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Recommendation

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I believe there are benefits to watching or listening to anything. Anime or not.

What matters most is if you pay attention. That's where the secret sauce is which benefits you in some way.
Here's a quick list of 9 solid reasons anime will make you smarter, and add meaning to your life.
1. You learn unexpected things

If you watch Jormungand, you learn about the realistic lives of arms dealers. And how they travel the world, surround themselves with bodyguards, and end up in dangerous situations.

Not to mention how they're the reasons wars break out in the first place.

If you watch School Live, you learn about mental health issues like PTSD.

If you watch Little Busters, you learn about a real life condition called: Narcolepsy. A condition that causes you to fall asleep whenever you feel relaxed or happy.

If you pay attention, the anime you've watched have taught you something valuable, useful, or interesting. Making you more knowledgeable in the process.

2. You learn about Japanese culture

This one is obvious, and while it might not always be 100% right, it mostly is accurate.

Anime is made by the Japanese after all, and gives you insights into their culture. Even if a little!

3. You learn about Japanese food

This one's a given. It's anime after all.

If you watch Ranma 1/2 you learn about a dish called: Okonomiyaki, which is made on the island of Okinawa. In the anime a character called: Ukyo runs her own Okonomiyaki restaraunt.

if you watch Shakugan No Shana, you learn about a type of Japanese food called: Melon bread (Melonpan).

And if you watch Pokemon or School Rumble, you'll learn about Onigiri (a type of rice ball).

This list is endless...

4. You learn life lessons

Too much arrogance leads to losses eventually, and your self-esteem gets crushed in the process.

Bullying others has its implications later in life, no matter how subtle it is.

Not being thankful for your parents may lead to regret one day if they die suddenly.

All 3 of these life lessons happen in 3 anime series:

No matter the anime, there's always something to learn that will help you. And this is even true for comedy series which are more subtle when it comes to life lessons.

5. You learn about relationships

Not all anime relationships are realistic. Let's be real about that.

But when they are realistic you learn about the hardships, pains, tragedy, and even the benefits of being in a relationship.

And depending on the anime, it'll walk you through all the struggles that come with it.

6. You learn about hard work, patience, and team work

Watch Haikyuu and it'll teach you about team work, and why it's so crucial.

Watch DBZ and you learn about hard work, setting goals, pushing yourself and practicing.

Watch New Game and you learn about the struggles of pursuing what you love. And starting out as a beginner.

Unlike Films, anime has life lessons of all kinds because of the amount of genres and topics it has.

7. You learn about the ugly side of human nature

Watch Elfen Lied and this picture is painted perfectly. The anime deals with rape, child abuse and violence after all.

Tune into Black Lagoon and you'll see the dark-side of how the grittiest places on earth tend to be (even if a little exaggerated).

Watch Akame Ga Kill or Psycho Pass and you'll learn corruption in society. And the dangers of having too much power when you have the wrong intentions.

A lot of these dark lessons are sprinkled throughout the anime industry. And some of them are hard to swallow.
Related: 20 Dark Anime Series You Should Consider Watching
8. You learn about communication

Watch ReLife and you'll understand this. Or even watch Kokoro Connect.

Lack of communication always leads to misunderstandings and problems. When we don't understand each other, friction is caused.

Next thing you know violence, madness, pain and tragedy are soon to follow.

9. You learn how to have fun

Watching anime is a fun activity by itself. But when you watch:

Or anything similar, it teaches you how to have fun, chill, relax and not take life too seriously.

A life without fun is no life at all.

In a nutshell: The main benefit of anime is learning!

I've learned about culture, historic facts, conditions, and too many things to count on both hands from anime.

It's like an adventure. The more you watch anime, the more you discover. Because there's so many shows, you'l never run out of new things to watch and new thing to learn.
Related: 10 Reasons Why Anime Has Educational Value

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9 Benefits Of Watching Anime That Makes You Smarter

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I believe there are benefits to watching or listening to anything. Anime or not. What matters most is if you pay attention. That's where the secret sauce is which benefits you in some way. Here's a quick list of 9 solid reasons anime will make you smarter, and add meaning to your life.

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Reveal the topic

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Anime goes as far back as 1910-1917. Where the first generation of animators had their start.

But it wasn't until the 80's and 1990's that anime exploded on an international level.

