My personal connection with anime stems
from the predominately male influence of my older brothers during childhood. On
many occasions the four of us would band together to watch Saturday morning
cartoons, which usually consisted of Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, and I fondly reflect
upon those mornings, as they were the only time of the week all four of us
could be found in the same place at the same time. It is from this emotional
connection that my interest in anime began. As developing youths we found more
than entertainment in the outlet of Japanese animation, we discovered creative
tendencies and an appreciation for another culture. On weekdays we would often
look forward to watching Toonami on Cartoon Network. Toonami introduced me to some
of my favorite anime including: Sailor Moon, The Big O, Dragon Ball Z, Gundam,
Tenchi Muyo, and Transformers: Armada. It was through my increasing
appreciation for anime that I was able to develop an interest in Japanese
culture.
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Although as I think back I recall that many
of these shows, even during my younger days, appeared to be aimed at primarily
male viewers, and I consistently recall feeling like an outsider as I watched
them. The sensation of being on the
outside looking in also carried over into other interests that mirrored anime,
such as video games featuring anime characters and collectable merchandise,
which was often advertised as being made solely for male fans. Nowadays there certainly is more of a balance
between the sexes, and many toys and other merchandise are made in a unisex
fashion, or at least with options clearly defined for both genders. As a female
viewer I often felt I was breaking some sort of social standards by being a fan
of certain programs, such as Tenchi Muyo, which depicted a typical teenage male
character residing in a small home with several very attractive female’s pining
for his affection. I was a young, female viewer and yet I did not feel overwhelmingly offended by
this program, instead I was classically conditioned into accepting that “boys
will be boys”, and that it was simply a cartoon and the actions of the
characters were solely orchestrated for humor and entertainment. Presently, I
feel quite indifferent towards shows such as Tenchi Muyo being shown to young
American audiences, as I feel it was highly disrespectful to women and
influenced its audience to view women as lesser beings who’s worth lied in
their physique
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The only show I can whole-heartedly agree
that it purposely pulled me in as a young female viewer was Sailor Moon. The
storyline focused on romance, mystery, and friendship which are traits that
would appeal to young, brainwashed, Disney-princess wannabe girls. The show
echoed an international ideal for female viewers, boosting with cute outfitted,
wide-eyed, and energetic teen characters, who as an added bonus were actually
aliens with superpowers stemming from heart-shaped scepters and decorative
broaches. Also lurking in the shadows was the mysterious love interest of
leading lady, Usagi Tsukino (aka Serena Tsukino in the American version), Tuxedo
Mask, who added in the elements of teenage romance, and the all of the
associated drama that accompanies it.
While I would never say that my interest
in anime reached Otaku level, I feel that during a significant part of my
adolescents I went through a phase of overzealous nerd-like behavior, which
included binge-watching anime series and collecting merchandise, such as stuffed
animals and figurines. Similar to many of my peers, I eventually grew out of
anime, or to put it kindly, I took a break from anime, and I am only now, in my
twenties, beginning to regain an interest in genre, purely for the
entertainment value. Otaku-like behavior lies within us all, and in some form
or fashion many of us have presented the signs and symptoms of obsessive
behavior towards a favored series or set of characters.
As I think back on what initially drew me
towards Japanese animation, as compared to contemporary American shows, it
would appear that the main concepts of expressiveness and intelligent logic
were the key points of the fascination. Unlike the simplicity of most American
shows at the time, amine presented a unique sensation brought to the viewer via
overly expressive emotions, in nearly every scene the characters appear highly
engaged and radiate a presence that demands the attention of the viewers.
Certain characteristics also played an important role, such as enlarged eyes,
rapidly changing emotions, and often overly exaggerated facial expressions to
convey emotional tones.
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Another element that stood out to me was
the intelligence of many anime series, as displayed in works such as Ghost in
the Shell or Full Metal Alchemist. The plots of these films/shows demonstrates
a higher level of intelligence, as represented in their typical quest motivated story-lines and collaboration between a main character, typically a teenage
male, and his companions, which range from animals to robots to fellow humans. These
films/shows convey both emotional maturity and cultural representation that is
accompanied in most cases by light humor. It is with this thought in mind that
I feel anime could be considered a major form of artistic expression. Many of
the series revolve around very serious issues, for example an epic battle
between aliens and humans, or the end of the world, and what makes them so
striking is the reactions of the characters to the events they are being
depicted in. The main characters go through the emotions on a very realistic
level, some even experiencing depression or post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) symptoms. Within most anime series the collaboration of musical works,
hand drawn and computer generated art and animation, and laniary expression
produces a completely unique form of entertainment, and one that has grow to be
massively appreciated and sought after.
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I
feel that my personal connection with anime is a collaboration of multiple
influences and interests that occurred to me throughout my childhood and
adolescences and that has now developed into a more serious focus as I continue
to study anime, and more specifically Japanese culture during my college years.
I can only hope that as I continue to move forward I will encounter
opportunities that will allow me to travel to various locations in Japan,
wherein I would be able to fully appreciate the culture and the influence it
has had on me.
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