Each of us became anime fans for different reasons. Some of us were drawn in by the highly dramatic stories involving characters in perilous situations, others by the cool giant robots and space battles. Some of us were attracted to the soaring romantic relationships between characters which got resolved in the final episode, and others by the freedom Japanese animation had to deal with topics that would have been taboo in any other medium. I asked J-List’s awesome customers to help us sum up anime in a single image, and here are some of the suggestions we got!
Is it Possible to Sum Up Anime in a Single Image? Let’s Try!
Of course, anime means different things to different people, and we all watch for different reasons. Sometimes it’s all about creating ridiculously bad-ass characters who have advanced science degrees despite still being in high school, and other times it might be about watching a character overcome an obstacle such as social anxiety and finally acquire a group of friends.
One of the first impressions I had of anime was that it told big, hairy, audacious stories with high-stakes drama in which not just people died on-screen, but whole cities or planets could be wiped out of the plot called for it. Compare this with the American GI Joe cartoon of the 80s, in which every fighter jet that got shot down was required by broadcast standards to show the pilot ejecting safely with a parachute. Characters in Western animation weren’t allowed to die.
One of the most important aspects of anime is the characters. We all loved seeing strong female characters on screen!
We learned early on those topics that would have been untouchable in the West were perfectly fine to tackle in the context of animation from Japan. Seeing Lum’s boobs for the first time changed everything forever.
While we all love seeing bouncing boobs on-screen, visual fan service stayed mostly in the background throughout the rest of the 80s and 90s, rarely taking center stage.
The fan service aspect of anime grew more important after the worldwide licensing bubble burst in 2006, with the bankruptcy of large-scale retailers like Music Land and Sun Coast Video, and the beloved Newtype USA. This forced studios to get creative with sexy visuals to pull fans in, which included adding more eye candy for fans.
Some fans might have been surprised at the sexier direction anime started to take in the mid 2000s…
…but other fans took these changes in stride, learning to enjoy bouncing animated oppai, if that’s what the show they’d chosen to watch was showing them.
Anime studios got better and better at hypnotizing fans into opening their wallets to buy figures, Blu-rays, and other sexy anime merch using sexual visuals. Has it worked for you?
Camera angles continued to get more and more creative, too. We’re not going to complain!
Anime got really good at finding whatever new fetish fans might have and showing it to us. Want to feel an anime girl’s thighs around your neck? Have a girl show you her underwear while showing you a disgusted face? Contemplate a sexy giantess? Obsess about different kinds of pantsu? Anime has what you want!
Before long, it became established that fans would approach each new season of anime on the prowl for sexy new “seasonal waifus.”
Because in the end, there’s nothing better than dramatic stories about mecha and explosions and interesting characters coupled with close-up views of Misato’s butt!
Thanks for reading this post! Got any other great ways to sum up anime in a single image? Post it below, or share your thoughts with us on Twitter!
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