10 REASONS YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING ANIME (IF YOU AREN’T ALREADY)

 Written by Zeeshan Ibrahim

Anime is one of those entertainment mediums that people seem to get a bit apprehensive about. We didn’t have a problem watching Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon before school in our younger years, and in fact, you probably look back on those memories with undeniable fondness. However, the older people get, the more likely they are to shunt anime off to the side and label it as a no-go. But in an effort to bring back the anime love, I’ve compiled a list of 10 reasons that everybody should be watching anime!

 

 1. It’s rarely cancelled

There’s nothing worse than letting yourself get wholly invested in a TV series only to have the rug pulled out from under you when the network decides to cancel it *cough* Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency *cough*, but this rarely happens with anime. Either the show ends when the story does (Fullmetal Alchemist) or it keeps going in an attempt to catch up with the manga (One Piece). And if it does happen to get cancelled, you can always keep going with the manga.

2. The characters are unique and interesting

Anime boasts such vibrancy and diversity in its characters. People in anime have dynamic personalities, they’re whole people (even when they aren’t human); they have dreams and goals, and beyond that, there’s just so much variance in what they are. Ghosts, detectives, ghouls, pirates, demons, high school students, office workers… the list goes on, and there’s no limit to what a character might be, or who they might be.

3. Characters have flaws and die

Sort of the flip side of number 2 is that characters in anime are not spared by plot armour. Even a character that is absolutely pivotal to the plotline is not immune to death, or flaws. Perfect characters don’t exist in anime, and if they do exist, it’s usually because it’s being set up to prove a plot point.

4. Anime is relatable

Not the storylines specifically, but just because something is animated, doesn’t mean it can be realistic or relatable. Most animes will harbour serious moral philosophies from real-life situations. And things like decision-making, the ability to overcoming loss, and the importance of familial relationships form the corner-stone of almost any anime you watch.

5. There are ENDLESS possibilities

What’s the most random story you can think of? There’s probably an anime for that. School of compulsive gamblers? Check. Universe where humans co-exist with any number of mythical creatures? Check. Journeys of a guy who eats a magical fruit and is trying to become the Pirate King? Check. There are no limitations on what worlds or characters exist, it’s truly astounding.  

6. It teaches you about Japanese culture

This one’s a bit subtler, but each anime is infused with information about Japanese culture; from commonly used phrases and colloquialisms, popular traditions, holidays and myths and folk law- there’s a little something from a magnificent culture blended into each story.

7. Strong female characters

There’s a bit of a misconception about the way anime portrays women, but I’m here to tell you that physicality aside, women in anime are not there as male fan service. They are strong, dynamic characters—no damsels in distress here (well, mostly)! Women in anime go toe-to-toe with males in action sequences and are just as likely to kick-ass and take names as any of the guys.

8. Amazing action sequences

And not just fight scenes either! Anime is all about the action—the way it’s written lends itself to action weaving itself into the plot of any story line. Even filler episodes tend to have something interesting going on. Fight scenes in particular can be spectacular, because the use of animation as a medium means that they’re limitless in a way you can’t achieve with live action.

9. It’s super easy to binge!

You know that feeling when you get super into a TV show and so you start from the beginning and binge watch through a couple of seasons… but then you catch up? And you’re left wondering what to do with your life while you wait for the next season? Depending on what anime you pick, you’ve got a while to go before you run out of episodes—with long running shows like Naruto and One Piece boasting over 700 episodes each.

10. It’s entertaining!

Perhaps the most basic of all the reasons on my list, but arguably the most important, anime is entertaining as heck! It’s all about fast paced, interesting and thought-provoking storylines kept moving by kick-ass action scenes and enough drama to keep anyone interested!