Ask John: Why Do Anime Guys Keep Their Eyes Closed?

Question:
I’ve always wondered if there was any significance to anime characters having their eyes closed three-quarters of the time? Yakumo from 3 X 3 eyes, Takashi from Card Captor Sakura and Chichiri from Fushigi Yugi, among others, all have their eyes closed except for some rare instances.

Answer:
Having never seen any explanation of this phenomenon before, I can only guess that this is rooted in Chinese archetype. I’m only guessing, but I’m inclined to say that these characters are intended to harken to the ancient, Buddhist monks and wise men who spent their time in meditation. Commonly the characters with their eyes closed all of the time are male, and they are usually characters that are, or seem to be, wiser, more experienced and more knowledgeable than those around them. Their eyes are always closed as though they were always deep in thought. In effect, having their eyes closed all the time is simply a subtle form of additional characterization.