Adult Anime??

Since I was younger, I was never interested in cartoons. Even though the typical thing on Saturday mornings for young children to watch were cartoons till the afternoon. I always preferred life-like shows with actual people. I never even tried to watch anime. The mere format of the cartoon discouraged me from checking it out. The square-ish facial features and odd landscapes were definitely not my thing. I have never even heard of Adult Anime until class. It completely shocked me.

I was really impressed with the story line. Compared to what American Anime plot lines seem to be, Spirited Away has a convincing plot line that includes real life story lines. American Anime is much more childish and simplistic. Ranted I have only watched one day of Spirited Away but it definitely appeals to adults. The facial features are still square-ish and the scenery is still similar to American style, but the plot was one step closer to something I could enjoy.

Anime definitely appeals to the people who want a cultural experience and appreciate the supernatural. I do not actually know a lot about anime but it always seems to focus are supernatural occurrences: ghosts, spirits, magic, etc. To someone who appreciates and enjoys real life story lines, anime loses my interest fast. Watching spirits come alive and talking animals is not engaging and entertaining because I cannot see myself in the shoes of the characters. Once the spirits came alive in Spirited Away, I lost some interest. It was drawn beautifully and the plot carried itself it just was not what appeals to someone like me.

Spirited Away is heavily based on a supernatural experience. From the wind “pushing” the little girl into the tunnel to needing to eat fruit to become real again, the plot relies on supernatural elements. I always find it impressive for one writer to be so creative to create and enhance all of the supernatural and magical elements in a short film or movie. It is a very complex organization of supernatural experiences and pieces, which come together to create the whole story.

Anime is certainly a way to broaden your cultural appreciate. It takes a closer look at oriental cultures where anime is the star of the television shows. For me, watching anime almost seems like a history lesson because you could learn so much bout cultures that I honestly know very little about. I see landscapes and architecture found abundantly in China and Japan through a carton show. After all my talk about not liking anime, I have enjoyed this film so far. Somehow the introductions of the characters and the beginning of the story drew me in kept me wrapped in the supernatural story. I caught myself getting nervous when the little girl was flying down the old, wooden stairs all-alone. I am interested in seeing how it all plays out, even if I cannot watch the entire movie. The experience of watching my first anime movie has slightly changed my perspective on the rest of the anime world.