What have you learned from anime? Any useful life lessons?
One thing I like about anime is that it’s potentially therapeutical, presenting us with a highly developed alternate world that’s free of the pressures of society where we can escape and follow the adventures of our favorite characters, experiencing emotions through them which we might not be able to access otherwise. It can also be a surprisingly good place to find life wisdom. I asked J-List’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followers what they learned from anime, and here are some of their responses.
- Ganbarimasu/I’ll do my best. Whether you’re dealing with adversity or moving towards some positive goal, just put your head down and walk forward while saying ganbarimasu, and things will improve.
- If you give up, that’s when the game is over. The wise words — akirametara soko de shiai shūryou desu yo — of Coach Anzai from Slam Dunk are among the most famous in Japanese otakudom, up there with daga otoko da (“But he’s a guy”) from Steins;Gate and miro, hito wa gomi no you da (“Look! The mass of people look just like garbage!”) from Castle in the Sky Laputa.
- It’s okay to fall down stairs as long as you’re not holding an umbrella.
- Traps are great. Thighs are great. Imoutos are great. Whatever you’re into, you can find like-minded otakus and share ideas with them somewhere on the Internet.
- Boobs aren’t fat. They’re filled with mens’ hopes and dreams. The more you think about it, the truer it is.
- Girls secretly like to wear bear undies. And if they have pink hair, they might be dangerous to your health.
- That high schools where cute girls learn to fight in tanks are a thing.
- Popup headlights are not just cool, but functional during night street races.
- “I’m not that strange after all.” Of course not. If we’re all strange, none of us are strange.
- If you want to be the main character of your own anime, sit by the window. Or get in the robot. Row row, fight the powah!
- Fun things are fun. While life’s responsibilities like paying taxes and making 401(k) contributions are important, it’s important to not take life too seriously. Because in the end…
- People die if they are killed.
So, what have you learned from anime?
One thing J-List loves to sell are awesome calendars from Japan, and every year we stock hundreds of anime calendars by top studios and artists, as well as traditional art, photo and other calendars related to Japan. We’ve posted the first 2018 Japan calendars today, with beautiful views of Mt. Fuji and Japan in four seasons, cute cats and dogs, and more. Plus, we’re starting our Calendar Early Bird Sale: order 2 or more calendars before Oct 15 and get 30% off! (The mainstream anime calendars will be posted in a couple more weeks.)
