Unpopular take on the Hero's Journey trope in modern shonen

I was sitting in my buddy's apartment last Thursday watching the new season of that popular fighting anime. Every arc follows the same pattern - training, tournament, betrayal, power-up. Am I the only one bored of this formula or does it still hit for you?

3 comments

3 Comments

wren23014d agoMost Upvoted

Heard a podcast breakdown of this exact thing last month. They talked about how the Hero's Journey is basically baked into our brains from all the stories we grew up with, so it feels familiar and safe even when it gets stale. I think the real problem is when studios copy the outline but skip the soul, like they just check boxes instead of actually building a world that earns those moments. When a show leans too hard on the formula without giving me a reason to care about the characters, I check out quick. But if the fights feel personal and the training actually means something, I can still get into it even if I know where the story is headed.

lee68914d ago

Yeah but 3,000 years old and they still can't make the third act not feel rushed.

shanec6114d ago

I read an article last week that said the Hero's Journey formula is actually 3,000 years old, dating back to ancient myths. The writer argued that studios keep using it because it tests well with younger audiences who haven't seen it played out as many times. For me, it still works if the characters are strong enough to carry the story past the familiar beats.