A Few Stuff You Can Learn From Anime

Anime, short for Japanese animation, is a genre on its own so much so that calling

Anime cartoon will end up in a long angry debate. Just don't ever call Anime 

cartoon even by mistake.

What makes Anime different from cartoons is that most Anime target teenage 

audiences, some of them are even rated R. Generally the animation is a good blend between realistic and cartoonish(Not cartoon) and despite being a 2-D 

medium it has that 3-D effect. And what's more most mainstream Anime still use 

traditional hand drawn animation.

Anime has a great deal to offer while entertaining the audience, here are a few
things you can learn from Anime.

#Japanese Culture and Tradition

No matter what genre, it doesn't even matter if the show is based in an alternate 

reality Anime will have reference to Japanese tradition.

Despite modernization Japan has held on very tightly to its manners and traditions, 

so much so that the mainstream Anime production houses still use traditional hand 

drawn method rather than flash animation. And so it's not so surprising to see some common Japanese cultural references.

Most Anime have their plot set in Japan like Clannad, Rourini Kenshin, Fate/Stay 

Night, etc. These Anime give the viewers an opportunity to explore the Japanese 

society and landscape. Even if the Anime is based in an alternate reality you are 

still bound to find Japanese touch in it.

Whichever Anime you watch you'll be sure to come across Shinto and Buddhist
themes and tales and even Christianity.

If you're an action/fantasy/supernatural Anime fan you'll surely come across various
martial arts styles like kendo, kenjutsu, karate, jujitsu and many others.

Ninja and Samurai make up the most popular themes in action genre with shows like Naruto, Rourini Kenshin, Gintama, etc. Besides any good show seems incomplete
without someone swinging round a sword, that's just how much Japanese adore the
sword.

Food like Ramen, Dango, Rice cake, Sushi and Miso soup are staple diet in Anime.
You also learn greetings like Mosh mosh(Hello), Ohayuo(Good Morning), Arigato
(Thank you), etc and proper application of suffixes like -chan, -kun, -san, -sama and
-dono when addressing a person. And last but not least you learn proper etiquettes like 

removing shoes when entering someone's house, table manners, giving gifts, and 

much more.

#Japanese

Many Otaku claim that they learnt the language just by watching Anime in subbed 

version. Not unbelievable really, hearing someone speak while reading the 

translation does help with vocabulary and pronunciations.

Japanese is quite complex with completely different set of rules from Hindi and 

English.

For people who want to learn Japanese Anime is a good place to learn how to 

speak, unless you have a Japanese neighbour which would be better. If nothing 

else you'll at least learn some Japanese greetings and swear words. But you'd still 

need a textbook if you want to learn how to write it.

#Japanese Mythology

Part of Japan's culture, Japanese traditions are rich with tales of Shinto/Buddhist 

deities, spirits, demons and heroes. As such Anime have loads of raw tool to 

develop stories and in fact use them a lot.

Kyuubi(The nine tailed fox), Yama(Yamraj), Shinigami(Soul Reaper), Yuki onna

(Snow Women) and Asura(a Buddhist demi-deity) are only few of the many many characters from Japanese lore used in many Anime.

#Japanese worldview

It doesn't matter if it's fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, slice of life or comedy, Anime is 

filled with references to the real world though animators generally avoid religious references for obvious reasons.

As such these references more often than not reflect the animator's worldview. 

Anime is a great opportunity to explore the mindset of people brought up in Japan.

Though many Anime seem stereotypical many put in lot of research-work before 

adding references.

#Life values

No matter which Anime, there's always a message behind it. Values like courage, friendship, love, honour are a recurring theme throughout the genre.

What's more the animator preaches these values without sounding preachy. It 

sounds paradoxical but the animator does this by letting you interpret their message through the experiences of the protagonist who is not the perfect role model but has

that one quality that inspires the otaku like Naruto's never give up attitude, Natsu's 

loyalty towards friends and Goku's drive to become a better fighter than before.

Some really good Anime take this a step further by unfolding their message through character development and story-telling like Death Note, Code Geass and many 
more.

#Drawing

Many of us learnt how to draw just by trying to sketch our favourite characters or by watching making of videos or video tutorials. It takes time and practice to get the 

sketches right, unless you have the talent.

Anime drawings are a perfect blend between realism and 2-D animation. The 

characters are not disproportioned but still a few shades shy of realistic. Animators generally emphasize on facial expression, especially the eye and lips.

Some Western cartoons have taken inspiration from Japanese drawing styles like 

Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aladdin, Teen Titans and many more.

#Story-telling

Despite the absurd amount of fillers, story-telling is one of the strong points of this

genre. A good combination of good dialogues, sound track, animation and plot is 

what makes a good Anime.

There isn’t really any format of rule to story-telling except that the audience should 

be able to connect with the plot and characters. This is where Anime has been 

successful. Anime emphasizes heavily on character’s emotions and development. Generally speaking the animator uses an imperfect character rather than a perfect 

one to connect with the viewers.

Take Yu Yu Hakusho or Beelzebub for example in which the protagonists start out 

as delinquents and end up something much more. Though not many otakus are 

delinquent mid schoolers or high schoolers we connect with Yurameshi and Oga 

because we are able to connect with their emotions and struggles at some level.

I guess I could go on with my rant but in the end you will have to watch Anime 

yourself and experience it for yourself to believe it. So don’t waste time, open a new

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