Psychological benefits of anime

the anime is one of the most successful film genres. And like other genres and media, it has a great impact on people, being able to influence how they perceive the world and manage their thoughts. For these two fundamental reasons, some professionals have been interested in investigating whether a love of this Japanese genre would have psychological benefits.

It is often confused with the term manga, which you may be more familiar with.. However, these are two different genres and this confusion causes great resentment among their fans. Both are similar in appearance. The aesthetics, its lines and the characterization of the characters are similar. However, the manga is presented in comic format and the anime in audiovisual format.

Therefore, the traditionally Japanese animation style is called anime, which can be offered as a film or as a series, the latter being the most common. Unlike what happens in the West, where animated series usually target children, anime is for everyone.

Thus, they have a name to identify each type according to age group and gender. Examples of kodomoor children’s anime, are heidi either Doraemon. Series like naruto, dragon ball, sailor Moon either candy Candy They are part of the adolescent type, called shōnen (for boys) and shojo (for girls). And you can also find categories aimed at older audiences, seinen if it is aimed at men and josei Yes it is for women. These, in turn, can be classified by the sexual orientation of their protagonists and how explicit they are.

Of course, another way to categorize it is into subgenres. That is, adventure, comedy, romantic, horror, etc. Even, There is a subgenre dedicated to the healing or curing of its viewers, the iyashikei.

Iyashikei or healing anime

This subgenre, with increasing success, focuses on simple aspects of daily life. As its name indicates (iyashi means ‘calming, comforting or therapeutic’, and kei means ‘style’) aims to provoke a relaxing, evasive effect. Create a world that your viewers can escape to.

This style emerged in response to what is called Japan’s lost decade, in which the mental health of a large part of its population was affected. To achieve this therapeutic effect It was designed in detail, taking into account the music, the colors and, especially, the stories.

The scripts of these pieces have as protagonists ordinary people facing common difficulties. For example in Poco’s Udon World It tells the life of a young 30-year-old professional who, after the death of his father, returns to his town. In him, a series of events awaken his paternal instinct and he begins to understand many of the actions and reactions that his parents had.

As you can imagine, what makes this style beneficial is that, in addition to presenting itself in a delicate way, viewers they will easily feel reflected in their stories. They will feel accompanied and understood, in addition to finding a source of reflection and introspection.

But is this style of anime alone good for our mental health?

General psychological benefits

There is certain evidence in the field of Psychology that indicates that watching cartoon or animation series or movies is beneficial for health, especially for depression. According to the authors, this positive impact occurs for several reasons. On the one hand, entertainment and distraction improve mood. For another, graphic and narrative stimuli could facilitate new affective and cognitive associations, or, its restoration.

Something that undoubtedly characterizes anime are the characteristics of its drawings. Characters with large, expressive eyes, as well as numerous strokes to indicate emotional states. For example, a drop on the forehead, the mouth in the shape of a three lying down or a kind of cross on the head as a way to represent shame, tenderness or anger. Although they may seem like simple details, This simplification of emotions makes it easier to recognize emotions and, therefore, its processing.

Another really beneficial aspect that Japanese animation presents is that many of its characters suffer from mental disorders or psychological difficulties of some kind. Referring to what we mentioned previously, this causes viewers to feel identified and not feel alone. But it also contributes indirectly thanks to the fact that the part of the public that does not suffer from psychological discomfort knows it more closely. And this is how stereotypes are broken and remove stigmas of mental health.

It’s all about finding your anime

If you think that watching Japanese animation can help you overcome a problem, or you just want to try, it’s all a matter of choose the most suitable. As we have mentioned, there is a wide variety of genres and subgenres, including one specific to healing. The options are multiple and you will just have to find the one that best suits what you need.

To choose from, you will surely find endless lists online. Or, if you prefer, you can search the archives of associations such as Anime for Humanity, who are in charge of selecting therapeutic animes. Who knows, maybe you will find in animation a way to break some internal knot, or simply, a new hobby.

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