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--- anime [2026/05/12 03:16] – [Anime is not political enough] particles
+++ anime [2026/06/06 16:06] (current) – [Anime isn't sad enough] particles
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 Anime is a medium. It is not a unified art style, nor is it a genre. But many people believe that all anime looks the same (it is an art style), and/or that it is all one genre. It is neither of these things. There are trends in anime like there are trends in any art medium, but these trends reflect what's popular or a certain production team's style. Obviously, there is stylistic anime, there is bad anime, and there is good anime. But fundamentally, anime is a medium, and should be viewed as such.
-Anime is Japanese((Note: I refer to anime as animated television shows and movies produced from Japanese studios though, so please keep this in mind. Most (> 99% of people) refer to anime as strictly Japan originated.)), but very well-produced English audio versions of most shows worth watching exist. Millions of dollars have been poured into this project from groups like Sony. Anime is approachable now more than ever. That being said, many shows are better when you use English subtitles. I will start with anime with excellent English adaptions.
+Anime is Japanese((Note: I refer to anime as animated television shows and movies produced from Japanese studios though, so please keep this in mind. Most (> 99% of people) refer to anime as strictly Japan originated.)), but very well-produced English audio versions of most shows worth watching exist. Millions of dollars have been poured into this project from groups like Sony. Anime is approachable now more than ever. That being said, many shows are better when you use English subtitles. I will start with anime with excellent English adaptions that do not require subtitles (and have English audio) for simplicity.
 You can watch 99% of anime with one subscription, and you can easily switch services. The overwhelming majority of anime worth watching is on Crunchyroll or HIDIVE in the US. Other regions may vary, but usually it's just a single licensor or two licensors per region. There are Netflix and Amazon "exclusive" shows, but these shows will be excluded for the sake of sanity from this discussion. If you already have these streamers, great. If not, no harm no foul.
-Anime is released in Japan weekly, divided into 4 broadcast seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Your average anime season is 12-13 episodes, but things can get fuzzy with multi-season shows and multi-cour seasons. All of the anime I will suggest have already finished broadcast, but you can use a service like [[https://anichart.net/|AniChart]] to see what's airing in each season. In modern times, you can watch shows weekly at the same time they're released in Japan, or very close (e.g., within 1 hour) through the magic of simulcasting. Millions of dollars have been spent from groups like Sony on ensuring that anime is accessible. If you care about a series, you'll figure out how to keep track of it and watch it regularly.
+Anime is released in Japan weekly, divided into 4 broadcast seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Your average anime season is 12-13 episodes, but things can get fuzzy with multi-season shows and multi-cour seasons. Most of the anime I will suggest have already finished broadcast, but you can use a service like [[https://anichart.net/|AniChart]] to see what's airing in each season. In modern times, you can watch shows weekly at the same time they're released in Japan, or very close (e.g., within 1 hour) through the magic of simulcasting. Millions of dollars have been spent from groups like Sony on ensuring that anime is accessible. If you care about a series, you'll figure out how to keep track of it and watch it regularly.
-Each episode is typically 23 minutes, and consists of an opening theme song, a closing theme song, and an eyecatch in the middle where a commercial break would go (sometimes removed in the release versions of each show).
+Each episode is typically 23 minutes, and consists of an opening theme song, a closing theme song, and an eyecatch in the middle where a commercial break would go (sometimes removed in the release or streaming versions of each show).
 ===== Why I started watching anime =====
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 Anime is not entirely for children, nor is the majority of anime for children.
-It's hard to classify these shows into one genre, because they span genres, but they're like Yu-Gi-Oh! (licensed by 4Kids and heavily edited to remove any mention of death), Pokemon (self-explanatory), Bleach (known for lasting an infinite amount of time and having very little substance per episode), One Piece!, etc.
+It's hard to classify these shows into one genre, because they span genres, but they're like Yu-Gi-Oh! (licensed by 4Kids and heavily edited to remove any mention of death), Pokemon (self-explanatory), Bleach (known for lasting an infinite amount of time and having very little substance per episode), One Piece!, Naruto, Dragon Ball, etc.
