“Anime” is a term that most of you guys are heard nowadays. And most people are annoyed by it because of the toxic fandom it creates. Well, that is because a majority of people only heard or know about the mainstream animes, which they think are only about fighting and cringe romance. Yes, there are a vast amount of animes like that, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch anime.
For most people who don't know what ‘anime’ is, It is a form of animated series and movies produced in Japan. Most of the animes are adapted from Manga(Japanese comics). In terms of Manga, animes are classified into 3 types:
Seinen - Animes for matured audience.
Shounen animes are mainly produced for younger audience, especially boys of ages 12-16 years. These animes are widely recognised around the world. Shounen animes are mainly focused on themes like Friendship, Achieving dreams, Fights, comedy etc. These type of animes can be also enjoyed by audience of all ages. The story of most of these animes are almost similar. A teenage boy who wants to achieve his dream, In his journey he meets other people around his age and become friends with them and together they set out for adventure. The story is casual, but what makes them great are the Characters. Even if the story is about the main character, the side characters have their own character arc. They also have their own dreams and problems. Some shounen animes discuss about dark themes and also have a high amount of graphic violence, for that they are rated R. Some of the Popular shounen animes are : One piece, Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, Demon Slayer etc.
Shoujo animes are mainly produced for teenage girls. Unlike shounen, these type of animes are not focused on fights, but like shounen, they do have themes like Friendship, Dreams, Comedy. Most shoujo animes have a female protagonist, and focused on how she deal with other people and her romantic interest and all. Some of the shoujo animes have some matured elements which is not appropriate for audience under 18. But they don't have any graphic violence though. Some of the Popular shoujo animes are: Fruits Basket, Nana , Natsume's Book of Friends etc.
These type of animes are produced only for matured audience. Seinen animes are mainly focused on experimental and psychological themes. They have a high amount of graphic violence and nudity. Unlike shounen, these type of animes are not that popular around the world. That is because they don't have any toxic fandom and superpower stuffs. These animes don't hold back on things and shows everything the way they are. Most of these animes are not for light-hearted people and can't be watched for relaxation. The story and characters are too deep which requires the audience's full attention. Most of these animes are banned in many countries and only broadcasted in Japan. Some of the Popular seinen animes: Berserk, Parasyte - the maxim, Monster etc.
Animes are not only for entertainment but they are also thought-provoking and gives you a knowledge about how to look at your life in a new way. If you think that animes are mere cartoons that only a 7 years would watch, then you gonna miss an incredible experience. Imagine judging a book by it's cover , which is Pathetic. Once you get into the world of anime you will know the feel. The thing is, most of the Hollywood movies was inspired from anime. For example, the movie Inception was inspired from an anime movie “Paprika” which was released in 2006. There are a wide variety of Animes like anime about Sports (Football, Basketball, Boxing, Vollyball etc.), Cooking, Fashion, Music band, Acting, Game development, and even Education. Watching Anime is good and there is nothing embarassing about it. The only thing you should know is don't be an Anime Nerd.
