Okay, not all the time. Sometimes the impossible gravity defying perkiness is just for guys (and girls?) to fantasize over.
What Breast Size Represents
Anime is infamous for massive mammaries, but breast size can serve as an instant characterization. Of course, sex appeal is a factor (And a source of envy for girls? My female readers will have to fill me on that one).
Large breasts are associated with the following personality characteristics
- Confidence. Many big boobed characters are as out there in their confidence as their bust is on the screen.
- Assertiveness. This is slightly different from confidence. Large Breast characters often have a take charge personality
- Motherly. Often these characters are protective of other characters.
- Open. Like their bust, these types of characters have little to hide.
- Capable. The combination of the above characteristics make these characters very capable and often take charge during problems.
Small breasts are usually metaphors for these personality characteristics
- Quiet. Most librarians in anime, for example, are B – A cups.
- Insecure. Small breast characters have insecurities and weaknesses they try to hide.
- Reserved. These characters also tend to have problems associating with other characters compared to the big boobed females.
- Cute/Innocent. Oddly enough many of these characters are portrayed in very cute ways or have an innocence attached to them.
- Strong. Although it isn’t immediately noticeable small breast characters are usually stronger than their capable boobed counterparts. They are quietly strong willed and firm in their beliefs.
Of course, these are generalities. Many writers like to play with expectations. Sometimes the innocent, cute characters will have large busts. Sometimes the small breasted characters will be the most assertive and confident of them all.
Intelligence is fairly independent of bust size. Although the large busts tend to lean more toward “air head” in their depictions. Small cups tend to be more scholarly. Big bosoms also tend to be more fun loving and outgoing.
Female characters with bust sizes that fall in the middle of the spectrum have a mix of these characteristics. They can be capable but reserved. Confident but quiet.
The larger or smaller the bust size, the stronger the character displays the characteristics associated with their cup letter.
A Few Busty Examples
Rangiku, from Bleach, is voluptuously open minded, capable, and motherly. She is particularly motherly toward her captain, Hitsugaya. She does has insecurities, but she is still rather open about them. She likes to use her bust to toy with people.
Holo from Spice and Wolf is small breasted, insecure, reserved, and cute. Although she isn’t quiet by any means, her chattering is mostly with those closest to her and covers some of her insecurities. She is very intelligent.
The Breast Fetish
While cup size is a shorthand for characterization, it is also a fetish. This is especially true here in the West. This focus has led anime cup size to grow into monstrosities to cater to the audience they are targeting. I found anime that has ample fan service (both panty and breast) tend to have little substance and fill the time with their animated soft-core.
On the opposite end we have the lolita side. Not all small breasted characters fall into this category, but we are dealing with fetishes – sexualisation. The fetish of lolita is more toward the whole portrayal than just the cup size.
The focus on breasts has led to anime paying special focus on jiggle and other physics. It is unfortunate so much time is spent on such things instead of, I don’t know, writing a good story?
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In anime’s favor, both large and small cup sizes are portrayed in appealing light. Neither size is shown as explicitly preferable over the other. Although anime guys go after the buxom bosom, the small chested girl usually gets the happy ending. Big bosoms are just more common since they appeal to a wide audience right now. It is a matter of time before culture swings back in preference to the small bust.
Finally, someone who like me finds the big breasts annoying. There have be perfectly good anime’s that I have completely skipped because all the females had huge breasts. At a certain point it becomes a real turn-off.
Yes, large breasts really are a turn off. I root for the small-chested love interest, knowing full well she won’t be chosen.
Honestly these representations of abnormally large chests makes it uncomfortable for me to watch. I didn’t like the idea of my brother watching anime because of how sexual and perverted it can be. Even as a woman it’s uncomfortable to watch. Though you should show variety in chests whether large or small or medium.. it doesn’t have to be specialized to such an extent.
I agree. I find the obsession with breasts in general inside of anime annoying and troubling. Sure, the medium targets teen males who are interested in such, but to cater to that interest and demean women in the process is wrong.
This post is 8 years old already and in the west things still are the same. Maybe for us this turning point will never be reached.
There was a time when I would watch any anime which have girls with big breasts, but jow I’m more into romantic things and slice of life, looks like I’ve grown older.
Thanks for the post
It takes a long time for culture to change.
“It is a matter of time before culture swings back in preference to the small bust.”
When did visual mass media last prefer small breasts over large?
In Japan, that would be up until the American Occupation. That’s when you begin to see breasts become sexualized. As for American culture, I’m uncertain. We’ve long had a fixation on large breasts in our media. You can see it even in early colonial cartoons. However, during the early 1900s, small breasts became vogue, especially during the flapper movement and among the early Hollywood stars. Over time, they increased in size before going back to small for a period in the 1980s and 1990s.
In the 1960s, which was before breast implants were available as a cosmetic option. (There was some cosmetic breast augmentation earlier but were primarily used for reconstruction (mostly for recovery from breast cancer).
Look up a girl named “Twiggy”. She was a model and look like a preteen boy as far as her breasts were concerned
I forgot about Twiggy. Thanks for bringing her up.