Corner of Woe

I think we broke him.

"I really feel like sobbing to myself in a dark corner right now..."

— Phoenix Wright, Turnabout Storm

When things look depressing for our comical anime hero, what's the best course of action? Why, go Super-Deformed, sit in a corner, wrap your arms around your knees, and sulk like you've never sulked before! Preferably in a Dramatic Spotlight. Bonus points if you manage to act gloomy enough to attract ghosts or grow mushrooms in your dark, damp corner of woe. The technical term for this is latibulating.

Often combined with Color Failure. Compare Troubled Fetal Position when this position is adopted out of shock rather than sulking. See also Shower of Angst.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• Ah! My Goddess: Keiichi goes into the corner, complete with dark clouds and spirals, after returning home from a visit to the sea where he accidentally confessed his love to Skuld, not Belldandy.
• In Air, Uraha and Ryuya do this when Kanna tells them not to sit so close to her. Repeatedly.
• In the twenty-fourth chapter of the Asteroid in Love manga, Mira, Ao and Mai all go into this when it's revealed Mari doesn't accepted into her preferred college by the means of recommendation. As Mikage explains why she and Mari never mentioned their college admissions (to avoid her underclassmen from getting too depressed over a potential rejection), she also goes into the Corner of Woe as she realizes it was also her fault about her announcing her own acceptance the previous day.
• In the manga and anime adaptations of The Apothecary Diaries, Jinshi does this in volume 4/Episode 12 after dismissing Maomao from the Inner Palace over a verbal misunderstanding complete with a black outline, Color Failure, and mushrooms growing on his head.
• Nyamo did this once in Azumanga Daioh at the beach house, after being upstaged, embarrassed, and verbally and utterly trashed by Yukari.
• In Barakamon, Handa goes into this after he learns that he came in second to an 18-year-old in a calligraphy competition.
• Bleach: Surprisingly, it happens to Ichigo Kurosaki when he is told by Isshin to stay out of the way while Isshin, Yuzu and Karin tend to victims of an accident.
• In Buso Renkin, Kazuki has one of these instants when Okakura's report card grade turns out to be higher than his.
• City Hunter: Ryo Saeba does this a few times when his Obfuscating Stupidity act gets so annoying people yells at him. In one of those times he even muttered "Why must a hitman be always serious?"
• In one of the Death Note four panel comics, Ryuk does this after Light tells him that he's more human than most of the human characters, and should quit being a Shinigami.
• Fullmetal Alchemist:
  • Alphonse has been known to do this.
    Al: It's not my fault I'm big!
  • Mustang does this whenever someone (usually Hawkeye) points out that he's useless when wet.
  • In Brotherhood, Yoki does this.
• Fushigi Yuugi does this twice, though both instances aren't actually in corners.
  • In the first instance, we see Miaka trying to cheer Tamahome up after the Kodoku arc. She tells him that none of the evil things he did, which she bluntly explains in detail, was his fault.
  • The second instance occurs in the omake, where everyone is disguised as a woman. Chichiri is so awesome that he changes his appearance entirely, and Miaka wonders aloud if he was trying to look like the fiance his best friend stole from him, driving him to kill said best friend.
• Happens during THAT SCENE in Girls Bravo, coupled with a Heroic BSoD moment, when Kazuhara finds out one of the girls is packin' a nasty surprise...
• Hetalia: Axis Powers:
  • Germany has one of these incidents in his cell after Italy reveals his deepest, darkest, fetishes to the Allies.
  • England also has one as well when he and France decide to let little America choose who he wants to be his big brother. France offers America a gourmet meal, which England knows he can't compete against with his cooking.
• Hidamari Sketch:
  • The Four-Girl Ensemble are having a chankonabe — or sumo wrestler's hot pot — prepared mainly by the weight-conscious cook Hiro. And then Miyako and Sae utter lines usually reserved for sumo wrestlers — likely to be incidental — and prompt Hiro herself to leave her apartment and sit in the Corner Of Woe in the backyard.
  • Yuno almost walked off into a garbage pile of woe in one chapter upon discovering that someone she thought as more talented than her was forced to leave school while she was still there. The anime handled the chapter somewhat differently, by only giving Yuno the spotlight.
