History Main / CicadianRhythm

-> ''"Don't know if this is a thing everyone knows but me, BUT WHAT THE HELL IS THAT NRRRWHRRRR NRRWHRRRRR NRRRWHRRR SOUND IN THE BACKROUND OF EVERY SINGLE FUCKING ANIME IN EXISTENCE."''
-->-- Posted to Website/FourChan's /a/ on April 15, 2006

-> ''"Don't know if this is a thing everyone knows but me, BUT WHAT THE HELL IS THAT NRRRWHRRRR NRRWHRRRRR NRRRWHRRR SOUND IN THE BACKROUND OF EVERY SINGLE FUCKING ANIME IN EXISTENCE."''
-->-- Posted to Website/FourChan's /a/ on April 15, 2006

* Parodied in Manga/RurouniKenshin. Kenshin and Sanosuke were tailing Yahiko in one episode, checking up on some form of suspicious activity they thought he was doing. Yahiko catches on, and when he turns around to look, Sanosuke and Kenshin duck behind a rooftop and start imitating cicada sounds to try and convince Yahiko that there's nothing out of the ordinary going on. Yahiko calls them out on it by saying it's the wrong season for cicadas.

[[quoteright:330:[[Manga/ManabiStraight https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cicada_quiet.png]]]]]

[[quoteright:320:[[Manga/ManabiStraight https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cicada-quiet_9057.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:320:Even a BigShutUp won't stop them.]]

* Parodied in the anime of ''Manga/NamiuchigiwaNoMuromisan'' with a blatantly fake voiceover of "buzz-buzz" noises instead of the usual cicada stock recordings.

In the southern part of North America (particularly Texas and Mexico) and northern South America, meanwhile, cicadas have a very different cultural meaning. The giant species present in this region, noted for its nearly year-round presence and [[HellIsThatNoise incessant mind-numbingly loud drone sometimes compared to an industrial pressure valve]], are strongly associated with TheSavageSouth and SouthernGothic aesthetics, an auditory metaphor for the blistering heat of the non-winter seasons when they are most active.

* ''VisualNovel/EverlastingSummer'' has yet another ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' reference, complete with a similarly creepy storyline and ominously misheard/JapaneseRanguage charater names.

* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' (literally translated as "When the Cicadas Cry") has, appropriately enough, this trope in just about every episode. Although it's worth noting that the anime takes place in June, not the time frame given, and that a Higurashi is a particular type of cicada that comes out in early summer. More noticeable in the anime (because they're [[DarthWiki/MostAnnoyingSound so persistent]]) is the distinct difference in chirping between day and night. The evening through night is when the higurashi cry.

* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' (literally translated as "When the Cicadas Cry") has, appropriately enough, this trope in just about every episode. Although it's worth noting that the anime takes place in June, not the time frame given, and that a Higurashi is a particular type of cicada that comes out in early summer. More noticeable in the anime (because they're [[MostAnnoyingSound so persistent]]) is the distinct difference in chirping between day and night. The evening through night is when the higurashi cry.

* ''Anime/{{Potemayo}}'' - Guchuko shows her usual patience by putting up with this racket for about 2 seconds before she uses hypersonics to stun the cicadas ... and shatter glass, set off car alarms, cause dogs to freak out, etc etc. You don't mess with Guchuko.

[[folder: Other]]
* WebVideo/EatYourKimchi (filmed in UsefulNotes/SouthKorea) has a video about how annoying cicadas are, though the sound effect is written as HEEEEEGH. They use actual cicada sounds, which ''are'' really annoying.
* ''WebAnimation/BeeAndPuppycat'' has a joke about cicadas in the first episode, with Puppycat grabbing one off a tree and yelling at it to shut up.
-->'''Cicada:''' [[AC:who wants to make a million babies with me who wants to make a million babies with me who wants to make a million babies with me...]]
[[/folder]]

* ''DandelionWine'': In one chapter, Tom Spaulding is listening to the cicadas outside. He believes that the number of times a cicada buzzes in fifteen seconds plus thirty-nine equals the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Doug thinks this is a waste of time and tells him that he could just look at a thermometer. This annoys Tom and causes him to argue with his brother.

There is more of a knowledge gap than a cultural gap between Asian and western countries. Even though they are quite common in much of the Americas, most North Americans mistake the sound of the common summer cicada for crickets, even though their calls sound nothing like each other. It's when periodic cicadas emerge that cicadas make the news, despite them being a completely different species (Magicicada). That species has synchronized it's life cycle into several 13 or 17 year broods. Unlike the yearly emergence of late summer or Dog Day cicadas, magicicadas broods emerge in vast numbers in the spring along North America's east-coast. They only live for about two weeks, during which they are present ''en'' '''very great''' ''masse''. Thus, children in some areas may never hear of cicadas unless a periodic cicada brood emerges in their area. There are even a few places where multiple broods overlap. May God have mercy on the souls of the people living there.

* WebVideo/EatYourKimchi (filmed in SouthKorea) has a video about how annoying cicadas are, though the sound effect is written as HEEEEEGH. They use actual cicada sounds, which ''are'' really annoying.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' uses this trope constantly to show that it's summer all year round in Japan, due to Second Impact shifting Earth's axis so much that traditional seasons no longer exist.

* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'': Various species of cicada appear in the summer months. You can, of course, catch the cicadas and sell them (like catching any bugs that reside on trees, it's tricky), or put them in your house so your character can have this trope year round.

* Nincada and its evolutions Ninjask and Shedinja from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' are based on the Cicada. Ninjask are said to be loud enough to induce headaches.

There is more of a knowledge gap than a cultural gap between Asian and western countries. Even though they are quite common in much of the Americas, most North Americans mistake the sound of the common summer cicada for crickets, even though their calls sounding nothing like each other. It's when periodic cicadas emerge that cicadas make the news, despite them being a completely different species (Magicicada). That species has synchronized it's life cycle into several 13 or 17 year broods. Unlike the yearly emergence of late summer or Dog Day cicadas, magicicadas broods emerge in vast numbers in the spring along North America's east-coast. They only live for about two weeks, during which they are present ''en'' '''very great''' ''masse''. Thus, children in some areas may never hear of cicadas unless a periodic cicada brood emerges in their area. There are even a few places where multiple broods overlap. May God have mercy on the souls of the people living there.

There is more of a knowledge gap than a cultural gap between Asian and western countries. Even though they are quite common in much of the Americas, most North Americans mistake the sound of the common summer cicada for crickets, despite their calls sounding nothing like each other. It's when periodic cicadas emerge that cicadas make the news, despite them being a completely different species (Magicicada). That species has synchronized it's life cycle into several 13 or 17 year broods. Unlike the yearly emergence of late summer or Dog Day cicadas, magicicadas broods emerge in vast numbers in the spring along North America's east-coast. They only live for about two weeks, during which they are present ''en'' '''very great''' ''masse''. Thus, children in some areas may never hear of cicadas unless a periodic cicada brood emerges in their area. There are even a few places where multiple broods overlap. May God have mercy on the souls of the people living there.

Something of a cultural gap between Asian and western countries because cicadas appear every year in the former while many cicada broods in North America cycle at absurdly long intervals (either 13 or 17 years, and almost never any other number of years) and these periodic cicadas emerge along North America's east-coast in the spring, living for about two weeks, during which they are present ''en'' '''very great''' ''masse''. Thus, children in some areas may not have been exposed to this particular occurrence until midway or later in childhood. However, there are various other cicada species that emerge every summer in western countries (most notably the Tibicen/Dog Day cicada) but said species do not emerge by the '''''millions''''' per acre like Magicicadas do. [[note]]There are, however, places where multiple broods overlap. May God have mercy on the souls of the people living there.[[/note]]

Something of a cultural gap between Asian and western countries because cicadas appear every year in the former while many cicada broods in North America cycle at absurdly long intervals (either 13 or 17 years, and almost never any other number of years) and these periodic cicadas emerge along North America's east-coast in the spring, living for about two weeks, during which they are present ''en'' '''very great''' ''masse''. Thus, children in some areas may not have been exposed to this particular occurrence until midway or later in childhood. However, there are various other cicada species that emerge every summer in the West (most notably the Tibicen/Dog Day cicada) but said species do not emerge by the '''''millions''''' per acre like Magicicadas do. [[note]]There are, however, places where multiple broods overlap. May God have mercy on the souls of the people living there.[[/note]]

Something of a cultural gap between Asia and the West because cicadas appear every year in the former while many cicada broods in North America cycle at absurdly long intervals (either 13 or 17 years, and almost never any other number of years) and these periodic cicadas emerge along North America's east-coast in the spring, living for about two weeks, during which they are present ''en'' '''very great''' ''masse''. Thus, children in some areas may not have been exposed to this particular occurrence until midway or later in childhood. However, there are various other cicada species that emerge every summer in the West (most notably the Tibicen/Dog Day cicada) but said species do not emerge by the '''''millions''''' per acre like Magicicadas do. [[note]]There are, however, places where multiple broods overlap. May God have mercy on the souls of the people living there.[[/note]]

* Nincada and its evolutions Ninjask and Shedinja from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' are based on the Cicadia. Ninjask are said to be loud enough to induce headaches.

* Nincada and its evolutions Ninjask and Shedinja from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''.

* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' (literally translated as "When the Cicadas Cry") has, appropriately enough, this trope in just about every episode.
** Although it's worth noting that the anime takes place in June, not the time frame given, and that a Higurashi is a particular type of cicada that comes out in early summer.
** More noticeable in the anime (because it's [[MostAnnoyingSound so persistent]]) is the distinct difference in chirping between day and night. The evening through night is when the higurashi cry.

** A careful listen will reveal that it is always the same cicada sound effect every time, which can be very distracting.
*** Upon closer listening, one can find that exact same cicada sound effect in many Anime. Wilhelm's Cicada, perhaps?

* The Endless Eight episode of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' features this. Haruhi insists that catching cicadas is part of a perfect summer. She also insists on releasing them, after. Kyon says that releasing them feels like opening Pandora's Box.
** The interesting theme here is that in Eastern mythology, cicadas represent reincarnation and the soul leaving the body to start over again, which perfectly describes the Endless Eight.

* It wouldn't be summer in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon: Friends of Mineral Town'' without the scream of cicadas, especially around the Harvest Goddess' lake.

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'', the cicadas chirping is the most vivid thing Shiki remembers of the day [[spoiler:he was killed, brought back to life, and
brainwashed to forget it]]. He even compares [[spoiler:his own]] dead body to a discarded cicada shell.