Anachronism Stew / Anime & Manga

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• Even though Entaku No Kishi Monogatari Moero Arthur is supposed to take place in The High Middle Ages, it has this trope in many instances:
  • Merlin and several characters weren't in the original myth (and in fact are from myths that were written decades/centuries earlier), but hey, they have to keep it consistent with the most common version of the story people are familiar with.
  • In Hakuba no Ōji, Arthur is at one point confronted by a Viking ship, which has propellers amongst advanced weapons like a gatling bow.
  • Arthur has a Pegasus, even though they originate from Ancient Greek mythology.
• Berserk includes—in addition to things that come straight from the imagination of the artist or only exist in the fantasy genre—many types of weaponry, armor, architecture, costumes, ships, etc. that did exist in real life, but in widely separate time periods. That's what gives us things like 14th century helmets, 16th century palaces, 17th century frigates, and 18th century ballgowns all mixed up together. It is a fantasy work incorporating historical elements rather than a historical work incorporating fantasy elements, so it's best to just appreciate the level of detail. The author is on record as saying he's perfectly aware that he depicts forms of armor, for example, that weren't all used at the same time, but decided to throw in whatever he thought would be cool instead of limiting himself.
• Samurai Champloo opens the series with a title card declaring that it is not a historical document. It then gleefully throws everything it can get its hands on (from hip-hop to baseball) into the Edo period of Japan (1603-1867/1868). Doubly amusing because baseball is a hugely popular sport in modern Japan.

  " (clears throat) This is not an accurate historical portrayal. Like we care. Now shut up and enjoy the show."

  • One of the first villains seen in the show is a guy with dyed blond hair, several facial piercings, wearing a tracksuit. It goes down/uphill from there.
• Slayers has most of this in the form of the outfits some of the cast winds up wearing, mostly in the gag episodes. Episode 16 of season 2 involves the cast getting involved in a game similar to tennis; several wind up wearing sportswear that sticks out from the Medieval European Fantasy outfits like a sore thumb.
  • There's also a vehicle that operates like a more modern train in the third season, but it looks like a giant...thing made of stone, so it might not count.
• Bleach: The World of the Living is modern, but Soul Society resembles Edo-period Japan with some oddball modern inclusions, such as sunglasses and computers, and highly advanced R&D that is led by a Mad Scientist. Shinigami equipment therefore ranges from archaic to modern to futuristic, leaving Shinigami in awe of modern pre-packaged food while sporting communication devices that are better than human equivalents. Shinigami often bring home items purchased in the World of the Living and there is a Noodle Incident surrounding Hisagi once bringing back a motorcycle that was eventually confiscated by Yamamoto.
  
  This also extends to strange music references. In flashbacks to a century ago, Shinji was listening to jazz from the World of the Living, which he says is just kicking off, but the first "jazz" recordings date to 1917. However, Kubo includs an omake in the associated volume where he tells Shinji that, naturally, jazz didn't really exist a century ago. Cue comical bafflement from Shinji over what he's actually listening to. At the time period in question, the music that was just kicking off was ragtime, which was the genesis of jazz and which is sometimes included under the "jazz" category.
• D.Gray-Man has a slightly less frequent occurrence, which is anything related to Komui. While most of the technology seems fairly well-depicted for a series taking place in the late 19th century, it is unclear where exactly Komui got his hands on hover-devices and the technology to build Komurin. His standard toolset consisting of a giant electrical drill and some other power-tools are also pretty advanced for the setting.
  • General Cross dual-wields modern handguns that shoot magical homing bullets.
  • And where exactly did Komui get his hands on modern clothes while everyone else wears 19th century clothing?
    • This is actually commonplace for the tech division. One can only wonder why a 19th century religious organization working under the Vatican would have a tech division in the first place...