We can thank Pokemon, DBZ, One Piece, Yugioh, and so many other shows for that.

And it only continued into the early 2000's with Death Note, Code Geass and other anime.

But back to the question: what makes anime so popular?
Why did it explode, and what continues to fuel the growth of anime in 2018?
As much as I hate some of the reasons, it boils down to these 6 elements...

Why Anime Is Popular:

1. Fan-Service

Any normal person wouldn't know what to think as a first time fan.

But let's be brutally honest - FAN SERVICE is one of many reasons why anime is popular... Or haven't you noticed some of the most popular shows are filled with fan-service?

Take the image above for example. They're from the anime:

Gurren Lagann.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid is very popular in the slice of life category.

And Gurren Lagann? It's popular as F.

We see the same things play out in Naruto, One Piece, and an absurd amount of popular anime.

I can't stand it because it's usually out of context, but it's a part of what makes anime popular nonetheless.

2. Storytelling

Kino's Journey (or Kino's Travels) is the perfect example of this.

Each episode is refreshing, and focuses purely on telling interesting stories. Usually from the perspective of the people Kino meets from country to country.

Each persons story teaches you a new life lesson, and opens your eyes to a new way of seeing things. Even if it's simplistic.

There are other anime that do this well. Like:

Psycho Pass.

Fairy Tail.

Hyouka.

The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.

Guardian Of The Sacred Spirit.

Storytelling is the reason anime like Code Geass are so popular. Among so many others that have given the industry tons of exposure over the years.

Without fresh storytelling, anime wouldn't be as popular as it is in 2018.

3. Beautiful animation and art-style!

Where can you find animation + art style ANYWHERE on the planet like anime? It doesn't exist...

Outside of Japan, animation tends to be:

More cartoon-ish.

Childish.

Simple drawings.

Unrealistic designs with weird body proportions.

And the backgrounds are also simple.

Related: 7 Visually Pleasing Anime With A Realistic Art Style
This is intentional, but anime takes this a step further with special effects and techniques no modern day film or cartoon is able to achieve.

That's why it appeals to so many age groups.

4. Great fight/action scenes

Imagine anime without supernatural/action shows? It wouldn't be the same.
Dragon Ball Super Akame Ga Kill Taboo Tattoo Bleach Code Geass
It's these types of Shounens and action series that make anime special and wildly popular (even to a fault).

The obvious shows that come to mind are:

And a long list of other anime shows.

5. Relatable characters

Tomoya Okazaki is a parent in the second season of Clannad.

While his circumstances aren't common, you can relate to how he feels if you're a young parent.

It doesn't matter what the anime is, or how emotional (or non emotional) it is, we can always relate. To at least 1 or 2 characters who share:
Related: 11 Of My Favorite Anime Characters Who Relate To My Personality

Personality traits.

Hardships.

Our sense of humor.

Painful losses we've dealt with.

Or any other variation of life experience and characteristics.

6. Anime is HILARIOUS

Japan is different to the world in many ways (culture, society, etc). These differences make for a very unique comedy experience.

Personally, comedy within anime is even better than comedy in the west... Because with anime - it's animated, so there's more freedom with facial expressions, silly visuals, alongside funny references and so on.

Films can't achieve this even if they tried for one obvious reason: films have real people in it.

And that's the advantage anime has that makes it so much funnier, and more hilarious. Since there's more freedom to add humor with animation techniques or drawings.
What reasons do you think anime is so popular?
Honorable Mentions For Why Anime Is Popular:

Unrealistically cute characters.

Wide range of genres, topics and subjects.

Piracy websites (let's be honest).

Easy to access because of the internet.

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What Makes Anime So Popular On An International Level?

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Anime goes as far back as 1910-1917. Where the first generation of animators had their start. But it wasn't until the 80's and 1990's that anime exploded on an international level. We can thank Pokemon, DBZ, One Piece, Yugioh, and so many other shows for that.

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Reveal the topic

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According to MyAnimeList, there are 43 anime genres in total.

But we all know in reality, only a handful of those genres are popular.

Can you find a good anime within all 43 genres? Of course. But "good" has nothing to do with popularity.

From my deep understanding of the anime community, there are 6 popular genres in particular. Especially if you look at this from an objective point of view. Instead of basing it off opinions...

Most Popular Anime Genres:

1. Shounen

Food Wars is one of the more "unique" examples of Shounen.