• In Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure, Sora and Ageha both do this when Princess Ellee tells them they hate them for attempting to scold her over drawing in Mashiro's sketch book, the two hunched over in despair on chairs.
• Hyakunichikan!!: Shuuto doesn't go into a corner, but he does tend to grow mushrooms when he has his head down on his desk in despair. In contrast, Aoki grows a flower from his head to emphasize his positive attitude.
• I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying: Kaoru accidentally ends up causing Hajime and Mayotama to start sulking when she points out that they don't have any friends in real life.
• In Kimi ni Todoke, Kazehaya does this after unintentionally 'proposing' to Sawako and being mocked by Pin. Yeah, long story.
• K-On!:
  • Mio goes into the corner not when she's upset, but whenever something scary or disgusting happens. In one episode, Yamanaka-sensei tries to enter the corner for some good old-fashioned weeping, only to find Mio there already.
  • Yui did this once in the Manga after Ritsu tears off the protective film on Yui's guitar.
• In episode 7 of Kotoura-san, both Manabe and Haruka's grandfather sit in one after they find out the mixed bathhouse is closed due to repairs.
• Kyō, Koi o Hajimemasu: Tsubaki ends up like this during the Christmas chapter because Sakura reminds her she has to stay and study. Complete with hitodama.
• Haruka from Lovely★Complex does this all the time, especially after Otani and Koizumi finally get together.
• Konata of Lucky Star does this when lamenting the cable company's inability to install cable TV (and hence Anime-channels) in her suburb.
• A strip◊ of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha omake has Lindy doing this after being reminded of her age.
• Shiratori Ryushi did this the first time he got picked on for his "girly looks" in Mahoraba. He even got hitodama in the manga.
• In one Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure episode, it happens sometime after the heroines find a videoke house (unknowingly) set up by the bad guys that somehow has the songs they sang against their enemies. In trying out their songs, they somehow keep getting low scores. When Rina sings one of her image songs, "Piece of Love", and gets a measly 16, she enters this pose.
• Midori Days: Invoked by Ayase, after failing to seduce Seiji with her new swimsuit, which she'd chosen for the express purpose of showing off her figure.
• Sun's Father in My Bride is a Mermaid does this after Sun cuts her bond from the Seto family.
• My Hero Academia: During the camping arc, when Yaoyozoru describes her power to create objects, Sero remarks that it's kind of like pooping — and to make matters worse, they're in the middle of eating curry. Cue Yaomomo sitting in the (metaphorical) corner while Jiro punches Sero and demands he apologize.
  • Tamaki Amajiki, a third-year and one of the top-ranking students at U.A., is a massive Shrinking Violet and spends most of his time off-duty in the corner, being too shy to face the rest of his peers.
• In My-Otome, Nina does this after her plan to capture the Gelle Anguille fails because the labels on the sugar and salt were switched, although she doesn't realize it at the time. She had been hoping her plan would succeed to make up for the humiliation of almost drowning because of the Gelle Anguille.
• In the beginning of Part II of Naruto, Naruto and Sakura would do this whenever Sasuke was mentioned.
• One Piece:
  • In the Whiskey Peak arc, Nami desperately tries to convince Luffy not to go up against Crocodile, but he just won't listen. At one point, she ends up getting so frustrated she does the trope, as Vivi tries to cheer her up with money.
  • Jyabura does this in an episode of after finding out that Fukurou told everyone Jyabura's girlfriend dumped him.
  • Franky does one (minus the Dramatic Spotlight) when the rest of the crew decides on the name for their new ship without even paying attention to his attempt to make a suggestion.
  • Perona's Negative Hollows force anyone hit by them into this trope. Except for Usopp; she merely adopted the Corner Of Woe; Usopp was born in it.
• Bizarrely, the cutesy intro for Oreshura has a couple of these as a Freeze-Frame Bonus.
• Happens at least Once per Episode in Oruchuban Ebichu, usually after Ebichu gets pulverized by OL.
• In Ouran High School Host Club, this is Tamaki's signature move, as seen above. He does it very well. (Yes, he has been ordered to "Stop growing mushrooms in other peoples' closets!", so bonus points.) It's later shown to run in the family; near the end of the manga, Tamaki's father, Yuzuru (who, unlike in the anime, is exactly like his son, though he can be ruthless if pushed too many times), does this when he is told off by his mother.
