Why I Love Anime: An Editorial

            Hello my dear readers! This is the first entry in what I hope will become a long and enduring series of essays, editorials, and analyses of films, images, and the stories that accompany them. I hope that you enjoy my first entry in the series and that you return for more entries in the future.

            I love anime, but maybe you realized that from the title of this editorial. I love it for five main reasons that I don’t think get adequately addressed or paid attention to in Western live-action or animated films and series. The art, themes, characters, stories, and music of anime all combine and interweave with one another to create mystical and fantastic masterpieces of films and series that, in my humble opinion, elevate the medium far, far above other forms of video and filmmaking.

But what exactly is “anime?” There is certainly a disagreement in the anime industry and audience about as to just what anime is defined as, but I think that the simple definition given by anime’s Wikipedia article is the best. Anime is defined as “Japanese hand-drawn or computer animation” (Wikipedia). Note that it is only animation that comes out of Japan, and that it doesn’t have to have the stereotypical “anime look” to it that so many Western audiences seem to despise. As long it is animation form Japan, it is anime.

With that simple definition that is definitely up to interpretation, I find it odd that there still remains a stigma among Western mainstream filmmakers and audiences that anime is made simply for children, and that animation, or the more derogatory term “cartoons,” simply cannot achieve the visual, emotional, or thematic depth that live-action films and series achieve. In short, they simply don’t take anime seriously and somewhat shrug it off as a distinct, and often stellar, art form.

My love of anime probably is in part due to the fact that my parents showed me anime films when I was very young, and also because I have always watched at least some form of animation in my media consumption for almost the entirety of my life. In a sense, I was “prepped” for loving the medium because it has “always” been with me, simply sitting in the back of my mind and always having an emotional connection with it. Fun fact, the film “My Neighbor Totoro” was the first film that I ever shed a tear to. Can you guess the art form? If you said anime, then you get a cookie! Good job!

That being said, I would like to briefly explain the five main reasons why I love anime using some specific examples of films and series that I have grown very fond of over the past year. This is not a “top ten” list or my personal favorites; it is a bunch of examples that exemplify the reasons why I have come to love anime from various different perspectives. Perhaps this is the little nudge one might need to open their eyes to the world of anime. In the immortal words of the Joker, “All you need is a little push!”

The many distinct art styles within anime create a lush and diverse world filled with loads of unique, inspiring, or disturbing visuals. From the hyper-real, lovingly detailed animation of the film “The Garden of Words” to the whimsical, fairly tale like art of “Wolf Children,” anime is full of different ways to animate the same features to either literally make the audiences jaws drop at its beauty or for said features to really and truly blend themselves into the cinematic experience. The animation is not just the medium; it becomes part of the film or series’ world. This is something I don’t really see a lot of anymore in live-action or even in Western filmmaking in general. It isn’t just something you tell a story through; it is something you tell said story with. This point is illustrated beautifully in any film out of Studio Ghibli, and specifically Hayao Miyazaki’s works. They use animation’s influence on character movement, settings, and relationships to fully tell their stories though nonverbal, visual means. Again, this is something that has been pretty much lost in mainstream Western filmmaking in favor over either a story eclipsing visuals or visuals eclipsing story, which either way do not work as good films or even as basic stories. There’s a quote from Chuck Jones, the animation director of the “Looney Tunes” shorts, which pretty much sums up this point of telling a story through simply animated visuals; “if you can’t tell what’s happening by the way the character moves, then you’re not animating” (“Chuck Jones: The Evolution of an Artist”). Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli use this maxim in their animation to create a complete picture and story of the world and the events that they are describing in the film. On another note, it is important to realize that anime, or more animation in general, has the very unique power to quite literally bring characters and worlds to life. I want to say that anime just makes writers, directors, and animators themselves simply experiment and let their creativity and imagination reign supreme, but this more something that is seen and not told.  

