While there is much to be said for having developed characters, manga seems to be one of those literary forms where Mary Sue-ism is encouraged for a protagonist (so long as she grows), and strange eye and hair colors are used often as a symbolic form to convey character information. (It does help that the artwork accompanies the text.)

Eating and drinking scenes are very common, as how a character eats their food or shops at a market often establishes the character into a basic character type when the reader meets him. Further character development is established as the story goes on, but in a medium that has very little text space to convey information, eating is one of the classic ways to show if the character is a slob or prim and proper. Beyond that, food is also used in many plots to show trying to win affection, looking out for others, or for comedic purposes.

It is the same with waking up. Many wonder animes and manga start with a character waking up.

Not revealing the premise is also a secret of anime and manga – but it must be used wisely. Episode 2 of Seraphim Call is perhaps my favorite use of this (as well as a fine example of how to write a show about someone’s ‘daily routine’)

Any of the things you spoke of would be bad if done incorrectly. Yet I have also seen them done very well, although usually in mediums that combined art. Even in print, however, over-powerful characters with shallow development can stand out. (As I read recently, someone pointed out that Wolverine’s character development can be summed up as a ‘cranky Canadian with a murky past.’ Yet he is an enjoyable character because he is the ‘best at what he does’. (Not counting the later X-Men movies.) So how does a character with shallow character development and overpowered skills become so popular, if by your standards both of these are bad?)

I would propose that readers are willing to forgive a great deal of super-powers in their hero so long as it makes sense in the context of the story – and if they have something to latch onto within the character. (Indeed, often it is the anti-heroes and villains which are the more popular, for we sympathize with their failings and their inner thoughts more than we can grasp at the heroes virtue.)

Fairytales are classic examples of Mary-Sues who defy all odds and persecution to meet their prince charming. Today there may be a hundred versions of any given fairytale, each with much more character development and depth and far more exciting to read – but which version is remembered by the masses? The version where Cinderella is a mad-scientist and trades the king a pound of fish for the hand of the prince, or the version where she is the abused stepdaughter whose fairy god-mother turns a pumkin into a carraige?

While a character might be complex and deep, it is important to keep the more basic traits in mind as well. Cinderella, perhaps the biggest Mary Sue there ever was, resonates with the reader because she is poor. She has dreams and longings. She suffered loss, and all that was rightfully hers was taken away. While some Cinderella versions try to downplay the Mary Sue and add complications and depth (The very well written ‘Ella Enchanted’ – not the movie), others play up the Mary Sue and keep the very basics that made her a beloved character. (‘Ever After’)

Again, it is not that many of these things you warn against (except perhaps, grammar errors), are mistakes. They are mistakes if done incorrectly. As most – shifts in timeline or POV, are hard to pull off even for seasoned writers, then it is true that every aspect must be treated carefully and it might be better to ask if the fancy extras are truly essential.

Yet I have read pieces where the picking up of a cup, the glance from a window, the touch of a hand, or who ordered what drink was significant. It is good to beware the mundane if it merely is the mundane, but if the mundane reflects the deeper reality of the piece, then it is no longer mundane but essential.

thank you for all the tips !

What’s the genre? Is it just romance? Are there superpowers involved? (Though you didn’t mention any, it’s always safer to ask, around here.)