The Uncanny Similarities Between Anime and Classic Literature

With the release of so many popular anime series in recent years, there has been a rise in anime production. Go to website featuring these anime series. These anime series have similarities to classic literature. Many believe these similarities are not by chance but rather “the result of the writers’ deliberate decision to make the story feel more familiar.”

Some common themes between classic literature and these anime series are “fighting against a superior force to show courage and come out victorious” and “a protagonist who struggles with identity-forming conflict.”

Themes

Anime writers can use these themes to create plot lines for their stories. For example, the famous Japanese series, One Piece is a mixture of adventure and comedy. It has many similar themes to that of Gulliver’s Travels which Jonathan Swift wrote. A lot can be learned from these similarities, including how different cultures view some aspects of life differently than others.

Symbolism and Characters

Unlike manga anime, these series are usually adaptations of classical literature. Most of these adaptations are not straight translations of the original text but take on a different perspective to get the essence and message across in a new way.

Some anime series cannot be categorized as just one genre. They can contain elements from other genres like drama, horror, psychological, and science fiction. These genres allow for more symbolism with characters and themes, which impact the audience’s emotions and perceptions.

Culture

The east has a variety of perspectives that we can learn from, while the west has classic literature and western pop cultural media like anime. Anime benefits from being able to be more purely entertaining without the need for any complicated storyline.

The culture surrounding anime is diverse, but the two main features that distinguish it from other styles are:

  • The mecha genre has emerged as one of the most popular in Japan. These are giant robots, similar to those from science fiction movies. 
  • Japanese media is often marketed toward the younger generations of viewers. This has helped to keep anime relevant and popular among children who may not have been introduced to it otherwise.
  • Japanese people have their unique perspectives on western culture as well. Anime promotes many aspects of Japanese culture, such as traditions, myths, beliefs, philosophy, and values, through its main characters or plot lines that may not exist.

Anime is a style of animation originating in Japan and is often characterized by colorful graphics, vibrant characters, and fantastical themes.