            I’m going to put this out there up front; no other films or series have challenged my preconceived notions about the world and our place in it more than anime films or series. The massively influential and controversial ‘90s anime series, “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” took me on a psychological, emotional, and philosophical mind-fucking journey that pried my eyes wide open towards the ideas of existentialism and humanism. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films explore a vast array of different themes, from gender and family roles to nature, dreams, and one’s childhood innocence. In one of my personal favorites, “The Wind Rises,” I was confronted with a situation in which I questioned just why I exist and how I should go about living the life I have. They show the viewer seemingly incomprehensible images, and then challenge them to find the meaning and purpose of those images by and for their self. Miyazaki himself has said this in multiple interviews over the years (“Hayao Miyazaki - The Essence of Humanity”). Seemingly nothing is off the table for discussion, critical analysis, or dispute, and that opens up a whole new world that can help open viewers’ minds to new ideas about the world and themselves.       

            Maybe this is a weird thing to say, but I honestly feel as though I empathize more with characters in anime, that is literally a bunch of lines combined and painted together, than in live-action films and series. Take “House of Cards” for instance, throughout the show I felt like I was simply watching something unfold and, excuse my cheesiness, that I wasn’t a “part” of or a member of the story. I don’t really hold the show in high regard anymore simply because of this lack of attachment, projection, or empathy. In anime, I legitimately feel as though I am a part of the story and that I’m not just watching something unfold. I feel like I go on a journey with characters, even if those same characters don’t take a single step. I feel like I am the characters and that the characters are me. I don’t know why this is though, perhaps it’s the writing or simply animation, but it is a legitimate and very real feeling. Speaking of empathy, Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films are probably the easiest and most empathetically-inclined films that I have ever seen. The characters suck you into their world and make you “one” with them. You are the character, and the character is you. Maybe this is due to their subtle actions that we all do that are mimicked in the films as this helps to pull the world into the realm of out reality. If a character behaves like we do, then how would we not empathize with them? Miyazaki characters also have another deeply empathetic trait; they are all flawed in some way, and they remain flawed even in the end. We can’t empathize with something that’s perfect. So in building flaws into the characters and world, Miyazaki is better able to pull us into the world and characters because they are, sometimes shockingly, similar. Another great director and film that does this is Mamoru Hosada and “Wolf Children.” In watching this film, I felt as though I went on a journey with the characters and I truly felt every emotion they displayed, whether it was pain, sadness, anger, or pure, innocent joy. I also projected my Mom onto the main character, Hana, which made the emotional power of many scenes almost heartbreakingly powerful and moving. “Neon Genesis Evangelion” also makes one empathize with its characters very well despite the main characters being 14 years old and the pilots of enormous mechas. It’s another case of the characters being flawed, but “Neon Genesis Evangelion” goes one step further and details the characters attempts, both successful and unsuccessful, to overcome said flaws, and the series also does a great thing in making the characters accept their flaws in light of certain events and decisions that they make. Anime, it seems, simply pulls me into the characters and makes me live as though I am them for the duration of the cinematic experience.

            The ability to bring a person’s imagination and creativity to life is a hallmark of animation and a testament to its power as a storytelling tool as, in regards to just which stories one can tell, the sky is the limit (but not the limit as you’ll soon see). Anime has spawned hundreds of different stories and worlds in their own right. The anime studio Gainax made an entire world and its characters for just one movie, “Royal Space Force.” All of the world’s customs, mannerisms, and issues were explored and revealed in a very fun and whimsical way that can only be accomplished in anime. Some Western animation, ahem Illumination Studios, love to distort people and their world to be something different to make sure that the distinction between animation and the real world is kept and reinforced. If anything, anime does the exact opposite as it breaks down the borders and makes you question which reality you want to inhabit. In “Wolf Children” only one aspect of our world is changed (you’ll know it when you see it), but that change makes a huge difference in just how well the story is told and interpreted. Any story, and I mean ANY story, can be told through anime, whether it creates a whole new world or simply changes one small, insignificant part of our own world. The remake of the classic anime series “Space Battleship Yamato”, titled “Space Battleship Yamato 2199,” uses the storytelling style of a space opera, combined with gorgeous animation, to create a more compelling, more informative, and more emotionally evocative story of a ship and its main characters quest to save the human race than with similar space opera premises like “Star Wars.” The series literally travels outside the galaxy and explores the Universe’s secrets while fighting off a seemingly evil empire bent on the destruction of humanity. This story gripped me very intensely and had me on the edge of my seat for the duration of the series. Once again, it pulled me into the world and made me truly care for the characters and the ship that housed them. Tears came down when the legendary and penitent captain of the ship died while taking once last gaze upon the planet that he both doomed and saved. It is a deeply human story, not just for the humans, but for the “evil” citizens and soldiers of the attacking alien empire. The story is about blurred lines and the cosmic connectedness of the Universe; it’s not a story of good versus evil as seen in so many other stories, and that is what captivated me. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films also have incredible, at times almost stupefying simple, stories that envelop one into them because those stories are all about characters discovering the simple difference between what they want and what they need, whether that be for better or worse. There’s something about the ability for any small or grand premise to become beautifully realized in the medium of animation that simply sets anime above a majority of cinema’s many experiences.

