Should Watching Anime Be Considered Weird?

Anime. What comes to your mind when you see this word? Some think it’s captivating, while others think it's weird. But is it really “weird”? Whenever someone says that they watch anime, the first reaction others have is “ew, such a weirdo”. But what makes anime weird? It’s like any other genre of TV shows but just in a different style of animation. It’s not like no one watches it. According to statistics, more than one third of the world population, or 2.88 billion people watch anime. So why is it “weird”? Maybe you're the weird one for calling anime childish and weird. In this article, I am going to discuss the reasons why anime shouldn’t be considered as ‘weird”. 

What exactly is anime? Anime is defined as a style of animation originating from Japan. Popular anime which you might have heard of include One Piece, Naruto or Dragon Ball Z. There are also some older anime like Astro Boy, Pokémon or Doraemon which are more catered towards children. 

So why is anime not “weird”? Well, there are many reasons why it isn’t. 

Firstly, anime isn't just a “show”, it's a life lesson, and one that can potentially change your life. If you just simply look it up on the internet, you can find hundreds of articles about how anime changed the lives of so many individuals. Anime allowed them to pluck up their courage and continue facing the challenges life throws at them. Anime allowed them to keep on going without giving up. Anime changed them. 

Secondly, anime is not a “show”, it's a culture. All over the world, there are people celebrating and appreciating this culture. Fans use a wide variety of methods to celebrate this culture, such as cosplaying and anime conventions. Anime culture also gave rise to the Otaku Subculture which include fans who participate in role-playing, computer gaming and cosplaying. Anime has also become a significant part of global pop culture, with its influence seen in various aspects of entertainment and media.

Lastly, anime is no different from western shows or k-dramas. Just like western shows, it covers a huge range of genres, just in a different style of animation. We are able to watch anime on most streaming platforms, just like how we are able to watch western shows and k-dramas on all these platforms as well. If anything, why isn’t your favourite k-drama considered weird? Just because there aren’t any actual humans inside anime, doesn’t mean it's a cartoon for children. In fact, more than half of anime are meant for youths such as me and you. So why do we perceive anime as “weird”?

Of course, some anime have their weird sides but not all of them are like that. Just because someone says that they watch anime doesn’t mean that they watch those with weird elements in them. 

In conclusion, I believe that watching anime is not weird. In fact, maybe you're the weird one for judging and assuming that watching anime is weird. I hope that after reading this article, you will think twice before clicking on that button to watch a k-drama and instead give anime a try. 

References

Matija Ferjan (2024, January 8). 20+ Anime Statistics & Facts: How many people watch anime? (2025). HeadphonesAddict. https://headphonesaddict.com/anime-statistics/ 

Emma Lim

2 Purity

2025