Editorial
[Round-Robin] Anime and Escapism: Living in and Out of Your Comfy Anime Burrow
While I initially didn’t intend to post about our 1st Round-Robin topic about the subject of anime and escapism, I had a sudden burst of inspiration after reading Hinano’s entry, and I found myself empathizing with, and pondering upon this escapism issue. Then comes Soshi’s write-up on this topic, and once again I am inspired.
First of all, what is escapism? According to good ol’ Wikipedia:
Escapism is mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an “escape” from the perceived unpleasant aspects of daily stress. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to try to help relieve feelings of depression or general sadness.
Given this definition alone, one might say that using anime as a means of escapism is actually good. Hey you’re using it as a stress reliever! Instead of getting all depressed and frustrated about real-world issues to the point of being suicidal, you channel all those negative chi to watching anime, and voila, say goodbye to a stressful life! Happily ever after. Not really.
Real life can strangle you at times, it becomes suffocating and daunting. We all need a break from time to time, to unwind from all the stress. And for otakus like you and me, we turn to anime, mangas, and games for such relief. But at the end of the day, after having indulged ourselves with our anime hobby, we’d still have to return to the ever present Real World, whether you like it or not.
Anime is one form of medication, as Soshi puts it, which, at its worst can be debilitating drug the moment you consider it to be the be-all and end-all solution to your problems. It’s ok to turn to a dose of anime for medication and some meditation, so long as you don’t forget what it was that drove you to seek this refuge in the first place. Escaping from real-life issues won’t make them go away — a common sense we know, but that we often forget [or shove to the darkest corners of our minds] as well. You’d have to deal with them like a REAL [WO]MAN, confront and conquer them, just like any normal [healthy] sane person would.
I’m a melancholic emo bunny~
Now here goes my anime dorama…
If there’s one thing in my life that I never seemed to have lost passion for, I’d say it’s anime/manga/otakuism. It’s been part of my life ever since I could remember, but it always remained that way. It’s just a part of my life.
As a kid, I was naturally drawn to all things aesthetically pleasant and cute, and the moment I got to watch anime on our local TV, it was love at first sight. My interest grew as I got older, and I was inspired to draw fanarts and study Nihongo because of it. I was proud of my achievement, I was proud of having anime-centric hobbies / skills.
Brought up in a really competitive family, I was more or less required to excel in my studies, become the top of the class as much as possible. In a way, anime provided that escape from all the pressure and disappointments I felt throughout the years. It made my life brighter; it allowed me to do something I want, out of sheer enjoyment.
But then being overzealous about anime (side by side being an introvert) is not without its disadvantages, as I have experienced throughout my teenage years. Way back elementary and high school, I was considered to be different from most people. I preferred anime over the typical dramas “normal” girls in my class watch: Dawson’s Creek, Melrose Place, etc. I also preferred mystery books like Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys instead of Sweet Valley High which most girls in my class were raving about. I was a party pooper, I don’t like going to discos and hanging out with the other girls (having their usual ‘boy talks’). I was never fond of shopping because my aunts and uncles shower me with clothes for my birthday and Christmas presents anyways, so why waste monies! I was an introvert who preferred socializing with down-to-earth people who understood my eccentricities.
But still, I managed to find my place in society despite being an anime fanatic, thanks to my family and close friends who accepted me for who I am (my mom enjoys watching cartoons and animes too <3). While pouring my energies on animes, mangas and games, I spent time busying myself with church and socio-civic activities, and other extra-curricular activities in school. I also grew a fondness for baking and cooking thanks to my mom, and contrary to popular belief during high school, I don’t prefer 2D over 3D guys. I just don’t talk about that topic much with the girls in my class, hence they probably thought I prefer virtual guys *facepalm* I grew up as a normal healthy girl, so to speak. I knew well that what stays on paper and on-screen will remain as such.
