Anime is a multifaceted genre that covers almost every topic from friendship, and high school drama to social stigmas and issues— you can find so much variety in Anime.
Unlike American cartoons, Anime focuses on mature themes and in-depth stories. The target audience for each Anime varies depending on the show, but it typically ranges from teenagers to young adults and even older.
Every year several Anime series are released and almost half of them include violence, gory scenes, and profanity. But most of it depends on the subgenre and theme of Anime. If it’s a horror Anime you should expect some blood and gore like in the movies.
I’ve seen long debates on the internet on how Anime is causing violent tendencies in teenagers and kids But does it cause violence?
Yes, Anime can be violent. And yes, it has some negative effects on kids who watch just any Anime, but that doesn’t mean that it is teaching you violence. Many positive themes come out of this genre of animation and storytelling.
Does Anime have violence?
Anime as it’s more commonly known is a Japanese style of animation. It’s been around for over 50 years and has many different genres.
Anime is often violent and sexual, with themes ranging from sci-fi to fantasy to comedy to action adventure.
Anime violence and gore levels vary depending on the genre you’re seeing. For instance, the Shoujo genre has little to no violence when it does, it is often minor and lacks the shock factor, typical gore displays.
However, what is present in many Shoujo Anime Ao Haru Ride and Tonari no Kaibatsu-Kun, is romance. The Shoujo genre’s defining trope of romance makes it easy to recognize Shoujo Anime right away.
It is simpler to understand why Anime that fall more into the Seinen and Shonen categories also has its plot driver violence. when one considers the repetitive use of romance as a plot driver in the Shoujo genre.
That being said, Violence is a part of the plot of most shounen, horror, and seinen Anime because the creator considers it appropriate for the dark or action theme.
For example, Pupa is a very gory Anime you will see the characters chewing the hearts of other characters and it is created in such a semi-realistic way that could make anyone sick.
But guess what? It is the requirement of the plot. Another example is Death Note where the plot requires violence to make the audience get the feel of a true antagonist. Many people (as a joke) bought notebooks with ‘Death Note‘ written on them too but it did not mean that they meant to kill someone.
Does this mean that Anime causes violence? Well, not exactly.
As with any other genre of art, some types are more likely than others to contain violence or even have the potential. It all depends on what you’re watching and how long you watch it for.
Here are some violence-free recommendations of some healing Anime for your fragile hearts!
| S. No. | Title | No. of episodes | Genre | Rating |
| 1 | Barakamon | 12 | Comedy, Slice of Life | 8.4 |
| 2 | Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou | 2 | Iyashikei, Science fiction | 7.3 |
| 3 | Bunny Drop | 15 | Comedy Drama, Coming of Age | 8.4 |
| 4 | Girls’ Last Tour | 12 | Apocalyptic, Iyashikei, Science fiction | 8.2 |
| 5 | Tanaka-kun is Always Listless | 12 | Comedy, Slice of Life | 7.9 |
What are the negative effects of watching Anime?
While watching violent content Anime might seem like a harmless way to kill some time, the reality is that it can have some negative effects on teens’ mental health and behavior.
For instance, detaching themselves from reality, not making friends, or focusing on other aspects of life.
Some otakus get so emotionally invested in Anime that they become socially inept or awkward.
If you want to avoid these effects, you must have a positive outlet for your energy. The same goes for young children who are fans of Anime, they should be able to tell their parents what he or she wants to do and how this makes them feel.
It’s also important for them to have role models who can show them the way in life.
For example, if your child is watching Anime and sees something violent happen on screen, she might try to imitate it with her friends at school or online, even if she doesn’t mean it happens or even knows how to.
This is called “copying” behavior because someone else does something that we see in an action movie, show, game, etc, but we don’t necessarily want our kids doing this.
What is the dark side of Anime?
You may be thinking of dark themes in Anime, but there’s more to the picture.
The unlawful underpayment of mangakas and animators is ultimately the real dark side of the Anime industry. We as fans learn about these companies breaking their artists’ backs, fans complain about it, and then they dare to pirate that same labor as if it could improve the situation.
The real downside of Anime and Manga is that it encourages businesses to limit artists’ lives with health issues, a lack of money, and a lack of free time.
Because, unlike an Anime character, these employees are real people with lives that are more terrible, day-to-day, and paycheck-to-paycheck than most of us can not even imagine.
Does Anime cause violence?
This is like saying that a book is violent because of a story. It’s absurd to think that an art form can cause violent tendencies in its audience.
The Anime fandom grew and matured as more types of animation were being imported.
In the past, Anime was viewed as entertainment only they weren’t taken seriously. However, today’s Anime fans are more mature than those who watched it before. They understand that there’s more to this form of art than just violence and obscenity and many find it educational as well!
According to a study, the majority of students feel Anime is enjoyable because it contains violence, humor, realism, and other appealing elements.
Even though the participants thought that such shows would encourage aggressive behavior. The majority of kids would absorb knowledge and mimic behavior through their observation of these shows.
They did not, however, feel that Anime might change their personalities. But, under specific circumstances, if they feel threatened, the students may punch, attack, or kick that specific person.
This study also showed that students would never act aggressively toward their surroundings because they most likely feel bad when hurting others.
Is there a negative impact of anime?
Many anime stories contain negative themes such as hatred, suffering, jealousy, resentment, despair, and even sexual abuse and nudity. These works have appeared in several animation works and have even achieved popular status.
- For starters, Japanese anime has influenced certain teens, and it is difficult for them to break free. Japanese anime with rich subject matter, well-crafted tales, and a focus on young people’s psychological needs have a strong appeal among them. Some youngsters have engaged in this and have spent a significant amount of time viewing the animation.
- Second, there are many undesirable actions in Japanese anime characters. Furthermore, the growth of the Japanese animation derivative industry has had an impact on the lives of young people. Some teenagers are obsessed with cartoon characters and absorb them without question.
- Third, there are numerous violent, bloody, and pornographic moments in Japanese anime.
Can anime change your life?
Most of the Anime I’ve watched have numerous aspects in common and watching and re-watching Anime over and over did have an impact on me because of its similar characteristics.
- Power struggle– Though the prepared maneuvers in anime may seem exaggerated, it may teach you that having a strategy, a calculated move, is a vital aspect of your life and that practically at every point in your life, you will face someone who is better than you at everything and you will need to improve your approach.
- Sensitivity– Emotions are genuine, and you can express them in whatever you choose because it is vital to let them out! If you continue to accumulate emotions, you will eventually burst, which will be disastrous for you.
- Retrospection– I, like the anime characters, come back strong once we reflect on ourselves. I recognize my own strengths and weaknesses and attempt to improve them. I accept the mistakes we made while evolving, growing, and learning, as well as after retrospection.
- Perseverance– Perseverance is the most important lesson in life, and I don’t think anyone could have taught me that better than anime. Most of the characters I’ve seen go through their own journey of endurance where they attempt, fail, try again, and fail again until they succeed! Hard work and patience are the most vital tools in life, and anime teaches you that!
Conclusion
- Anime has adult themes, but there are many more positive themes than negative ones.
- Some Anime is violent or has sexual content. This includes Anime which has a lot of blood, gore, and swearing. But don’t worry if you’re not into this sort of thing, there are plenty of other types of Anime out there.
- Not all of them have happy endings. While some of them are simply grating, all of them evoke emotion and cause you to care.
- Other than the concerns about violent Anime we should reflect more light on the underpaid artists who need our voice.