Villarreal 1

Roberto I. Villarreal

Trisha Briones

ENGL 1302-222

April 6 2023

The Impact That Anime Has on The World and Its Cultures

Introduction

Since the beginning of digital entertainment, anime has exponentially grown as one of the

leading forms of entertainment. It has taken the form of shows, movies, books, clothing, and

materialistic items. Despite the attention that it gets, it would not have been possible in its

preliminary stages. In the 1960s when anime was first created, it was nothing more than simple

drawings of characters with large eyes, a large mouth, and a large head with small bodies just

walking and jumping with little to no colors. Now in modern times, we see anime characters

doing all sorts of crazy maneuvers and several different effects taking place with an array of

colors and lighting. Anime can be perceived in many different ways. To some it may be an

escape from reality, meanwhile to others it may seem revolting and uninteresting. The point is

that there are wonders that can come from anime, such as jobs, habits, life lessons, etc. It has

been enveloped into a culture amongst audiences of all ages around the world and not just in

Japan. As stated by Jaqueline Berndt, “There is also a challenge involved, that is, to question

oppositions—not only between research on anime and Japan, or text and context, but also

considerations of fandom and society, serial narratives and self-contained works, media

specificity and media convergence, and genre fiction and art-house cinema” (Berndt 2). This

research covers how the art and animation style of anime has improved over the years, how it has
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impacted people positively or negatively, and how it has a wide range of genres that can apply to

different audiences.

Animation

For starters, animation has been a way to capture small moments and make them big. Xu,

Shizhuo, et al., reinforce this idea by stating that “Anime combines graphic art, characterization,

cinematography, and other forms of creative and individualistic techniques.” (Xu, Shizhuo, et al.

2). As the years have gone by, more and more changes have been made to improve the quality of

the animation that takes place when making an anime. More ways and stories are created to give

the people of the world a chance to divulge into something this creative. Artists, computer

engineers, animators, cinematographers, and several other careers have gone into the works of

animation. This, along with technology constantly improving on the daily have been able to

provide a way for anime to present itself as more than just a topic of conversation amongst fans

around the world.

Just like many other things around the world such as advertisements, news, websites, etc.

all have a system to follow, so does anime. After doing research on the structure that many

online resources share, Lyu, Jiali, et al., argue that “With the rapid development and

popularization of computer technology and technological progress in the information age,

algorithms have increasingly become an essential digital technology applied in people’s daily

work production and practical life” [6]. These algorithms drastically affect how animations are

created and performed as well as recommending anime to viewers depending on the type of sub-

genre they like to watch. New colors and formats can be created using these algorithms thanks to

the ever so expanding technology. Additionally, algorithms can be used to keep an order.
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Without it, animators would have a challenging time being able to create the right effects that

would be intended for a specific character or scene.

Another role that affects animation is the type of technology being used, and how it

affects or has affected animation. In their article, Ichikohji and Takeyasu argue “How does the

introduction of information technology (IT) influence production systems?” As the years have

progressed, animation and technology have improved. From the old, retro, and $60,000 episode

budget to the newer, brighter, and $80,000 episode budget. With the introduction of technology,

there are many aspects and processes that go into producing an anime image/animation. There is

the actual coloring of the image, creating dimensions of the image, compositing and editing

images, etc. However, in order to be able to do all this, animators must first perform hand

drawings of the images they want, also known as manga panels. Once the handwritten drawings

are processed and sent to animation companies, they handle all the big stuff that eventually

results in beautiful and colorful anime.

Effect on people

Although anime may just be a form of entertainment that can be expressed through digital

and materialistic things, it can also affect people both positively and negatively. In their article,

Wipfli, Lynn, et al. argue that “The increasing popularity of anime shows featuring e-cigarette

use may encourage uptake among adolescents and young adults, as has been the case with

exposure to combustible tobacco use imagery in other entertainment media.” This is a negative

effect that can be displayed onto society. By using an art that is meant to positively entertain

people, companies are using them to convince young viewers to do something negative. This will

undoubtedly convince parents that anime is only meant for adults and should not be shared so

lightly amongst kids.

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Speaking of kids, it has been researched that kids are twice as likely to watch anime more

than adults. Eiji Yamamura conducted a study that proved that “After controlling for individual

characteristics, it was found that people are more likely to watch anime when they have children

aged less than 12 years who have not yet entered junior high school” (Yamamura 331). Parents

with such young kids have a better chance to be positively impacted by anime. When kids are at

this age, parents have a higher probability of catching their kid watching an anime, thus

prompting the action of watching it with them. This will spark a flame for anime and as time

goes on, more and more parents will get hooked onto it, this giving them a new topic of

conversation to bring to the table and it will give them something that they can enjoy and plan

events around.

