Anime is a medium that thrives not because it’s quality but because it appeals to mainstream audiences in the most basic way possible. And before you interject and try to say anime isn’t mainstream, I’d like to say that you’re wrong. People think that it’s cool to like anime because in the past you were called a weeb and now there’s an entire community watching anime.

Weebs like this think they’re underdogs for watching anime but actually a lot of people do watch it and you’re not going to be seriously made fun of for watching Japanese cartoons. It’s the same way how “nerd” used to be used as an insult and now it’s the way you describe yourself in order to appear more interesting than you actually are.

Now, I’m not saying all anime is bad and that everyone who watches it is a weeb because that’d be pretty hypocritical of me and also because it’s not true and just a chimp brain way of thinking in an attempt to make fun of people who watch anime.

So first of all, what’s the big appeal of anime?

To put it simply, it’s because of the medium used to tell a story. In the Western part of the world animation is viewed as a little kid thing for little kids to watch. Of course you have the unfunny “adult” animations too but nobody cares about those. So, what if you’re looking for a serious animation but not something that’s supposed to be an adult comedy? Well, you hop onto your anime stash and start watching that.

My first time watching anime was pretty magical, though I am  exaggerating a bit. I had never before seen an animation that aimed to tell a serious story before, and it wowed me and made me want to see more things like that.

But here’s the thing.

That show that I watched is bad and poorly written. After coming back to rewatch it I find myself bamboozled on how exactly I was entertained by that brainless garbage. Like seeing that kids show you used to watch again after a few years.

What happened was I just wasn’t used to anime and didn’t catch on to all the tropes and cliches I would catch now since I’ve seen many more.

So basically every show ranging from bad to mediocre is seen as a masterpiece to anyone who hasn’t watched anime before.

But there’s also another reason why anime is so popular, and it’s because the characters look appealing. Which if fine. There’s nothing wrong with trying to make the characters in your story look nice. However, if those character appearances are the only thing that’s being offered, the only thing people come to see, then as a story it completely fails.

Just think about it, if all the characters in your favorite anime looked ugly would you like it as much as you do? If so, you’re probably or actually there for a well-thought our story.

And to my next topic, the actual content of the show.

Like every other medium there will always be a pile of generic garbage covering the actual good content. Crappy horrors movies are being crapped out everyday, bad romances novels are being churned out, and anime is no different.

Not to say that’s there isn’t any good stuff. Movies like Pulp Fiction and The Shining are revered as masterpieces, yet if you ask somebody in the street what their thoughts on the movies are then they probably won’t know what you’re talking about. Movies like these, while well written, don’t exactly appeal to the larger audiences, the people who don’t watch movies for some new breathtaking experience and just want to relax for two hours and see some cool stuff happen. Nothing wrong with this mindset; everyone has their own preferences.

So back to anime.

The same is true here. There are many great shows that are seen as masterpieces, yet generic garbage is always what turns everyone’s head. Except, replace people who just want to relax and watch some cool stuff happen with some sad people who want to see anime girls.

And because people are watching it the same formula keeps getting put out, like a never ending cycle.

Also, overhype.

Once in a while some show comes along and every weeaboo within a thirty mile radius starts screaming to every passerby about how they just have to watch this cool new anime coming  out.

Shows in this category are AoT, MHA, OPM, and Demon Slayer. All good shows no doubt, but not the masterpieces everyone hypes them up to be.

And finally, public image. Why do you get made fun of for watching anime?

For a perfectly good reason. Anime is soft core,  you know.

Its one thing if I could say that anime isn’t actually what they think it is, but I’d be lying. All the garbage on the front page is exactly what those people make fun of.

The end