An interesting post via MkMiku questions whether anime, and our attachment to certain characters, can in fact influence our personality in real life…
In the post, he states that:
“I think it just happens when I become so attached to a certain character that when everything has been said and done, I still try to hold on to that character.”
Anime affecting his personality takes the form of feeling the emotions that the characters feel in order to continue to “hold on” to that character. Although these feelings may not last forever, they do in fact surface if he feels enough attachment to the characters. He describes how such feelings caused him to feel “a bit psychotic” after watching Higurashi and “arrogant and malicious” after watching Rozen Maiden.
My take on the concept of anime affecting my personality is different, however. When I think of that, I think of specific themes, or characters with specific ideals, that have influenced my outlook on life long after the initial emotional impact of completing the series has worn off. Anime doesn’t give me much in terms of temporarily making me feel like the character the way it does for MkMiku. If I’m invested enough in the characters, I can of course feel what they’re feeling. Most series make me feel some new emotion or thought upon completion, especially if they have an intense ending. But I would say only certain ones affect my personality after the initial shock wears off.
I also want to point out that it’s easy to mistake anime affecting your personality with anime simply being amazing to you or giving you a lot to think about. The two often overlap, but I wouldn’t count it as affecting my personality unless I act or think in certain ways in real life because of what I’ve watched in that anime.
I believe Trigun, and its starring character Vash, is the first anime that had a long-lasting affect on my personality, now ten years after I first completed it. Vash’s unfaltering dedication to preserving life in all its forms greatly inspired me to feel the same way (at least, as much as I can in the more chaotic real world). I haven’t watched Trigun in years but I would say that Vash’s ideals continue to influence my own however slightly.
Evangelion is definitely a series that most fans have been profoundly influenced by. But what about affecting your personality? When I first watched it back during the holiday season of 2002, it presented me with many things I had never thought of before – all of its characters are flawed, struggling individuals who are trying to overcome inner demons and tragic pasts in a crumbling world. It’s not too hard to relate that idea to the real world today. Evangelion made me realize that the majority of people in the world are struggling in some way and usually have reasons for the sometimes questionable things they do. So I guess in a way, Evangelion made me more sympathetic to people and less quick to judge them.
Fruits Basket’s theme of finding the good in everyone influenced me to do the same. Tohru’s dedication to finding the good qualities people possess, especially if they can’t find those qualities themselves, really tugged at my heart when I first watched the series several years ago. I can’t do it as much or as openly as Tohru, but helping people find their good qualities continues to be something I try to do.
Is it right to give someone the power to wipe out what they consider “evil” people from the face of the Earth? I’ve thought about this long before I watched Death Note. But Death Note presented it and all its facets very clearly to me. Thanks to the series, I’ve become less afraid to embrace such an idea (though not in the way Light does of course).
Keima’s dedication to dating games that’s a near religion to him in The World God Only Knows helped me become more accepting of my similar obsession with anime. His utter contentment with it despite what other people think, as well as his understanding of exactly how much he loves it, again mirrors my own love for anime and made me see it as a truly viable way of life the way he sees his obsession.
There have been a handful of other anime that have affected my personality – trying to be as nice and understanding as the characters in Cardcaptor Sakura, accepting the idea that the world is like a fruitless search for Paradise as in Wolf’s Rain, trying my best to remove any fake “mask” I’ve made for myself like in Kare Kano – but the above five series have been the most impacting in terms of affecting my personality.
MkMiku briefly mentions cosplay in his part 2 post on this topic, saying how it lets people actually become a character they love. Maybe the reason I don’t have an interest in cosplaying is because I have no desire to become one of my favorite characters. I just want to love them, not be them =P To me, anime affecting my personality has little to do with how much I love a character and want to be them. Pokemon, Inuyasha, and Haruhi have been my most major favorites but none of them have really affected my acts and thoughts in the context of real life.
