[ROOFS] Regarding anime school rooftops [Serious question] (35)

1 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-05 18:30 ID:EZut2maX

Why the hell can you find scenes in pretty much every other anime series where characters are doing and discussing things on the roof of their school, never getting in trouble for going there? I could name dozens of series with such a scene.

2 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-05 20:42 ID:Heaven

I assume they're allowed on the roof? If they were banned from going on the roof, I doubt the school wouldn't go through the trouble of putting fences up there.

3 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-05 20:42 ID:Heaven

*would

4 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-05 21:05 ID:Heaven

Probably because Japan is rather compacted in the urban areas. Floors/levels are important, since they don't have room to add more stuff in the middle of the city. Therefore, they utilize building's roofs more than they would in America.

5 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-05 21:55 ID:eZxW5206

>>4 Then how comes there are never any bystanders in such scenes?

6 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-05 23:31 ID:+Yxxtn22

>>5
Because they are lazy? Do they also draw crowded hallways and streets?

7 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-05 23:42 ID:Heaven

> Do they also draw crowded hallways and streets?

Yes, they do, they just don't animate the characters.

8 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-06 01:58 ID:Heaven

>>5
In anime they usually go there because there's normally no one there.

Not to mention, it's usually lunch time. And most people eat lunch at their desk.

9 Name: nihonjin 2006-02-06 13:35 ID:Heaven

Right. And since there's normally no one there, the memory of chatting with one's best friends at school rooftop is always good memory for most adults. That's kind of scene is nostalgic.

10 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-06 18:29 ID:YJHozAnR

You know how every school building in every anime looks exactly the same? Well, I was in Japan a year ago and guess what. Every school I saw. The same. Freaky.

11 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-06 19:13 ID:Vd0BHulh

>>10
What kind of variation would you expect from rooftops?

13 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-06 23:03 ID:PAZ0Z4Cu

lol, ud think if its portrayed in anime so often, that that would promote more people into going there wouldnt it?

14 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-06 23:13 ID:Heaven

>>13
I don't know, I'm sure people have told you how to spell pretty often too, but it obviously hasn't had any effect.

15 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-07 02:31 ID:PAZ0Z4Cu

>>14
flamer, i dont really mind bad spelling at all, long as its not blatant, AI HAET YOO BINHTCH!! and in any case, my bad

16 Name: yrui!sWV30Xl.cc 2006-02-07 13:56 ID:Heaven

one more question why do all the school bells use the same chime as Big Ben?

ps: my dad replaced the door bell now it sounds the same im in some form of hell now

17 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-07 16:14 ID:BkKbYD0c

Because "Pieces de fantaisie pour orque Op.54/Carillon de West minster" aka "West Minster Chime" is the best carillon melody in the human history.
In Japan, the melody was used as the ear-catcher of radio news program during the WW2. After the war, a school in Tokyo started using the melody as its school bell. Some schools tried to find another unique chime melody, but none of them were as good as West Minster Chime.

18 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-07 17:50 ID:c4Kh5eA+

>>10

Not all that freaky. Have you noticed how many public schools in the NYC area are shaped like an H? If you know you're way around one, chances are you'll know your way through the rest.

19 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-07 17:51 ID:c4Kh5eA+

Perhaps they don't get in trouble because they are the main characters, and important plot or character elements are being revealed?

20 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-07 18:41 ID:Vd0BHulh

>>12
Guess I misread your post. Sorry about that.
Anyway, wasn't there some big reformation in the Japanese education system after WWII that caused a lot of old school buildings were abandoned (currently the cause of many ghost stories) and new ones were built at a rapid pace? That's probably the reason.

21 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-08 04:00 ID:Heaven

I love how you can come up with the stupidest questions ever and still get intelligent and informed discussion here, thanks guys.

> wasn't there some big reformation in the Japanese education system after WWII that caused a lot of old school buildings were abandoned (currently the cause of many ghost stories) and new ones were built at a rapid pace?

Care to try to elaborate about that and those ghost stories?

22 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-09 19:35 ID:Vd0BHulh

>Care to try to elaborate about that and those ghost stories?