Think of Dragon Ball Z and then add food to the picture. And you have Food Wars (hence the self-explanatory name).

Shounen's have become famous because of shows like:

And in recent years, because of shows like:

Whenever a new year comes around or comes to an end, you'll always find someone talking about a popular series. And 8/10 the anime is a Shounen without question.

2. Supernatural

Supernatural is usually associated with magic, and even S hounen from time to time.

Either way this is a very popular anime genre you can't escape. And that's not a bad thing. Because a lot of the time there's something new and fresh that comes out of the supernatural genre.

The Ancient Magus Bride is an obvious recent example of this. Along with Rokudenashi and Re:Creators.

3. Slice Of Life

Slice of life never used to be as popular as it is today. You could say shows like Clannad, Kanon, K-On, Tamako Market (anime shows from Kyoani) are the reason it's so popular today.

Kokoro Connect, Lucky Star, Nodame Cantabile and more shows played an important role, too.

Slice of life is one of the most realistic. That's partly why it's so loved, hence "slice of life". And because it usually strays from the typical "supernatural" elements, it tends to be more relatable for all ages.
Related: 16 Emotional Anime That Will Make You Shed More Than A Few Tears
4. Romance

Romance is sometimes mixed with slice of life, so the two genre's have helped each other grow over the years. But sometimes romance is also mixed with Mecha, Shounen, Shoujo, Magic, Adventure and Military.

An example of these genres are:

Eureka Seven.

Monthly Girls Nozaki Kun.

My Bride Is A Mermaid.

Full Metal Panic.

Snow White With The Red Hair.

Romance can be blended with any genre, so it'll never go away. And will continue to grow in popularity.

Besides, it's a BIG genre for the teenage and younger generation of anime fans.

5. Magic

Magic is connected to historical elements, which the Japanese seem to love a lot. That's why you see so many European references in anime. Like from the anime Noir or Gunslinger Girl.

While other times magic is connected to Japanese history (The Ambition Of Oda Nobuna, etc).

I'm not sure if this is why magic is a popular genre, but it's adaptable. So you can blend it with almost any genre and make it worthwhile (with the exception of police, sci-fi, mecha).
Related: 9 Anime Characters Who Have Some Of The Most Unique Powers And Abilities
6, Action

Action, like Romance, can be mixed with any genre. And that's why it'll always be popular. But unlike Romance, Action is a genre that needs other genre's to stay relevant.

It's rare to see a pure action anime that's interesting by itself.

Akame Ga Kill has supernatural elements.

Dragon Ball Z has comedy and fantasy.

Taboo Tattoo has martial arts and fantasy too.

Action needs other genres, but because of other genres, it's one of the most popular anime genres by far.

Less popular (but still relevant) anime genre's:

Share your thoughts in the comments.
Read: The Most Intense 18+ Anime Series That Are Too Mature For Little Kids THIS Is Why Anime Is So Popular On A Global Scale

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6 Of The Most Popular Genres In The Anime Industry

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According to MyAnimeList, there are 43 anime genres in total. But we all know in reality, only a handful of those genres are popular. Can you find a good anime within all 43 genres? Of course. But "good" has nothing to do with popularity.

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Males tend to have similar anime preferences as other males as seen in image 4, "Anime most watched by males." 43.5% - 62.1% of males have watched the same ten Anime. Using the same comparison 29.2% - 46.9% have watched same ten Anime. Furthermore, females are more likely to watch male targeted genres such as Shounen and Seinen than males are to Shoujo and Josei.

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Males tend to have similar anime preferences as other males as seen in image 4, "Anime most watched by males." 43.5% - 62.1% of males have watched the same ten Anime. Using the same comparison 29.2% - 46.9% have watched same ten Anime.

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Attention Grabber

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In 2016 the Japanese anime industry took home a record $17.7 billion with revenue, up just under 10% and the result of seven years consecutive growth for the industry, according The Association of Japanese Animation (AJA). Domestic box office with anime features was up by 14% and total overseas revenue sales boosted by

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Attention Grabber

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Written by Emiko Jozuka, CNN

Artist Takashi Murakami is CNN Style's latest guest editor. He has commissioned a series of features on identity.

A biker gang slices through Tokyo's neon-soaked night. The riders hit the brakes next to a giant, black crater created by an atomic blast. It's so enormous that it bursts beyond the comic strip panels and seeps across the whole page.

