I'm an avid anime watcher, and throughout my animated travels I've encountered some tropes and life lessons that are helpful in my everyday life, and others that are not as helpful as others.
1. Friendship is Key:
In most anime that I have watched there is a common theme. Strength does not come from individual power, but from relying on others and combining your strengths. Any problems can be overcome in an anime from the power of friendship, and this can be converted into real life by making sure to treasure your friends and always remember you do not have to face anything alone.
2. Hard Work and Determination Will Result in Success:
Minus the sometimes ridiculous training montages, a character's training is usually taken very seriously. They use it as an escape; in anime, it is the only surefire way to achieve your goal. Anime characters usually display an inhumane level of dedication to their goals, and this manifests itself in their training. Seasons and series end with a character disappearing to train because once they have their goal, it will now be obtainable. This teaches us to never give up. When life gets hard and you just cannot do it, get better; do not give up.
3. Being an Introvert is Okay:
In many anime, the main character is not some confident person trying to take on the world; often, they are introverts or shy teenagers that are lost in their own worlds. This is especially prevalent in anime set during the modern or near future era in our real world. The anime industry obviously panders to their viewer base which tends to contain these types of individuals. By seeing these types of people just live their life, this allows viewers to feel more comfortable in being themselves. Seeing these characters succeed drives the viewer to dream.
4. If You Are a Nice Guy, You Get a Harem:
If anime has taught me anything that if you're decently attractive and nice, then girls will come running. Many anime run on the premise of a group of extremely attractive girls obsessing and pursuing the same guy. This is another example of audience pandering, but a much more extreme one because we all know this is not true at all. The only life lesson I can draw from this is that my harem simply has not found me yet, and I just have to wait patiently for it to arrive at my doorstep pining for my affection.
5. Everyone's Parents are Dead:
Almost all anime protagonists have nonexistent parents that are just not mentioned, or more often the case in action anime, victims of a brutal murder. To be a hero in these universes, it seems that a traumatic parent slaying is a prerequisite. For me, this allows me to be okay with my place in the real world as not a hero because I like having parents...
I watch a lot of anime, probably too much by many people's standards, but it is impossible to deny that it has had an effect on me. It has taught me to value my friends and always work hard to reach my goals, regardless of the odds. It's taught me to be myself, and I cannot imagine a life without it. Thank you, anime, for teaching me these things.
