Geeks logo

Anime and My Love/Hate Relationship With It

It may be animated, but true anime is more that just a cartoon.

By Kelly HawksPublished 7 years ago 3 min read
Like

There are those who love anime, and those who absolutely hate it. Those who dislike it certainly have valid reasons, and I’m not going to argue and tell you you’re wrong. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I’m not here to convince you to come over to the darkside.

Believe me, I even have a love/hate relationship with it. I think, much like math, those who don’t get it, usually don’t like it. However, I don't think people would necessarily hate anime if they understood the concept of it. Many have a general stereotypical perception of it, yet haven't even attempted to watch it.

Um... yeah... no...

There are things about anime that would, and probably should, turn some people off. Personally, I can't stand the extremely immature fanservice/fanbase culture. It drives me insane. Then again, you find that with everything, everywhere.

For example, take music, especially in the 80s. Many people were overly obsessed with heavy metal bands. The hair, the makeup, the clothes (and I'm referring to the male population here, people), every guy wanted to be in a band.

Females had Madonna — well, not just females — but every girl, woman, or whatever, tried to “be” Madonna, with the dress, fishnet tights, and, oh God, those damn rubber bracelets. And don't even get me started on Michael Jackson. Geesh, even grandma had the damn sparkly white glove and zippered leather jacket.

Boobies anyone?

Anime is widely known for its oversexualization. Females are portrayed with massive bazongas and mostly naked. Gotta love those mini-skirt panty shots, huh? Some shows are borderline pornography, and in the US, that just doesn't fly too well with the female population.

This even turns me off, but to solve that problem, I just don't watch those types of shows. Luckily, I can avoid them and still have hundreds of shows to choose from, in a variety of genres.

High School of the Dead DVD Cover

What we need to realize is that not every anime is like this.

I happen to love action-type anime. You don't usually find that crap in this genre, and most portray strong female characters who can hold their own alongside the men. There are different genres for different people, just like any other movie or TV show in the entertainment industry.

Even mixing horror and action with big bouncing boobies isn't all that bad. I happen to love High School of the Dead, which is a combination of all three.

Attack on Titan

With the aforementioned in mind, a major stereotype is that anime is meant only for kids. Yes, there's Pokemon, Ben 10 or Sailor Moon, but citing the above, it's obviously not just for kids.

Would you let your kid watch ecchi or a major action anime with blood, guts and gore like Attack on Titan(which is an awesome anime, by the way)?

There's a reason why Toonami is broadcast from 11:30pm - 3:00am on AdultSwim.

Dragon Ball Z- known best for its iconic characters and amazing story arcs.

Out of everything, I think the storytelling is what really breathes life into anime. We’re given memorable characters, each having their own backstories, origins, and stories that can evolve in any direction.

The end result is a lot of unpredictable stories and some of the strongest and most iconic fictional characters of all time. Stories can turn into sagas or arcs, each show is a continuance of the one before it. The story doesn’t end until the anime does. Some tell their story for 12 or 24 episodes, some have hundreds.

Each episode gives you a glimpse into the characters' lives, you get to know them and their personalities, you learn to love or hate them. It’s much like any weekly TV series, or hell, even soap operas, only animated.

All in all, I see anime like a big bag of candy. You can spend a bunch of time sorting through it and chances are, you’ll find something you enjoy. The fact is, there are so many genres and subject matter in anime, you’re guaranteed to find something you’re interested in. Hell, there are websites made just for the sole purpose of finding shows based on your interests.

The choices of subject matter are all inclusive: action, horror, drama, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, romance, sports, video games, historical, you name it, anime has it. Who knows, once you find your niche, you may actually like it.

entertainmentpop culture
Like

About the Creator

Kelly Hawks

A sci-fi and anime geek at heart, I'm a writer with an eclectic personality by nature. I tend to lean towards humor, but cycle through phases of what inspires me.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.