In conclusion, my idea of anime affecting my personality is that it influences how I view things in the real world and I act accordingly even after the freshness of the series wears off. Rather than take on the feelings of a certain character or try to act like them, it’s more on the level of ideals for me rather than emotions. I’ve seen close to 300 titles as of now, but only a few have affected my personality (not necessarily my favorites either). Not knowing when such a title will come along is another exciting part of being a fan =)
Anime changed my personality really! A couple years ago i was very depressed and my frIend told me to watch clannad. I really could relate to thr characters and it taught to to value life dearly. Now im an anime fan!
That’s great that Clannad helped your depression ^_^
Great post, but what surprised me was one thing that wasn’t on your list — Haruhi Suzumiya. Does Haruhi or any of the other characters from that series affect your personality, given your dedication to that fandom?
As for me, I’m not necessarily affected by one particular character. What impresses me more is, literally, the affect or emotion or sensation that comes along with particular characters and events in a series. I use anime songs and music to keep that affect alive for me, and to help me get through each day and each task I have to complete. For example, I’ve been listening to the Madoka soundtrack for the past few days because I have to finish a rather difficult task that’s taking longer than expected, and want to draw on the courage and determination I admire in those magical girls, expressed through the OST, to assist me. My personality is refined by the music I listen to and the anime connected to that music.
I mentioned briefly in the post that the three biggest anime obsessions that I’ve gone through (Pokemon, Inuyasha, and Haruhi) haven’t really affected my personality or ideals. Obviously they’ve affected my lifestyle in terms of dedicating a lot of my spare time to them, but they haven’t really changed me as a person (well, Pokemon maybe because it got me into anime =D)
Music helps me get through drudgery too. Usually anime music but sometimes I get in the mood for others (like those uplifting Disney tunes XD) I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have music in my car!
There’s a distinct difference between something changing your outlook as opposed to changing how you act.
In Part II I described how I’ve always had a latent childhood dream to become an actor, so I guess that’s why I tend to act out the characters that I like. Even if one is unaware of it, I’m sure anime has changed every fan’s life in some shape or form–whether as a simple hobby, your personal views, or even your soul.
It’s interesting how these 2D characters can have a 3D impact on our daily lives. That’s just one of the many reasons why anime is so awesome–because it’s so inspiring and influential.
Anime as a whole has taught me about friendship and helped me become more sociable. I’m glad to see it has had a beneficial impact on your life the same. :)
I’m the farthest thing from an actress and tend to keep my emotions bottled up, so that’s probably why I’ve never acted like a certain anime character as opposed to absorbing their ideals and indirectly acting according to what inspired me (like being a more understanding person because of Fruits Basket). I guess my affect from anime is more holistic rather than acting out certain emotions.
It is indeed amazing how fictional worlds and characters can have so much influence on people in real life. I can’t help but feel that people who seem to be yearning for something like anime yet are ignorant of it are missing out =0
It’s less “it influences the way I act” and more “it influences the way I think”.
But the only anime character that I would ever try to be like would be Utena because she’s my hero.
It seems to be that way for me, too. But then again, how I think influences how I act…
Utena is a great role model (despite the setting of the series being very unrealistic). If only regular American media had more heroines like her.
I think the only anime I’ve watched where I felt it affected me a bit to change my habits was “Welcome to the NHK”. Most anime I don’t really relate to any of the characters so I don’t feel those affect me at all.
But with Welcome to the NHK it was different cause I sorta feel like I have lived that lifestyle of Satou to some extent. Even though I don’t feel I’m as self centered as he was, I have lived a life of solitude and a mild sense of anxiety about going into public places.
Since watching the show I’ve made a concerted effort to not fall into the “say no” to participating in family events that I know I’d be able to enjoy.
I think in my particular situation it was more of the fact that Satou, the hikikimori, pointed out things in myself that I didn’t like and my changes were more of a realization of faults in myself being similar to the character rather then actual personality traits that I picked up from said character.