• The places that the cast of Soul Eater go to are... varied. Medieval Japanese villages with Assassin problems, Polish villages who specialize in Golem manufacture, mixed with modern depictions of Venice, Italy and an apparently modern American neighborhood., and London (well, Tower Bridge, at least). Also, The Grim Reaper and his students all live in a city in Nevada.
  • There's also people like Jack the Ripper, Rasputin and Al Capone running around to make it even more confusing.
• In Gintama, aliens (known as Amanto) forcibly opened up Japan instead of Commodore Perry and crew, bringing all sorts of new-fangled technology to Edo (space travel, electric fans, bazookas, etc). And since Gintama is supposed to be a Gag Series, you get things like the main character being a big fan of Weekly Shonen Jump (most notably Bleach, since he uses a sword too), idol singers, and countless references to modern pop culture mixed in with more traditional fare, like The Shinsengumi, the Jooi resistance, and the Oniwabanshu (though disbanded in the series).
• In Hetalia: Axis Powers, the Roman Empire and Germania are occasionally seen interacting with characters during the first half of the twentieth century.
  • Also, Austria is wearing decidedly modern style glasses in the mid-18th century.
  • China is wearing a changshan when he first meets little Japan in the bamboo forest.
  • Lampshaded at one point when America is using a modern era computer during World War II. England tells him to stop showing off.
  • Anime only: the Holy Roman Empire gets woken up by an alarm clock in the 16th century.
    • In one episode which is presumably set in the 1940s, France uses a digital camera which prints photos like a Polaroid.
    • One episode has Italy mentioning that Germany has pornographic DVDs, even though the DVD would not be invented until several decades after that point in the story.
    • In episodes depicting the North African front of WWII, the Allies were depicted with a bunch of M1 Abrams tanks. All while Italy is fumbling around to perfect the design of his contemporary tank.
• Samurai Gun. Rebel samurai armed with automatic pistols fighting government forces armed with Steampunk devices and the inevitable gatling guns.
• Black Butler is set in London in late 1888, when Jack the Ripper was at large. There's two ways this trope gets used:
  • Early-Installment Weirdness and the anime adaptation play the trope 100% straight. The maid in the house washes clothes with a washing machine and laundry detergent sold in a box^note Later chapters of the manga gave her a period-typical wash bin and rack, the chef cooks food with a flamethrower^note Later changed to using period-accurate explosives, badly, and Jack the Ripper fights with a chainsaw^note This one is Justified because Jack the Ripper is a Reaper, and therefore not limited to using mortal technology.
    • And there are cell phones used by people who look like they're in the mafia.
    • And video games existed.
    • And Queen Vicky wears Cool Shades^note Later manga arcs just give her a period-typical veil.
  • As the manga carried on, the anachronisms were toned down until they largely fell into two categories: aesthetic or Invoked Trope for plot relevance.
    • One arc had technology from the 20th century only exist in the 1800's thanks to a Lensman Arms Race; the existence of this technology drove the arc's plot because it was so far ahead of its time and everyone wanted to steal it.
    • A Reaper directly confirmed that humans can gain advanced technology and scientific knowledge by making contracts with demons and other supernatural forces. In other words, anytime you see something that doesn't belong in that time period, keep track of it.
    • Speaking of, the Reapers have access to modern technology such as plastic-framed glasses, a modern wristwatch, and the aforementioned chainsaw. Justified as they're supernatural beings, and since they can predict death before it happens it's possible they have access to time-related magic.
• Osamu Tezuka loved to throw in gross anachronisms into his historical works. The first volume of Phoenix, for instance, has an ancient Japanese general leave to read a James Bond novel (which may be a Woolseyism on the part of the translator), and things like televisions and refrigerators are worked into other volumes of the series via Bamboo Technology.
  • A phone conversation occurs in one volume set in Feudal Japan without even that Handwave. (It's worth noting that Phoenix works regardless, because Rule of Cool, Rule of Funny, and Rule of Drama are all somehow in effect.)
