Why Anime is so universally appealing?

A common question my siblings and me used to get asked when people found out we were watching Anime was "Aren't you guys too old to watch cartoons?"

For those of you who do not know what Anime is (My god you are really missing out!), it is a term used by the Japanese to refer to Animation. The Animation brings to life Japanese style comic books and graphic novels known as Manga. Various types of Manga's exist and they depend on the content, for example, Manga published by Shounen Jump caters to young/teen boys. At the same time, Shojo Manga's are for young girls. There are Seinen and Josei Manga which target adult men and women, respectively.

So, just as any kids would, me and my siblings watched a lot of cartoons when we were growing up in India. We watched Cartoon Network a lot. As we learned how to change channels, we discovered 'Hungama TV' which aired shows like Pokemon, Beyblade and Yu Gi Oh! At the time, I did not realise that these were actually Anime's.

Anyways, fast forward, I was 17 years old, it had been 8 years since I had last thought about watching so-called 'Cartoons'. It was summer 2015, I was walking back home with my brother who would not stop talking about this Anime he was watching called "One Piece".

"One Piece" is about a young boy named Luffy. With his crew of pirates named as the 'Straw Hat Pirates', he explores the world's, Grand Line in search of the world's ultimate treasure known as "One piece" to become the next King of Pirates.

As my brother explained "One Piece" to me, the way he was talking about the show, so passionately, it was as if he had been the one who created the show. Maybe because I am Indian, I am always open to new languages and cultures. Also, I loved watching cartoons as a kid. So, as I was listening to him talk about "One Piece" I slowly began to engage with what he was saying.

Soon enough, I became curious. I found the website my brother was watching the anime on, and began my Anime journey. I am glad "One Piece" was the first Anime I watched. I LOVED IT. My brother was right for being so passionate.

Since then, I have gone on to watch numerous Anime TV shows and movies. The more I watched, the more I realised why I love Anime so much and why it is nothing like a Cartoon. To put it simply, it's for three reasons.

The first is visual appeal. Below is a scene from the 2016 highly-acclaimed Anime movie "Your Name".

Almost every scene in this movie is stunning. Blogger Angel Qinglan Li deemed that Anime's aesthetic appeal as a premier 21st-century art form is because

"Anime at its best is a genuine, richly fascinating contemporary Japanese art form with an exceptionally appealing visual style…young people brought up in a world of computers, and video games are particularly open to its distinctive aesthetic."

Ms Angel makes a good point. Living in the age of computers, video games and a very Instagram dominated world, it's all about making everything aesthetically pleasing and Anime serves this on a beautiful digital platter.

The second reason is the wide range of the genre in one Anime. As author Bridgett-Koyama Richards says, Japanese Anime can encompass and transcend the traditional confines of genre. For instance, with "One Piece", you'll get a mixture of comedy, adventure, romance, and fantasy. In the anime "Subete ga F ni Naru", you get a mixture of science-fiction, mystery and psychological drama. In "Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood" you get comedy, romance, adventure, science-fiction and mystery. It's like a large buffet where you get to enjoy and feel all sorts of emotions.

The third reason is relatability. Now, I know what you're thinking, how can comic book animated characters with their mystical fantasy storylines make you feel relatable? I mean it's not like in my daily life I know why people want to be pirates (referring to "One Piece"). Just hear me out.

All characters in "One Piece" share something familiar with us, they have a dream. For instance, the main character Luffy's goal is to be the King of Pirates. At the same time, his castmate Zoro wants to be the best swordsman in the world, Sanji intends to be the best cook, Nami intends to draw a map of the world and be the best navigator etc. Throughout the series, you watch these characters declare their dreams that they wish to achieve and work very hard to attain. They are faced with various roadblocks which come in the form of 'enemies' and a lot of action sequences, but these characters do not give up. They never lose hope even when it seems like they would, and that is what I find relatable.

In the world we live in, I find that it is more challenging at times to say out loud what you really want to do with your life. Once you decide what you want to do, more often than not, you are faced with various 'roadblocks' such as the economy, affordability, accessibility and so on. Although, I am glad there are fewer action sequences that exist in reality. So, by watching these characters while they do live in a fiction and fantasy world of magical powers, they give me motivation and hope that as long as you work hard and do your best, you will succeed.

Another positive feature about watching Anime is that it is a great way to immerse yourself in and understand Japanese culture. I've found that it is a great way to learn the Japanese language. As Susan J. Napier says:

"For those interested in Japanese culture, it is a richly fascinating contemporary Japanese art form with a distinctive narrative and visual aesthetic that both harks back to traditional Japanese culture and moves forward to the cutting edge of art and media."

Finally, to those of you who may feel they want to explore the world of Anime, but won't have anyone to talk to or discuss it with. Honestly, you'll find that while Anime originates from Japan, it is global. I have met so many people of different ages, gender and ethnicity that share my love for Anime. Also, you can always rely on me if you want to talk about Anime!

Thank you for staying with me as I rambled on about Anime. Nowadays, Anime is available on Netflix and Amazon Prime. So I really hope those of you who are reading this article take a chance and watch an Anime TV show or movie. Let me know if you do and which is the first Anime you are going to watch or have watched!