Since I was young, I was fond of watching television. My favourite television show is the popular Japanese Anime. Every time I came from school, I hurriedly ran onto our television just to watch the then popular Ghost Fighter. My fondness of anime still continues up to this day, but I know that I am not the only one who is addicted to Japanese Anime. As I observed, there were children, teenagers and even adults who are still hooked up to anime. There are some who even join cosplays; some even collects items of their favourite anime character. The term used to people who are addicted to anime and manga are called Otaku. Now I wonder what is it about anime that is different from cartoons and why are people addicted to it?
Some people often mistake that cartoon and anime had no difference because anime was just coined to differentiate the Japanese cartoon from that those of American or Western cartoons. However, as an anime and manga lover, I can say that anime has depth and plot compared to the cartoons. The characters grow through trials, and as the people watch they started to be drawn and relate themselves to the characters. The plot of an anime is deep, more than the good vs. evil story; sometimes it is a battle between oneself. The plot also includes the element of politics, religion, humanity, and many other abstract concepts. In addition, anime can be for adult viewers while cartoons are mostly for kids. As for cartoons, its plot is very simple and defined, and the characters are easily defined and according to the role.
Entertainment is not the sole reason why I enjoy watching anime and reading manga, it is also because of the lessons it gives and the lessons they imparted on my life. Take for example the famous anime Naruto, the context of the story is not about violence or war, but more on friendship and believing in yourself and others. That alone makes my heart deeply moved. I know that most of the anime are all about violence, if not, most have violent scenes but the violence shown in the anime is part of the life of the heroine. That violence makes the heroine stronger and it is also the reason why they always learned something new about themselves and others, which can be compared to the problems and challenges we face on our everyday lives. But do not take me wrong, anime is purely fictional and our life is totally different from that of the anime. The thing is, we need to learn what the anime imparted on our lives, the lessons it offers and the whole context of the story.
Up until now, even if I am in my 20’s, I can’t stop myself from watching anime and reading manga. It left me hooked up in my seat and wonder what will happen next. I can only say that anime helped a lot on how I face and cope with the challenges in my life because of the lessons I learned from it such as the importance of friendship, being strong in tough times, being there for others and having faith.
Certainly, many people like my fellow otaku’s can relate to what I am thinking about anime. In addition, I am sure that they too can never and will never forget the anime they once watched that they will keep on repeating it over and over again. Also, I know that anime will become a phenomenon as anime lovers and fans increase each year. Truly, the wonders and effect of anime is truly mysterious.
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