Any person, otaku or not, wonders greatly about the reasons behind anime, be it characters, plot, or preferences. Sometimes, questions rendered unanswered prove as difficult to dissect and comprehend to others, be it a specialist or a mere curious person. Yet, one common question that lurks in everybody’s mind is why do anime characters have big eyes.
Inspirations
In case you’re still wondering, let’s travel back in time, precisely the time when the anime industry was created.
Due to Osamu Tzeuka, an artist prolific enough to take up the name the “Father of Manga,” also known as the creator of Astro Boy, this matter rose up.
In the time of Astro Boy making an impact, Tezuka, inspired by his predecessors in animation, which explains his influence by Walt Disney, among others, of course.
Before adopting the more Japanese stylization of anime characters, he took in every detail concerning Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop.
Thus, rounding up to our main focus, big eyes and their history, we can fix an appropriate date and an appropriate reason. It is precisely similar to that of a youtube video or vine. Once it goes viral, it sticks around for a while. In manga and anime, the Japanese style of animating characters with big eyes tend to look cuter and more appealing.
As a matter of fact, not all anime characters have big eyes, rendering this matter a mere myth going viral. Let’s take the example of a rather famous anime series Hunter x Hunter. Its characters represent the variety of anime eyes and shapes. Hisoka, for example, has sharp, small eyes, which represent his trickster self and serious, if I may say. In anime, quite often, older characters are blessed with smaller eyes, whereas younger ones work the big, innocent, cute eyes.