 I am not an expert in these shows, and I do not suggest that you watch these shows. So called //shonen// action anime //is// aimed at children and young adults, and it's not my taste, nor would I ever suggest watching these shows or their overseas adaptions.
 With that being said, let's begin.
+----
 ====== Anime: Contra ======
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   * Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (and R2) involve authoritarianism, politics, and sacrifice (~48 episodes).
   * Neon Genesis Evangelion: One of the single most psychologically involved shows ever produced. "Depression: the anime." (~26 episodes, 6 movies. To watch this show look for a watch order).
+    * You do not need to watch the original TV series if you don't want to. The //Rebuild of Evangelion// movie series is an excellent entry path into anime. [[https://youtu.be/W0QIM-bnws0|There is an extremely compelling trailer for the first movie in English]]. [[https://youtu.be/ryT27__tu3M|And the second movie's trailer is quite good.]] (~4 movies.)
+  * A Silent Voice is a movie about a deaf girl, which is extremely heartbreaking to watch.
 ===== Anime is too complex =====
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   * Puella Magi Madoka Magica (~13 episodes).
   * 5 Centimeters per Second (movie).
+  * A Silent Voice (movie).
 ===== Anime is too oriented towards boys =====
+//There's too much that is aimed squarely at a male audience in anime.//
   * Kamisama, Hajimemashita is principally aimed at female audiences (~24 episodes).
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 ===== Anime is not educational =====
+//Anime is not realistic. I want anime that has educational elements!//
   * Laid-Back Camp! (~36 episodes, 1 movie)
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 ===== Anime is not cyberpunk noir enough =====
+//I don't watch anime because I watch Gritty shows and movies, like Minority Report.//
   * Ghost in the Shell (movie).
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 ===== Anime is not political enough =====
+//I don't watch anime because it doesn't have complex political themes to explore.//
   * Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion & the sequel, R2 focuses on the growth of Area 11 under the rule of Brittania (~48 episodes).
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   * Psycho-Pass.
   * Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (and 2nd GIG).
+===== Anime is not episodic enough =====
+//I don't want to watch a show that requires attention to enjoy. I want something I can be entertained by on a week-to-week basis.//
+  * Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (~24 episodes, 2nd GIG is ~24 episodes) is substantially episodic.
+  * Lucky Star! (~24 episodes) is mostly an episodic anime.
+  * Joshiraku (~13 episodes) is mostly an episodic anime.
+===== Anime lacks strong female protagonists =====
+//I don't want to watch another show dominated by a male main character. I know Psycho-Pass has a strong female protagonist, but she doesn't count because the male character is in the show and primary on the poster.//
+  * The Apothecary Diaries (3 seasons, not complete, ~24 episodes per season) is the show for you. The Apothecary Diaries follows an apothecary in ancient China as she changes jobs quite often.
+----
+====== Onward ======
+The list above is, as I described, my list of contras to get a new anime watcher into anime. But it also serves as a good way for me to communicate some of my favorite series. If you watch one or two series, which is my goal in writing this page, then you're officially "an anime watcher". What's next?
+Discovering and tracking anime is often done by using an anime list product, like My Anime List, AniList (makers of AniChart, the aforementioned season chart service), or AniDB (pretty advanced, not suggested). These services exist to catalog, track, and collect information on various anime projects. The best way to discover new anime is by browsing top lists on these services, and paying attention to the seasonal anime schedule.
+New anime projects are often announced near season breaks, at conventions like Anime Japan and Anime Expo, and following the conclusion of other anime projects by big studios.
+Obviously, not all of the media you consume will be anime, but I hope that this opens a door to more enjoyable entertainment. My goal is always to share what I love with others, in the hope of getting others to have an enjoyable time. By watching just one new show, I have achieved my goal, and I wish you the best of luck on your journey into finding more entertaining media.