Most of you are probably not aware, but 2013 marks the 50-year anniversary of modern style anime (thanks to chii for bringing this up). Fifty years ago in 1963, Astro Boy began airing, the series credited with being the very first television anime that inspired the style of anime we see today. Anime has come a long, long way since then and has certainly changed in more ways than I can write about. But I wanted to do something to celebrate this milestone for the medium that has been such a big part of my life for roughly 14 of those 50 years. I thought, should I do something generic, like write about what I think are the best anime, characters, scenes., etc., to come out in those fifty years? But in the end, I opted to do something more personal and discuss a few ways anime has affected me personally – how it’s affected my life, my thoughts, my relationships, and other things…
Times are changing and I’m not so different after all: One of the very first ways anime changed me as a person is when I realized that I wasn’t the only one still into cartoons and video games despite long ago reaching the age when people move on to other things. I used to think there was something odd about myself back in middle school when I was the only one who liked Pokemon and other cartoons while all my classmates had “moved on” to “grown up” things like dating and American pop culture stuff. It wasn’t until high school when I started attending the anime club there, that I realized that there are indeed plenty of people my age who still love animation and games. And looking back on it now, I realize that I’m lucky to live in these times when it’s becoming more and more acceptable for people to be different and not fit social norms. It’s becoming more commonplace for adults to like things aimed at children, from Pokemon to My Little Pony, as well as for girls to like things aimed at guys such as violent video games and shonen anime, and guys to like “girly” things such as anime that revolve around romance and cuteness.
The world extends way beyond California: This might sound funny…or maybe it’s not so strange for a little kid to be like this, but when I was a child I hardly thought about anything beyond the little California suburban valley where I live. I didn’t think about people in other countries, or even in other states, and how different, as well as similar, their cultures could be. But like anyone who gets into anime, I couldn’t help but start taking notice of Japanese language, culture, and customs once I became part of the fandom. And once I actually became interested enough to study Japanese at college, I was completely enlightened; learning a different language and studying another country’s history, politics, art history, literature, etc., and being able to compare it to my own, made me see the world and understand the human experience anew. In addition, since anime is a fandom very tied to the Internet, over the years I’ve been able to meet a ton of people in other states and countries who also like anime and I’ve come to understand our similarities and differences. I’ve certainly changed from my sheltered view of the world I had when I was a kid and it may not have happened without anime =)
I can write and people will read: It’s no secret that my web site has been a huge part of my participation in anime fandom ever since I began work on it in 2002. Because I’ve been so passionate about anime and yearned to share my thoughts about it with others, I’ve been writing consistently for over ten years and naturally my skills have gradually improved over the course of that time (I’ve also managed to maintain a 50WMP speed). Very few things besides anime have come into my life that I’ve been passionate enough to write about. So I have anime to thank in terms of making me a diligent and skilled writer, which is definitely saying something in this day and age of short-hand texting on the go that’s sadly causing appreciation for profound and grammatically-sound written words to become obsolete. Another reason writing about my passion is important to me is because in real life I’m actually very soft-spoken and not the type people gravitate to in terms of conversation. I’ve always had trouble getting noticed and being able to voice my opinion in any kind of group discussions. Blogging about anime has allowed me to express myself in ways I can’t otherwise and actually get people to hear (or, read) what I say.
Learning to criticize even what you like: A recent post by Mikoto actually reminded me of another thing anime has taught me over the years – the value of analyzing and being critical, even if it’s something you like. When I was brand new to anime, I placed every anime I watched on a pedestal and only focused on the good things I saw in them and how awesome and creative they were. But as time went on and I watched more and more anime titles, began learning all the cliches of the medium and viewing more series in a single season than I did in a whole year back when I was a newbie fan, I realized that not every anime is great and it’s okay to express the things I dislike about them without seeming like a “hater.” I learned that people will take you much more seriously as a fan of something if you not only give precise reasons for your praise, but can also acknowledge that it’s not perfect and try to understand why others may not like it. So I became more critical over the years and now place every anime or even every game, movie, book, or any creative work under a microscope and see what’s good about it as well as bad. Thus in all my anime reviews, or for anything, I try to bring up both the good and the bad regardless of whether I liked it or disliked it overall. And again, if I wasn’t passionate enough about anime, I may have never developed this way of looking at things.
