Manifesto Post - Don't be Cool

          It was hard to think of a way to not be cool on this blog. Everything is based on television, and most of the posts don’t necessarily deal with my own life in a way that’s “cool” or “ not cool”. The only thing I can really delve into that would be considered not cool is anime. Anime is a Japanese-styled cartoon with a vast array of fictitious story lines that can ensnare pretty much anyone. The weird thing is that even though it has the opportunity for such a wide fan base, it’s extensively considered “uncool” to watch anime in America.

There are many reasons why people might consider it uncool. To start, the female characters are typically portrayed to have breasts that exceed the sizes of their heads. Drawing in this style isn’t part of the Japanese culture. In fact, there are plenty of characters who do not have extremely disproportionate breasts. Yet anime shows are stereotyped to include females with such a body ratio. Why would this be “uncool”? I would assume such a blatant design is meant to attract viewers rather than repel them. Maybe many people see it as the only reason for others to watch anime. Perhaps it’s just disgusting to look at for some people. It’s possibly even due to the fact that breasts in general are a mature concept, yet it’s enacted in quite an immature way.

To couple this notion, many anime shows are built upon childish themes, yet are backed by rather mature implementations. For example, take the anime, “Naruto”.  Naruto employs the idea of ninjas with abilities to summon inner their energy to accomplish pretty much anything. In other words, magic ninjas. It sounds pretty childish to me, and I watch the show. Yet it is backed by deep messages of sacrifice, acceptance, war, peace, and betrayal. Blood shed is not foreign to the show, and sexual undertones can be found hidden in many exchanges. Yet to many, it is seen as a silly show not even worth a second to glance at.

Why is it that the mere thought of what’s cool and isn’t can immediately turn a person away from something they haven’t even tried? I believe the reason is pressure. The pressure to be accepted in some type of way can be felt by any aged person. Like so many other human habits in life, maybe it can be traced as an evolutionary trait. Without fitting into a tribe or herd when humans first scoured the earth, a person would’ve been left behind so survive on his own.  These differences would’ve been a more physical aspect, such as a broken leg. It happens in every animal, if you can’t keep up, you can’t survive. Perhaps, on the other hand, the pressure to fit in is more of a mental state of compassion and mutual understanding. As humans, we each understand basic human concepts and tendencies. Perhaps this mutual understanding draws us to wish to learn more and from each other, and thus pressures are born within a society.

Regardless of its popularity, anime happens to be one of my favorite types of shows to watch. Although they have a set motif and genre, they usually include a variety of comedy, drama, action, horror, and mystery throughout a show’s runtime. In fact, they can cover almost all of these genres in the span of a single episode. This encompassing characteristic, along with its fantasy woven story lines, entrance viewers, like myself, worldwide.