As it may well be known, anime can take on many forms. From digital animations to

physical objects, it can affect people and cause them to exhibit unvoluntary behavior. For

example, one of these motions is donating to a virtual youtuber, otherwise known as a Vtuber,

who uses AI to create a digital anime character to grasp the attention of viewers. In their article,

Takagi and Terada argue that “Regardless of appearance, emotional expression is useful in the

design of a virtual agent’s face, but it might not be necessary to consider the dynamic properties

of the eyes” (Takagi 1). If a vtuber uses an avatar that can both express emotions and use facial

expressions, they will attract people who are willing to donate large sums of money just to be

able to experience what that avatar has to offer. The design of the avatar, along with its designed

functions, can attract attention and can cause people to make voluntary decisions, such as

donating, that only benefit the person controlling the avatar, and not the person that donated.

This effect can have devastating consequences such as developing a lack of social skills in
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people, financial situations, and even lack of motivation to do anything such as eating, going

outside, and exercising.

Culture

There is no doubt that as the years have progressed, anime has developed its own culture.

That culture can be explored in a variety of ways that people of different ages can all enjoy. As

stated by Narulita and Gastiana, “The interest in Japanese anime merchandise such as comics,

manga, cosplay and many more turns out to be of many benefits, namely being able to get to

know Japanese culture” (Narulita 4). People can now understand each other and come together

from around the world through the means of anime. Fan clubs, online groups, conventions, etc.

are all ways for anime fans to come together and get to know each other better. New hobbies can

be formed such as colleting manga or buying one of every figure from a show. Additionally, the

anime culture can inspire and persuade others to visit Japan for themselves. This will allow them

to see for themselves just how impactful anime is on society.

While the anime culture is mainly used to introduce entertainment, it can also be used to

teach in academic schools. As stated by Jaqueline Berndt, “Outside of Japan, departments that

teach Japanese studies have been a frontrunner in that regard, and a significant amount of

scholarship has been produced, especially in English and with respect to anime” (Berndt 1).

Anime can be used to help students academically in several different ways such as teaching a

new language, learning skills and lessons, and building study habits. Students can also learn

about the different lifestyles and societies present in anime. While most people may not believe

so, anime can help students achieve academic success, all while also being able to relive stress

and give students something to unwind to.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, anime has several different stereotypes and aspects to it such as how the

art and animation style of anime has improved over the years, how it has impacted people

positively or negatively, and how it has a wide range of genres that can apply to different

audiences. Thanks to the help of constantly improving technology, art and animation have not

only improved in quality, but have also created new careers. As for anime in general, it can both

help people and cause trouble for them. Somethings in a tv show or movie such as life lessons

can be applied to the real world, however not everything it provides can. Lastly, no two genres of

anime are the same. There are several different sub-genres like fantasy, action, romance,

comedy, etc. that can be enjoyed by all people. Not everyone will have the same taste in a

category than others, so it does not hurt to have a little diversity. Serving only as a form of

entertainment, anime has become a culture of its own and has adapted to the ever-changing

world. Without it, people might never get a new perspective on life or have the chance to involve

themselves deeply into something that they find fascinating.

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Works Cited

Berndt, Jaqueline. “Anime in Academia: Representative Object, Media Form, and Japanese

Studies.” Arts, vol. 7, no. 4, Sept. 2018, p. 56. Crossref,

https://doi.org/10.3390/arts7040056.

Berndt, Jaqueline. “Anime in Academia: Representative Object, Media Form, and Japanese

Studies.” Arts, vol. 7, no. 4, Sept. 2018, p. 56. Crossref,

https://doi.org/10.3390/arts7040056.

Hisashi, Takagi, and Terada Kazunori. "The Effect of Anime character’s Facial Expressions and

Eye Blinking on Donation Behavior." Scientific Reports (Nature Publisher Group) 11.1

(2021)ProQuest.  Web. 17 Apr. 2023.

Ichikohji, Takeyasu. "The Influence of Introducing IT into Production System: A Case of

Japanese Animation (Anime) Industry." Annals of Business Administrative Science 12.4

(2013): 181-97. ProQuest. Web. 8 Mar. 2023.

Lyu, Jiali, Young Lee Hae, and Huwen Liu. "Color Matching Generation Algorithm for

Animation Characters Based on Convolutional Neural Network." Computational

Intelligence and Neuroscience : CIN 2022 (2022)ProQuest. Web. 7 Mar. 2023.

Narulita, Y., and I. Gustiana. "Influence of Online Store on Public Enthusiasm on Japanese

Anime Culture Merchandise." IOP Conference Series.Materials Science and

Engineering 662.3 (2019)ProQuest.  Web. 6 Apr. 2023.

Wipfli, Heather Lynn, et al. "Vaping and Anime: A Growing Area of Concern." Tobacco

control (2022)ProQuest. Web. 8 Mar. 2023.

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Yamamura, Eiji. “The Effect of Young Children on Their Parents’ Anime-Viewing Habits:

Evidence from Japanese Microdata.” Journal of Cultural Economics, vol. 38, no. 4, 2014,

pp. 331–49. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44289549. Accessed 13 Mar. 2023.