Our Personalities Are Linked to Our Anime

Do you ever take the time to think about the anime you like? What about the colorful characters that fill the animated world? Do you know why you like those characters? Some people may, and others may not. However, when it comes to our likes and dislikes I've noticed a lot of it has to do with the type of person we are.

A friend of mine casually joked that everyone he's met has been similar to the first shonen they watched. I kind of laughed it off, but I didn't realize how true it was. Naruto was the first shonen anime that I really got into. I really view the anime and the characters in a positive light, but imagine if I didn't start with Naruto. What if something like Bleach or One Piece had been my first? Since I had learned so much from a simple anime, my outlook on anime and certain traits about me would certainly be different.

So this raises a completely different question; are we shaped by anime or our shaped by ourselves? From my view, I think there's a bit of both. For example, I have the power to freely pick and chose what I want to watch and experience. No one is telling me what I have to like. There's no restrictions or bounds on my views and traits, therefore I'm able to let my true personality free when it comes to anime characters and series. With this way of thinking, I pick the anime I truly like the best. Yet, I am still shaped by the media I intake, subconsciously or consciously.

Despite this, we still have to take in account other things such as peer pressure and the community outlook, but these aren't really important when a person is alone with something they enjoy. It's different than being in a public setting and being bound with certain rules and expectations. You're not limited. I think maybe that's why I enjoy anime so much; it is freedom of expression.

Staying with that thought, most of my favorite characters are similar to me in some shape or form. Sometimes the negatives and sometimes the positives, but it's nice seeing a person like me even in fiction form. Or even seeing an anime that follows my ideals and beliefs. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I'm drawn to anime that is similar to me, my personality. If my personality were different or if I were a different person I would like different things. Sure, people might say that's a bad thing. "We're all different, how in the world do we get along?" I think that being different is what makes the anime community a beautiful thing. Different people connected by a single medium.

"Let's just call it the ramblings of a dreamer?"

Sorry if this post isn't as long as you expected, or doesn't really express the topic well. I just feel that sometimes shorter posts get the point across more efficiently.

That's all for now guys and girls, see you soon~