anime culture tropes: fear of thunderstorms?

[timepiececlock]

I sometimes wonder if fear of thunder, lightning, or storms is a common phobia among Japanese children. I've seen several anime with characters ranging from 8 to 19, mostly female, who have an unreasonable, almost debilitating fear of thunderstorms. Typically the storms are used as a cheap plot device that ends with the frightened character hiding in a closet or hiding in someone's arms.

I understand this for very young children, but I can't think I've ever in my life met someone in their teen years or older who is so afraid of storms they're driven to hide away, literally unable to act because of fear. I can only imagine an older teen or adult behaving that way if the fear is wrapped up in a deeper mental condition, since storms, unlike sharks or heights or fires, don't present an immediate threat to one's life such that the fear is so strong as to make you irrational.

I wonder why this gimmick, this use of storms as a common phobia, is so popular in anime shows. I somehow doubt it reflects cultural reality, since I'd be just as surprised to see a 16 year old Japanese girl hiding in the closet because of storms as I would be for a 16 year old American girl. But that's where I come from, I guess. I sort of see how they want to pick a phobia to give to the female lead to make her vulnerable and in need of the hero's "protection", and thunder storms are easy because they're showy and loud but don't normally pose a threat unless you live in a riverside village. But I would think you could give the character a more realistic fear and still fulfill the story devices and cliches of a vulnerability scene.

examples off the cuff: Ouran Host Club, Saiunkoku Mongotari, possibly Sailor Moon, and more.

Comments

[hang-nga-79.livejournal.com]

I think that the Japanese may just find this phobia more 'acceptable' than Americans -but don't believe that there are 'few' Americans with a phobia of thunderstorms -that's quite untrue. Actually, brontophobia is a common phobia -I've interviewed two Caucasian adult patients (one was a male) with this phobia during one of my psychiatry electives. Yes, it is more common amongst children (many phobias are in fact since children are 'permitted' to have these fears versus 'sensible adults') but there are many adults that still have a phobia about thunderstorms (to the point of obsessively checking the weather, hiding, seeking out others, etc...)

Just google 'Brontophobia' and 'common' and I'm sure it'll pop up on all sorts of 'top ten phobia' lists. (of course, good 'ole spiders will usually top the list of phobias every time, and that's one that Americans don't mind exploiting -usually as a 'female phobia' too)