Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Eyes Have It


There are many people that feel that the eyes are the most expressive part of the body. There are many different things you can pick up on depending on what someone's eyes look like. Eyes are called the window to the soul for a reason! While this is true for real-life interactions, it's also very true in the world of anime. Anime features take the importance of eyes and raise it 10 fold.

Eyes are an absolutely fantastic way for having your character convey emotions without actually saying a word. Sometimes a scene can be much more powerful when no words are spoken, but a character's eyes do the talking. This definitely happens in anime quite a lot. While most people think of big, bright eyes in anime, there's actually a lot more to it than that.

We've all seen the rapidly shaking, glistening eyes that refer to either sadness or adoration, but that's not the only trick anime creators use to sell emotion through eyes. Sometimes eyes go pure white when a character is scared. Other times eyes shrink down to tiny black specs when the character is embarrassed or ashamed. Take those pure white eyes and curve them inwards for a character that's about to rage out of control! Anime creators can convey emotion through the eyes in ways that real-life actors just can't manage.

Anime eyes can be quite over-the-top sometimes, and even though that has a welcome spot in anime, there are also many other instances where the eyes show some genuine emotion. Anime eyes often have the power to cut through me just like real-life eyes, but it happens moreso in the animated realm. There's no doubt that eyes are one of the most prominent features on anime characters, and rightfully so. They do a lot more than just stare out at the world.

1 comment:

  1. Yeah I really like those big, exaggerated eyes. I think it's something that makes anime unique. Then again, if that's not your thing, then there is anime where the eyes look more "realistic" to real life eyes.

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