Dreaming Big
  • Home
    • Staff
    • Members Only
  • Contact
  • Our Books
    • Non Fiction
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
    • Children's Books
    • Audio Books
  • Coming Soon
  • Blog
  • Opportunities
    • Call For Submissions
    • Submissions Guidelines
    • FAQ
  • Gifts and More

Anime for Beginners, by Emelyn Ehlrich

4/18/2021

0 Comments

 
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
 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Challenge Participant
    Parajunkee Design
    I review for BookLook Bloggers
    Professional Reader
    Book Reviewer Sign Up

    1888PressRelease
    YA Bound Book Tours

Services

Ask A Therapist
Blog
Our Books
Coming Soon

Company

About Us
Staff
​

Support

Contact
FAQ

Find and follow us on social media 
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.