Appreciating certain aesthetics: Anime has taught me to appreciate many things in animation and visual entertainment in general, but to give a few examples, one thing it really opened my eyes to was appreciation of “the moment.” Anyone who’s seen enough anime knows that it’s not afraid to focus on one worthwhile scene for a considerable length of time, or remain silent for a while, letting the visuals speak for themselves, which is all quite contrasting to the fast-paced and relatively loud style of Western entertainment I was used to. Another thing anime brings out appreciation for because of its Japanese origins is the beauty of nature. Many anime that have nothing to do with nature have plenty of scenes of cherry blossoms falling, birds flying, sunlit trees blowing in the wind, etc,…just take a look at a number of anime opening songs from any genre to see this kind of stuff. I’ve always had an appreciation for nature but the beautiful way it’s conveyed in anime has enhanced my appreciation of how it can be used in a story. And lastly, probably something many of us have but don’t think about, is how anime has made me develop an appreciation for cute things that I never may have had otherwise. Starting with the many cute pokemon characters, I really started to adore the “cute characters with power” trope that’s so common in anime – having something small and cute, whether it’s a magical animal or Japanese school girl, that also has great powers and can defend against evil. Coming from a time when only muscle-bound comic book superheros had powers, it’s great to see characters like cute magical girls and animals being seriously portrayed as having superpowers.
Making true friends: And the last major way that anime has affected my life is how it’s helped me make many wonderful friends over the years, both in real life and online. I met all the good friends I have now, most of which I’ve been friends with for years, because of our same interest in anime. And even though some of them aren’t even into anime anymore, we’ve still stayed friends and found other common interests. Anime has certainly taught me that having a hobby that you both love is the best way to start fostering a friendship. Maybe I don’t have hundreds of Facebook friends like a lot of other people, but I’d much rather have a handful of true friends I really enjoy spending time with, than many flimsy “fair weather” friends =P
Like you, I started learning Japanese because of anime (more specifically, I wanted to be able to understand it without subs, haha). It’s become a major aspect of my life and my Japanese is now at a fairly functional level. Watching anime also ties in well with my other major hobby, drawing, so it all works out. I’m definitely very glad to have found anime – it certainly enriches my life in many ways!
Learning another language is a very mind and worldview-expanding experience…and something I may have never gotten into without anime ;) It’s amazing how much you learn about your own language and culture when you study a different one.
As you may have read in a past post I’ve written, I was very into drawing when I was younger (as well as watching cartoons). But as I got older I opted to just watch rather than draw. But anime has definitely enhanced my appreciation for the animation medium as a whole =)
I also think Japanese aesthetics is one of the huge appeals of anime, and agree that slower pacing and stillness are hallmarks of Japanese storytelling at least in certain kinds of stories. It’s amazing how falling sakura blossoms in front of a machiya-style house can instantly set the mood, or rice fields with mountains in the background, or any number of other iconic Japanese images/imagery.
I’ve seen a few Korean and Chinese movies too and I think the “wabi sabi” aesthetic of appreciating the transience of the moment, as well as the beauty of nature, are all-around Asian film elements. But still, it’s quite enjoyable to see compared to the typical Hollywood style of filming. And like you said, there are so many iconic Japanese images that can really set the mood. It’s hard to pinpoint something similar in America since we’re such a mixed bag of cultures.
50 years of anime…wow I need to find some fireworks quick that’s quite the occasion indeed! =D
I was very much like you during school, when everyone else was interested in other things I was busy fanboying over the current anime or awaiting the next highly anticipated episode of my favorite series. Especially growing up in a small town in the south there wasn’t many people who even watched anime (or knew what it was for that matter) so it was fortunate to find anyone who did lol. Its great to find people both in real and on the internet that share a common passion for anime, makes you realize that your not the only “odd” one out there =P
I went to a snobby private middle school so I sometimes wonder if I wouldn’t have had to spend two years of feeling like an outcast for liking Pokemon if I had gone to a larger public middle school with a better variety of people. But at least I was able to make a lot of good friends in high school and college who shared my interest. And once I got into blogging and being part of social web sites, it’s become hard not to make friends online XD
never try to be critical of something you like watching, regardless of how seriously people take you for it. trying to be critical when really all we should be doing is chillin out and enjoying what’s on screen. never keep looking for criticisms – it ruins the entire experience. never force an analysis. it’s a hobby, not a college essay.
that’s what i learnt anyway…
Don’t worry, I like to analyze things I watch for fun – as part of my hobby but never to the point where it ruins my enjoyment. Even though I recognize flaws in a lot of shows I like (I can’t help it sometimes) I still have my reasons for liking them too…and even if they’re not good reasons, that doesn’t stop me from liking what I like ;) I learn a lot about the fandom and myself when I try to be critical about things I like and I enjoy that extra knowledge.
