Have you ever seen an anime character running with a toast or bread in their mouth? Do you know how this meme originated? What was the first anime where this happened? In this article, we will investigate the origin of the famous bread in the mouth! Damn! I’m late for school.
A common anime episode opening consists of a character being late for school. They run out of the house with a slice of toast in their mouth, while trying to put on their jacket and bumping into people (usually the senpai) and getting their clothes dirty with jelly.
This cliché is quite popular in romantic comedy anime, breaking the perfect character mold, giving a sense of awkwardness. In Japan, as in many countries, there is a stigma against eating in public.
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How did this toast-in-mouth cliché originate?
The first work where this scene appeared was a Shoujo from the 70s, and soon this scene became quite popular across all genres, until it became such a cliché that nowadays it is used only for comic relief or teasing.
Some claim that it all started in a manga called Tsuraize! Boku Chan written by Takahashi Ryouko in 1975. However, at that time, bread was not even popular in Japan; someone claimed to have searched for the manga in the Kyoto museum and did not find a bread in the mouth.
Another person claims it originated in a manga written by Motomura Miyoko about Patty’s first love from 1968. In this scene, she does not literally run with a toast but rather with a roll of bread in her mouth.
Some believe that this cliché originated from American soap operas in the 1950s where this same scene occurred.
The name of the first anime is also unknown; some say it is Project A-ko from 1986, while others say it is the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam where Amuro Ray is chewing a sandwich.
The origin of a meme: Damn! I’m late for school
Because of this famous toast-in-mouth cliché, some Japanese people and other internet jokers started recording and taking pictures of exaggerated scenes and runs while carrying objects in their mouths.
It all started in 2011 when a thread was created in an anime forum named Fuck Yeah Animu Toast with the intent of sharing fan art of anime characters with toast in their mouths running to school.
During this period, photos began to emerge of people carrying objects in their mouths on the famous site Tumblr. Soon this spread in such a way that it became the famous meme Damn! I’m late for school.
Animes where characters run with toast in their mouth
The list of animes where characters run with bread in their mouths is extensive; let’s try to list some below:
- Seitokai Yakuindomo;
- Cardcaptor Sakura;
- Pokemon;
- Evangelion;
- Hajiotsu; Shoujo Mangaka;
- Black Butler; Code Geass;
- Nisekoi; Maid-Sama;
To conclude, let’s leave some images; see if you recognize them:
I hope you enjoyed the article! We appreciate the comments and shares! We recommend reading the following articles with a bread in your mouth:
- Breaking Clichés of Novels – Doki Doki Literature Club!
- The controversial animes that caused controversies
Sources of inspiration: tvtropes, knowyourmeme
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