• In the manga of Persona 3, after Junpei coldly tells Ryoji to go home when the latter tries to say that girls are a distraction to him, Ryoji suffers from this while Minato tries to console him.
• The Pet Girl of Sakurasou: While they're outside, Yuko does this in episode 7 when she boasts that she's slept in Sorata's bed the year before. Then Mashiro says she slept in his bed too, causing her to retreat into this trope. (Of course, this is just one of Mashiro's Not What It Looks Like moments.)
• Bertie Wooster does this in the manga Please, Jeeves after he overhears Jeeves calling him "mentally negligible".
• Pokémon: The Series:
  • Happens to a Gengar and Haunter in an early episode, when Ash tells them that their comedy routine isn't funny.
  • When Brock first returned after the Orange Islands arc, he would go into the Corner Of Woe any time someone mentioned Professor Ivy.
  • In same episode, Ash does that later when Misty mentions Gary!
  • Ash, Brock and Pikachu all go into a corner after boasting their "expertise" in falling into Team Rocket's pitfalls...and May and Max point out that that's not something to be proud of.
  • Ash's Staravia does when Ash announces he won't be using him in his Gym battle against Roark. Dawn tries to cheer him up.
• Ranma ½:
  • In the manga, Ranma starts sulking in a corner when he sees Shinnosuke's head on Akane's lap.
  • He sulks again when he is seperated from Akane by moving out of the Tendō household.
• In the Rurouni Kenshin anime, Kenshin does this a few times whenever Seijuuro Hiko brings up a funny or otherwise embarrassing memory of Kenshin in his youth. This comes complete with purple floating spirits.
• Dororo on Sgt. Frog tends to do this when his "Trauma Switch" activates.
• She's My Knight:
  • Mogami sits in one (with a Brown Bag Mask still on her head) after it fails to make her any less charming. A passing schoolgirl swoons over her "nice back".
  • Ichinose later runs away to one when he's labeled a "shoujo heroine".
• During chapter 083 of Squid Girl, after trying and failing to win at least one match of Rock-Paper-Scissors, Ika demands a rematch from Eiko, saying that she can use a special move so that she can't lose...and Eiko tells Ika that every Rock-Paper-Scissors player needs to use the three signs. This results in Ika ending up like this.
• Soul Eater:
  • Every time you mention Death the Kid's "Sanzu Lines" (the three lines that only wrap around the left side of his head), he goes into a spiral of depression due to his obsession over symmetry.
  • Crona spends so much time in the Corner of Woe that they nicknamed it Mr. Corner/Roomsky Kornerkov. They can even inflict the corner on others; Crona once wrote a poem so depressing that Maka, Marie, Soul, and even Black☆Star crept into a corner mumbling "I wish I'd never been born," after reading it. Sid the zombie followed them with "I wish I'd never come back to life," — not because he read the poem, but because he couldn't get Crona to stop being afraid of him.
• Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note: Wakatake has one of this (on top of his dad's spiral chair) at episode 8, due to losing the chance to publicly name and shame Sunahara Meats.
• In The Unpopular Mangaka and the Helpful Onryo-san, Senai hides under the covers after he gets a negative online review.
• Popura in Wagnaria!! pulls one when she feels Takanashi doesn't trust her.
• Even Ranmaru has done this in a chapter of The Wallflower when the gang ate some strange mushrooms. Of course, it isn't really a corner, since they're outside, but it still manages to give that impression.
• In The World God Only Knows, Keima did this when he was unable to beat a buggy game.
• This happens quite often in Yakitate!! Japan; most of the characters get a scene like this.
• Zombie Land Saga:
  • In episode 7. After Junko gets shocked by how idol industry has changed during the 35 years since her death, she barricades herself in a room (complete with warning signs and "do not cross" tape) and sulks perfectly still in the same spot for weeks. She even starts growing mushrooms on her head, which unusually for this trope are 100% real.
  • In episode 11, both Tae and Sakura end up like this over recent events; Tae sits facing a wall and mopes, while Sakura goes full-on Junko, barricading herself in a room with warning signs and "do not cross" tape (she doesn't stay long enough to grow mushrooms, though).