  • Lampshaded in Dororo. The titular thief compares himself to Nezumi Kozō (a folk hero along the line of Robin Hood), then points out that Nezumi Kozō hasn't even been born yet. This is in addition to numerous straight usages.
  • Near the end of the Buddha series, Buddha heals Prince Crystal by placing his finger on the tumor that is killing him. One of the prince's advisors said he heard of this power before, and asks Buddha if he's E.T. A few chapters later E.T., Yoda, and Cherry (from Urusei Yatsura) make a cameo appearance.
• Nintama Rantarou takes place during the Edo era, this trope shows up sometimes, mostly played for laughs. Examples include Rantarou being bespectacled, and a vending machine showing up in one episode.
• Occurs in both Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero. The servants tend to be anachronistic, with most being summoned wearing very modern-looking clothing and hairstyles, and Saber and Gilgamesh wearing armour (and in the latter case, a lot of various weapon types) that did not exist at the time their legends occurred.
• Samurai Pizza Cats cheerfully mixes modern technology & culture, along with futuristic Funny Animal cyborg things & Humongous Mecha into an Edo-period setting.
• Kurogane has what amounts to a steampunk cyborg for a protagonist. It's a Jidaigeki.
• Oh! Edo Rocket has a lot of this. Supposedly set in the early 19th century, but shows various characters using modern technology such as computers, TVs, and pocket calculators. They also often use terms that weren't used in their time period. Example: one city commissioner calls another a "bleeding-heart left-wing liberal", which the accused liberal then proceeds to lampshade and Break the Fourth Wall simultaneously by saying, "Now, sir, that term wasn't used in this time period." The other man replies, "I'm sure the audience understands what I mean."
• One Piece, presumably set sometime in the 15th century, features technologies such as radio, video, submarines, steam engines, surgery, and a wide variety of electronic machinery. Radio and video are lampshaded with the Rule of Funny - the signals are transmitted via handheld snails called Den Den Mushi. Yes, snails.
  • The rest are explained away by the existence of a Mad Scientist named Vegapunk who is said to be 500 years ahead of his time, and by the fact that One Piece seems to be set in an Alternate Universe or Constructed World.
  • As of One Piece Chapter 1065, It was revealed that the Aincient Kingdom had Advanced Technology on par or even beyond the current setting of the chapter
• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, as mentioned in its page, has sword-swinging cavalry charges usually being backed up with machine gun fire from levitating bell jars. Torumekian gunship pilot uniform consists of full medieval-style plate armour complete with a spiked visor helmet. The setting of the movie is post-apocalyptic, so it is less odd than it sounds.
• Daikyouryu no Jidai features three kids from the present day being transported to the Cretaceous Period to witness the last days of the dinosaurs. Despite being set in the Cretaceous, dinosaurs and other reptiles from the earlier Triassic and Jurassic periods make appearances despite already being extinct for million of years by then. The most jarring example is a cameo by Edaphosaurus, a pelycosaurian synapsid that lived even earlier (in the Permian Period) and thus was already extinct when the first dinosaurs evolved. There is also the Ice Age happening right at the beginning of the Cenozoic Era, instead of millions of years later in the Pleistocene.
• Certain Gundam series tend to blend archaic aesthetics with space age society and technology. For example, most One Year War themed series feature World War II aesthetics, ranging from Zeon uniforms being Wehrmacht knockoffs to Federation ground troops using full sized walkie-talkies and backpack sized communication gear in the field, while later UC series (as well as Gundam Wing) tend to place emphasis on European fashion and cultural themes (i.e. the guillotine in Victory Gundam) in spite of their advanced technological settings.
• Afro Samurai takes hip hop and samurai, some Old West, a little Buddhism, cell phones, stereos... you have samurai talking gangsta style. But it works. A little Samuel L. Jackson helps. When he orders "lemonade... ice cold" at the dusty old bar, itself part oriental, part Old West... and tosses out a little Japanese... it is very cool. Then there's the heavy crossbow, with autofire, with the underslung grenade launcher. Monks with "hoes" in Oriental temples, with cybernetic hands, chanting koans between fiery preaching. China and Russia are mentioned, and from the dialogue of the monks, it seems that the story takes place in Japan.
