There's a lot of talk going on around whether or not is anime just a form of Japanese cartoons or if it's something more than that, something more adult in nature.
The question doesn't really explain itself properly in this one because what applies to conventional western cartoons doesn't always apply to anime and vice versa because anime in and of itself encompasses a much larger variety of shows and themes.
While we've been getting our own steady stream of more adult-oriented animation, anime has grandfathered this idea long ago and is something more than just a term that focuses on satisfying a single age group.
It's a form of media that offers a lot of freedom for different artists to bring their ideas to life, one where a lot of these ideas have already been adapted to various shows spread across different genres.
But, is it worth your time? Is it all it's cracked up to be or is it just another hyperbole preached around by the fans?
I'd like to believe that it's an untapped source of inspiration and enjoyment and here's why:
1.It has something for everyone
Are you a fan of exciting action scenes, romance or just a nice and relaxing time watching documentaries?
Or maybe you're the kind of person who enjoys watching adventure movies set in different fantasy worlds with unique and interesting laws of magic, or perhaps a fan of horror?
Well, anime offers everything you may find in all of your TV shows and much more, covering their sets of genres as well as ones unique to the media itself like Isekai anime.
You'll find anything from drama, romance and mystery series to fantasy, sci-fi or even comedy ones all thanks to its explosive growth in the past century that has expanded its archives tremendously.
2.The existing themes cater to a large number of people
Another common complaint that's often thrown at anime is that it doesn't take itself too seriously or that the problems that they tackle are sometimes too simple, when, in reality, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Anime not only covers some of the most controversial issues of modern times like racism, sexism, the role of religion in society as well as a commentaries on society in general, but it also approaches these problems from points that mainstream media simply can't emulate because they don't have the level of freedom in terms of creating worlds and ideas due to various limitations.
That said, anime also has a decent chunk of it also related to the problems children's face and portions of anime that we'd consider cartoons ourselves and that's fine.
That's because those are oriented toward kids and they usually focus on helping gather awareness on something or help teach kids crucial life lessons and skills
3.They're educational
While many of our programs tend to present new skills as just a bunch of information that we expect people, especially kids to process, it tends to come out as boring and more of a chore than anything barring some entertaining ones like Mythbusters and the like.
Well, anime tends to present the same but in a more animated way, one that's easy to follow along with and actually keeps their viewers engaged enough to pick up on this new knowledge and get them interested enough to try it out on their own.
For instance, shows like Cells at Work have a basic premise of making a world out of a human's cardiovascular system and showing kids what a day in the life of a blood cell would be like.
They do all of this while teaching them what each of them does without the knowledge feeling like it was forced on them.
Or a show like Dr. Stone that helps teach people about how some of the greatest inventions of man came to be, all integrated into a compelling story.
Outside of that, there are shows that teach kids about the power of positivity, teamwork, and friendship most of all, allowing parents to let kids watch cartoons that aren't just mindless violence with no message at all.
4.It's something new
Lets face it, a good portion of TV series and other shows airing on TV nowadays are carbon copies of what we've already watched. One can only take so many detective series-turned romcoms.
Anime can provide a breath of fresh air in that regard by showing you a whole new portrayal of some of your favorite genres where the protagonist can be anyone and anything is possible, where both the audio and the visual work together to create an unforgettable experience.
It's certainly worth a try. Believe me when I say that you won't regret it.