Arts

• The Fallen Angel: Alexandre Cabanel's Lucifer is atop a rocky mountain, scrunched up with his arms protecting his face, and doing some major sulking because he's no longer welcome in Heaven. Therefore making this trope Older Than Radio.

Fan Works

• In The Mad Scientist Wars, third-rung character "Calypso", a Caribbean Retired Badass James Bond parody who now works as a secretary, is described as doing this briefly in one scene, supposedly due to being beaten in arm wrestling by the new girl. It's likely he was fooling, as he recovers suspiciously quickly.
• Naru-Hina Chronicles:
  • Both Naruto and Sasuke do it when Tsunade reminds them that they're both still Genin (Naruto overslept and missed the previous Chunin Exams, and Sasuke was on probation and wasn't allowed to take them at all).
  • Naruto does this again after Ichiro found an item that Naruto needed for the Chunin Exams while in the Forest of Death.
  • Shino does it as well when he thinks that Naruto finds him boring after the blond-haired ninja admitted that Shino talking about bugs the other day was a little boring.
  • Mina goes to that corner when she takes it the wrong way while Naruto is trying to compliment her beauty.
  • Naruto does this once again when Tsunade makes him realize he was waiting at the hospital to get some results regarding some thieves for nothing.
  • Shino returns to that corner when Hinata is surprised to learn that he has a date.
  • Anko goes to that corner when Kei ignores her suggestion of having a night on the town after the mission.
• Phoenix expresses his desire to do this in Turnabout Storm after the poor guy gets his masculinity mocked by Pinkie Pie, a freaking pink pony.

Films — Live Action

• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: While E.T. is dying on the operating table, Michael retreats into the walk-in closet upstairs and assumes this pose.
• 12 Angry Men: At one point, Juror 10 rants angrily about minorities, including that of the defendant (a Hispanic), stating that minorities living in slums are animals who kill for fun and gleefully break the law, showing no respect for people he believes are owed it by birthright. When the other jurors begin ignoring him, only one of them allows him to continue, before 10 sees that he's no longer being listened to. When he pleads for them to allow him to finish, because he's got a lot more to say, Juror 4 finishes it: "I have (listened) ... now sit down and don't open your mouth again." For the rest of the film, 10 fits the trope, perhaps for the first time in his life, sitting in a corner alone, rarely participating and conceding defeat, giving a weak acknowledgement of "not guilty" when another poll is taken toward the end of the film.