I cannot honestly say anime itself changed my character; I started to become an anime fan around a time where I was starting to blossom intellectually, so the expanse of my worldview and other personal qualities was already being shifted by other influences such as academics and other subcultures I was a part of (e.g. metal fandom, pro sports fandom, etc.).
That being said, I can think of two way anime touched me – first, I finally saw myself in the medium of animation; I never saw a character I could personally relate to in Western animation – even now, I cannot. Since becoming an anime fan, I have found characters I connect with on a deeper level such as Yuiko from Little Busters! (well, I can relate to being looked upon as inadequate and broken by my peers, at least; I don’t care for the whole moe fetish thing she has) and, to a lesser extent, Chisame from Negima, just to name a few examples.
The other way anime touched me is more indirect; the fandom was fascinating, for better or worse. Just looking at websites such as Danbooru, the sheer diversity of art styles and themes among fan-made art was striking. While I’m sure plenty of other fandoms exist that feature such diverse style among the fandom, the anime fandom was the first fandom where the sheer variety of themes and style in fan creation struck me. The only other fandoms I am familiar with that rivals such diversity in fan-generated content is the fandom behind the racing games created by Sierra Entertainment and Papyrus between 1995 and 2003 (primarily the NASCAR Racing series) and the Need For Speed fandom.
You described two very significant ways anime can touch us, and I’ve experienced them too =) I had a lot of Disney and other animated characters I liked when I was a kid, but I never connected with, or became really into a character outside the show or movie they were in, until I got into Pokemon and other anime. So anime definitely showed me how fun it can be to love fictional characters XD
And yeah, I knew nothing about how creative and passionate fans of media works can be until I became an anime fan. It could also have to do with the fact that anime’s popularity was rising just as technology was advancing, allowing fans to easily make things like AMVs, their own web sites, fan art, etc,. Many common fan creations we see today would not have been possible fifteen years ago…or at least as easily shared amongst other fans as they are today.
50 years… wow… I still have a lot of anime to catch up with :P
The 2nd point you bring up is incredibly important, and not one that all people experience. Strong exposure to other cultures can really open your eyes, and make you more tolerant, or accepting, of the different things in life, or different people. It gives you a certain insight, when looking at anything, and allows you to accept it, even if you do not like it, instead of rejecting it or attacking it. If everyone could go through something like that, the world would really be better. So in a way (indirectly at least), anime *could* make the world a bit better.
Good write up again, and a really good post. Great way to celebrate 50 years of anime :)
Heh, good way of describing how anime could “make the world better” XD Not all, but a lot of anime stories are very universal, yet have Japanese aesthetics and are created with animation, a medium most non-Asian cultures have trouble accepting as a serious and dramatic form of entertainment. So it’s not just the fact that it’s Japanese, but what it is (animation) and the amazing variety of stories it tells, also make anime a very mind-expanding thing for anyone willing to give it a try ;)
You are lucky that you have found friends that have, or have had, a passion for anime. I personally have met a few people in university, but they aren’t my type of people. The sad thing is they’re about all the people I know who like anime too. I think it’s hard to make good friends with people who have a passion for anime in particular. Well, at least for me it is. But good for you. =]
I hope to meet more animeniacs in the near future…just not where I am from, as there are very few animeniacs here…who I am aware of.
Ah yes, constructive criticisms. It’s a difficult art to pull off but in time, I have learned to calm myself when seeing shows or characters that got on my nerves. Instead, I focus on merely bashing stuff and explaining in detail why I disliked the person/thing/event/pairing that suffered my wrath.
I am 25 and 5/12 years old as of this writing and I have not changed much since graduating from high school. Although, I have become more proud of myself and the fact that I am an animeniac for life…hopefully.
Ah, awe inspiring moments. I have had plenty of moments while watching anime where I experienced several more emotions than the basic three of laughter, excitement or rage when watching Western shows. Sure, the three emotions are included while watching anime, but I also cried (Male poster), hugged a pillow, “squee’d”, paced back and forth in my room letting an epic moment sink in, had raging otaku “you know what”, and much more. Basically when a person critiques for watching “Japanese kids shows” I simply let them be and keep on watching.
I can write and people read. This is the main reason why I have no plans of retiring from blogging anytime soon.
Anime was one of the hobbies that kept me going during my childhood. It helped me appreciate entertainment and look at all forms of media as vast potential for greatness. I’d go as far to say that anime has helped me see the value of my own opinions, and no matter who it is, someone out there has something to say about something.