Why the HUGE eyes?

By Eric
24th May 04

It's happened to all us anime fans, and if it hasn't it's going to eventually. One of your non-anime-fan-friends (Why is he your friend in the first place, huh? Huh?) comes up and says "Why do these guys have such big eyes?" Then there will sometimes be some snide remark or judgment. Some of the more aesthetic anime fans already know this, but the rest might be scratching their own heads for that clue. After all, the eyes of a pure-blooded Japanese person are, generally speaking, smaller than ours. Why exaggerate it so that they're bigger than ours? Why make their characters look more American than Japanese?

Let us first clear up one misconception. Not all anime characters have large eyes. There are rare, very rare occasions where an artist will attempt a more realistic appearance, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one. As for everyone else: the eyes are the window into the soul. It's very simple when one thinks about it.

In American animation and even acting, emotion is usually portrayed through action. People yell, throw punches, throw their arms around. They use a great deal of physical exertion in expressing themselves/their characters. While this tactic certainly exists in anime, it is to a far less degree than American cartooning, which may be partly related to a sociological study which scientifically proved that Chinese and Japanese people are, as a whole, calmer and less excitable than Americans.

So instead, the eyes are usually called in. When an anime character becomes sad, his eyes become watery, and the size makes it easier to see so. And it isn't merely crying. Expressions of shock, happiness, love, hate, and every other emotion are further accentuated by the glaring presence of the aesthetically enhanced eyes, making sure that the viewer does not miss the detail.

Another detail to note is that usually the protagonists have the larger eyes while the antagonists have thinner eyes. It could be symbolic, meaning that wide eyes can see the world in many different ways and understand the wonders and trials that it has to offer. Thus, a hero or heroine. Narrow eyes could symbolize closed-mindedness, where a character can only see the world one way and either likes it the way it is (under his/her control) or hates it. Villains are not known for being able to see issues from all sides, and narrow eyes could reflect on their blindness to other perspectives.

There is no empirical decision on what the purpose of the anime eyes are. When it comes down to it, maybe the artists simply thought it looked right. However, the generally accepted thesis is that you cannot ever truly understand a person until you have the chance to look them in their eyes and find a little piece of their soul.

-- Eric 24th May 04