Tropescilloscope: Manic Pixie Dream Girl

An upbeat young woman whose love gives the brooding male hero a new lease on life. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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More Tropes Badass Boast Shout-Out Yandere Genre Shift Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Early-Bird Cameo Jerk Jock Rule of Funny Room Full of Crazy Screw the Money, I Have Rules! No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Kids Are Cruel Berserk Button Agony of the Feet Action Genre As Long as It Sounds Foreign Adaptational Attractiveness Eyepatch of Power Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" Break the Cutie Aside Glance Only in It for the Money Refuge in Audacity Department of Redundancy Department Hell Is That Noise The Place Outrun the Fireball Action Prologue Bitch in Sheep's Clothing Affectionate Parody Ambiguous Disorder No Ending Coming-of-Age Story Suspiciously Specific Denial An Arm and a Leg Fire-Forged Friends Thriller Grey and Gray Morality Adaptation Expansion Made of Iron Manly Tears Undying Loyalty Big-Bad Ensemble Mama Bear Better to Die than Be Killed Manipulative Bastard Framing Device Intergenerational Friendship Television Movie Index Comically Missing the Point The Alcoholic Pragmatic Adaptation Smoking Is Cool Brother–Sister Incest Small Name, Big Ego Recycled IN SPACE! Blood from the Mouth The Film of the Book Gratuitous English Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Token Minority Scary Black Man The Bully Make It Look Like an Accident Moment Killer Pet the Dog Black Comedy Rape Shipper on Deck Dogged Nice Guy Red Oni, Blue Oni Karmic Death Black Dude Dies First Every Car Is a Pinto Alas, Poor Villain Not What It Looks Like The Big Guy What the Hell, Hero? Enemy Mine A Minor Kidroduction Antagonist Title Cat Scare Tagline Peek-a-Boo Corpse folderlabel Evil Plan Deliberately Monochrome Horror Comedy Due to the Dead Neck Lift Not So Stoic Credits Gag Australian Movies Bavarian Fire Drill Despair Event Horizon BFG Damsel in Distress The Brute Irony Body Horror Manic Pixie Dream Girl Eagleland I Did What I Had to Do Anti-Hero Show Within a Show Reality Ensues Naked People Are Funny Loophole Abuse Cool Guns Kill It with Fire May–December Romance The Mole Shell-Shocked Veteran The Starscream Homage Air-Vent Passageway The Musical Armor-Piercing Question Determinator Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? Historical In-Joke Fantastic Racism The '80s Villainous Breakdown Needs Wiki Magic Love Badass Longcoat Those Two Bad Guys Expy Artistic License – Physics Fatal Flaw She Cleans Up Nicely Your Cheating Heart Epic Movie Ungrateful Bastard Catch-Phrase The Voiceless Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer Silent Movie And the Adventure Continues Man on Fire Re-Cut True Companions Vomit Indiscretion Shot He Who Fights Monsters Roaring Rampage of Revenge Dark Reprise Red Right Hand N-Word Privileges Conspicuous CG Precision F-Strike Romantic False Lead Spanner in the Works Here We Go Again! Handicapped Badass Index of Film Westerns Laser-Guided Karma The Bad Guy Wins Pimped-Out Dress The Smart Guy Drives Like Crazy Sacrificial Lion Obfuscating Stupidity Anti-Villain The Dragon Grievous Bottley Harm Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil Biopic Jitter Cam Demonic Possession Back from the Dead Domestic Abuse All There in the Manual Pragmatic Villainy The Oner Fate Worse than Death Double-Meaning Title Skewed Priorities The Quiet One Wicked Cultured Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Would Hurt a Child Blackmail Unspoken Plan Guarantee Broken Aesop Alliterative Name Camera Abuse Redemption Equals Death Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience Took a Level in Jerkass Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Those Two Guys Heel–Face Turn Failed a Spot Check Funny Foreigner In Medias Res The Stinger Stealth Pun Bowdlerise Sole Survivor Be Careful What You Wish For Older Than They Look Chekhov's Gun Punny Name Freudian Excuse Wham Shot Random Events Plot Auto Erotica The Cavalry Kubrick Stare Country Matters Character Development Once More, with Clarity! Naïve Newcomer Does Not Like Shoes Sexy Discretion Shot All Just a Dream Ominous Latin Chanting Bi the Way Cruel and Unusual Death More Dakka Adults Are Useless Ax-Crazy Animal Motifs Truth in Television Kick the Dog Our Zombies Are Different Toplessness from the Back Russian Films Spiteful Spit Storming the Castle Music Stories Stylistic Suck Flashback Vampire