Anime art styles are constantly changing. Shows how AstroBoy And Urusei Yatsura was influenced by Western art styles (especially Disney’s) in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s. Shows from the late 80’s to early 2000’s were influenced by their predecessors and created a distinctive style that was easily recognized as Japanese anime by worldwide audiences. Modern anime as we currently know it is also heavily influenced by the previous iterations of the medium.
This story originally appeared on Kotaku Australia.
Over the decades, this anime changed as an industry and artform, it is surprising how few things have stayed the same. The tropes remain, of course, but certain sensibilities come and go. My absolute favourite, a joke that still holds true today, is the pasta arm joke. Noodle Arms go by many names. Wavy arms. Wobbly arms. worm arms. The nomenclature is very broad. Noodle arms are also available in different designs. Aside from being an entertaining gag, this way of drawing a character’s arms is much more in-depth and varied than you might think.
What the heck does a pasta arm look like?
Don’t play with me, Miss Nagatoro
The noodle arm only really got back into the anime canon in the series recently Don’t play with me, Miss Nagatoro. In both seasons of the series, the main antagonist, Nagatoro, is frequently seen waving her noodle arms. This happened most often when she was teasing her senpai (which admittedly is a big part of the show). Nagatoro’s arms are the standard variant of the noodle arms. They are in the shape of a noodle, with no joints, hands or fingers. She often uses them to touch, smack, or slap her senpai for comical effect. Nagatoro’s noodle arms are also often used to express when she has a lot of energy, is curious, or is purposely trying to be cute or annoying.
The great Jahy will not be defeated!
Another example of the modern pasta arm can be found in The great Jahy will not be defeated!, a series about a denizen of the Dark Realm who was banished to Earth. Jahy shares similar traits and attributes to Nagatoro, but her noodle arms are less common. Jahy’s noodle arms signal overwhelming emotions (usually happiness) and often signal her reverting to her childlike form.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Alphonse Elric Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood There are also scenes where his pasta appendages were exposed (not like that). Unlike the other Noodle Arm characters, Alphonse still has fingers on the ends of his arms, although he has no joints or hands. These pasta arms are also used to express Alphonse’s emotional immaturity and childlike nature, and their greater overall level of detail sets them apart from their contemporaries.
Noodle arm variants
Wavy arms and worm arms
Cowboy Bebop
Noodle Arm variants have been around in anime for years. One of the most famous examples of this is Ed von Cowboy Bebop. She’s a hacking genius with a tendency to wave her arms and legs around while concentrating (usually hacking) or having fun. The difference between the traditional noodle arm and the more detailed wavy arm is primarily a consequence of the art style and animation. While the noodle arm lacks detail, the wavy arm is often found in more realistic series where a character is portrayed in an intentionally silly way. They retain the detail of joints, hands, and fingers, and often blend them into the animation of the arm to add comedic value.
Bungo Stray Dogs
Wave arms can also be referred to as worm arms because their thickness, length, and animation often resemble those of worms. Dazai in Bungo Stray Dogs often gets worm arms when he acts playful or acts like he doesn’t know what’s going on around him. The difference between Dazai’s worm arms and other characters’ arm variants is that Dazai’s worm arms have a pointed tip instead of his hands, but still have the length and animation of the wave arm.
Azumanga Daioh
While Chiyo Chichi has naturally occurring worm arms (meaning they always look the same and aren’t the result of a change in art style), his arms are so different that they had to be included. Its long, thin arms are rounded at the ends and have no joints, hands, or fingers. The fact that these are his natural arms is a gift to weebs the world over. You don’t have to look for Chiyo Chichi’s worm arm scenes because he just always has them.
fin arms
Azumanga Daioh (Again)
Though Chiyo doesn’t have worm arms herself, she does occasionally have a variant called fin arms. The finned arm gets its name because it looks like a shark or dolphin’s fin. The fin arm is usually short and squat triangular in shape with no joints, hands, and fingers. In some anime, the fin arm can also be long, skinny, and elbow-jointed, but it rarely wobbles as much as the noodle or worm arm. The fin-arm’s stiffness helps express a delightful helplessness in characters finding themselves in a less-than-ideal situation, but is almost always comedic.
The case study of Vanitas
Noe is famous in The case study of Vanitas for his fin arms, thanks to the fact that he almost never knows what’s going on. Despite being a large and powerful vampire, he is often dressed up with finned arms to emphasize his cute demeanor and air of total detachment.
Urusei Yatsura
Fin arms are also used to show that a character is a baby, like Ten in Urusei Yatsura. The difference with fin arms on baby figures is that they often also have small hands and/or fingers on the end to show that it is less a state of character expression and more that the figure is actually just a baby is. Despite this, it is still considered a finarm due to the lack of mobility of the appendage.
For anime and manga artists, the noodle arm is an excellent way to express a character’s thoughts, feelings, and intended behavior. While often used in chibi art styles, when inserted into media that traditionally calls for a fully extended arm or hand, it adds humor and a sense of lightheartedness that is rarely lost.
It’s rare that someone doesn’t enjoy a human, animal, or creature with wiggly or blunt arms in a nice and funny way. It also extends to games. Even the snails race in Faster than light is blessed with worm arms and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
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