Otaku USA Magazine
Japanese Fans Rank Anime’s Most Outrageous Anthropomorphisms
by Matt Schley June 8, 2017

Anthropomorphism is, to quote Webster, “an interpretation of what is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics.”

In other words, giving something distinctly inhuman human form.

There are plenty of anime and manga that’ve done this over the years, but which wacky anthropomorphisms have left the biggest impression on Japanese fans?

Ranking site Goo asked its readers just that, and here are the results:

10. Miracle Train: Welcome to the Chuo Line
Tokyo’s Chuo Line trains

9. Squid Girl
Squids

Miracle Train: Welcome to the Chuo Line

8. Aohara Tetsudo
Railroads

7. Miracle Train: Welcome to the Oedo Line
Tokyo’s Oedo Line trains

6. Love Kome: We Love Rice
Rice

5. Hataraku Saibo (Working Cells)
Cells and bactera

Kemono Friends

4. Kemono Friends
Animals

3. Kantei Collection (KanColle)
Warships

2. Hetalia
Countries

1. Touken Ranbu
Swords

There you have it. I maintain that Love Kome, the show about rice as men, is the most ridiculous anime anthropomorphism I’ve ever heard, but the fans ranked it at a fairly benign #6.

OUSAers: any other picks?

Touken Ranbu

Source: Goo

Anime 5068Anthropomorphism 1japanese fandom 204kancolle 21kemono friends 16lists and rankings 303manga 1448news 6059poll 137top 10 28touken ranbu 15
Matt Schley

Matt Schley (rhymes with "guy") lives in Tokyo, and has been OUSA's "man in Japan" since 2012. He's also written about anime and Japanese film for the Japan Times, Screen Daily and more.

View all posts by Matt Schley

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