Fiction Shut Up, Hannibal! Hero Antagonist Race Lift Artistic License – Military Christmas Movies Index Breaking the Fourth Wall Imagine Spot Lock and Load Montage Karma Houdini As You Know Determinator aka: The Determinator Ship Tease Canadian Movies Faux Affably Evil Sir Swears-a-Lot Distracted by the Sexy Plot Hole Even Evil Has Loved Ones Crazy-Prepared Dumb Blonde Empathic Environment Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Film Series Line-of-Sight Name Film Noir Sci-Fi Horror Epic Fail Five-Man Band Ripped from the Headlines Running Gag Shirtless Scene Closed Circle Married to the Job Affably Evil "Shaggy Dog" Story Screw the Rules, I Have Money! Car Fu All for Nothing Knife Nut Hooker with a Heart of Gold Evil Brit Curb-Stomp Battle Male Frontal Nudity Authority Equals Asskicking Extreme Doormat Composite Character Depraved Bisexual Disney Death Anachronic Order Impaled with Extreme Prejudice Jerkass Has a Point Artistic License – Gun Safety Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome The Un-Reveal Eldritch Abomination Important Haircut Destination Defenestration Unusual Euphemism Romantic Comedy Public Domain Feature Films Big Applesauce Wham Line Brutal Honesty The Chessmaster From Bad to Worse Throwing Your Sword Always Works Noodle Incident Super Strength Serious Business French Films Never Trust a Trailer Beard of Evil Plucky Comic Relief Jump Scare The End... Or Is It? The Reveal All There in the Script Defrosting Ice Queen Dull Surprise Bad Boss Red Shirt Overprotective Dad The Cameo Brainless Beauty Guile Hero Villain Song Attempted Rape Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! No Antagonist Documentary Break the Haughty Arch-Enemy I'm a Humanitarian MacGuffin Broken Pedestal Stock Footage Corpsing Getting Crap Past the Radar Fainting All Men Are Perverts Darkest Hour Even Evil Has Standards Pretty Little Headshots Big Bad Chuck Cunningham Syndrome Hypocritical Humor Retirony Mugging the Monster The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite Blatant Lies Lampshade Hanging Central Theme Properly Paranoid Blood Knight Villain Opening Scene Rule of Symbolism La Résistance From Nobody to Nightmare Downer Ending Disguised in Drag Never My Fault Monumental Damage Corrupt Corporate Executive Villain Protagonist Author Appeal What Happened to the Mouse? Off-into-the-Distance Ending Calling the Old Man Out Cat Fight Artistic License – Geography Serial Killer Mythology Gag Adaptational Heroism Mexican Standoff Evil vs. Evil The Power of Love Dark Action Girl My Greatest Failure Blonde, Brunette, Redhead Hate Sink Unresolved Sexual Tension The '60s The Great Depression Face–Heel Turn Sassy Black Woman German Films Ironic Echo Foreshadowing Heterosexual Life-Partners Papa Wolf Rated M for Manly The Stoic Diabolus ex Machina No Name Given Say My Name Punctuated! For! Emphasis! Abhorrent Admirer Continuity Nod Earn Your Happy Ending Very Loosely Based on a True Story Cassandra Truth Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Red Eyes, Take Warning Japanese Films Foregone Conclusion Ms. Fanservice Reality Is Unrealistic Intrepid Reporter Mighty Whitey The Casanova Fantasy Films Accidental Misnaming Scenery Porn Cool Old Guy timeperiod Rule of Three Face Death with Dignity Offscreen Moment of Awesome Author Avatar Henpecked Husband Gorn Four-Temperament Ensemble For Want of a Nail Eye Scream Actually Pretty Funny Mistaken for Gay Fingore Dying Moment of Awesome Bad "Bad Acting" Nice Hat Twist Ending Bullying a Dragon Improvised Weapon Does This Remind You of Anything? Batman Gambit Parental Incest Fake Shemp Never Found the Body Hollywood Darkness The Sociopath Guns Akimbo Humiliation Conga Suddenly SHOUTING! Bunny-Ears Lawyer Funny Background Event Bald of Evil It Will Never Catch On Double Entendre Action Survivor Visual Pun Race Against the Clock She's Got Legs The Faceless Slap-Slap-Kiss I Have Your Wife Smug Snake Drugs Are Bad Dies Wide Open The '70s Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism In Name Only Butt-Monkey Bloody Hilarious Cool Car Woman Scorned Word of God Black Comedy Cowboy Cop Gone Horribly Right Parental Neglect The Ghost Arranged Marriage Happily Married Cool Shades The Lancer Adult Fear Training Montage Have a Gay Old Time Improbable Weapon User Slasher Smile Girl-on-Girl Is Hot Animated Credits Opening Ghost Fiction Bolivian Army Ending Slashed Throat Bond Villain Stupidity Narrator Adaptation Distillation Greater-Scope Villain Unusually Uninteresting Sight Fun with Acronyms Fanservice Not So Above