I am a pretty big fan of anime. I first got into it when I was a young teenager watching DragonBall Z. I then grew into a wider diversity of shows as I went into high school and college, and have stayed in love with it ever since.
While watching and completing two more anime shows recently, I started pondering why I enjoy anime so much. What makes them stick out to me at all, much less more than other shows? What do these television programs have that others do not?
Before answering that, though, it is important to define what anime is and what it is not. This video on youtube is helpful in going into the details of such a definition, but here I will give a basic definition as well as my own specific take on it.
In short, an anime is a Japanese animation show. That is all. So obviously such a broad definition has many different sub-genres in itself. Think of cartoons, for example; cartoons are nothing more then American or Western animation shows. Yet no one would argue that all cartoon shows are meant for the same group of people. For example, Dora the Explorer, a show directed at toddlers and very young children, is vastly different from Avatar, a show geared towards older children and teenagers.
The same applies to anime. There is a whole range of different anime shows that are meant and designed for a wide demographic of viewers. For the sake of this article, then, I will be referring to anime as those Japanese animation shows geared towards teenagers and adults, since those are the ones that peek my interest and the interest of my peers.
So what is it about anime that makes it so appealing? I can only speak for myself (though from what I can observe anime has become more and more popular within Western society) when I say that I enjoy almost everything that anime has to offer, from character development to action-packed scenes to plot twists.
Of course such things exist in any good show or movie, so what is it about anime that sets it apart from other forms of television entertainment? To me, it ultimately comes down to this: it focuses on real-world problems, addresses real-world concerns, shines light upon real-world debates and reflects upon real-world living that other shows either ignore or discuss on a superficial level.
This seems paradoxical. For one, anime is, by definition, a cartoon and is thus not real. Also the majority of the storylines in such cartoons are usually ridiculously, if awesomely, unreal.
Take one of the more famous anime shows as an example. Naruto is about a bunch of barely adolescent kids who are taught to become ninjas. They learn how to use various weapons as well as how to use a myriad of techniques known as jutsu, which is essentially magical abilities, in order to become stronger ninja and to carry out missions in a ninja-based world. There are demon animals, energy within oneself called chakra, landscape-changing fight scenes, talking animals, and more.
Based on this description it seems like it is the exact opposite of reality, and one would be right to say that, in a sense. Of course the plot, setting, and background of the story is completely fictional and invented. That does not mean, however, that within this created and fictional universe of ninjas and fighting abilities there does not lie a discussion of sorts of the very things we see and experience in our world.
One of the things I love about Naruto, for instance, is that it does a better job then any other show I have seen so far in humanizing the villains. It is very common in any show, whether it be a cartoon or live action, to display the villain as the embodiment of evil, as having no goodness or heart within him. But of course that is virtually never the case in the real world. Indeed, we are all to a certain extent evil in the sense that we all do things that we know are wrong to do, or don't do things that we know we should do. Even the worst of those that humanity has ever produced have shown love or care in some fashion; it is impossible for a human to be a human and not do so.
Naruto captures this aspect of humanity exquisitely. The very first real villain that the show produces, a rogue ninja named Zabuza, starts off as being portrayed in an 'embodiment of evil' type of fashion, by being willing and able, without hesitation, to kill children and slaughter innocent people.
Oh c'mon, that's...that's not TOTALLY evil...
But he shows what goodness still resides in him towards the end of this particular series when his rogue partner, Haku, is killed while defending him from the protagonists. Zabuza seems unfazed by Haku's death at first, but the main character, obviously named Naruto, reminds him of how much Haku cared for Zabuza, protected him and wanted to be by his side, despite how terrible Zabuza has treated him and how much he used him over the years.
That is when, to the surprise of many viewers, Zabuza began to cry.
A man who committed so many grave sins and even took pleasure in doing so nonetheless built up some semblance of a deep friendship with Haku, and the loss of such a friend broke him down. It was a truly beautiful and heart-wrenching moment.
That sort of realism in character is what we can see in this show, and that is but one example. Deathnote, a story about a teenager who gains the ability to kill anyone by writing their name down in a book, dives far beyond the classic trope of good vs. evil and challenges the character and the viewer to question what is in fact good and evil. Does the end justify the means? If you had the ability to stop someone from committing a grave moral action, would you ? And what are the consequences of doing so?
Sword Art Online, which focuses on a group of people trapped by a videogame designer in a virtual reality game he created, addresses the relationship between humans and technology on a level rarely seen in our computer-obsessed world. What is the difference between the real world and a world created by a computer? If a person lives in the latter, does that ultimately become their real world, or is it always a false world regardless of their perception of it?
These are the types of questions that many anime shows address and attempt to answer. And they are not simply brought up in a particular episode or season; such themes are the very foundation of the show and are infused into the entirety of the basic plot. Thus it is impossible in many cases to avoid the philosophical and logical discussion that the show creates.
'That is all awesome,' you might be thinking, 'but why is such a thing that important? What is the big deal about such discussions?'
I would respond by asking: is there anything that is a bigger deal than this? The importance of such discussions and questions is too great to be ignored, for they are paramount to our growth as individuals, as a society and as a human race.
Perhaps we are not used to this in this day in age, such frank and open debate and discourse concerning morality, proper living, and the essence of things. Perhaps we need more of that.
That is why I am not a fan of most television shows, whether they be cartoons or live action. The majority of them, especially cartoons, do not have any educational or fruitful dialogue in this regard; they are mindless entertainment. Such things do have their place and can be enjoyable, but they should not make up the bulk of our television viewership. And it seems like they currently do.
This is not to say that this is universally true nor is it to say that all anime shows search for these deep discussions of life. It is to say, however, that anime shows on average interact more with real life issues and situations then most other shows.
If you do not believe me then I sincerely ask you: when was the last time you felt challenged about your beliefs when you watched a television show? When was the last time you thought of something you did not think of before, or reflected on something that has slipped your mind for a while? If you have been watching the majority of the television shows that are out there, then most likely the answer will be apparent.
The senseless fanfare that is rampant among all areas of the entertainment industry, but especially in television, is staggering to me. Such oversimplified tropes are both tiring and boring.
That is why I love anime; it is more often then not a fresh break from the monotony of thoughtlessness in today's current programs. I enjoy the opportunity to think about something I never thought of before in a way I never thought of it before. I enjoy even having my own worldview and beliefs challenged in such a way. There are some anime shows I have watched that have directly contradicted my own Christian beliefs; but they either help me grow in my beliefs, help me abandon those aspects of my beliefs that are false, or challenge me to think about my beliefs in a way I have never have. And to do so with interesting characters and a gripping plot is the icing on the cake.
If you do not believe me, or if you want to give it a try yourself, then I would suggest watching one of the three anime shows I mentioned above as a starting point. But even if you do not want to give it a shot, or you do and you find you do not like it, at the very least question whether or not what you are watching now really benefits you in a way that is meaningful. If it does then stick with it. But if it doesn't then ask yourself: is there something I can replace this with that will both entertain me and help me cultivate my self?
Anime is a tool of development for me. What is yours?
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