Anime for Beginners
By Emelyn Ehrlich
I know what you’re thinking. Why talk about anime in a blog for die hard book fans? Well, firstly, just because people like books, doesn’t mean they can’t like other things. Besides, there is some intersection between us nerds. Oftentimes, we cross over into each other’s communities. Exhibit A: me, an avid reader AND a fan of anime.
Diving right into anime can be a little hard for newbies. I know that I had some issues when I first started watching it. So, here’s a small overview for people who are considering anime:
Firstly, what even is anime? Anime is essentially Japanese cartoons. It comes from the term Japanese animation. Get it? Anime-tion.
One thing all newbies should know before getting into anime: different anime have VASTLY different art styles. For example, the first anime I watched was Fairy Tail. It’s a show about magic, guilds, adventure, and most of all, chosen family. The art style of Fairy Tail tends to be soft and bright. It’s very colorful overall.
However, because that was the first anime I watched, I struggled to get into anime like Soul Eater, an absolutely wonderful anime with a good plot and characterization. When I first tried to watch it though, I couldn’t get past the art style. Unlike Fairy Tail, Soul Eater’s art style is darker and creepier.
The difference between Fairy Tail and Soul Eater can basically be summed up like this:
Fairy Tail: Cute hearts surrounding the characters
Soul Eater: Laughing crescent moon with blood pouring out of its mouth.
There’s a pretty big difference.
That’s not even considering different genres of anime. Soul Eater and Fairy Tail belong to the same genre: shounen. Shounen is typically targeted at boys (though I myself am a girl that enjoys shounen, so take that as you will) and usually involves themes of adventure, fighting, and friendship. Despite the fact that Fairy Tail and Soul Eater are both shounen, they have wildly different art styles. So imagine how much of a difference there is between genres!
Take Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku for example. Unlike Fairy Tail and Soul Eater, Wotakoi is a slice of life anime. Slice of life shows are generally light-hearted stories about events in a character’s life. There isn’t necessarily a goal; slice of life anime are meant to display funny, everyday scenarios. Wotakoi in particular is extremely funny! The art style is also vastly different from either Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. It’s much softer than Soul Eater, but it also doesn’t have the same soft, bubbliness that Fairy Tail has. Wotakoi is somewhat soft but also clearly defined.
So, in other words:
Fairy Tail: Cute hearts surrounding the characters
Soul Eater: Laughing crescent moon with blood pouring out of its mouth.
Wotakoi: People in business suits who jump up and down excitedly because of fandom.
So, yeah, BIG difference between genres.
That being said, these are all GREAT anime. There’s a reason they are so popular. The advice I am giving is don’t immediately give up on new anime. If an art style puts you off, pause it, try another anime, and go back to it some other time. There is an adjustment period for new anime watchers and it’s important to understand that just because you don’t immediately connect to an anime, that doesn’t mean you won’t like it in the future. It just means you’re still adjusting to the anime universe.
Edited by Ashley Ricks
By Emelyn Ehrlich
I know what you’re thinking. Why talk about anime in a blog for die hard book fans? Well, firstly, just because people like books, doesn’t mean they can’t like other things. Besides, there is some intersection between us nerds. Oftentimes, we cross over into each other’s communities. Exhibit A: me, an avid reader AND a fan of anime.
Diving right into anime can be a little hard for newbies. I know that I had some issues when I first started watching it. So, here’s a small overview for people who are considering anime:
Firstly, what even is anime? Anime is essentially Japanese cartoons. It comes from the term Japanese animation. Get it? Anime-tion.
One thing all newbies should know before getting into anime: different anime have VASTLY different art styles. For example, the first anime I watched was Fairy Tail. It’s a show about magic, guilds, adventure, and most of all, chosen family. The art style of Fairy Tail tends to be soft and bright. It’s very colorful overall.
However, because that was the first anime I watched, I struggled to get into anime like Soul Eater, an absolutely wonderful anime with a good plot and characterization. When I first tried to watch it though, I couldn’t get past the art style. Unlike Fairy Tail, Soul Eater’s art style is darker and creepier.
The difference between Fairy Tail and Soul Eater can basically be summed up like this:
Fairy Tail: Cute hearts surrounding the characters
Soul Eater: Laughing crescent moon with blood pouring out of its mouth.
There’s a pretty big difference.
That’s not even considering different genres of anime. Soul Eater and Fairy Tail belong to the same genre: shounen. Shounen is typically targeted at boys (though I myself am a girl that enjoys shounen, so take that as you will) and usually involves themes of adventure, fighting, and friendship. Despite the fact that Fairy Tail and Soul Eater are both shounen, they have wildly different art styles. So imagine how much of a difference there is between genres!
Take Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku for example. Unlike Fairy Tail and Soul Eater, Wotakoi is a slice of life anime. Slice of life shows are generally light-hearted stories about events in a character’s life. There isn’t necessarily a goal; slice of life anime are meant to display funny, everyday scenarios. Wotakoi in particular is extremely funny! The art style is also vastly different from either Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. It’s much softer than Soul Eater, but it also doesn’t have the same soft, bubbliness that Fairy Tail has. Wotakoi is somewhat soft but also clearly defined.
So, in other words:
Fairy Tail: Cute hearts surrounding the characters
Soul Eater: Laughing crescent moon with blood pouring out of its mouth.
Wotakoi: People in business suits who jump up and down excitedly because of fandom.
So, yeah, BIG difference between genres.
That being said, these are all GREAT anime. There’s a reason they are so popular. The advice I am giving is don’t immediately give up on new anime. If an art style puts you off, pause it, try another anime, and go back to it some other time. There is an adjustment period for new anime watchers and it’s important to understand that just because you don’t immediately connect to an anime, that doesn’t mean you won’t like it in the future. It just means you’re still adjusting to the anime universe.
Edited by Ashley Ricks
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