Crazy for Anime Trivia

Discover intriguing facts and secrets about your favorite anime series

Trivia

Artist explains why it’s difficult to see characters riding bicycles in anime and manga

Shiki 0 Comments 3 min read

Artist explains why it's difficult to see characters riding bicycles in anime and manga

There is a reason why characters are rarely seen riding bicycles in anime and manga. Manga artist Gaku Miyao took to Twitter to talk about artists’ struggles with bicycles.

Artist explains why it’s difficult to see characters riding bicycles in anime and manga

In a publication that has already received more than 3.9 million views and that ended up generating a heated discussion about how to draw cycling characters, the author talks about the difficulties in drawing.

”I’ve already mentioned this once, but the reason why bicycles are an Achilles heel for manga and anime is not because they are too detailed and complicated, but because the proportions of manga and anime characters make it impossible for them to ride. by bike in real life. Their legs are too long, their torsos are too short, and their waists are too high. Real-life bicycles are shaped the way they are because real people ride them.”

Gaku Miyao is responsible for the story and art of the Aoba Jitensha-ten manga which features characters riding bicycles. He recently explained that the exaggerated proportions of manga characters (particularly their long legs) make it difficult to draw them pedaling a bicycle.

Using his own sketches as an example, Miyao pointed out how you must consider the movement of the crankset (the part of the bike you pedal to propel it forward) to successfully draw a character who rides a bike.

”Bikes force you to design a rotating crankset. The leg extends at the lower fulcrum and bends at the upper fulcrum. The pedal turns in a circle with a diameter of 35cm. It’s difficult to draw this difference in elevation for a character who has long legs. You have to lie effectively with camera angles and cuts. Note: A fulcrum is the point at which a lever turns. The lower fulcrum is when the pedal is at the bottom and the upper fulcrum is when the pedal is at the top”

Even with this difficulty, we have many manga and anime with a cycling theme, such as the Nasu series and Yowamushi Pedal. Miyao praises the Yowamushi Pedal anime for its technical skill in conveying credible anime cyclists.

”Therefore, the level of technical skill in the Yowamushi Pedal anime is very advanced. The characters have manga proportions, but ride mountain bikes created in CG with realistic proportions. This is a very advanced deception. I thought Midousuji’s cycling stiletto could only be represented in manga form.”

In response to the artist’s post, many users shared images of anime and manga characters riding bicycles:

”I see, your legs seem short…”

”That’s it… (An awesome Doraemon sticker my son got at the doctor)”

”What about Doraemon?”

On the other hand, Miyao clarified the issue of motorcycles in anime by pointing out that they are easier to portray because the character is just riding the motorcycle, making the long legs easy to handle.

Artist explains why it's difficult to see characters riding bicycles in anime and manga

As in the image above, the character Saber from the popular 2011 anime Fate Zero, perfectly mounted on her motorcycle.

via Automaton