Yeah, those who know me know that I'm an otaku. I love anime and I enjoy reading manga. I grew up reading comic books and watching comic book movies so it would make sense that I would fall in love with anime.

Leading to a very interesting question – what is the appeal of anime? Why do I like it and what draws others into this niche of entertainment? Every otaku and casual anime watcher will have their own unique reason for watching anime; some will say it is the unique stories, others will say it is because of an interest in Japanese pop culture, and some will say they enjoy the "plot". Everyone is different and has their own tastes.

One of the reasons I fell into anime is that I wanted something new. I read a lot of comic books and I watch a lot of movies, and eventually themes and characters start to repeat and it becomes difficult to find something original and fresh. Anime series like "Fullmetal Alchemist" and "Death Note" were not that different from the comic books that I was so familiar with, but different enough to pique my interest and investigation. Once I finished those series I started to watch "Noragami," and I decided to follow that with a comedy like "Ouran High School Host Club," and then a romance like "Clannad," and soon I was in the middle of watching several different series. Recently, I finished "Elfen Lied and Prison School," and I plan to finish "Hellsing" and "Higurashi" as well as anime of this Spring season.

But wait – I mentioned that I started watching anime because I wanted to get away from what was familiar in comic books and Hollywood movies, but anime also starts to get familiar – doesn't it? To be honest, it does, especially with tropes such as "Tsunderes" and "Overpowered Shounen" protagonists, and characters running late to school with toast in their mouth. After watching for over a year, anime has become typical and only a handful of series out of hundreds really stand out.

Though, I think that it is true for a lot of different forms of entertainment: plots and characters become popular and then overused. Just go to a bookstore and pick up a young adult novel and there will probably be another not too far away with a similar plot or similar characters. Unique stories are hard to come by but eventually one pops up and is adored at first by a few fans who eventually become hundred and eventually thousands upon thousands. That is just how entertainment works.

I suppose the real reason I watch so much anime is actually really simple. I watch anime because I like it. I started watching anime because I was curious why all of my friends were so obsessed with it, and because I had nothing to watch. After I watched a few episodes of "Fullmetal Alchemists" I fell in love with the characters and finished the series. After that I wanted more, so I asked friends for recommendations and I soon started to watch series that I thought would be interesting and fun. And I continue to watch anime because it is interesting and fun.

I love anime and there are so many in the otaku community who feel the same, and the great thing is we are all so different. We all like different series and genres, some are really into deep and philosophical series like Evangelion, others like shounen series like "Dragon Ball Z," and some prefer light hearted slice of life series like "K-On!" or sport series like "Slam Dunk." What really matters is that we love our anime and we want to share that love with others because it is something to enjoy and relax with after a long and stressful day.