It All Beware the Nice Ones Rule of Cool Asshole Victim Evil Is Petty Taking the Bullet Ass Shove Product Placement Wrong Genre Savvy Red Herring Facial Horror Did Not Get the Girl The Load Non-Indicative Name Dark and Troubled Past Totally Radical Posthumous Character Only a Flesh Wound Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality I Want My Beloved to Be Happy Death by Sex Faking the Dead Bound and Gagged Exactly What It Says on the Tin Mercy Kill Rousing Speech The Vamp Covers Always Lie Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! Kick the Son of a Bitch Love Triangle One-Word Title "Awesome McCool" Name 20 Minutes into the Future Your Head A-Splode Based on a True Story Roger Ebert: Great Movies List Nothing Is Scarier Fourth Date Marriage Italian Films Insult Backfire Together in Death Madness Mantra Really Gets Around Film Noir Index One-Man Army As Himself Apocalypse How Maybe Ever After Children Are Innocent Improbable Aiming Skills Bittersweet Ending Historical Hero Upgrade Took a Level in Badass Celebrity Paradox Beta Couple Take a Third Option Chase Scene Final Girl How We Got Here Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Chewing the Scenery Our Vampires Are Different Dissonant Serenity Fan Disservice Psycho for Hire Real Life Dressing as the Enemy Big Damn Heroes Black and Gray Morality Soft Glass Screw This, I'm Outta Here! Hollywood Law My God, What Have I Done? Reality Has No Subtitles Superhero The Stoner Unwitting Instigator of Doom B-Movie And I Must Scream Instant Death Bullet Good Is Not Nice Jerk with a Heart of Gold Made of Explodium Self-Deprecation Trailers Always Spoil Hong Kong Films Flipping the Bird Dirty Cop Badass Grandpa Logo Joke "The Reason You Suck" Speech The Dreaded Star-Crossed Lovers Cloudcuckoolander A Date with Rosie Palms Creator Cameo Dropped a Bridge on Him Early Installment Weirdness Bloodless Carnage World of Ham The Hero Interrupted Suicide Suspiciously Similar Substitute Bloodier and Gorier Crapsack World This Is Gonna Suck Evil Is Hammy Rich Bitch Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas Motor Mouth Reckless Gun Usage Sealed Evil in a Can Adaptation Name Change Card-Carrying Villain Bar Brawl Everyone Has Standards Animal Title Index Gender Flip Meaningful Echo Eiffel Tower Effect "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Stealth Hi/Bye Belligerent Sexual Tension Half the Man He Used to Be Fat Bastard Sinister Minister Contrived Coincidence Obviously Evil Mundane Made Awesome Loads and Loads of Characters Friend to All Children An Axe to Grind Bait-and-Switch Annoying Younger Sibling Accidental Murder Shoot the Shaggy Dog Adaptational Villainy Sadistic Choice Taking You with Me Extremely Short Timespan Drill Sergeant Nasty Protagonist Title Anguished Declaration of Love Cain and Abel The Atoner Obstructive Bureaucrat Too Dumb to Live Developing Doomed Characters Cool Old Lady What You Are in the Dark The Alleged Car Curse Cut Short Nice Guy Male Gaze Shown Their Work Femme Fatale Genre Throwback Would Hit a Girl Freeze-Frame Bonus Off with His Head! An Aesop Spiritual Successor Malevolent Masked Men Psychological Thriller Retired Badass Costume Porn Immune to Bullets Police are Useless There Is No Kill Like Overkill Heroic Sacrifice Mood Whiplash Vitriolic Best Buds Famous Last Words Only One Name Let's Get Dangerous! Creative Closing Credits No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Heroes Want Redheads '80s Hair Chekhov's Gunman Dramatic Gun Cock Fanservice Extra Award-Bait Song Video Credits Knight Templar Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Decoy Protagonist "Well Done, Son!" Guy O.O.C. Is Serious Business Heroic BSoD Boom, Headshot! Dwindling Party Last-Name Basis Not Using the "Z" Word Kill 'em All Not Even Bothering with the Accent Sports Stories Setting Update Deadpan Snarker Aluminum Christmas Trees Rewatch Bonus Pyrrhic Victory Police Brutality Rape as Drama Punch-Clock Villain Badass Normal Amoral Attorney Real Life Writes the Plot The Smurfette Principle Time Skip British Films Big Fancy House Big Eater Didn't Think This Through Insistent Terminology Dramatic Irony Establishing Character Moment Daylight Horror Dutch Angle Reasonable Authority Figure Straight Gay Death by Irony Whole Plot Reference Casting Gag Dark Is Not Evil Meaningful Name Crazy Jealous Guy As the Good Book Says... Love at First Sight Worthy Opponent Catapult Nightmare Leaning on the Fourth Wall Jerkass Hoist by His Own Petard Fatal Family Photo I Need a Freaking Drink Honor Before