If you’ve been reading manga and watching anime for long enough, you’ll recognize a number of strange visual gags that don’t make inherent sense to Western minds. We easily understand our own cultural symbols and jokes (like a raincloud appearing over someone’s head when they’re sad), but those that come from Japanese society and language can be confusing.

Today, we’re here to discuss three more of our favorite visual gags from manga, touching on their histories and our favorite examples from each. Let’s jump right in!

This article was written for Honey’s Anime, so please read it on their site.