For the most part, I don’t think my love for anime was driven by the need to escape from reality. Whenever I get really depressed, I listen to some contemporary Gospel music, and I feel renewed. The only time I remember watching an anime due to depression was during my first few months at work, which I also talked about in my previous Ouran Koukou Host Club story post. I had some issues with fellow batchmates/trainess/co-workers, and Ouran helped uplift my spirits. I found myself laughing so hard while watching, despite BAWWing with tears earlier (which made me look like a lunatic). Still, at the end of the day, the problem remained, and I dealt with it the way I should. I confronted the person I was in bad terms with, and settled the score between us. There was another person involved in the sad incident, but I was able to forgive him and put that past behind us. Now we’re all good friends, and I’m happy about it.
We have our own idiosyncrasies (like being anime fanatics), yes, but that shouldn’t hamper us from growing holistically as people. We should all grow-up to become mature and responsible individuals, and we can do so in spite of all these eccentricities. Despite enjoying all these fictional fantasy anime stuff on one hand, we should not be blinded by what is real and what society expects from us (from normal socially-healthy people), on the other.
Anime might provide entertainment, something to reflect upon, or to fap upon, even. But no matter what happens, anime will always remain anime, and Real Life will always be present no matter how hard you try to run away from it. You can’t be reincarnated as an anime character in an anime world. Reality isn’t made to be that way. You were born as you are, a person with your own identity, and however you want to shape your life is in your hands. No animes will do that for you.
filed under: Editorial
Discussion
19 comments for “[Round-Robin] Anime and Escapism: Living in and Out of Your Comfy Anime Burrow”
Trackbacks
- a geek by any other name » Blog Archive » Round Robin: Insert Witty Escape/Rabbit Hole Joke Here
- Loli Salad » Round Robin: Escapism and Anime
- itsubun» Blog Archive » First Round: The Rabbit Hole [Anime & Escapism]
- [Round Robin] Down, down, down the Rabbit Hole « Stuff Happens
- Anime and Escapism: Down the Rabbit Hole « GAR GAR Stegosaurus
- Coffee Spoons» Blog Archive » First Round: The Rabbit Hole [Anime & Escapism]
- The Scrumptious Anime Blog | Thoughts on Nogizaka Haruka 01-03: On Being an Otaku, Closet or Not.
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Same here, my parents expect me to get high grades etc and anime relieves that stress. I love the bunny image btw! He should die though …
Same2. My parents expect me to get good grades too but I don’t take it too seriously. But I do last minute studies all the time (lol).
Anyway, the main reason I watch anime, other than my love for it is because real life is boring. It’s like nothing exciting happens in my life and the same things happens everyday.. Well, that’s my life.
As we all go through our daily routines, we would learn to adjust to it. After some time, we tend to get bored of it, but we learn to accept it. There would always be a point in time that our system would break down. When this happens, we have to take heed, lest, we lose the energy to forge on.
Our little escapes, once we have mastered them and not them being our masters, refuel us to get us to where we should be getting to.
Like all other things in our lives, anime should be taken in moderation once we have had our fill, we move on, we do not wallow and allow ourselves to be suck into it, because, as you have said so… at the end of the day, what’s on paper and on screen will remain there… and we are still left with what we tried to escape from.
Now I’m confused, am I normal now because I watched Dawson’s Creek?
Or maybe I’m a hybrid lol
>>You were born as you are, a person with your own identity, and however you want to shape your life is in your hands. No animes will do that for you.
We have to keep in mind that anime is just a temporary escape, to not forget that we are responsible for ourselves, and that there are things that won’t go away unless we do something about them. We are the masters of our fate, as that famous poem says.
@blissmo: these bunnies have been provided a super special kekkai shield so they’re not susceptible to your attacks
@Setsukyie: I can’t afford not to take my father’s “requirement” seriously, he’s really strict and intimidating and it irks me actually
I do think my life is boring too, hence I said anime brightened up my life
And since my love life wasn’t all colorful as well, I turned to otome games for that escape lol.
