Anime: Japan’s biggest cultural export

Any person who has ever watched a single Anime in his life recommends it to someone. It may not be true for some people but it is true for most people who watch Anime.  

Anime is a form of storytelling using hand-drawn art. The word Anime is a short form of the English word Animation. It refers to the Animations made in Japan. Anime has a huge fanbase worldwide. One among many factors behind the popularity of Anime is that it is addictive. It is created in a way that it could keep its viewers engaged for the longest time possible. This ability to engage viewers for the longest possible time attracted investments huge players like Netflix in the anime industry. 

The reason for its popularity is the beautiful style of storytelling. There are no boundaries of genres in Anime. It can be a mix of anything, for example you can see a mix of thriller and comedy. Backed by the exaggerated emotions & reactions of characters, anime is loved by its fans Worldwide. 

Character development 

You have to agree that character development is an art in storytelling that is mastered by the makers. They develop the characters of their story in the best possible way. You will notice Motivations, Ideologies, Upbringing, Aspirations of every character introduced, unlike most of the stories where an antagonist is shown to be born bad to destroy the world & to hurt other people. They show the story from both point of view. They create empathy in the hearts of viewers even for the antagonist, e.g., one of the most popular Anime Death Note starts its story from the antagonist’s point of view & viewers have empathy with Light Yagami (Antagonist) till the time he kills his own Father.  

Plot & Twists 

Anime makers take time to set up the plot, especially if it is not a movie or ongoing series or if it is not a 12-episode Anime. This is one of the reasons why people who are new to Anime find it challenging to continue. But once the plot is gets set, it engages the viewers till the very end. 

Talking about the twists in the plot, they are amazing &, most of the time, unexpected. Most of the time, the protagonist we are shown turns out to be a villain & the thing which adds to this is that he himself is not aware of it. For example, in Season 4 of Attack on Titans, the lead character turns out to be an Antagonist & the ordinary Titans, which were shown as demons, were just innocent people of another country put to punishment.  

The lesson  

Along with developing versatile characters & plots, it teaches us nuances of actions, events & ideologies. It gives us the why, which we as human beings are looking desperately. It teaches us to consider the nuances rather than being stuck with our own ideologies. It shows us the versatility of life, culture, ideologies, & the people. It develops empathy in its viewers. 

Growth & Benchmarks 

Grand View Research reported the global anime market size was valued at USD 23.56 billion in 2020, and it is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) W of 9.5% over the forecast period. Last year’s Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train was the fourth-highest grossing film release in the global box office, but nearly all of its $375 million in ticket sales were in Japan. Some research agencies even claim that the Merchandise of Demon Slayer has made nearly a trillion-dollar of sales worldwide.  

Benefit to Japan 

Economic Gains are the obvious ones, but the export of culture using art is appreciable. Many people come to know of the country just because of the Anime. It promotes the tourism industry of Japan. Moreover, with the use of fictional Anime stories, the history & culture of Japan is easily exported worldwide.   

A thing for every Age group 

A stereotype of animation worldwide is that it is a thing of kids. Anime breaks this stereotype. Anime has a variety in this case & they have different types divided according to the age group: 

• Shonen Anime for young Male Audiences.
• Seinen targets young Male adults.
• Shoujo targets a young female audience.
• Josei targets young adult females.
• Kodomomuke targets young kids.

This is one of the various reasons why Anime is Loved worldwide as an art form.

Indeed, it is Japan’s most significant cultural export.