Good story. I find it interesting that you find so few anime characters easy to relate to. I think most are very relatable on an emotional level but not so much on a situational level. What I mean is that they convey very human emotions but their situations are often very fantastical (in fantasy or sci-fi series) that we can’t easily place ourselves in such a situation. So in a way, anime could function better to fulfill people’s desires than present situations that are easy for the average person to relate to. But I’m glad at least one anime character inspired a change in you personally ;)
I recall losing my sanity for three days after watching some shows (like NGE). I just sat in my room and talked to myself. It was weird. And awesome.
Evangelion, Noir, Wolf’s Rain, Toradora!, and many other series have definitely blown my mind and left it that way for days after completing them. But I wouldn’t call it an affect on my personality or overall ideals – just jarring my emotions for a while =)
Aria and Kino no Tabi have affected my outlook on life quite a bit, by telling that the world, no matter its condition, is beautiful in its own way. And that shouldn’t be taken for granted.
I’m definitely more patient and less discontent with the world after watching both.
I haven’t seen Kino no Tabi, but I would agree that Aria can help make someone more patient and more open to finding beauty in the simple things of life ^_^
I agree with the others that think it may affect the way you think, or view things. I’m pretty sure our personality is not something that is easily changed.
But I do agree it can change the way we view things, and give a different perspective. You are very likely a kind person to begin with, so when presented with an anime like Fruits Basket from the point of view of Tohru, you can probably see some of yourself reflected there. Same with Keima, since you are in a similar position of liking something not completely accepted by society. The different perspective may change your point of view a bit. As long as you take the positive aspects, I see nothing wrong with that :) So it may ultimately affect the way you react or view certain things, but never your core personality.
I have to say that my point of view has been affected by anime as well. I have always believed in neutrality, or balance. I firmly believe that extremes are bad, and a balance must be maintained in all things for them to work properly. However, I was never able to express it properly, or wrap my head around the idea well. But the Japanese culture has some very deep roots in this, and it is very clear in many anime. Actions have consequences, balance is usually maintained etc. The heavy price of using the death note, equivalent trade in full metal alchemist, balance of power in many gundam series. Many, many things that have changed my point of view.
I’m also moved by strong emotions, so I have no problem in getting mad with villains, or cry with the protagonists. So if I can relate to a character, it is a plus for me :)
Ooops, typed out quite a bit again :S Anyway, thanks for another very interesting discussion topic. Leaves a lot to think about.
Yes, after a certain age, I think very few people can change their core personality. It would be rare if even possible for an anime to completely change how someone acts. But as you say, anime can influence how we think and view things, which then affects our actions.
The series you mentioned are definitely good examples of the theme of “balance in the world.” Things we already feel strongly about to begin with (like this topic for you) will obviously stand out more to us when we see them in anime. With this, anime can affect our personality by increasing traits we already had rather than change them. Either way, it’s a great thing ^^
Thanks for reading~
I have a habit of rewatching anime, and not only shows I love, but pretty much any show I’ve watched. I am currently trying to rewatch every anime I’ve watched until now, and I’m actually halfway done with that. Anyhow, during this rewatching spree, I’ve noticed that some of elements of my current outlook on life are similar or even directly taken from anime I’ve watched previously – and while I do consciously take note of a phrase or way of thinking that fascinates me, I almost never remember the source.
So, it adds to the entertainment value of a show when I see how a certain phrase or character mentality has made its way in becoming a permanent part of my outlook.
Taking the time to rewatch anything you really like is a great idea as I don’t believe you can fully appreciate any show, movie, book, etc., by just one experience. And if through rewatching anime you find inspiring words and ideas, that’s even better =D
To me, I feel that some Anime shows us a different perspectives in life, most namely the slice of life genre. While I can’t say too much since I only touch over 50+ titles since my departure to watching only Pokemon, there were some shows that influenced the way of living in the past three years, most namely 5 Centimeters per Second, K-ON and few others (explained below).
5 Centimeters Per Second: This movie showed a tragic side to distanced relationships. Nowadays, we take real life interaction for granted these days since we have social networking, smartphones/cellphones and voice conferencing. Regardless, this movie still holds true in today’s society as maintaining an intimate relationship when you live far apart is still difficult since it requires close interactions. While it work for a few, it’s most likely going to dirt apart. Hanasaku Iroha also reminds me of this with Ohana and Ko despite their use of cellphones, but I won’t go into it too much since it’s still airing.
