Why is anime so appealing?
What is it that attracts people from all walks of life, cultures, and countries to the anime industry?
Anime has a lot of appeal for good reason.
For example:
- It’s accessible.
- It’s global.
- It’s Japanese (making it different).
But there are deeper, more relevant reasons for its wide appeal.
Let’s talk about it.
1. Episodic format (with LOTS of content)
When you think about regular TV or Western TV in particular, you’ll realize a lot of shows aren’t episodic compared to anime. If they are, they have nowhere near the average number of episodes.
It’s this fact that makes anime so:
- Special.
- Unique.
- Attractive.
And it’s what drives so many people to watch so many shows, whether binge watching or not, while giving people an endless amount of options to choose from.
Having the option alone, even if you don’t exercise those options, is always a convenience that drives appeal. Anime does this very well.
NARUTO has 500+ episodes, plus Boruto, and it’s still ongoing as of 2024.
One Piece has pumped out over 1000+ episodes along with anime like Detective Conan which continue to dominate.
Even your average 20204 anime with 12 episodes is still episodic, with dozens of other anime released simultaneously that follow a similar format that has made anime the powerhouse that it is.
New seasons are common, and even new OVAs, among “special” content with even more episodes are just as common.
It keeps anime fans coming back because there is always something to look forward to and to look out for.
2. It has every genre you can think of
Sometimes having too much of something can cause a person to be overwhelmed. Netflix has an endless amount of shows, and that can seem crippling.
In the case of anime and its genres, almost no comparable entertainment has as many genres as anime does.
With anime, you can imagine or pick a type of anime in your head, and then find a genre that will satisfy your curiosity.
For example, you have genres like:
- Yuri (Lesbians).
- Yaoi (Gay).
- Seinen (Catered to adults).
- Shounen (catered to Teenagers).
- Sci-fi.
- Fantasy.
- Ecchi (slightly lewd anime content).
- Harem.
- Isekai (reincarnating in another world).
- Shounen AI (the diet version of Yaoi).
- Action.
- Romance.
And so many more not worth mentioning.
With the episodic content and the genres at hand, you can never get bored or run out of options, making anime more appealing.
3. The visuals are a breath of fresh air
The visuals in anime are better than anything you can compare it to. This is especially true when you realize the kind of budget aime operates on compared to let’s say, the Western equivalent.
You don’t need a series like Dragon Ball (big budget) for an anime to turn out visually appealing.
Take the anime series Land Of The Lustrous for example.
This anime is stunning and beautiful, and the art style is something fresh.
The same can be said even for a simple anime like A Place Further Than The Universe. Not the biggest budget, but visually it’s appealing none the less.
Then there are anime like Demon Slayer, Fate Zero, Akudama Drive, and others with varying budgets and popularity that are aesthetically pleasing enough to impress.
Anime like Vivy Fluorite Eye’s Song are more examples of anime’s capabilities, and why the visuals play a role in making anime so appealing across the world.
Related: 17 Of The Most Aesthetically Pleasing Anime
4. It’s relatable to different types of people (Introverts, students, artists, parents, etc)
All sorts of people can relate to and watch anime. Even parents if they watch the right anime series or they are simply OG anime fans who’ve been interested from childhood.
Students can relate to various anime, like Nodame Cantabile which is about college, studying, and especially, music with some romance involved.
Artists can relate to anime like Bakamon where manga creation, art, and other aspects are common.
Introverts can relate to various anime based in a school setting where the protagonist may be introverted like the anime Oregairu (Hachiman Hikigaya).
Employees can also relate to anime, especially more mature anime, that highlights work life, stress, challenges, and living life in general.
There is something appealing and relatable for everybody.
5. Anime is politically incorrect
Anime doesn’t cater to the foolishness you see in the West.
- The politics.
- The mental gymnastics.
- The BS.
- The toxic feminism.
- Gender wars.
- Alphabet mob.
And the politically motivated side of all of this stuff, including anything ending with “ism”, “ist”, and so on.
Anime is all about entertainment, just like any form of entertainment should be unless it’s telling a certain story.
For example, in the Fate Apocrypha series, you have a character called Astolfo who crossdresses as a woman but is a man, and the anime makes light of this in ways some have deemed “offensive” to Trans.
Or how anime fans use the word TRAP to refer to these exact cross-dressing characters, which again, some in the West have tried claiming is “Transphobic”.
Anime is politically incorrect by nature, and it always has been in the sense it doesn’t go out of its way to attack people, but it doesn’t bend over backwards to people please at the expense of good entertainment or common sense.
No good story or piece of art should ever lead with politics and that’s why anime is winning.
6. Anime targets older age groups (contrary to popular belief)
The idea that anime is for little kids is a tired stereotype that doesn’t fit into reality. This is of course used as a way to demean and belittle.
Anime may target teenagers with its SHOUNEN category, but in general, anime is aimed at those at least 18 – 24 years old. And in the case of JOSEI or SEINEN, it targets those between their 20s, 30s, and even beyond.
The average anime is not designed for kids in mind the way Disney might be designed for kids.
That’s why you see things like:
- Fanservice.
- Ecchi content.
- Moaning.
- Violence.
- Horror.
- Brutality.
- Torture.
- Sensitive subjects.
And various other things.
None of this is designed for kids.
Related: Why Adults Should Watch Anime
7. Anime is one of the purest art forms
Continuing from the last point, anime is one of the purest art forms left in the new age of censorship, politics, pandering, virtue signalling, and overall BS.
Art should lead with creativity and the truth, rather than pandering to political agendas. And if it is political, there’s an art to doing that as well which involves authenticity and serving a real purpose (Zombie Land Saga, etc).
This is why anime feels so:
- Authentic.
- Genuine.
- Refreshing.
- Different.
- Likeable.
- Unique.
- Relatable.
You can’t capture these sorts of feelings, emotions, or reactions if your art is more about being politically patronising and insulting than it is about telling a story without any necessary strings attached.
That’s why High Guardian Spice by Crunchyroll was always doomed to fail from the beginning because of how they marketed, promoted, and wrote the story despite the intense reaction early on.
8. Child friendly content
Despite anime not being designed for kids, it does have anime shows and certain categories that are more catered to kids based on their ratings, content, and messages.
A good example of this would be an anime series like Non Non Biyori, Save Me Lolipop, or Mitsuboshi Colours.
These 3 anime are about kids or teenagers, with lighthearted content, innocence, fun, wholesomeness, and nothing too wild in the slightest.
You also have some Shounen anime like NARUTO for example, that can work for kids on some level.
Anime like You’re Under Arrest would also work for kids, as would an anime series like Ascendance Of A Bookworm (Isekai).
Child friendly content exists and this is one of anime’s many appeals.
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In the end, anime is appealing for a lot of reasons. Some will give different answers, but these answers are relevant to the anime community and the industry regardless.
