Anime Education – What is Anime?

What is anime? An anime is a cartoon made in Japan in which the graphics and the art are completely different from American cartoons. Just like how the Harry Potter movies are based on books, there are some anime based on manga, Japanese comic books. Manga is its own topic, so for now let’s just focus on anime education.

There are some sports anime that kids could watch if they have an interest in that sport in real life, such as:

• Prince of Tennis – focuses on tennis
• Slam Dunk – focuses on basketball
• Major – focuses on baseball
• Yowamushi Pedal – focuses on bicycle

I was already a fan of tennis, and when I discovered that there was an anime called Prince of Tennis, I decided to watch the show. When I was a student in my community college, I played tennis for two semesters, and I was able to learn some of the techniques shown in the anime.

Another aspect of anime is music education. I was in the band during Elementary school, and if I had known about these anime shows, I might not have quit.

• Tari Tari – focuses on band
• Full Moon Wo Sagashite – focuses on a child who wants to sing
• Piano no Mori – focuses on piano

Just like sports anime, there’s always a lesson at the end of the series. You just don’t know it until you get near the end of the show.

What about math? Is there any anime for math? Of course! You might not know it at first, but there are some anime that add and subtract numbers but keep the show still enjoyable.

• Yu-gi-oh Duel Monsters
• Cardfight!! Vanguard
• Duel Masters: Fighting Edge

Why these anime? Because these anime are based on trading card games, and the most popular one still is Yu-gi-oh. In the storyline, there are life points, and you battle them out with opponents against cards that have attack and defense points. You have to build up a strategy to win.

Are there life lessons within the anime? There are always life lessons within an episode or a series. Some of those life lessons are:

• Never giving up
• Dreams – what you want to do
• Friends
• Changes

An example of an anime that has all four of these life lessons would be Pokemon. Why Pokemon? Because Pokemon is about a young 10-year-old boy who dreams to become the world’s greatest Pokemon master, and he tries to do it in every episode. He makes friends and life changes around him as friends leaves and new ones joins him on his quest.

 

Many anime are for children but there are some that are targeted to a more mature audience. Parents should be careful on what their children watch online. Some anime could have inappropriate content for children like too much violence. Some of those anime are:

• Blood+
• Blood-C
• Tokyo Ghoul vA

These are inappropriate for children because they are based on violence and horror. Anime like these should be watched by 18+, but you can always check the ratings or even the themes beforehand. I watched Blood+, but I think I was out of high school when I discovered it. Blood+ can be gruesome, and it is not for the younger audience.

Here is a list of the most popular anime that are airing now in Japan and are appropriate for both children and adult:

• Boruto
• Yu-gi-oh Vrain
• Fairy Tale
• Digimon Adventure Tri

You can even learn the Japanese language if you’ve been watching anime as long as I have! You’ll be able to pick a word or two by just watching a couple of episodes. I’m into Japanese music as well, so I’m able to understand a few sentences here and there every time I listen to Japanese music, thus if kids are intrigued with anime, they’ll be able to somewhat understand Japanese and then learn it or even learn Japanese culture while in school.

In conclusion, kids could indeed watch anime. Parents just have to find out what anime are appropriate for the child to watch. Anime aren’t just for children, but also for adults to enjoy. Pokemon has been going on since the 90’s. A few of my friends still watch the show, and I still play the games. I watch anime because I’m into Japanese, and I like the graphics and animation better than cartoons’.  Whatever you’re into, there is an anime for everything and for both young and old.