Without a doubt, one of the more interesting aspects of anime is the way it uses strong emotions to heighten the enjoyment of viewers. The best anime series imprint themselves on on the fabric of Japan’s popular culture, and even Japanese who don’t have a single otaku bone in their body can wax natsukashii (nostalgic) when reminiscing about the final boxing match between Ashita no Joe and Jose Mendoza, or the iconic scene where Nello and his faithful dog Patrasche are carried up to heaven by angels at the end of A Dog of Flanders, or the ghost of Tatsuya’s dead twin brother Kazuya appearing on the baseball mound with him in Touch. Modern anime is as good as ever at pushing our emotional buttons, as any fan of Clannad or Air know well. I enjoyed the “Yet Another School Festival!” episode of K-On!!, in which the girls talk about all the fun things they were going to do for next year’s school festival, despite the fact that their high school life is coming to an end. Then Ritsu says, “Are you planning on not graduating? There are no more high school festivals for us, remember?” and it’s impossible not to get really choked up.
Anime is at its best when it conveys strong emotions.
