Anime escapism comes in all shapes and sizes.
Some of it is:
- Positive.
- Negative.
- Uplifting.
- Wish fulfilment.
- Motivational.
And everything in between.
It comes down to how you use escapism rather than letting it use you when all is said and done.
Let’s talk about the types of escapism regardless.
Here’s a list.
1. Wish fulfilment
We can start with the most obvious of all: wish fulfilment anime shows. These types of anime are always a type of escapism that’s featured in so many anime shows.
You can’t get away from it.
- Harem anime.
- Ecchi anime.
Or any anime with a range of these features from these genres tends to include wish fulfilment.
A guy with 7 girlfriends or more who he gets married to? That’s wish fulfilment at its finest (In Another World With My Smartphone).
A guy who’s surrounded by monster girls who love him? Monster Musume fulfils that role also.
High School DxD as well, pr Prison School, etc.
2. Wholesomeness
Wholesomeness will always be loved by many regardless of the entertainment format. You can’t deny the power and how it has a positive affect on you.
Yes, it’s a type of escapism and what I call one of the healthy escapism anime you can watch.
- Non Non Biyori.
- Otaku Elf.
- S-Rank Musume.
- When Will Ayumu Make His Move?
- The Girl I Like Forgor Her Glasses.
- Tamako Market.
There are plenty of wholesome anime to go around, and all of them do good on the healthy escapism types of shows.
3. Idealistic romance
It doesn’t even have to be an idealistic romance where everything is perfect and everything works out in a perfect way. Sometimes it can be more dramatic, have more pain, sadness, etc, and still be a form of escapism.
But anime shows like The Angel Nxt Door Spoils Me Rotten are some of the best examples going.
So is the anime Shikimori Is More Than Just A Cutie, which is a little too perfect to the point of hurting its quality, but still.
It’s a type of anime escapism.
4. Comedy shows
Anime shows that make you laugh will always be a healthy type of escapism, and one where the anime shows themselves serve as healthy escapism.
My Bride Is A Mermaid is a comedy and a parody, like Gintama, where they namedrop, mock, make fun of tropes, and do silly shit that you can’t help but laugh at.
Same with more modern comedies like Saiki K, or even Otaku Elf, which is driven to make you laugh at its nonsense.
5. Shounen fantasy
Shounen by itself isn’t always a form of escapism, but shounen mixed with fantasy or the supernatural will always fill this role.
Anime like My Hero Academia where the main characters are students, and have superpowers, is a prime example.
Dragon Ball Z is another one, and one that’s inspirational in its own right.
You have shows like Bleach, or even Jujutsu Kaisen, that have the visuals, the action, and the Shounen + fantasy elements to make it stand out and get you lost in its world.
6. Violence
Horror anime series is one example of this type of escapism. Violence isn’t necessarily something people seek out, but it is something that can be used as a coping mechanism for real life.
Whether it’s healthy or not is for you to decide since it comes down to the person.
Higurashi, School Days, Akame Ga Kill, The Kingdom Of Ruins, and many more anime have a lot of violence.
7. Hentai
Stream your favourite Hentai and play adult anime games when you gain access to the FULL library of content.
It has to be said. Hentai is a form of adult content, so it’s bound to have the effect of escapism for whoever watches it or wants to.
You have:
- Vanilla hentai.
- Wholesome hentai.
- Action hentai.
- Romance or harem hentai.
- Hentai with monster girls or elves.
And all types I won’t mention that clearly serve as an extreme example of escapism.
8. Intellectually stimulating anime
These types of anime stimulate the minds of those who love challenges, solving problems, puzzles, and figuring out what’s going in within an anime series.
Shows like:
- Death Note.
- Talentless NANA.
- Psycho Pass.
- Code Geass.
And others are a few examples of anime that are intellectually stimulating and that can be considered a type of escapism.
9. Cute girls doing cute things
Spy x Family is one example many don’t think of first. Anya Forger, the pink-haired psychic, has all the expressions, mannerisms, wording, and actions of a “cute girl doing cute things”.
Then you have anime that are dedicated to this type of thing like:
- K-On.
- Tamako Market.
- Yuru Yuri (to a degree).
- Comic Girls.
- Kantai Collection.
- Is The Order A Rabbit?
- High School Fleet.
And others where cute girls are doing cute things, even if those things wouldn’t be cute otherwise.
10. Visually appealing anime
Anime that is visually appealing can be used as a form of escapism because of how gorgeous and stunning it looks.
Shows like:
- The Garden Of Words.
- Your Name.
- Jujutsu Kaisen.
- Vivy lLuorite Eye’s Song.
- Demon Slayer.
- Land Of The Lustrous.
- FATE series like Fate Zero, etc.
And others I can’t think of right now fit the escapism of “visually appealing” types of anime.
The visuals can be so good you can get lost in it.
11. Anime with lots of action
Anime shows that have a lot of action are a good distraction from whatever it is that’s going on in your life, good or bad.
These types of anime have tons of fight scenes, guns, sometimes violence, and other features.
Good examples are:
- Black Lagoon.
- Jormungand.
- Dragon Ball Z.
- Jujutsu Kaisen.
- Bleach.
- Guardian Of The Sacred Spirit.
- Gurren Lagann.
And plenty of others including Naruto, One Piece, Slayers, SAO., etc.
12. Fan service
It’s not the most overpowering escapism or the most sought-after type of escapism, but it does work.
Ishuzoku Reviewers can be classed as this type of thing, as well as Redo Of Healer, though these are extremes for their own reasons.
Some anime have so much fan service that it only makes sense people would get lost in it, if that’s the type of thing they’re seeking out on purpose.
For those who aren’t seeking it out, it can’t do anything for them.
This is mainly for those of a certain age bracket.
13. Slice of life anime
Slice of life on the surface seems boring, dull, lifeless, and not at all interesting. But for those who love slice of life because they see the value in it and the realism, it can be a source of escapism.
You’re watching someone else’s life play out on screen, day to day, almost minute to minute, including the basic things they get up to on the average day and their thought process.
If the slice of life is wholesome, relaxing, chilled, or anything like that, it can serve as escapism for a different reason which is similar but not the same as the wholesomeness point I made earlier.
14. Isekai
And then there’s Isekai, one of the newest forms of escapism in the anime industry. And one where the character is either transported to another world after death and usually after having a mediocre life.
Or where someone from another world ends up on earth (reverse Isekai) which brings its own set of entertainment to the mix.
The former is really where the main escapism exits though.
Going from a basic life to one where you’re surrounded by girls, women, oppai, money, power, abilities, strength, and more is the ultimate escape and idealistic fantasy there is.
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