In my experience, there are typically 3 things that can create a barrier to a person enjoying Anime; conversely, when someone has these things, watching Anime can become an enriching and enjoyable experience. Here is what you need:
Some Understanding of Japanese Culture
Appreciation for Anime as an Art Form and Medium for Story Telling
Prior Positive Anime Experiences
In this portion of the website, I will post videos/information that I have found to add value to my Anime viewing experience that will hopefully help address the first 2 points. These stem from my personal experiences and observations. Regarding the 3rd item, if you haven’t have positive experiences with Anime, that can deter you from watching more (which honestly is true for most things). I believe that can be cured by having better information to make better (and personally based) decisions on what to watch. Refer to the Anime List and Anime Summaries for that. However this section is meant to give you all the tools you will need to get the most out of your Anime viewing experience.
Here are some examples of things I will talk about:
- Japanese businessmen & work life balance in Japan
- Nose bleeds in Anime
- Genre’s of Anime – Issekai
- Anime’s as a cartoon Vs. live action with CGI
- Facial expressions in Anime
I have found (through conversations with others) that all of these topics have either caused a someone to be confused with an Anime scene or been so different to what someone is used to that it deterred them from ever watching Anime again. However, with a little understanding and open mindedness, these differences can be embraced to actually enhance an Anime viewing experience. While I’ll attempt to shed light on of these topics to the best of my abilities, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of keeping an open mind. If you want a rich and fulfilling Anime experience, then (as an example) don’t see extremes in facial expressions, like having very small/big eyes as something weird; see it as a form of expression to clearly dictate emotions. If you need a “real” life example of what this would look like, then imagine you are standing in 2 feet in front of a theater actor at a play (compared to sitting up in the balcony) and you are observing their facial expressions and body motions. From a distance, the feelings of the actor would be easy to recognize, but would look a little ridiculous 2 feet in front of you. Actors and directors know that, and know you can’t always see a small eye brow raise 150 feet away. Both theater and Anime utilized exaggerated emotions to quickly and effectively depict the emotions they want audiences to see. Make sense right? And for the most part, extreme emotions in Anime are meant to be funny, so stop being so pretentious and a stick in the mud and enjoy it for what it is!
It is also important to remember that Anime has changed over the years, so don’t let an older Anime with a different art style and animation quality detract from the content of the story (I think Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope VS. Star Wars Episode 1: A Phantom Menace clearly makes my point).
If you want the full list of items that I wish to address (at some point), look below – Note: if I have finished the Post I will adds a time stamp next to the topic and you’ll be able to click it to go straight to the post.
| Anime as Story Medium | History of Japan |
| Anime Genre’s | Honorofic Talk |
| Anime Music | Hyberbole Speak |
| Anime Vs. Live + CGI | Japanese Businessman |
| Beat Chacarter Devlopment | Japanese Food |
| Best Comedies | Japanese Language |
| Best Fight Scenes | Japanese Pride |
| Best For Kids | Japanese School |
| Best of Sports | MA – Expositions |
| Best Picture | MA – Mouth Movement |
| Best Romances/Love Stories | MA – Movement Style |
| Best Slice of Life | Manga => Anime |
| Best Tear Jerkers | Nose Bleeds |
| Best Thought Provoking | Pronounciation of Japanese |
| Breakdown – Genre | Religion – Shinto/Buddhism |
| Breakdown – List (Use) | Shower Type Scenes |
| Breakdown – Ranking | Smoking/Drinking Sake |
| Breakdown – W.A.I.S.A.D. | Sneezing when Mentioned |
| Changes in Animation | Super Nice or Super Mean |
| Character Complexions | Types of Anime – Issekai |
| Dedication to Hobby/Job | Types of Anime – Mecha |
| Doing Things 3 Times | Types of Anime – Shounen Jump |
| Dub/Sub | Types of Anime – Underdog Story |
| English in Anime | Types of Anime – Video Games |
| Facial Expressions | Types of Anime- Apocolyptic |
| Fan Service | Unrequited Love |
| Festivals | View of America |
| Filler Episodes | What is Anime? My List? |
| Harem Situation |
If you have any suggestions or comments, or there is something you would like to see, feel free to leave a message here.
My Awesome Newcomer's Guide to Anime ("MANGA") 