Am I too old? Hell No!
Ya minna! I am a 25 yr old girl who has recently discovered the pleasures
of the world of Japanese Anime and Manga. I often get comments like
"arent you too old for anime?" or "you still read comic books? what a
nerd!"
It seems that most people think that after a certain age, anime is a
guilty pleasure. "After I reach a certain age, even if I enjoy anime,
I'd definitely stop watching it, cuz it would be 'childish'", is what people think.
I look at these people and say, WOW are you gonna give up something you enjoy doing just 'cause of some people's biased views?
To me art has myriad expressions! Everybody loves Tom n Jerry right? so
why not anime which definitely has a lot more depth and story than
TnJ?? My point is that the truly good anime are excellent independent
of the fact that they are animated; Just because the main characters in most anime
series are high school/college students (the target demographic) does
not necessarily mean that older people won't enjoy it. While there are
certainly series that will fall in this category, from my experience
the "better" anime out there appeal to all demographics on some level.
For instance, I thoroughly enjoyed Haibane Renmei. If I decide to watch
it again in ten years, I can see myself enjoying it then too.
I think a lot of it has to do with perception -- the choice being
whether or not to view all anime as only for a certain age group. There
seems to be somewhat of a taboo (probably shaped from children's
cartoons) that anything animated is not for adults, and it seems that
this sometimes influences people's decisions. For me, if something is
enjoyable it's enjoyable, animation or not; societal taboos don't
influence my tastes in the slightest. Akira or Crest of the Stars doesn't become
any less epic simply because it's animated -- it has a level of depth
and creativy that can be enjoyed by people in all walks of life. The
lore in Twelve Kingdoms doesn't magically lose intrigue once you reach
a certain age. Haibane Renmei's symbolism and mystery don't become any
less meaningful as time goes on.
A story is in the end a story, independent of the fact that its
expressed in various forms. I've enjoyed reading, watching movies,
cartoon strips, and now manga and anime, and I've never felt an ounce
of regret for any kind of 'running away from reality' that I've
frequently undertaken! ^_\\
of the world of Japanese Anime and Manga. I often get comments like
"arent you too old for anime?" or "you still read comic books? what a
nerd!"
It seems that most people think that after a certain age, anime is a
guilty pleasure. "After I reach a certain age, even if I enjoy anime,
I'd definitely stop watching it, cuz it would be 'childish'", is what people think.
I look at these people and say, WOW are you gonna give up something you enjoy doing just 'cause of some people's biased views?
To me art has myriad expressions! Everybody loves Tom n Jerry right? so
why not anime which definitely has a lot more depth and story than
TnJ?? My point is that the truly good anime are excellent independent
of the fact that they are animated; Just because the main characters in most anime
series are high school/college students (the target demographic) does
not necessarily mean that older people won't enjoy it. While there are
certainly series that will fall in this category, from my experience
the "better" anime out there appeal to all demographics on some level.
For instance, I thoroughly enjoyed Haibane Renmei. If I decide to watch
it again in ten years, I can see myself enjoying it then too.
I think a lot of it has to do with perception -- the choice being
whether or not to view all anime as only for a certain age group. There
seems to be somewhat of a taboo (probably shaped from children's
cartoons) that anything animated is not for adults, and it seems that
this sometimes influences people's decisions. For me, if something is
enjoyable it's enjoyable, animation or not; societal taboos don't
influence my tastes in the slightest. Akira or Crest of the Stars doesn't become
any less epic simply because it's animated -- it has a level of depth
and creativy that can be enjoyed by people in all walks of life. The
lore in Twelve Kingdoms doesn't magically lose intrigue once you reach
a certain age. Haibane Renmei's symbolism and mystery don't become any
less meaningful as time goes on.
A story is in the end a story, independent of the fact that its
expressed in various forms. I've enjoyed reading, watching movies,
cartoon strips, and now manga and anime, and I've never felt an ounce
of regret for any kind of 'running away from reality' that I've
frequently undertaken! ^_\\