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!

We Westerners have become accustomed to manga’s unique weirdness over time, but some jokes still go over our heads. Why did a crow caw in the background when a character said something stupid? Why do people who are late to school/work run out of the door with toast in their mouths?

Today, we’re here to explore the ins and outs of these classic manga visual gags by digging into their histories and highlighting our favorite examples of each one. Let’s get started!

Last time, we explored the ins and outs of three classic manga visual gags: sweat drops, sprouting animal ears, and growing mushrooms on one’s head. Today, we’ll be tackling the origins and cultural significance of another batch of well-known Japanese jokes, as well as highlighting our favorite examples of each one. If you’ve ever wondered why manga characters get bloody noses from seeing something sexy or rocket off into the sky with a twinkle when punched, we’re here to put those wonders to rest. Let’s get started!