This is the opening of "Akira," a popular science-fiction manga (Japanese comic or graphic novel)createdin 1982by Japanese artist Katsuhiro Otomo, whose work soon spread to a small core of fans in the US.

"Americans had never seen anything like this before," said Susan Napier, a professor of Japanese studies at Tufts University, in a phone interview. "'Akira' was an incredible post-apocalyptic story that had psychological depth and the visuals to match. It was pushing boundaries in a way US comics at the time were not."

Compared to DC Comics and Marvel, "Akira" felt subversive and different. The story follows biker gang leader Shotaro Kaneda as he battles to save his friend from a secret government program that conducts tests on psychic children.

In 1988, Otomo released "Akira" as an anime, a film so detailed and intricate that it tookanimators years to hand-paint each of the single shots used to bring the story to life. The film is now widely considered a cult classic that expanded anime's reach in the US and Europe.

Touching on themes as disparate as sex, death, science fiction and romance, manga and anime catered to all ages and tastes. Commercial hits like "Pokémon" and "Dragon Ball Z," meanwhile, projected a new image of Japan to the world.

"The image of Japan in the West (in the 1980s and early 1990s) was composed of two extremes: that of the orientalized, feudal Japan depicted in samurai films with ninjas and swordfights, and that of hypermodern Japan where economic animals are crammed into trains and pump Walkman and Toyota to the world," said Kaichiro Morikawa, an anime expert at Tokyo's Meiji University, in a phone interview.

"The popularity of Japanese manga, anime and games have injected the world with a more human and relatable image of Japan and the Japanese."

After seven years of consecutive growth, the anime industry set a new sales record in 2017 of ¥2.15 trillion ($19.8 billion), driven largely by demand from overseas. Exports of anime series and films have tripled since 2014 -- aided in part by sales to streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon --and so far show no signs of slowing.

A picture-centric country

Japan is a country that possesses a rich, detail-oriented visual tradition.

Famous woodblock printer Katsushika Hokusai was one of the earliest artists to use the term manga (in his collection "Hokusai Manga," first published in 1814) in reference to sketches depicting both the supernatural and the mundane." Manga as we know it today emerged in the early 20th century in serialized cartoon strips in Japanese magazines and newspapers.

Anime came aboutin the early 1900s when Japanese artists like Oten Shimokawa began experimenting through trial and error to create short animated films. But back then, animations were costly to produce and works from Japan were overshadowed by Disney's success.

During World War II, the genre expanded as Japan's military government ordered animators to create propaganda films to influence the masses. Following Japan's defeat in the war, the manga and anime industries shifted gears again.

In 1952, artist Osamu Tezuka -- who grew up watching early Disney animations -- released "Astro Boy," a manga about a peace-loving robot boy with X-ray vision and super strengths.

Interest in "Astro Boy" was so high it earned Tezuka the title "father of manga" and paved the way for an anime film about the robotic boy in 1963.

The strengths of Japan's animation industry boil down to the overlap between manga and anime, according to Ian Condry, the author of "Anime: Soul of Japan."

"Creators used comics as a testing ground for their stories and characters. That's often been the secret of anime's success," said Condry in a phone interview.

Tezuka's rise paralleled the Japanese animation industry's expansion abroad.

In the 1950s, Toei Animation studio (where Tezuka had worked before establishing a rival company, Mushi Productions, in 1961), set its sights on becoming the "Disney of the East" and started exporting animation films to America.

"Such export enthusiasm in its early days was based on the worldwide success of Disney's animation films, as well as upon the assumption that animated films would have a better chance of succeeding in the West than live-action films featuring Asian actors," said Morikawa.

But while "Astro Boy" sparked a mid-century anime boom in Japan, it would take a few more decades for the genre to sweep America.

Grassroots phenomenon

In the early 1980s, it was largely American and European children from military and expat business families based in Japan who circulated boot-legged videotapes of anime to their peers back home, according to Mizuko Ito, the editor of the "Fandom Unbound: Otaku Culture in a Connected World."

Futuristic titles such as "Cowboy Bebop" and "One Punch Man" also captured the imagination of tech-savvy foreigners involved in the burgeoning computer and internet industries. Word spread as they translated Japan's anime and circulated pirated copies online.