• In-universe example: An early episode of Pokémon: The Series featured a carving of a Mewtwo on one of the external walls of what appears to be a century-old lighthouse. Mewtwo wasn't even created until the second half of the Kanto arc.
• Fullmetal Alchemist is essentially set in a Fantasy Counterpart Culture version of the early 20th century. Everyone wears modern clothing, though occasionally you'll see characters wearing time appropriate clothing (especially if they're older). Certain places are less technologically advanced than our early 20th century, but they are also more advanced than our counterpart years; for one they have "automail", which is even more advanced than our current mechanical prosthetics.
• Naruto is a weird example. They have legitimate ninjas and have a society that's very reminiscent of older times in Japan, but they have more modern things like modern chain-link fences, sunglasses, the characters tend to wear more modern clothing, and at one point some characters use a VCR. They also seem to have much more modern-ish hospitals.
  • Lampshaded in the abridged series when Naruto questions what time period they're in.
  • Lampshaded several times in the Rock Lee spinoff when Kabuto questions whether certain things like electricity exist in this world. Which is a contradiction since in the original series he uses some kind of medical computer at one point.
  • Word of God says the Naruto universe is modern except for their lack of cars and guns.
  • Brought to a head in Distant Finale, where Naruto is shown using a laptop.
  • The end credits of The Last: Naruto the Movie show Hinata, Sakura, Ino and Tenten taking a selfie with what appears to be a smartphone. Note that this takes place during the Time Skip between Chapters 699 and 700.
  • Continued in Boruto, where we continue to see smartphones alongside video games and airships, the Chunin Exams are broadcast over continent-wide television, ninja villages now have R&D departments manned by people in lab coats, and while the Hidden Leaf Village still looks like a metropolis of bamboo, wooden scraps, and rope, the inside of Naruto's house looks indistinguishable from a 21st-century American suburban upper-class house, with dinner served at a glass table and a complete home theater system with surround sound speakers.
• The Dragon Ball series is full of this. Technology is so advanced that objects larger than houses can be stored in a tiny, pill shaped capsule. On the other side of the spectrum the world outdoors is filled with saber-tooth tigers and dinosaurs (themselves anachronistic if you know your pre-history). That's all it gets early on in the series, but then we find large cities with spherical-shaped buildings in a setting we've mostly seen looking like ancient China. Even the cities themselves have this: you'll see cars driving by on roads, and in the background see sky tubes for the flying vehicles. That is shortly before the heroes explore a pirate cave guarded by a robot with WWII-era machine guns. In one scene the characters are in a personal flying plane from one of the capsules and are sent a picture... via fax!
  • Somewhat explained by the fact that 300 years ago, they had modern technology, including machine guns, but that was also when King Piccolo devastated humanity. Which means that the Schizo Tech is because Dragon Ball is a post-apocalyptic setting.
• Tono to Issho is set in the Sengoku Period, but some characters wear modern clothes, and apparently anime and microphones have been invented.
• Even if you ignore the Humongous Mecha, Nobunaga the Fool still features Oda Nobunaga, Joan of Arc, and Leonardo da Vinci together, when in Real Life, they weren't even alive at the same time.
• The Circumstances Leading to Waltraute's Marriage is set in Norse Mythology, but features things like the metric system and modern day-style swimsuits. The main characters do question where these things come from.
• In Akame ga Kill!, though the setting appears to be in a medieval period, there are some modern day technology used commonly throughout the show, such as guns, electric lighting, large leisure boats, and some of the clothing such as a suit and necktie. Chelsea also sports some headphones and regularly sucks on lollipops. And then there's the protagonist Tatsumi, who looks like a hipster with his unzipped hoodie and T-shirt or collared shirt underneath.