Live-Action TV

• Super Sentai:
  • Task 32 in GoGo Sentai Boukenger, Akashi Satoru had this deep when he failed the adventurer test.
  • In GP 31 of Engine Sentai Go-onger, Hiroto has this when his attempt to calm down a Monster of the Week with a love ballad fails. Villains Yogostein and Kitaneidas join him afterwards when they attempt to do the same by dressing up as idol girls.
  • A rare live-action version occurs in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, when the team meets Kyosuke Jinnai, the former Red Racer. He tells Don that since losing his powers he's become cowardly (and assumes the hugging-the-knees pose). Don, himself a scaredy cat, says he can sympathize and sits down next to Kyosuke in the same pose. This results in the two of them nodding solemnly to one another as the Monster of the Week shouts at them in confused frustration.
    • In order for Ninjaman to relinquish the Ninja Sentai Kakuranger Grand Power, the Gokaigers try various ways to impress him (Luka dresses up in a kimono, Joe bakes him a cupcake shaped in Ninjaman's likeness, and Marvelous performs a comedy routine with Navi). When Marvelous' routine goes awry, the food gets ruined, and Joe was devastated when the Ninjaman cupcake was destroyed. In a Funny Background Event, he spends the rest of the scene in the Galleon sitting inside a treasure chest, moping.
  • Ressha Sentai Toqger has Right quite literally sit out an entire battle, moping that his comedy routine completely failed to make the Monster of the Week laugh (long story). They even work in the Color Failure when he gives away his train for the team's color-changing gimmick without even taking another one.
    "ToQ #5, transferring from Pink to Red! ToQ #1, depressing from Red to... pure white."
  • Upon being freed from his brainwashing and joining the team, Misao Mondo, Zyuoh The World, of the Zyuohgers is revealed to have a crippling lack of self-esteem (due to having a Friendless Background), often characterized by this trope...even when morphed.
  • Occurs twice in Uchu Sentai Kyuranger; first time with Garu after he fails to get chosen by the Kyulette yet again, and then later Balance when he gets shot down by a forest spirit he tries to flirt with in an attempt to get a Kyutama from her.
• Eiji Hino, a.k.a. Kamen Rider OOO, puts himself in one of these when he doesn't figure out that the Victim of the Week has feelings for her teacher, a fact that both his Evil Mentor and the Second Rider found out instantly.
• Farscape. John Crichton has a habit of flying off in Farscape One when he wants to be alone. This backfires on him when Moya starbursts away without warning, leaving him drifting in space.
• Full House: A Season 4 episode, "Crimes and Michelle's Demeanor," sees Michelle sent to one when she begins misbehaving around the house, and Danny realizes that if he doesn't act now, his youngest daughter will have no sense of boundaries or consequences. When finally sent to the corner for pulling her biggest stunt — dragging a filled kiddie pool into the house — Danny kicks the trope into effect. A while later, Michelle cries out, "This is no fun staring at the wall," and the 3-year-old tyke has learned a lesson about why there are rules.

Music

• The best way to describe the current page image, courtesy of R.E.M.:
  That's me in the corner
  That's me in the spotlight
  Losing my religion

Video Games

• This is the shot you get when finishing a Tokimeki Memorial 1 playthrough with a Bad Ending (i.e. without getting a confession of love from any girl).
• In Tales of Graces, this is one of Asbel's possible reactions for his failure to lead the "We are...awesome!" victory pose.
• 100% Orange Juice!: Suguri reacts like this when K.O.'d. And it looks adorable.
• In Tiger Dojo 09 of Fate/stay night, Saber does this after the bad end where she kills Shiro.
• One Apocalyptic Log Video Will in Final Fantasy X depicts The Alcoholic Jecht sulking in a literal corner after mistaking a shoopuf for a monster and attacking it, a source for embarassment for Jecht and his party.

Web Comics

• Ash occasionally engages in this in Misfile.
• Rain: Not in a corner, but on page 336, Maria mopes by Puddle for one whole panel after blundering.
• Scandinavia and the World:
  • Denmark does it after discovering one of Iceland's "culinary dish".
  • And Vatican upon finding how the Nordics celebrate Christmas.
• The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob!: Galatea has a breakdown on realizing she's just as lousy a parent as her dad.
• A Redtail's Dream has Hannu demonstrate this in classic form in this strip.
• Magick Chicks has this happen to Tiffany (complete with gloom flames), in this scene, as a result of being left out Cerise's evil plans. It doubles as a Funny Background Event, since Mel and the others focus on questioning Cerise for her actions and fail to notice Tiffany sulking behind them.
• Sydney manages this one in Grrl Power — after interrupting a small meeting between world leaders. She bounces back, though.

Web Video

• The Joueur du Grenier has one in the first part of the Takeshi's Challenge review, after he sings karaoke to advance through the game and is told "That was shit. Get out of here."
• The Nostalgia Critic ends up retreating into 'the uncomfortable corner', sucking his thumb, after seeing a commercial for a candy that's unfortunately called Ayds.

Western Animation

• In the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode "Party of One", Pinkie Pie gets one of these scenes when she believes her friends don't want to be her friend anymore. She remains sad even after the spotlight on her is turned off and revealed to be the same one she was using to interrogate Spike.
• Happened once to the Crimson Chin from The Fairly OddParents, to the point where a comic Timmy purchased has all the panels showing CC in a fetal position and sucking his thumb.
• Kaeloo: Stumpy insults Kaeloo about her lisp in Episode 109, which ends up striking a nerve and hurting her much more deeply than he had intended. Kaeloo ends up sobbing in the corner of the room, curled into a ball.

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