WHY ANIME IS IMPORTANT
Had this on my mind for a while and luckily Enigma (My Bro) texted me "You should do a article on why anime is important cause these girls don't understand it."
Very true Enigma. They don't understand it and it's because they don't want to.
They see shit like Pokemon (which is awesome) and thinks EVERY anime is exactly like that or they think shit like "Teen Titans" or "The Boondocks" are anime when it's not. Same animation but anime isn't just a style it's a type of storytelling and Boondocks doesn't have that. It's a sitcom.
I know women who LOVE anime and I swear all the women I know that love anime either are writers or are very chill.
If you want to start watching anime and don't know where to begin. Watch Cowboy Bebop and Black Lagoon. That's where I would begin before you get into other shit. They're both great starter options.
Enough small talk. Let's get to the fucking nitty gritty on why anime is important and why you better not fucking forget it.
INFLUENCE
If you're not into anime after giving like 3 different shows or movies a try then fine. It's just not your thing but there is something that confuses me.
People who bash anime but swear they're these huge movie buffs and say they care about characters and plots will say their favorite movies are shit like "The Matrix" but little do they know. Matrix story and shooting style was inspired by what? Anime.
The Matrix was inspired by "Akira" and "Ghost In A Shell" 2 of the most iconic anime films ever.
Ask Kanye West what his favorite film is. Oh yeah I forgot he said his favorite movie was "Akira" a anime film. Silly me.
Almost all your favorite live action films were inspired by anime. The influence can't be denied.
IMAGINATION
I just mentioned Pokemon. You know what kind of imagination you have to have to create a anime about little monsters being caught in balls and used in tournaments to fight, become productive members of society, or just as pets? It's fucking incredible.
Anime showcases the power of our imagination. In live action I could come up with a dope idea and the creators of the live action show would probably say "That's impossible."
Well it's not impossible in the anime world you fucker. You can bring it to life.
Anime improves your imagination significantly and channels a part of your mind you never knew you could access.
IT'S ART
The colors. The super detailed backgrounds. It's so beautiful to look at. Even if the anime is a dark anime like "Tokyo Ghoul" the colors and the style are just so fucking amazing. I get lost in how pretty it is.
The movie Akira was all hand drawn. That is fucking crazy. The whole fucking movie was drawn. You know how fucking dope the Neo-Tokyo look is? The fact that humans hand drew that whole movie is legendary. It's literally a work of art. A masterpiece.
STORYTELLING
This is the biggest advantage of anime.
Like I said, if you're basing anime just off Pokemon and Dragonball Z then you'll never understand. Those are 2 of the most popular anime of all time with the most simplistic storylines. They're both catered to kids.
There is no greater depth in entertainment than anime storytelling. NONE. Anime showcases the most powerful storytelling. It's always something underneath it all. Always. The shit will open your eyes and your mind. I'll give you some examples.
My 3 favorite anime of all time are Cowboy Bebop, Gurren Lagann, and Trigun.
Cowboy Bebop on the surface is about struggling bounty hunters trying to survive but really it's a love story, facing your past, and a man who wants to know what's real.
Gurren Lagann on the surface is about humans living underground trying to overthrow a man who kept them captive underground but it's really about evolution. This anime is SUPER deep.
Trigun on the surface is about a plant humanoid with amazing gun skills who's trying to stop his evil brother but underneath it's about humanity and the pro and cons of humanity. Both brothers actually have compelling arguments that you can agree with.
Look at a anime like "Assassination Classroom." The plot of the story is A classroom of academically bad kids are chosen by a alien to assassinate a teacher and if they don't complete the assassination in a certain time then Earth will be destroyed by the alien.
The catch is that the alien is their teacher. He wants the kids to kill him. He asked to teach that specific classroom. He's also almost impossible to kill because he has the ability to move a mach speeds. Basically the 3 times the speed of a fighter jet.
