You Like Anime? FREAK!

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Chris Snider
September 23, 2009
Filed under A & E, Opinions and Views

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people automatically label another person just because the other person likes something different. This rant was inspired by a TYJ Staff argument: Does liking anime make you a nerd? I say no; it’s just a superficial label meant to make someone feel better about being “normal.”

For those of you that don’t know, anime is short for Japanese animation shows that are based off of Japanese comics, called mangas. If you were one of the many kids that watched Poke’mon or Dragon Ball Z back in the day, then you’ve watched an anime. Many people consider animes to be strange or abnormal because they incorporate a different style of art, have characters with foreign names, often allude to eastern literature or myths, and because the characters often have rather unbelievable powers or unnaturally spiky hair.

Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist

But hold on a second. What passes for normal here in America? Popular American culture involves a vampire in love with a fragrant girl, a magical teenager who goes to a magical school to learn magical things, a rather fruity talking sponge who is friends with an overweight starfish, a grumpy doctor with a gimp leg that seems to attract other doctors with tons of drama in their lives, and a team of crime-fighting robots that can transform into motorized vehicles. So before you call a show about a guy shooting energy blasts from his hands lame or stupid, think about what you consider cool first.

One anonymous student said that she “really likes Deathnote, but I don’t advertise

Cover of the first installment of the Deathnote manga

the fact because I know that a lot of my friends will think I’m weird.” Sadly, this seems to be a widespread truth; today’s culture just seems to be very condescending, specifically to anime. Both Amber Hysell and Ryan Hughes admitted to having been called a nerd because they prefer anime to American shows. In fact, “even my family thinks I’m a nerd,” says Amber.

Jessica Brigan provided a possible explanation, saying “Most people think that (anime) is like cartoons for children, but it’s not. Anime is much more mature.”

So why do these and many other people put up with ridicule? “I like anime for the really cool artwork and they have much better plots compared to American cartoons,” says Megan Fife.

Amber Hysell agrees, saying anime has “better animation, better details, and better fight scenes. People are always bleeding in anime. It’s awesome!”

Personally, I find that they involve concepts that are much deeper than almost any American shows. For example, Fullmetal Alchemist, an anime loosely based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, raises the question of destiny as well as what defines a man and what is the value of a life. It also explores the limitations and the blinders that both science and religion seem to place on people. Very few American shows even bother to try and get their audiences to think. I also find anime useful because they give insight into eastern philosophy and literature, which comes in handy when writing English papers.

Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, another popular anime

Lastly, it seems that many people seem to think that all anime is just people with pointy hair beating the snot out of each other. This is not always the case. For one thing, most of these types of animes are classified as being shonens, almost literally meaning “teenage guy.” These animes are the ones filled with violence and overly attractive female characters, and are thus designed for teenage guys. However, there are also senins, meaning animes for more mature viewers as well as shojo, meaning dramas. Senins often involve deep concepts, such as Deathnote which questions what makes a hero and the ethics of the death penalty. Shojo are often geared towards girls, often involving forbidden love or “Jane Austen-esque” type stories, and examples include Fruits Basket and Ouran High School Host Club. (I know this all sounds nerdy, but I prefer to educate my readers.)

Fruits Basket is a popular shojo among with teenage girls

Before you call another kid a nerd or a freak for liking something strange, be it anime, the History Channel or Battlestar Galactica, you should at least know what you’re condescending. You never know, they might be onto the next cool thing.

If you wish to further educate yourself or you’re a fellow otaku (anime fan), check out “Anime Freak!” on the Cool Links page.

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