Quarantine brought many new interests into our lives. For some people, it may have been embroidery or reading. For others, it might have been baking desserts or skateboarding. Maybe it was some combination of the four, like embroidering muffins or reading about Tony Hawk. Personally, quarantine introduced me to Japanese anime. To be perfectly candid, I started watching anime because the boy I liked watched it and I figured I’d worm my way into his heart by impressing him with my knowledge of Naruto. And though I am unable to list “acquiring an S.O.” as one of the benefits of watching anime, I ultimately found that it did bring me a love as true and unique and beautiful as that which blossoms in a healthy relationship. Anime gave me a love to last a lifetime: anime.
The word anime is disputed to be a Japanese adoption of the same French word or a shortened version of the English word animation and refers to all Japanese animations. Anime employs a distinct style of artwork in its storytelling mission, often including characters with enlarged eyes and hair, bright colors, and employing iconic facial expressions to convey certain emotions. However, the real enjoyment in watching anime results from much more than viewing a particular cartoon style in motion. The direction of anime shows can be observed to be vastly different from that of traditional American cartoons because the creation of anime dates back to a time wherein Japanese creators did not have the resources to provide the quality of characters that American animators were able to due to the recency of WWII. Instead, they chose to manipulate the camera view of the characters to provide an equally scintillating experience to viewers. Additionally, animes tend to break the unspoken traditional rules Western cartoons follow, including killing off main characters, providing mature themes for older viewers, and picturizing tragedies.
Anime continues to be heavily referenced in conversations pertaining to pop culture, Japanese culture, the growing influence of Asian culture on Western culture, the evolution of animation, and the modern method of storytelling. All of these illustrate the impact anime has had on the world and reflect a shift in American perspective, but most importantly they illustrate the power of anime as an art form. If you need proof, look no further than $375.5 million-grossing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which took home the 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. A closer look at the different animation styles, how they come together, and the structure of the fight scenes in the movie will reveal the strong influence of anime on the creation of this masterpiece. Directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman even cited inspiration from several notable animes such as Akira and Sailor Moon as well as the works of renowned anime director Hayao Miyazaki on the development and stylistic choices in an interview with IGN Japan. Another noteworthy cartoon that draws heavily from anime is Avatar the Last Airbender (I doubt I need to explain the merits or popularity of ATLA).
As anime becomes increasingly popularized in mainstream spaces, so too does the manga art style. Manga predates anime by several centuries and accounts for the distinct anime cartoon style in the first place. The term is used to refer to both comics and cartoons in Japan but has also come to refer to a specific style of drawing characters in the Western world. Despite the apparently simple formula these characterizations tend to follow (the aforementioned large eyes, exaggerated hair, etc), there are multiple forms of manga all garnering respect for the artists’ individuality, authenticity, and creativity, extending beyond the stigmatically perceived “weeaboo” status assigned to those interested in the historic Japanese art form. Although the current postmodern era invites the questioning of the word “art,” it’s clear that manga will help break the barriers postmodernism has implicitly defined through the globalization of anime.
As a relative newcomer to the world of anime, I can easily vouch for the rapidity with which your relationship with anime will grow once you start watching — I strongly caution against starting a new show before midterms/finals seasons, as I learned the hard way. The laws of physics don’t seem to exist in the realm of anime, the artwork is consistently breathtaking, and the addictive nature of shows about things as unassuming as a volleyball team is nothing short of startling. Equally as startling was the revelation of the feelings the boy I liked had for me, which as it turns out, had nothing to do with my interest in the Konoha Crush arc from Part I of Naruto. And yet while this relationship also seems promising, I would be lying if I said my favorite part isn’t watching anime with him.
The Doodling Duck is an Opinion culture column written and created by Pooja Rajadurai to discuss art as it relates to pop culture, trends, and students.
Be First to Comment