During the course of the kids attempting to kill him he is also teaching them about life and academics through their failed assassination attempts. We discover he's a great teacher and improving the kids academic performance through assassination.
You know how fucking creative and deep that story is? Fucking crazy.
Attack On Titan? Titans that only kill and eat humans. That's it. They only kill humans and only can be killed one way. The story underneath is how corrupt government is. I'd teach this anime in a classroom if I could.
Anime storytelling >
THE BOND
I can't describe the feeling you get when you meet a complete stranger and you both watch "One Piece" it's seriously like when Dale and Brennan found out they were best friends in "Step Brothers."
The friendships and bonds that are formed from anime never break. Ever. You want to talk about what happened on Naruto, Soul Eater, Black Lagoon. Everything.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
The character development is so key in anime. You really think these muhfuckas real. Watching a anime like "One Piece" you notice that they place character development in the forefront to set up everything.
When we finally got a glimpse of Luffy's upbringing with his brothers you felt like you were there even though that shit wasn't real. You finally understand why he is the way he is.
In the same anime I saw Trafalgar Law's backstory and I almost fucking cried. That's how real that shit was.
Anime character development is always the first priority. The characters are always different and balance complexity and simplicity. You'll either sympathize with them or see them change during the series. I'm not saying live action shows don't do this but in anime the development packs more of a punch.
THE ESCAPE
I feel like I'm in a different world when I watch a good anime. I get lost in what I'm watching. I remember I was watching "Code Geass" and I literally forgot where I was. It's a different type of binge.
I'm not the one who usually dabbles in escapism I love living in the moment but it's just something about anime that makes it okay to get away mentally.
JAPANESE CULTURE
Anime gives you insight into Japanese culture. That's why every anime fan dream trip is to Tokyo, Japan. You see the food on the anime and want to go try it in real life. I even want to learn Japanese one day. I heard it's hard as fuck but I'd become an even more unique muhfucka if I spoke Japanese.
It helps us respect their culture. It's really intriguing.
CHARACTERS EASY TO LOVE/HATE
There really is no in between and I love that about anime.
Revy from "Black Lagoon" is easy to love. A bad ass bitch that shoots shit up.
Blackbeard from "One Piece" is easy to hate. A disloyal opportunistic piece of shit.
See? Simple.
MUSIC
The soundtracks are fuego diego. Anime music are super melodic and catchy as fuck. Watch Cowboy Bebop. Jazzy and Funky. Soul Eater music mixes orchestra shit with Jazz. Naruto's music is really funky and space age-ish.
IT'S FUCKING FUN
Last but not least anime is fucking fun to follow. It's just a great time. There's anime I don't like and there are some that I love. I just found the anime that are for me. Stop judging and find a anime for you. You'll find it and you'll become hooked.
Just give it a try. I can take the slander if you actually tried to watch but not trying and judging I'm not accepting.
ANIME HELPED ME FIND "ME"
I know this may not be important to you since this point is about me but hear me out.
As a writer my skills constantly sharpen for every Anime show I watch. After a finish a season or a series I open up my notebook and write what I learned about life from that anime because that's how anime works. Even though it's fiction it's all about life.
After I finished the anime "Gurren Lagann" I kept saying to myself "It isn't real. It isn't real." I wasn't going psycho or anything of the sort. I was so overwhelmed at how hard they drove the point of their story home. Writing did that. The writing gave me that feeling. The imagery and animation helps but the writing is the foundation. It means nothing without a story.
We used to get made fun of for watching fictional animation created in Japan that taught us more real shit than the school we were frequently judged in. People were judged for going to comic-con in costumes and being themselves but those same people who made fun of us dress up on October 31st. How hypocritical is that? Now look around. Some of those same people are on the anime train because it's a fad. This is no fad to me. Anime means everything to me because it plays a huge role in my creativity and why you read shit on PoliteAsFlannels everyday.
That's why anime is fucking important.