            I have a lot of qualms about many live-action films’ usage of music and score, but as always there are exceptions in my qualms that blow my ears away with the stunning sounds (I’m looking at you John Williams and Hans Zimmer). However, I feel that anime, once again, blows live-action away in its usage and incorporation of music. Even the music itself seems to be just that much better and grander than its counterparts in live-action. Listen to any Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli soundtrack and you’ll see why their films work so well. Their main composer, Joe Hisashi, is a minimalist and experimenter, and those facts about him and his music show in the magnificent songs and sounds fused into Miyazaki’s films. Listen to the pounding marching songs of “Space Battleship Yamato 2199’s” opening, or listen to the poetic vocals of Earth’s song in “Infinite Universe.” A space opera needs an epic soundtrack, and “Space Battleship Yamato 2199’s” composers, the late Hiroshi Miyagawa and his son Akira Miyagawa, deliver the right music at the right time for the series. 

Makoto Shinkai uses music in a very unique way wherein he incorporated the music into the story, almost as a propellant, to advance or conclude key sequences, scenes, or ideas. One could rip the music and the associated scenes right out of the film and they would still stand perfectly on their own as an AMV (animated music video). The cuts to music and the flow of the music associated sequences always fit the pace of his works and never seem like the simply cheap gimmicks that some Western critics simply despise. Listen to “Once More Time One More Chance” and watch the accompanying sequence from “5 Centimeters Per Second” and you’ll see what I mean. Phew!

Now for what I consider to be the best, and I mean THE BEST, usage of music and visuals in not just anime but live-action as well. Go and watch “Wolf Children” or simply look up “Wolf Children Snow Scene Sub” in Youtube and pay attention to the music. Do it now… I’m patient.

Good. Notice how for a part of that snow scene that there is simply no music, no score, other than the sounds of the characters actions. Now notice that once the emotion starts to build in the scene then the music begins to play and corresponds with the joyful emotions that the characters are experiencing. Now then, take a look at when Yuki is confronted by Souhei, and notice the music behind it. It helps to build the tension of the scene perfectly right? In anime, the music is not just the background noise; it is an extension of the characters and the world. The music of anime completes the medium transition from simply, a bunch of visuals and sounds to a full-fledged cinematic experience.     

I love anime; maybe you realized that after reading this editorial. I love it for its art, themes, characters, stories, and music and just how all of those things combine and are woven together to create experiences that I’m sure I will treasure for the rest of my life.

But, the number one reason why I love anime is because it showed me just what I could do with visuals, stories, and sounds whether it is in animation or live-action. It opened my eyes to the world of filmmaking. It opened my eyes to just what I can accomplish with a camera, computer, and a bit of imagination and determination. Because of anime, I now want to pursue a career in filmmaking and experience all that is has to offer.

Above all, anime taught me that I can make art that can endure and inspire people. I sincerely think that is why I love anime; it is an art that I would love to create myself, for others.

~ Works Cited ~

“Chuck Jones: The Evolution of an Artist,” By Tony Zhou, Every Frame a Painting.

“Hayao Miyazaki – The Essence of Humanity,” By Lewis Bond, Channel Criswell.

“Anime,” Wikipedia Article.