• The World is Still Beautiful averts it for most of the series, which leans toward a vaguely 18th-Century sensibility, particularly with regards to architecture and fashions. However, once the story returns to Nike's home country we're treated to, of all things, a full-blown idol concert, complete with speakers, spotlights, and wireless microphones. And later on, during Nike and Livi's formal engagement ceremony, they bring out what looks like a film projector. An exasperated Neil even comments on how he has no idea what these things are supposed to be.
• Princess Sarah: When Sarah's father goes to London to enroll her at Miss Minchin's seminar, he becomes a guest at the Savoy Hotel, which still didn't exist back then.
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
  • A scene in Battle Tendency, set in the 1930s includes Joseph Joestar reading a comic book with an ad for 1965's Get Smart on the back cover.
  • Also in Battle Tendency, Joseph uses a pair of clackers soaked in oil as weapons to channel Hamon through, despite clackers not being invented until the 1960s.
• Kairi Shimotsuki knows her Japanese history and shows her work in Brave10 in a lot of little details that Jidaigeki fare often overlooks, but she also gleefully dresses her main characters in outrageous outfits mixing modern fringe fashions and unconventional traditional ones, has them eat lollipops, incorporate ballet and modern dance into traditional dance forms, invent rapid-firing pistols, and generally behave in ways that would not be appropriate to the time it is set (1599-1601).
• Innocents Shounen Juujigun While not to an extreme extent, there are enough inaccuracies and blurring of centuries that it borders on this. (Ex: the types of houses shown are from much later than the 13th century)
• In Boarding School Juliet, the characters adhere to samurai codes of honor, take steam trains, and have LCD televisions. (And for dramatic reasons, there are no cellphones.)
• The Clover Kingdom from Black Clover seems to suffer from this. On the one hand, the kingdom seems to resemble the medieval period in many ways, such as in architecture, mindsets and clothing of many of its people. And yet, at the same time, you also have outfits that could easily pass for modern day clothing, and certain kinds of clothes, such as swimsuits, are distinctly modern. In addition, they have other modern technology, such as modern toilets, plumbing and toilet paper.
• Yasuke: A few seconds into the show, a Humongous Mecha shows up at the Battle of Honno-ji, letting you know right off the bat that this will not be a purely historical work.
• Spy X Family: The general technology level and culture of the setting are clearly meant to evoke the 60's era of the Cold War, but the series is littered with references to things ranging from the 1950's to the 2010's. At the end of Volume 6, the author admits that he intended the series to be set in the 60's or 70's, but if he can't remember or find out if something he wants to include is actually from that time period, he includes it anyway on the basis that it's a fictional country. The only real constant is that the internet and cell phones do not exist.
• A Bride's Story: Anis owns a Persian cat which appears to have the ultra-typed flat face created by American breeders since the 1950s, rather than the short-muzzled look of traditional Persians. However, closer inspection reveals that this appearance is only true in panels where its face is foreshortened; any time the cat's head is seen in profile, it shows the Traditional Persian facial features.
• Inverted and Played With in Twilight Star Sui and Neri, in respect to the story's time setting in The Future, specifically the 26th Century (2531). While Earth's cities and its interstellar planetary colonies have futuristic technology including passenger spaceships, multi-purpose cards, maglev (magnetic levitation) trains, multi-layered buildings and smart glasses, Tetsunagi Island is the complete opposite to all of these things, as it is a city that is reminiscent to the 21st Century.
  • Paper bills and coins are still the staple currency of Tetsunagi, despite multi-purpose cards (like the one Shida uses) completely defeating the purpose of doing so as it functions as a debit card.
  • Sui's portable radio, tech that is considered a vintage museum piece in this era, is still functionally working in 26th Century despite the seemingly ancient age of the device.
  • Tetsunagi's buildings and neighbourhoods, as a whole, are considered out of place in the 26th Century, as many of its architectural standards resemble more closely to a 21st Century city than a 26th Century city.

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