K-ON: Cuteness aside, the show was nostalgic to me when I saw the girls have fun with each other. It shows the power of friendship, especially with Azusa towards the end of the second season as the girls graduate.
There are few other shows that I didn’t mention since it would make this comment too long, didn’t read. This includes Hourou Musuko and Clannad After Story. Aria will definitely make it on the list, but not quite so since I only watch the first two episodes.
Overall, I don’t really see the characters making a change to my personality since Anime is just a form of entertainment. Depending on the subject matter, it influences the way of thinking, intellectually and emotionally.
If 5cm/second has caused you to try and interact in person more than through digital means, I would say it affected your personality. Likewise for K-ON if it made you value friendship and nostalgia more. But yeah, an anime that will really change how we act is rare. However ones that influence our thoughts, which can then influence our actions, are not too hard to find ;)
I think I was also affected by Keima in the same way you were.
One other anime that I think I was majorly affected by was Shugo Chara. It made me see that it’s okay to not know what you want to be or to have doubts about it. Amu also inspired me so much to work on showing who I really am more than I did and I don’t think I’d be the way I am now without that.
That’s cool, I haven’t seen Shugo Chara but I know how uplifting magical girls can be ^_^ Sakura (from Cardcaptor Sakura) has had a similar affect on me.
I can’t say an anime has ever affected me to the point of leading to a change in my personality (though Clannad After Story maybe made me more loving toward my daughter), but I could definitely specific shows and characters have done such for others.
This post reminds me of the movie, “Dead Man Walking,” which has an effect on my personality – it not only led me to make an immediate 180 on my stance regarding the death penalty, it totally affected the way I think about and treat others; I still refer to this film in my mind when I think about how judgmental I can be.
Well, I always thought anime could affect one’s personality by having characters that can take up the role of ideal role models. Anime characters aren’t real, so they can tend to have much less flaws and fit an “ideal” image much more easily.
Because of that, I do remember characters from my childhood that I sort of looked up too, even though I knew they weren’t real. Characters such as Spike from Cowboy Bebop, Kenshin from Samurai X, and Lacus Clyne from Gundam Seed, were strangely respectable in my eyes.
In retrospect, I’d say that their attitudes did have an influence on my mindset today, though I can’t say I’m too sure on to what extent. As you grow up more, though, your sense of reality becomes much stronger, and the notion of having anime affect your personality becomes much less pronounced (if it’s even happening at all, that is).
I guess it’s just that anime has the strongest chance of having a tremendous effect on your outlook on life and such in your childhood, and it becomes considerably harder to do so as you age and grow up.
I don’t think a specific show has changed my personality, but anime did make me more confident in a way. As a result to anime obsessing, I’ve made a bunch of awesome friends that share my interests and I can talk to about anything. It’s nice to know that you have someone to fangirl with, but can talk to about anything and everything else as well. It gives me confidence to know that I have people like that as friends.
Anime doesn’t change a persons personality, the person tries to change the persons’ personality. By either having such an attachment they want to be that character, or merely wanting to adapt one of their habits. I had a friend start saying Nyo after every word after watching digi charat. It was painful…for me. >_>
Having an anime change your outlook is great. Changing yourself to be that character is…pathetic. I’ve been cheered up by many different animes, and it’s probably affected my ideals. But never had I wanted to change myself into a character, not even a badass one like Gutts.
Well, before I started watching anime, I thought of only myself and was against most of the good things in life; but now, after I’ve watched:
Yugioh (all series)
Beyblade (only metal fusion and beywheels)
Bakugan
Elfen lied
Sailor moon
Oban star racers
kamikaze kaitou jeanne
Higurashi
Fushigi boshi no futagohime
Rosario vampire
I’ve realized how wrong and selfish I was and now, my personality has totally changed, now I’m kind, sweet hearted, adventurous, brave, smart, caring, friendly, and loving.