Reason Morality Pet Adaptational Badass Stuff Blowing Up Death Glare The '90s Those Wacky Nazis Amusing Injuries Disproportionate Retribution Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Leave the Camera Running After the End Badass Bookworm Revenge Take That! Evil Counterpart Green-Eyed Monster Overly Long Gag Only Sane Man Stepford Smiler The Ditz Put on a Bus Military and Warfare Films Spell My Name with an "S" Beauty Is Never Tarnished You Have Outlived Your Usefulness Mooks Playing Gertrude Deus ex Machina Bilingual Bonus Anyone Can Die Crucified Hero Shot Men Are the Expendable Gender A God Am I Babies Ever After Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies Bare Your Midriff Action Girl Mind Screw Ambiguously Gay Oh, Crap! Exact Words Call-Back Frame-Up Politically Incorrect Villain Becoming the Mask Psychopathic Manchild You Have Failed Me Works Set in World War II Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other Names to Run Away from Really Fast Badass in a Nice Suit Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! Bury Your Gays I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Martial Arts Movie Leitmotif Novelization Title Drop Implacable Man Ascended Extra Victoria's Secret Compartment He Knows Too Much Science Fiction Films Book-Ends Easily Forgiven One Steve Limit Camp Gay Bring My Brown Pants Genre Savvy Only Known by Their Nickname Unreliable Narrator Drowning My Sorrows Well-Intentioned Extremist Gold Digger Gainax Ending Death Seeker Zombie Stories Almost Kiss Soundtrack Dissonance Danny Peary Cult Movies List Actor Allusion Humans Are Bastards Same Language Dub Market-Based Title Canon Foreigner Missing Mom Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Awesome, but Impractical Advertised Extra The Dog Bites Back My Beloved Smother You Killed My Father Hair-Trigger Temper It's All About Me Sanity Slippage Adapted Out Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? Captain Obvious Redshirt Army Bottomless Magazines Deal with the Devil Alpha Bitch Cold-Blooded Torture Pay Evil unto Evil Call-Forward Woman in White No Celebrities Were Harmed Big "NO!" Captain Ersatz Major Injury Underreaction Informed Ability All Girls Want Bad Boys Driven to Suicide For the Evulz Anachronism Stew Not Quite Dead Scare Chord Sequel Hook Artistic License – Law No OSHA Compliance Gory Discretion Shot Left the Background Music On Dramedy NO INDOOR VOICE Dirty Coward Disappeared Dad Horror Films Dirty Old Man Meaningful Background Event Translation Convention Slasher Movie Spared by the Adaptation Large Ham Hidden Depths Historical Villain Upgrade Combat Pragmatist Big Bad Duumvirate Match Cut Expository Hairstyle Change Dual Wielding Manchild Offscreen Teleportation It Can Think Rasputinian Death Scenery Gorn Mad Scientist War Is Hell Death of a Child The Mafia Chekhov's Skill Brick Joke Not So Different Villain Ball Death by Adaptation Shower Scene A.I. Is a Crapshoot Tempting Fate Defiant to the End It's Personal Vomit Discretion Shot Light Is Not Good Black Best Friend Wretched Hive Broken Bird Darker and Edgier Villain with Good Publicity Age Lift Silence Is Golden Mr. Exposition Foil Artistic License – Biology Hero of Another Story Artistic License – History Paper-Thin Disguise Riddle for the Ages Deliberate Values Dissonance Meet Cute Pre-Mortem One-Liner Laughing Mad In the Back The Hero Dies Vacation Films Evil Sounds Deep Deconstruction Arc Words Mr. Fanservice Retcon Neck Snap Abusive Parents Hypocrite Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! Ragtag Bunch of Misfits Heel Realization Daddy's Girl Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Evil Laugh Demoted to Extra The '50s Idiot Ball And Starring The X of Y Tranquil Fury Mystery and Detective Films Pretty in Mink Tap on the Head Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor Adorkable Chiaroscuro Killed Mid-Sentence Creepy Child Cluster F-Bomb Sequel Escalation Big Brother Instinct Lighter and Softer Parental Abandonment Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Get Out! Up to Eleven Wounded Gazelle Gambit Stalker with a Crush The Remake Fish out of Water A Father to His Men Hope Spot Poor Communication Kills Betty and Veronica Ambiguous Ending Disney Villain Death Bond One-Liner Gilligan Cut The Lost Lenore Historical-Domain Character Groin Attack Parental Substitute Evil-Detecting Dog Fiery Redhead Insane Troll Logic Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy The Chick Adaptation Dye-Job The Ace Eureka Moment Bland-Name Product No-Sell