One Gesture

[ulisa]

I've seen a lot of gestures throughout Dragonball and other animes that I think are neat, mainly because they're different from english gestures I'm used to. (Goku calling Gohan over by waving his hand downward was one) but there is one gesture I've seen in nearly every single anime that for the life of me I cannot figure out.

The gesture itself I've seen Goku do as a child and Chibi Trunks do a few times: stick out their tongue and pull down one eyelid.

I tried to do some research on it but that merely confused me more. I have some sources saying that it is as bad as giving someone the finger and others say it's like a kid teasing with a 'a piracy website, a piracy website, a piracy website' type of comment.

So...exactly how serious a disrespect is that gesture?

Ulisa:)

[B-kun]

It's called an akanbe. It's really just a general insult that does equate to "a piracy website a piracy website" You'll also see Musashi and Koujiro (Jessie and James) uses it a lot in Pocket Monsters.

[Conan the SSJ]

It's called an akanbe. It's really just a general insult that does equate to "a piracy website a piracy website" You'll also see Musashi and Koujiro (Jessie and James) uses it a lot in Pocket Monsters.

Yep. I did it once to a friend because he pissed me off by making excuses about losing to me in a Budokai 3 duel, I literally did it right there. He was like "You're not Goku, you nerd." So I made a sad looking face, and just bucked up and did it again. I was like "If I'm a nerd for doing a gesture from one of my favorite anime, then we're all nerds for letting a bunch of bullshit issues slide by in this country."

[MultilangDBZ]

The gesture ... stick out their tongue and pull down one eyelid.

I tried to do some research on it

Wow, I'm surprised, have you not seen this gesture when you were a kid?

It's simply like making a face but in a playful way, though not really 'disrespectful' I would say.

[desirecampbell]

The gesture ... stick out their tongue and pull down one eyelid.

I tried to do some research on it

Wow, I'm surprised, have you not seen this gesture when you were a kid?

It's simply like making a face but in a playful way, though not really 'disrespectful' I would say.

I've never seen it in real life. I've tried to do it a couple times - but I always poke my own eye.

[MultilangDBZ]

I've never seen it in real life. I've tried to do it a couple times - but I always poke my own eye.

Secret: aim for the part just below your bottom eyelid. Practise, practise...

Hmm, I think Europeans know about it too - I've seen it in Tintin before as well. The kids of the world are plotting against those in the States...

[DBZ MAN]

"BLEH" Guess you'll have to find out.

[Jerseymilk]

That's actually more of a "raspberry". This is more accurate:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/ ... akanbe.jpg

[Kula]

While we're on the topic of gestures, can someone tell me the origin of characters falling down in suprise. For example, when a character reveals their own stupidity, the other characters all fall backwards with their legs up in the air.

Also what is the origin of characters getting nosebleeds when aroused. Is there any basis for this in fact. I remember the character Eddie on the comedy 'Bottom', said something like 'Those guys do stuff that'll make your nose bleed'.

[The Mole]

Also what is the origin of characters getting nosebleeds when aroused. Is there any basis for this in fact. I remember the character Eddie on the comedy 'Bottom', said something like 'Those guys do stuff that'll make your nose bleed'.

Honestly, whenever I'm aroused, my.............uh nevermind.

[desirecampbell]

While we're on the topic of gestures, can someone tell me the origin of characters falling down in suprise. For example, when a character reveals their own stupidity, the other characters all fall backwards with their legs up in the air.

I actually do that when people are stupid. Well, not completly fall over, but I groan and fall down or against a wall. It's an "I give up, you're hopeless" kind of gesture.

[Pedro The Hutt]

In some circles that's called a facefault.

And in japanese folklore young men get nosebleeds when aroused. =D
Ironically in japanese folklore it also means people are talking about you when you sneeze... I wonder what it would mean then if you sneeze until your nose bleeds.

[Dayspring]

In some circles that's called a facefault.

And in japanese folklore young men get nosebleeds when aroused. =D
Ironically in japanese folklore it also means people are talking about you when you sneeze... I wonder what it would mean then if you sneeze until your nose bleeds.

They're the Senate and you're Ceasar.

[LaRésistance]

I've never seen it in real life. I've tried to do it a couple times - but I always poke my own eye.

Secret: aim for the part just below your bottom eyelid. Practise, practise...

Hmm, I think Europeans know about it too - I've seen it in Tintin before as well. The kids of the world are plotting against those in the States...

Well kids around here do it, and I'm pretty sure I did it too when I was younger. But we usually don't stick out our tongue at the same time. You pull down one eyelid when someone said something to you and you don't believe it. While doing that gesture we sometimes say "mon oeil" which means "my eye" to show that we don't believe what the other just said. It's a pretty childish thing to do.

[Mr. Announcer]

Yeah, whoah I was getting freaked out for a second. We definitely do that here in America too, not just a japanese gesture. We just don't have a name for it. I doubt it's very serious either, well, depending on who you do it to. Falling down also just seems like one of those things that you want to do when you hear someone say something completely stupid. The ridiculousness just bowls you over.

[DBZ MAN]

Here's what I like to pull when I beat someone is a dragonball Z game

Sorry about the bad colouring

[the_abberration]

Here is a interesting akanbe "origin story" I read a while back.

The whole thing about pulling an eyelid down and sticking your tongue out supposedly relates to an old fable where there is an old man who prided himself on his powers of observation. So another man went to him, rubbing his eye saying he got a piece of green tea in his eye and requested help from the man who prided himself in his powers of observation.

While the man pretending to have something in his eye held his eyelid down, he also stuck his tongue out at the "proud man". Since the "proud man" was too busy looking for the green tea, he didn't notice the man was sticking his tongue out at him, hence robbing the proud man of his reputation for being very observant. There-by creating the insult of pulling one eyelid down and saying "no green tea in eye".

[The S]

In some circles that's called a facefault.

I never understood why that is. It has nothing to do with your face, most of the time. More times than not, they fall sideways and land on the side of their head/crooked neck.