I'm no expert on the subject (everything I know is essentially from translation notes), but from what I understand, after the war, during the occupation of Japan, the educational system was changed to something similar to the American system. In order to adapt to this new system (not to mention that many school buildings were destroyed during the war), new school buildings had to be built, often leaving the old ones abandoned.
Well, when you've got a spooky, old, abandoned building next to your school, ghost stories will pop up sooner or later. It's not an uncommon thing to see in anime and manga, anyway.

23 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-09 22:37 ID:O+I0Sn2k

I've seen the same thing done in Japanese movies (Suicide club, ect)

Chances are Japanese schools just have more faith in their students not to fall the fuck off. I used to go to a school in SA where everyone WAS allowed on the roof, and many people took advantage of that.

24 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-10 04:58 ID:BNnpcBcl

>Chances are Japanese schools just have more faith in their students not to fall the fuck off.

Don't they usually have high fencing around the edge?

25 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-10 11:51 ID:ubNxEd6+

They probably have more faith in their students not to climb those fences and fall off.

26 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-12 01:35 ID:Heaven

>>12
...Those don't look the same at all to me. Not any more identical than schools in other countries.

27 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-12 22:54 ID:J0r1F282

The answer, I would assume, is because in real life, Japanese school rooftops aren't off limits like in America. It's sort of like a picnic area(you'll notice characters are usually eating lunch when they're up there), akin to eating out in a school courtyard. You don't usually see characters having discussions on the roof during class, it's always during lunch time or after school.

As to why they let people up there, pure speculation on my part, but:

Suicide is a big issue in Japan. Many young people feel a lot of pressure to do well in school so that they can get a good job and succeed. Since Japan puts more weight on issues such as honor than a country like the US, failure, even in minor things, is taken more seriously by a lot of people. As such, lots of kids try to kill themselves when they find out they failed a class, or didn't get into their college of choice. One of the mainstays of suicide was... you guessed it, jumping off the roof of a school.

As such, a lot of Japanese schools have high chain link fences surrounding the rooftop. This was done to discourage prevent suicides.

I guess since the fences are up, the roof is now seen as a safe area, so the administrations of schools probably don't see it as a big deal to let kids be up there in large groups.

The fences though, are usually not drawn in Anime, for aesthetic reasons.

Again, this is all speculation, but it makes sense to me.

28 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-20 22:12 ID:cW4ie3cY

>>17
The Westminster Chime was originally the Cambridge Chime. There's some controversy over whether it was Joseph Jowett or his pupil Willian Crotch who composed the chime. Lord Grimthorpe later chose it for Westminster in 1859. Louis Vierne used that chime as the basis for Carillon de Westminster, composed after the First World War.

29 Name: Random Anime Otaku 2006-02-21 01:00 ID:HgJTqslS

This is my best guess:
The majority of schools are located in urban population centers. Due to the high cost of land, the outdoor recreational areas are small by western standers. Then most of these areas are utilized by the physical education activities. Rooftop recreational areas are just utilization of the valuable outdoor space.

Does this sound right?

30 Name: makku : 2006-03-10 19:59 ID:RPM5iwtB

Characters in anime seem to be partial to spending time on roofs in general. I can think of several series where the character/s are seen hanging out on the roofs of their houses.

31 Name: lalala!VTNRwDj.F. : 2006-03-13 15:22 ID:9b2RcsON

I wish I could go on the roof of my school too XD

32 Name: bababa!OKH.QLGFis : 2006-03-13 15:23 ID:9b2RcsON

but then again if you notice the japanese rooftop is actually made with fence on side and a half wall thing that is made for people go to up instead of just a tar top for weatherproofing

33 Name: nihonjin : 2006-03-13 16:40 ID:Heaven

Actually it's not so as good place as we expect. Windy, dusty, dirty, too cold or too hot, and if you're in a low-level school, school gangs are smoking, sniffing thinner, etc. You may find used condoms too.... orz

34 Name: Random Anime Otaku : 2006-03-13 19:53 ID:Heaven

I wouldn't be orzing with all of those used condoms and cigarette butts laying around.

35 Name: Aquilo!Rt8oEA2Hp6 : 2006-03-14 18:57 ID:9b2RcsON

ouch.... well at least you are allowed up there I guess

In North American schools we can't get up there since it wasn't made for people to go up there other than for maintainence

I guess another reason would be Japan has less space than other countries so they didnt' want to waste the roof top space?

This thread has been closed. You cannot post in this thread any longer.