"Unlike so many other cultural fads (like Pokémon), anime was not pushed by a giant corporation," said Napier. "It was popular culture coming out under the radar through word of mouth."

As Japan's economy flourished to become the world's second largest in the 1980s, Japanese language classes became available in the West and anime and manga entered the classroom as educational tools.

At the same time, "otaku" (geek) culture was becoming more mainstream in Japan, and fans with an internet connection helped to spread it worldwide.

Young Americans were searching for cultural products offering new perspectives and, to them, Japan appeared to be a place as exciting as "Akira" -- its cyberpunk landscape and controversial plot offering a portal into a different aesthetic and psychological universe.

"Japanese culture was confronting darker, exciting themes in a way that the US and Europe and seemed slower at adopting," said Napier. "(Anime) became a way of filling an intellectual void in the West."

Shifting attitudes

In the late 1990s, a Japanese consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures pushed Pokémon, a video game series featuring hundreds of fictional cartoon-like creatures, into the mainstream. It ushered in a bigger anime wave outside Japan.

Pokémon fever swept the globe, triggering a franchise blitz of anime, plushies and trading cards as the bubblegum-yellow Pikachu became a staple on American television sets. Nintendo sold more than 31 million copies of the 1996 game "Pokémon Red/Green/Blue," andthe television series has aired in more than 100 countries.

The world's interest in anime even changed attitudes towards the genre at home, according to Takako Masumi, a curator at The National Art Center, Tokyo.

Masumi compares the growing popularity of anime within Japan to the transition of ukiyo-e (woodblock art) from a low to high art form. Ukiyo-e was initially used to wrap ceramics to prevent them from breaking when they were exported abroad towards the end of the 19th century.

At first, the decorated paper was considered nothing more than paper waste. But Japanese attitudes towards ukiyo-e shifted as people abroad bought the ceramics and started collecting and valuing the beautiful pictures used as wrapping. They reevaluated it as art.

Anime -- which stems from such visual culture -- said Masumi, underwent a similar transition. Initially sold cheaply abroad by animation studios, it spread quietly and quickly. "It was cheap to sell but as the contents was quite attractive, it captured children's hearts," said Masumi.

Eventually, even the Japanese government saw an opportunity.

Shaping Japan's image

After Japan's once-miraculous economy went bust in the 1990s, the nation sought to rebrand itself from a global business superpower to an exporter of a unique artistic culture.

The country pivoted from mass-marketing high-technology offerings to spreading the word on everything from Hello Kitty to sushi.

In 1997, Japan's Agency of Cultural Affairs started supporting exhibitions on manga, anime, video games and media art.

American journalist Douglas McGray captured that shift in his 2002 Foreign Policy essay, where he coined the term Japan's " gross national cool." McGray described it as an "idea, a reminder that commercial trends and products, and a country's knack for spawning them, can serve political and economic ends."

Soft power -- a way for one country to influence public and international views and values -- had become the order of the day. But by then, anime culture had already taken on a life of its own.

Viewership had been surging, as films like Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away," directed by the studio's co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, entranced the world in 2001.

The film has generated $277 million at the box office, and was the highest-ranking anime film ever until " Your Name" by Makoto Shinkai knocked it into second place in 2016 with global takings of $357 million.

Named a "Living National Treasure," a government accolade recognizing individuals who help preserve the country's culture, Miyazaki drew on Japanese traditions and reverence for nature, but touched a universal human nerve.

Anime has a following similar to rock 'n' roll music and Hollywood cinema, according to Doryun Chong, the deputy director and chief curator of M+ museum in Hong Kong. "It's arguably one of the first as well as most extensive globalized cultures," he said on the phone.

And as anime continues to make inroads abroad, the industry may no longer belong just to the Japanese.

"I think we could see further diversification of the medium, outlets and centers of production outside of Japan," said Chong. "Anime posses an incredible narrative imagination -- that's been the crux of the global success."

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japanese anime: from 'disney of the east' to a global industry worth billions - cnn

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Japanese anime: From 'Disney of the East' to a global industry worth billions

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Written by Emiko Jozuka, CNN Artist Takashi Murakami is CNN Style's latest guest editor. He has commissioned a series of features on identity. A biker gang slices through Tokyo's neon-soaked night. The riders hit the brakes next to a giant, black crater created by an atomic blast.