The Educational Value of Anime: Lessons and Themes Explored
Anime stands for a type of animation that originated in Japan and has been gaining popularity all over the world in the last 20 years. Even though anime is a cartoon, not all anime is meant to be watched by children or just children. Many adults enjoy watching anime as well since it carries a value that is more than just entertainment.
In fact, a lot of anime series or movies carry a certain educational value for the viewers. They explore different social issues, cultural norms, and historical events and carry certain lessons. Below, we’ll discuss how educational anime can be and why you should consider watching it more often.
- Japanese Language & Culture
The number one educational value we can find in anime is learning about the Japanese language and culture. People who wish to learn Japanese or are fascinated by their culture thoroughly enjoy watching anime and seeing all of these themes explored.
Anime teaches us about different aspects of Japanese culture:
- customs and traditions
- festivals and holidays
- art
- social norms
- ethics and moral
Through anime, we get to explore Japanese culture and learn about aspects we weren’t aware of before.
- Determination and Will Power
Many anime movies explore the topic of determination and willpower. This can be immensely inspirational for people who are self-conscious or lack the confidence to achieve their goals.
Through anime characters and the obstacles they face regularly, the creators of anime often want to show how anything is possible if we just have faith and we persevere. Whether it’s a fictional anime with surreal situations, or something realistic, we get to learn lessons like:
- hard work pays off
- never give up on what you want
- stick to your goals till the end
It’s no wonder more than 50% of Netflix users watched anime in 2021! It’s very uplifting and motivational to watch and carries important messages we should all have on our minds when times get tough.
- Friendship
Another rather dominant theme explored in anime is the power and importance of friendship. Friendship is seen and portrayed as a power of nature and something that can help us no matter how hard the situation we’re in seems.
In anime, the value of friendship is seen through:
- emotional support
- unbreakable bonds
- accepting each other for who we are
- working as a team
Friends help each other become the best version of themselves and grow through each other’s support. It also prevails over different challenges, evil forces, and things that plot against us.
- Mental Health
We’ll all agree that mental health is something we can’t stress out enough and something that deserves more of our attention. Numerous anime creators decided to explore this topic and show some of the most challenging and dangerous mental health problems.
We can often see that anime characters deal with:
- depression
- anxiety
- identity issues
- self-doubt
- isolation and loneliness
- trauma
- insecurities
All of this is highly relatable and meaningful, especially for people going through something similar. That especially refers to young people and students who deal with this most frequently. If you’re a struggling student yourself, these academic ghostwriting services can help you overcome academic writing problems. It will leave you the space you need to deal with your mental health.
- What Are the Best Educational Anime Movies and Series?
Now that you see just how meaningful, interesting, and valuable anime can be, hopefully, you’re interested in starting watching it. But where to start, and how to choose the best series or movie for yourself?
We’ve created a list of some of the best and most highly praised and awarded anime movies and series. Explore these to start with and see if anything catches your attention.
Here’s our selection:
- Naruto (series)
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (series)
- Attack on Titan (series)
- Your Name (movie)
- Spirited Away (movie)
- Princess Mononoke (movie)
- Grave of the Fireflies (movie)
You can’t go wrong with any of the above-listed masterpieces, and they’re all great for getting you started with anime.
- Final Thoughts
As you can see, anime is so much more than just an entertaining cartoon that we can enjoy from time to time. Anime carries a much more important role and can be seen as highly educational and motivational. The topics and lessons explored in anime are the core of human ethics and morals, which is why it’s recommended for people of all ages.
If this article doesn’t inspire you to watch at least one anime movie or an episode of an anime series, we’ve failed. Hopefully, you’re googling the best anime shows as we speak. Enjoy!