Why Anime May Be Our Best Teacher


"It's just fiction, a mere cartoon. What in the world can you learn from something that's not real?" Day by day I see ecstatic fans lose their burning passion when faced with people who don't support their beliefs. It's happened to me before as I found anime that I relate to greatly. I learn from these various work of art, but they're constantly ridiculed for being "fake."

So just like that, people stomp on my dream. "Don't even try relating this to real life, it's nothing like it." What do you mean? Our anime is written by real humans, so how can it not be based on their experiences?

The next thing people say is "Well, in real life you can't do all these amazing things that take place in anime. Our world doesn't have these amazing conflicts and battles, it doesn't have all these fictional creatures, and humans are nothing like anime characters. You're just delusional."


At this point I could get mad, going back and forth with these people. However, it's not worth it. Instead I decided to let my negative feelings go. I just told myself, "they don't see it from my point of view."

So what does this have to do with anime teaching us? Well, the point I was trying to make is that we all learn differently. Some people learn things through their life experiences, others learn from the teachings and wisdom of elders. There are many methods of learning, but the ones I mentioned don't necessarily work for everyone.

For me, I learn from anime. Watching the experiences of characters and relating to them, is a part of the anime's teachings. Looking at the events that take place and the viewing conflicts between characters, I can then relate them to my own real life events. I mentioned in another post that despite being in the real world, we fight battles everyday. We have our own conflicts, no matter how small. We fight our bosses, gain experiences, and level up. We are the main characters of our own lives. So whats the harm in learning a few life lessons from animation?


If anything, the fact that we watch anime may explain the wisdom and intelligence we gain. I've noticed that people tend to learn more from things, when they enjoy them. Forcing something onto someone does not make them enjoy it. Therefore, they might learn, but they won't learn as much as the person that loves it. On top of this, they probably won't like it either.

Again, this is just my outlook. I progress through my life looking at anime for answers and realizations. It's for this reason that inspirational anime are my favorite. It doesn't matter if we don't have superpowers in real life. It doesn't matter if we can or cannot fly. It doesn't matter if aliens do or don't exist. These things exist in our imaginations, (and in reality if they haven't been disproven.) which is a part of us. Telling someone that they're taking a series or anime too seriously is crazy. (So please be careful with your words! ^^;)

"We can learn a lot from anime. Being lighthearted and having a laugh is one of them!"
I think that while we may learn a lot from studying and life's experiences, fiction may be one of our best teachers. At least, for someone like me who loves anime!

Comments

  1. bokusenouJuly 17, 2014 at 5:59 PM

    " I've noticed that people tend to learn more from things, when they enjoy them. Forcing something onto someone does not make them enjoy it. Therefore, they might learn, but they won't learn as much as the person that loves it. On top of this, they probably won't like it either."

    There's actually a Japanese saying like this: 好きこそ物の上手なれ/Suki koso mono no jouzu nare, which means "You become good at things because you like them".

    Anyways, great article! I enjoyed reading about your experiences, and feel the same way about inspiring series.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RekariJuly 17, 2014 at 8:06 PM

      Thank you for commenting!

      Thanks for sharing that saying with me! I've actually never heard of it before, but it definitely makes a lot of sense.

      I'm happy you were able to take something away from my post. As long as even one person gets some sort of positive emotion out of it, I'm happy.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJuly 18, 2014 at 8:17 AM

    To me, the key point when watching any shows (not just anime) is not "What I can learn from 'this show'", but "What 'I' can learn from this show". As long as one has the willingness and wisdom to learn, one can learn something from anything that one come across.

    One particular instance of this come up is Zettai Bouei Leviathan. Sure, it's your usual cute girls doing cute things anime, but it has an Aesop that is increasingly relevant: Just because our life and surroundings get worse is no excuse for us to enjoy the life we are in as long as we are prepared to face them when bad things struck directly on us. Despite the looming threat of bug invasions and deteriorating environment, the leads are still having an enjoyable journey while defeating the bugs on the way. Too bad a lot of anime bloggers missed this.

    I think we should have an open mind when dealing with any shows.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RekariJuly 18, 2014 at 5:25 PM

      Thank you for commenting!

      I can understand what you mean by that. We can definitely learn something from everything, but for me..I'm not going to take away as much from a show that I don't really like compared to one I love. Passion is the key for me.

      However, I can still step back and look at things for other peoples points of view. Someone may not like an "inspirational" anime. In fact, they might not feel it's inspirational at all. I've had the case where I've found something to be inspirational and everyone else disagrees with me. It all depends on the person.

      Despite all of this, keeping an open mind is best with any situation I think. What you're trying to say when it comes to Zettai Bouei Leviathan is that no matter the bad, we shouldn't let it get to us? We should still enjoy good things and face the bad head on? If that's what you mean I definitely agree.

      There's usually at least one good lesson a person can take from anything, you just might have to search for it. I don't like it when people write off things because they're moe or such, its similar to looking at a person and assessing them before learning anything about them.

      All in all, it's about perspective. I like "inspirational" anime the most because it clicks with me. I love it, I agree with it, and it's a representation of my views or perspective. I'm passionate about it, so I learn a lot. Other anime may not do this, so I don't learn as much.

      (Hopefully this isn't too much for you to read ^^;)

      Delete
  3. ChamojiNovember 13, 2019 at 1:06 AM

    I believe anime can teach us so many things. There is no limitation of creating a scenario to express or show how things will turn out.

    ReplyDelete

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