of work to do well). The examples of "visual annoyed grunt" you give seem to involve suppressed emotion (i.e, someone has done something vexing and the character in question is suppressing/deciding to act or not because of it). I would say that interpreting Antimony's slit-eyed smiling face as being a bit on the manic side would be on-target with what the author/artist probably meant to get across. [edit] Visual language is not as distinct a thing as some would argue but here's an interesting article I read recently. [/edit]
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Post by Per on Dec 15, 2017 20:08:16 GMT
The examples of "visual annoyed grunt" you give seem to involve suppressed emotion (i.e, someone has done something vexing and the character in question is suppressing/deciding to act or not because of it). There can be verbal rebuke involved, although often internal. Though I guess we no longer need it to decipher Antimony, I did collect two more data points for the sake of international manga iconography appreciation: In one comic, which we can refer to as "Non Non Biyori", there's a character who occasionally tries to act or seem more worldly and mature than she is, usually failing, and sometimes ending up with vertical flat irises when nonplussed or mortified. This does appear to be used for an initial reaction phase, transitioning into empty white circles which I believe are a fairly standard way to show distress or embarrassment. There is also overlap with Cat Smile which according to TV Tropes stands for playfulness and in context may signify affected casualness. Another character, when similarly embarrassed, has her irises turn momentarily flat, giving a slightly similar impression, although since the shape of her eyes is otherwise unaffected it doesn't result in a cat eye effect. In another comic, which we can refer to as "Nichijou", narrow vertical irises in flattened eye shapes seem to be associated with smug teasing, or smugness in general.
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