PRO

By Chris Miller

Reporter

Anime isn’t just a form of entertainment; it’s a way of life. Anime, and the way people view it, has changed over the years. It’s gone from being what many used to consider nerdy, transformed into a form of entertainment that is beloved worldwide and has even gone “mainstream.”

Anime has an entire culture revolving around it that has bridged the gap between the differences in Japan and the western world. The culture revolving around anime has brought many people of different historical backgrounds, beliefs, and ethnicities together under their shared love of anime.

This anime culture has brought more people together worldwide than even sports have. This is because, unlike sports, anime isn’t competitive or divisive. It’s a shared interest that gets conversations started amongst strangers and often leads into some long-lasting friendships.

Anime itself is well known for its superior storytelling and character development that western TV shows and movies cannot even mimic.

Take the anime “Toradora,” for instance. It’s a romantic comedy where the lead hero and heroine try to help the other confess their love to their own respective crushes. The two eventually notice their feelings shift for the other and it creates multiple love triangles.

This is a tried and true plot concept that has been done multiple times over the years and isn’t a new idea at all. What makes it work so well in “Toradora” is the writing and character development. Viewers actually get invested in the characters and their relationships because of the greater focus on each individual character’s background story, state of mind, and the overall growth of the character. There is greater character depth found in anime because the writing is less episodic and more character focused.

Yes, most animes are based off of a manga, light novel, or visual novel and already have material to work with. But, it’s because of the fact that animes usually stick to the source material that it works so well.

CW’s “Arrow,” for instance, does a terrible job sticking to its source material. The writers for “Arrow” go off on a tangent and the end result is a cluttered mess that barely even resembles the well-liked Green Arrow character from the comics.

Anime may not be for everyone, but one does not need to be an otaku to enjoy a good story and some flashy anime action.

CON

By Carissa Diaz

Reporter

I have a hard time finding anime interesting compared to those who are fans of it. I’ve watched clips here and there, but none that I’m amazed with or make me want to watch more of them.

To me, the shows have characters that are a bit over dramatic. When they try to make a point, it’s exaggerated. In a clip of “Parasyte,” the character acts as a super hero to save the cat that’s hiding in the sand from the boys throwing rocks at it. The character was walking with a girl, who got upset about what was happening, so he got mad at the boys and told them that the cat is alive just like they are. They got mad at him and said it’s just a game then after try throwing rocks at him while he walks away.

He, of course, catches them with his back toward them, and they all become scared of him.

From that small clip of anime, I questioned why someone would spend time watching something they know can’t happen in real life. I’m sure no one can catch rocks behind their back that people from far away are throwing at a fast pace toward you. Also, the fact that he tried to act really tough about it was dramatic because he was in front of a girl.

When it comes to the language, it bugs me that some shows are foreign because I have to spend my time reading the subtitles. I want to be able to watch something that I don’t have to wonder if that’s what they are really saying.

Along with that is the music. Some shows also have foreign music involved. I would much rather like to listen to what it is talking about because you shouldn’t have to read subtitles to a song. Plus, it could bring so much more to the show and put it all together.

I find it really difficult to take anime seriously. Most of the time, it’s about heroes with powers that aren’t even close to being real.

I’m all for teaching a lesson in shows, but when it doesn’t come out to be realistic, it doesn’t make me want to care for it. I personally feel like people waste their time by keeping up with episodes like these because there is not much you can get out from them besides fictional things.