@KaeBoo: very well said. Escape from your problems and you’ll remain a coward. Your love for scale plastic models remind me of my early childhood days when I used to love Barbies lol, I’m just glad that interest in dolls and figurines didn’t become part of my anime otakuism. whew.
@hayase: you must be a hybrid! haha. I’m a hybrid now too. But bah, being “normal” is just overrated (or under-rated, depending on how you look at it). It’s just one of those subjective labels people place on us anyways.
There were times when I tend to blame the circumstance(s) I was in for my shortcomings, but it’s all but a pathetic excuse. We are the masters of our fate indeed
“Anime might provide entertainment, something to reflect upon, or to fap upon, even.” I lol’ed.
I haven’t liked anime my entire life, so I’m not as hardcore as a lot of other people. I’d say that anime isn’t the definitive feature of my identity, neither. I am in the anime niche, but anime isn’t my niche.
Eerie on the parallels! I also went through a Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys phase over any of the other stuff most girls were reading (or not reading). Plus cooking and all that. ^_^
I’d say right now, my TV shows are a fairly even mix of 3D and 2D. I think this would make me a hybrid.
Anime is but a minor distraction from my truly nerdy pursuit of military history and miniature war games.
Personal experience tells me that while we do grow older we do not necessarily end our childhoods. All entertainment is at it heart an extension of our collective will to never really grow up. If video games are any indication then by age 65 we will all still be doing something seemingly childish. We work at our jobs from 8-5 for most people 7-3 if you’re like me, but these little games we play are never a problem until they start cutting into real life.
At the end of the day anime does not feed you, clothe you, or shelter you. Thus if you still want to watch you will have to get out there and work. As Lenin once said those who do not work shall not eat, and for the most part that is true.
You said chi
I think the other end of escapism is never explored in anime blogs :/ I pretty much agree with your concept on reality’s place; escapism is a psychological faux to me. I see more people with the problem of engaging so much in reality that they have forgotten what it was to “escape.”
In regard to anime, I think the last time I truly felt a total escape was with the Sekai no Monshou world. A good deal of anime simply reminds me of the “good times” in reality.
like you, i didn’t really use anime as a form of escaping from reality so much as creating a new one. i mean. i really dislike the lack of imagination that is running around my age group and one of my biggest fears is losing that imagination. i think watching anime keeps my imagination fresh and alert, which is important to me because i’m an artist. then again, i never watched the cutsie type anime either, i was more for the realistic, imaginative or the hyper real world types.
You’re one of the kindest and most well put-together blogger that I have had the pleasure to meet. I’m impressed by the range and variety of interests and hobbies that you have cultivated for yourself. You put your heart into all of the endeavors that you choose to pursue and your hard work and dedication really shine through. Even with all of the stress and hardships of daily life, you still find the time to appreciate what you love simply for how it makes you feel. That’s something really special. The final points of your entry are good ones to keep in mind and take to heart. Thank you for writing. I’m glad you decided to hop on board =]
@Lelangir: …and that is a good thing! Having a wide diverse set of interests is great, as I have also learned through the years ^^
@Caitlin: wow, kindred spirit!
hehe. Many of us grow up to become hybrids I believe, and hybrid is good! (as I’ve also mentioned in my reply to Lelangir)
@Crusader: ah yes. and if these little distractions will make your life more fun, inspire you to become better in your other endeavors, it’s all good!
@Ryan: many of my relatives are on the other end of the spectrum, they’re into reality so much and they forget what it means to relax and have fun! These people are the ones who can’t understand why the heck we’re still watching animus at our age, they think it’s ’simply for kids’ geez.
@Maggie: anime can be a great source of inspiration for artists, toss in some mangas too. The cutesy types are the ones that lured me into animes at first, and I still love them until now :p
@itsubun: aww, thank you for your kind words itsubun, though I don’t think I’m not as kind as you perceive me to be
Oh and I’m quite a slacker too, so lol.
Props to you for organizing and managing our group, and yes I’m also glad I was able to hop on board this first topic