When I was in middle school, anime (or Japanese animated shows), was a virtually unknown phenomenon. Even those who were vaguely familiar with it typically had something like this in mind: “Oh, you mean those weird Chinese cartoons? Who even watches those?” The “cool kids” definitely didn’t. To me, and to many others like me, anime was our own secret universe. It provided a haven— an alternate, much more fascinating and enchanted reality— for the introverts, the outcasts, the peculiars and the geeks who weren’t interested in a shallow, dreary social life and longed for a thrilling, magical, adventurous escape from this mundane, ordinary world. There was an unspoken rule at my school: whatever you did, you did NOT admit that you watch anime. Only the “losers” were into such outlandish things, after all. We few fans were hidden, revealing ourselves solely once we became certain that the person in front of us is a fellow anime enthusiast. It felt like we were members of an underground movement, constantly cautious about exposing our identities, continuously on the lookout for signs of people who shared our views and passions. Sometimes, a little clinking keychain of an anime symbol would give it away. Or a glimpse of a doodle of an anime character in a notebook. Discovering another anime devotee was always a delightful experience. “I finally found someone like me!”, we would internally squeal. Despite being the quiet kids, meeting each other would mean instantly transforming into chatterboxes, overjoyed to be able to rant about what we love.
Fast forward to today, and anime has exploded into a popular trend. Now, it is quite rare to meet a person who hasn’t heard about this Japanese wonder. Countless individuals of all ages, personalities, and ethnicities find entertainment in it. Celebrities dress up like the characters, and rappers make references to them in their songs. Netflix streams the series, and cinemas across the globe play the movies. Social media is jam-packed with witty anime memes. Large-scale events dedicated to anime take place worldwide, and stores everywhere sell the merchandise. To our pleasant surprise, the otaku (a Japanese word that is used to refer to anime fanatics) culture has become widespread. As much as I relish sharing the joy and zeal of this beautiful marvel with the world, part of me will always feel nostalgic about the days when it was our little secret, when people who enjoyed anime did so out of true love and not for the mere sake of hopping on the bandwagon. We social misfits and castaways will forever be the first true anime freaks.
You might be wondering, what is so special about anime anyway? Besides the captivating and unparalleled art style, animation, music, and voice acting, which spectacularly bring the characters to life, Japanese people have a unique way of storytelling that keeps us on the edge of our seats, stirs our emotions, and moves us in indescribable ways. It’s truly addictive. From anime are born some of the most inimitable and remarkable characters, whose profound struggles and stories touch our hearts and greatly inspire us. Many of these characters are so well-written that we feel as if we personally know and adore them, as if they’re precious friends we’ve bonded with since long ago. Contrary to what the majority assume, anime is not childish— far from it. In fact, most of the shows are not even child-oriented and actually target a teenage or adult audience. A multitude of deep and thoughtful themes such as war, politics, poverty, loss, death, betrayal, vengeance, justice, family, friendship, love, adventure, dreams, destiny, growing up, work ethic, and tenacity are explored. Similar to Western TV series and other media, anime comprises a variety of diverse genres, including romance, sports, slice of life, horror, mystery, fantasy, isekai (where a character is transported to another world, e.g., a virtual world), and mecha (a subgenre of science fiction that features robots). Anime is also classified according to demographics. For example, shoujo anime are directed at young girls, while shounen anime are aimed at young boys. Through allowing ourselves to delve into these incredible tales outside of our own reality, not only do we enjoy enthralling, soul-stirring stories and connect with extraordinary, awe-inspiring characters, but we develop depth, empathy, introspection, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to imagine and create— as well as learn valuable life lessons. Anime allows us to live vastly different lives, visit myriad dazzling realms, go on numerous life-changing journeys, meet various influential people, and undergo exceptional experiences the real world cannot possibly allow us to encounter. Sure, all of fiction enables this for us, but I would argue that anime has its brilliant aspects that one will never come across in other works. Not to mention the educational value it contains— informing one a great deal about Japanese language and culture.
How about a little history lesson? The very first anime series, Astro Boy, was produced in 1963. Since then, anime began airing on Japanese television and hit a peak of popularity during the 1980s, becoming the largest film industry in the country (“The History of Anime”). How did Japanese animation reach the rest of the world? Well, the 1990s saw anime spreading to other regions of the globe, as series were translated and broadcast across multiple countries. Many shows such as Dragon Ball (1986), Sailor Moon (1992), Digimon (1999), and One Piece (1999) became universally well-known. Places like Akihabara in Tokyo, said to be otaku heaven, sprung up. Much like how books are adapted into movies, most anime is based on manga, or Japanese comics. Osamu Tezuka, the manga artist of Astro Boy, is considered the father of modern manga (“A Small Glimpse into the History of Japanese Anime”).
Curious about anime and would like to give it a try? Here is my personal recommendation list of must-watch shows for beginners that are bound to get you hooked:
- Attack on Titan
- Death Note
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Code Geass
- Haikyuu!!
- Naruto
Works Cited
“The History of Anime.” Milford Library,
https://milford.lib.de.us/2020/04/17/the-history-of-anime/.
“A Small Glimpse into the History of Japanese Anime.” Go!
Go! Nihon, 24 Oct. 2018,
https://gogonihon.com/en/blog/a-small-glimpse-into-history-of-japanese-anime/.
Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
