Ladies and gents, it’s time to talk about anime.

Now, before you run away out of fear of being exposed to schoolgirls and bizarre memes, please stay and hear me out.

Anime, at least in this country, has always been something of a black sheep when it comes to talking about forms of visual entertainment. And it’s not hard to see why, taking into account the two things I’ve mentioned above. The animation styles are radically different from anything the likes of Disney or DreamWorks ever attempt and the content goes to places our Western animation rarely ever goes to. Simply put, it’s Japanese, and that puts it far and away from the likes of the Western culture we know and love. So, while I do watch anime and do enjoy it, I feel you if you’ve avoided the sub-genre because of things you just don’t jive with.

I could criticize the sub-genre for a lot of reasons. I think in some ways it is too commercially focused, usually in the case of anime on television and streaming sites, I think certain anime are too similar to one another and so on. But with that being said, I’ll still defend it as something that’s more than worth your while and worth putting aside your differences for.

Something like giant robots or teenage girls that turn into superheroes might make you cringe or stare in confusion, but don’t let what you see on the surface completely turn you off from anime.

“Mobile Suit Gundam,” a franchise which utilizes the former, features dazzling space battles and surprisingly thoughtful commentary about the horrors of war and the futility of human conflict. “Sailor Moon,” which features the latter, is somewhat cheesy, but is largely viewed by many as a fun series that provides positive role models for young girls.

And lest we forget the works of great anime filmmakers like Mamoru Oshii or the Japanese Walt Disney himself, Hayao Miyazaki. Films like “Princess Mononoke,” “Ghost in the Shell” and “Akira” are beautifully directed, animated and written works that push the boundaries of animation and have even influenced Western filmmaking.

Anime has good stories to tell. In a lot of cases, those stories are great. They just have different coats of paint that we’re not used to.

Is it true that there are some aspects of anime that are weird? Yes. Is it true that there’s probably too much anime out there? Believe me, I could have a conversation about that all day long. Regardless, whatever gripes that I or the uninitiated could bring up with anime ultimately do nothing to disprove that the genre has its merits. Especially in the case of anime films, I think Japan is doing a great job of showing the limitless potential of the animation medium.

So I encourage you to give anime a shot if you haven’t already. If you have, suggest it to friends who haven’t. Contrary to popular belief, the contrasts between anime and Western animation only go so far. Like the animation innovators of America or Europe, Japanese animation creators seek to craft enduring and engaging experiences that can show audiences new perspectives. And also like the former group, the Japanese anime industry is responsible for some truly memorable works that, despite only featuring graphical representations of reality, could not be closer to the human experience.

Give anime a chance. Who knows? You might even get a chuckle at those anime memes.