What Happens When You Watch Too Much Anime?
The anime industry is rapidly flourishing during this pandemic. It has finally received its deserving recognition as many people have begun to accept the industry and culture for what it is: a fantastic source of entertainment.
Anime has also played a significant role in introducing the world to Japanese culture. However, while people are increasingly fascinated with the country and its language, many are still ignorant and wary of anime.
Many children who watch anime are called derogatory terms and secluded from groups, thus destroying their social life. Furthermore, the majority of the time, it’s always the people who haven’t ever watched anime that deem themselves superior and capable of judging the ones that have.
Let alone children, even a lot of adults, hold the same misconceptions, with many believing that watching anime will corrupt the children. With the increasing rise in anime's popularity, we've decided to write this article to address whether it is actually harmful and what happens when one watches “too much” anime.
Before starting, we would like to establish that anime is not a genre but a term used to refer to all Japanese animated works. Like American or Indian media, a lot of genres and mediums aimed at different age groups fall under anime, and the term should not be generalized.
Now, on to the topic of whether anime is harmful, one should keep in mind that it is similar to other forms of media. Consuming too much of anything is never a good thing, and anime is no exception. Watching too much anime usually leads to addiction, the severity of which might impact one’s life in varying degrees.
Furthermore, the answer to whether anime can influence or affect people is entirely up to an individual. Like any other media, anime has a large variety of shows under the term, and what one chooses to watch will have some influence, negative or positive, on them. This is why, in the case of children, parents should monitor what they watch - while, of course, keeping in mind not to tread on their privacy.
While the nature of anime should be pretty clear by now, we’ve addressed a few popular questions and have debunked some of the misconceptions behind it.
Can Watching Anime Make You Violent and Evil?
No, watching anime does not make you violent and evil. While the series itself might contain violence and action, it is almost always overpowered by strong plot points and world-building that comes with it.
In fact, unless one goes from being a complete social butterfly to becoming an anti-social shut-in from watching anime, their personality hasn't changed too much. However, as established before, it is true that anime has the power to affect your personality, ethics, and morals profoundly, just like any form of entertainment (TV shows, movies, books, video games, etc.). It might change the way you think about a lot of things.
For example, while anime on friendship might encourage its viewers to socialize more, the ones romanticizing a shut-in lifestyle might indulge their bad habits. After all, people start adapting to the things they observe. This is especially so if it is a young child since they are easily impressionable at that age.
Put simply, while some people might become well-mannered with a stronger moral compass after watching anime, there is also a chance that they might pick up on the darker side of it. Of course, adults can make their own decisions and are mature enough to know what habits they pick (and don’t) from anime. In the case of children, as mentioned above, there is a certain need to monitor the content being consumed by them by parental figures.
What Can You Learn From Watching Anime?
Contrary to the negative connotations attached to anime, it can actually have a gradual positive effect on its viewers’ personal growth and character.
Have you ever watched a show, let's say about volleyball, and have wanted to learn that skill as well? Anime is astonishingly good at inspiring its viewers to pursue their passions, and there have been thousands of cases where people have picked up a new instrument or learned a sport after watching it. Haikyuu, Your Lie in April, Kuroko no Basuke, and March Comes in Like a Lion are excellent examples of inspiring anime. Let alone sports, after watching anime, many people are motivated to learn Japanese or about their culture - which is often always an enriching experience.
Furthermore, a lot of anime also allows one to discover their talent, reflect on their skills, and develop a strong and determined personality. A Place Further Than the Universe is an excellent example of an anime that encourages its viewers to take risks and enjoy their youth while it lasts.
Other than skills, there are also moral values that are taught through anime. By watching a series, no matter how good or bad it is, people learn about what’s morally right and wrong.
Anime That Can Teach You Something Important
Here are a few anime that can actually teach you something important and might change your life forever.
1. A Silent Voice
A Silent Voice is a beautiful and emotional story about a deaf girl, Shoyo Nishimiya, who is bullied for having a disability. The movie portrays the concept of bullying and highlights how it affects those involved (both the bully and bullied) later in their lives. The film shows you how everyone is going through issues in their lives, how they live with regrets, and how they want to change themselves desperately.
A Silent Voice teaches you important life lessons such as treating life preciously, seeking redemption, and, most importantly, treating each other with respect and kindness.
2. Death Note
Death Note is about Light Yagami, a high school student who can kill people just by writing their names down in a magical book called Death Note. Now, while this guy might be named Light, he does a lot of messed-up stuff that almost makes him a dark character.
It is a psychological anime that can teach you how to formulate strategies and tactics and look beyond the "truth" to fish out the lie. Death Note will make you question your moral compass through Light as you pass judgment on his actions throughout the series.
3. Cells at Work
Cells at Work is a charming and informational anime that is actually pretty fun to watch. It’s an anime that literally portrays how “cells” work in the human body to keep us safe on a biological level. You will realize this when you see white blood cells fighting off the germs and red blood cells carrying oxygen and running away.
This anime might not help you pass your biology class, but it is probably the most fun to watch educational anime - and we mean educational in the literal sense.
4. Jormungand
Joemungand is a dark but realistic portrayal of the underworld and weapons and arms dealing. It portrays the dark truth that is an open secret from society. The anime opens your eyes to the real world and gives you a view of how things work in real life. Jormungand is on the grimmer side of the spectrum, but there are still many things you can learn from it.
5. ReLife
ReLife follows 27-year-old Arata Kaizaki, a hopeless man, who awakens the next day to find that his appearance has reverted to that of a 17-year-old after taking a mysterious pill. Now part of a unique experiment, he must attend high school as a transfer student for one year. While Arata initially believes it will be a cinch due to his life experience, he is proven horribly wrong as he can't keep up with the new school policies that have cropped up in recent years.
ReLife follows Arata's struggle to adjust to his hectic new lifestyle and avoid repeating his past mistakes. This anime teaches you the importance of relationships and also shows you different perspectives in life and how second chances should not be squandered.
To conclude, while watching anime or any other media in excess might lead to addiction and result in various problems, it is, in the end, a harmless form of recreation. Watching it in moderation might not only help one relieve stress but will also enrich their life by imbuing it with color, passion, and desired morals.