Oh, absolutely, I'm all for using characters' names in narrative text rather than going through absurd verbal contortions to avoid them. That goes on the same principle as using "he said/she said" vs. going crazy with the 'exclaimed/declared/intoned/ejaculated/etc.' It's best to write around the issue entirely, but when you have to identify who's speaking, their name will blend more easily into the background than "the tall, gun-toting American".
I should've been clearer with my peeve. It's in dialogue that endless repetition of character names gets to me so much. And yes, it does seem to be more common in anime in general, which is possibly a cultural thing. If I'm not mistaken, in Japanese one generally refers to someone by name rather than as the generic 'you'. (I may be talking completely out of my ass, but that's at least the impression I get via watching things in Japanese with English subtitles.
Of course, when writing in English, it's best to stick to English usage conventions in most cases. It's just it's easier for an English-speaking audience to read that way. (With the possible exception of Ginji calling Ban 'Ban-chan' in GetBackers fics, because only constant repetition adequately conveys Ginji's charming-yet-irritating level of clinginess.)
Most decent fanfic writers seem to have a good sense of how much foreign usage and idiom makes for good seasoning vs. how much is just plain overkill. Because, you know, Emeril can say "there's no such thing as too much garlic" as many times as he wants, but as a moderately accomplished cook (and serious garlic lover) I happen to know he's talking absolute pants.
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I should've been clearer with my peeve. It's in dialogue that endless repetition of character names gets to me so much. And yes, it does seem to be more common in anime in general, which is possibly a cultural thing. If I'm not mistaken, in Japanese one generally refers to someone by name rather than as the generic 'you'. (I may be talking completely out of my ass, but that's at least the impression I get via watching things in Japanese with English subtitles.
Of course, when writing in English, it's best to stick to English usage conventions in most cases. It's just it's easier for an English-speaking audience to read that way. (With the possible exception of Ginji calling Ban 'Ban-chan' in GetBackers fics, because only constant repetition adequately conveys Ginji's charming-yet-irritating level of clinginess.)
Most decent fanfic writers seem to have a good sense of how much foreign usage and idiom makes for good seasoning vs. how much is just plain overkill. Because, you know, Emeril can say "there's no such thing as too much garlic" as many times as he wants, but as a moderately accomplished cook (and serious garlic lover) I happen to know he's talking absolute pants.