Comedy is subjective, but The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is often called one of the best anime comedies — and for a good reason.
Short-form comedy is usually better than long, drawn-out jokes, and the simplicity of art and characters makes it easy to understand.
The delivery of the jokes enhances the anime, making it a lot funnier.
Comedy might be the most subjective genre of anime out there. There’s no way to measure if something is objectively funny or not — it all depends on the person’s sense of humor. And even within anime, there are so many different styles of comedy that basically no one is on the same page.
Despite that, there are some general trends in comedy anime that the series might or might not follow. One anime that makes the best use of comedic tropes while simultaneously avoiding most of the pitfalls is The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. (Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan) — let’s look at why it works so well.
Short episodes are actually better for comedy anime
The most important part about The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is the fact that most of the strips are relatively short. Yes, it still consists of full-length episodes — however, they’re split into segments of 3-5 minute length on average. That helps the pace and makes sure the viewers don’t get bored.
Yes, sometimes jokes with long and elaborate setups are good. Those also exist in Saiki, but they’re a minority — you could only watch so many before getting tired of them. A fast-paced dialogue may catch some otaku off guard, but you get used to it very quickly.
Simple means good, actually
Another thing Saiki is really good at is simplicity. And that means simplicity in everything — the art style is memorable, but not overly detailed. You can often go for a simpler style to support the comedy — and the anime’s easy-to-understand look makes it fun to watch without making it look ugly.
The character cast is also simple — which is a good thing. Yes, there’s a couple of characters who are legitimately well-written and deep — but not everyone in the cast of a comedy anime needs to be like that. It’s enough if you make the viewer remember the character’s gimmick.
Not many anime manage to combine seriousness and comedy that well, and Saiki is almost entirely comedic. Gintama is another good example, and they even had a crossover episode!
The delivery is top-notch
The most important part, however, is the joke delivery. Thankfully, Saiki excels at it as well — and we mean both the anime and the protagonist. The deadpan nature of Kusuo Saiki himself, voiced by the talented Hiroshi Kamiya, makes the anime virtually a perfect comedy — and the other characters also deliver their lines extremely well.
Yes, Saiki’s voice actor is a part of the reason.
Summary:
Comedy is subjective, but The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is often called one of the best anime comedies — and for a good reason.
Short-form comedy is usually better than long, drawn-out jokes, and the simplicity of art and characters makes it easy to understand.
The delivery of the jokes enhances the anime, making it a lot funnier.
Comedy might be the most subjective genre of anime out there. There’s no way to measure if something is objectively funny or not — it all depends on the person’s sense of humor. And even within anime, there are so many different styles of comedy that basically no one is on the same page.
Despite that, there are some general trends in comedy anime that the series might or might not follow. One anime that makes the best use of comedic tropes while simultaneously avoiding most of the pitfalls is The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. (Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan) — let’s look at why it works so well.
Short episodes are actually better for comedy anime
The most important part about The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is the fact that most of the strips are relatively short. Yes, it still consists of full-length episodes — however, they’re split into segments of 3-5 minute length on average. That helps the pace and makes sure the viewers don’t get bored.
Yes, sometimes jokes with long and elaborate setups are good. Those also exist in Saiki, but they’re a minority — you could only watch so many before getting tired of them. A fast-paced dialogue may catch some otaku off guard, but you get used to it very quickly.
Simple means good, actually
Another thing Saiki is really good at is simplicity. And that means simplicity in everything — the art style is memorable, but not overly detailed. You can often go for a simpler style to support the comedy — and the anime’s easy-to-understand look makes it fun to watch without making it look ugly.
The character cast is also simple — which is a good thing. Yes, there’s a couple of characters who are legitimately well-written and deep — but not everyone in the cast of a comedy anime needs to be like that. It’s enough if you make the viewer remember the character’s gimmick.
Not many anime manage to combine seriousness and comedy that well, and Saiki is almost entirely comedic. Gintama is another good example, and they even had a crossover episode!
The delivery is top-notch
The most important part, however, is the joke delivery. Thankfully, Saiki excels at it as well — and we mean both the anime and the protagonist. The deadpan nature of Kusuo Saiki himself, voiced by the talented Hiroshi Kamiya, makes the anime virtually a perfect comedy — and the other characters also deliver their lines extremely well.
