Asking the Important Questions about Anime and Star Wars

Hello again from Japan. We’re having a 15% off sale on all T-shirts and “ecchi” grab bags based in San Diego, so browse these items now!

Sometimes it’s interesting to ponder the question “why do we watch anime, anyway?” I personally got into anime for the intense drama, with serialized stories of planetary destruction and dramatic death, plus actual human love relationships that get properly resolved. I asked visitors to J-List’s Facebook page why they watched, and got some interesting responses, including:

“Anime brings out all kinds of different emotions for me, something that normal TV shows/movies don’t.”

“I watch lighthearted slice-of-life shows cause they give me a breather from the stresses of actual life.”

“I like anime because it covers genres that western animation does not.”

“I realized I liked Japanese storytelling better than western storytelling.”

“I mostly watch for the boobs.”

These are all good reasons. Then there are fans who use anime to manage personal issues like social anxiety, which is also great. Maybe there’s something about the hundreds of bubbles of separate fandom — Touhou, Love Live, Hatsune Miku, take your pick — all under the larger umbrella of Japanese anime/game culture that allows people to find exactly the right mix that suits them, and cool like-minded people (either online or in meatspace) to geek out together with. The anime character I can think of with the worst case of social anxiety is Tomoko from WataMote, though happily she’s doing much better these days.

Speaking of geeking out, a week has passed since the release of the new Star Wars movie, so I thought I’d share my (spoiler-free) thoughts on the film. I loved it, from the fun new story and characters to all the Easter eggs put there for old-school types like me. I’m a big fan of Star Wars PC gaming, having played through dozens of FPS games over the decades, but really loving the original Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefront II. There’s a small problem though: many of the elements of these games aren’t overtly shown on screen, meaning that the games can feel far from “canon.” Happily, pretty much every game element, from character classes like Snipers and Heavy Troopers to grenades to the visible shields protecting Star Destroyers, all show up in the new film, making my beloved Battlefront games more canon than ever.

J-List is loaded with great new products for the Holidays, and today we posted the most charming headphones, which bring home the cuteness thanks to the LED enabled cat ears on top, which make listening to music as kawaii as ever. Browse them on the site now!