Drawing Emotions

The Case For Anime

---

Archived Post Notice:
This article is preserved here for archival purposes only.
The updated and permanent version now lives at:
https://realityunveiled.com/drawing-emotions/
Visit the site for the full archive and new essays.

---

“Maybe I’m just like a child. I’m full of curiosity about things, and it’s fine as long as it’s fun at the time, yet at the same time, I hate things that are tough.”¹

- Akira Toriyama

If you’ve spent time lurking on my [now defunct] Twitter account you’ll know that my current working hypothesis is that autism will be the downfall of Western civilization. So when I tell you that anime is one of my favorite art forms, this might confuse you. Okay, maybe I grew up watching a couple of standards like Dragon Ball Z or Speed Racer, but to become a full-fledged weeaboo? Something seems off…

My humble beginnings with anime

A couple of years back I became disenchanted with the sludge and propaganda that Hollywood pumped out. I decided I needed new art and entertainment in my life. I don’t want to sit back and watch the same Simpsons, South Park, and Seinfeld reruns yearly. I don’t want to watch the same 15-20 films yearly. I was craving new experiences. Watching Marvel and Disney continue to recycle the same tired formula is just as exhausting as watching the reaction channels produce schadenfreude for disillusioned fans.

I asked a friend for a few anime recommendations: a couple of shorter series and films. To my surprise, I liked all of them but one. As a result, I decided to do a deep dive into the art form and explore how deep the rabbit hole goes. As stated, I grew up with a couple of standards, I watched a bit in high school and college, but I didn’t know much about anime or manga. Other than some nerds like to jerk off to the naked ones.

Although my experiment began as watching different entertainment due to being burnt out by Western media, there was something else here. Despite many being marketed to kids and teens, something was holding my attention other than female characters’ ample chests, giant swords, epic sword fights, and bright colors.

In 2024, I amended my hypothesis–not only will autism be the downfall of Western civilization, but Eastern art will replace Western art worldwide. Part of this prediction has already borne fruit:

·         RRR garnered major mainstream attention and Oscar buzz²

·         K-drama has become a worldwide phenomenon³

·         Manga sales decimating BOTH Marvel and DC Comics⁴

·         BTS is one of the largest music acts in the world⁵

[Addendum: Since this article went live, Good Morning America had the K-Pop band Stray Kids on to perform on May 15th, as well as Tomorrow x Together on May 31st. As Western media continues to pump out dogshit propaganda disguised as content, audiences seek other options abroad.]

Turns out I’m not the only one hungry for new art and entertainment. For the past couple of years, I’ve quietly told friends that anime/manga, J-Pop/K-Pop, K-Drama, and Indian cinema will replace Western entertainment in my lifetime. I’ve upped my timetable, now arguing within this next decade. I’m okay with this because Western culture is bankrupt and repulsive even for someone as immoral and chaotic neutral as me. So, why would I enjoy anime/manga when it’s the second-largest incubator of autism? A fair question..

This article also serves as an ode to one of the giants of the medium: Akira Toriyama. Without him creating Dragon Ball (and his artwork contributions to Chrono Trigger and the Dragon Quest series), I never would’ve experienced this amazing art form.

However, this isn’t an ode to manga (although I have read some). To all the purists who say things like, “The manga is better…” or, “Sub is better than dub,” I say, “Get rekt, nerd!” No one cares about you and your false sense of superiority. Art is meant to be enjoyed. Quit being a gatekeeping autist and let people enjoy what they like. Also, if you’re the type of autistic that frets about spoilers on decades-old shows, skip this article, because spoilers abound. To cite Kengo of Maken-Ki: “Manga is no longer an expression that belongs to Japan alone. The world has recognized it as a unique artform… and don’t get me started on anime. It’s one of the most original and thought-provoking visual mediums out there. I’m a dub guy myself…”⁶

The Journey Begins

…That sounds good, but I think I’m gonna go to Master Roshi’s and train like my grandpa did. I wanna get strong.⁷

- Son Goku, Dragon Ball

My official introduction to anime was the occasional Saturday morning rerun of the Ocean dub of Dragon Ball Z. The opening theme song ‘Cha-La Head-Cha-La’ was my official intro to J-Pop and ‘Engrish.’ More on that later… When I was a kid, if I woke up early for school (which was rare) I could catch an episode of Samurai Pizza Cats on network television. When my parents finally got cable, I had access to Cartoon Network and later Toonami and Funimation. That’s when shit took off. I remember when Funimation finally gave us the continuation of the Namek arc and we finally got to see Goku go Super Saiyan for the first time. Many fans may not remember this, but there was a period when Ocean Studios only dubbed up until Goku’s arrival on Namek (episode 65 of the Japanese run; episode 52 of the dub: ‘Enter Goku’). Finally getting to see Goku curb-stomp Burter and Jeice was years overdue in my mind.⁸ Dragon Ball Z had a crucial impact on me in my teen years. My anime avatar in high school was Vegeta–Short-king; BDE; that tracks. Of course, the downside to this is my hairline started to resemble his. A great lesson in choosing your heroes.

The famous Saiyan hairline

Thanks to Cartoon Network/Toonami, and the now-defunct Funimation, Americans were gifted a golden age of anime dubs in the early-2000s. In addition to continuing Dragon Ball Z, fans received tons of popular shows such as Trigun, Yu-Yu Hakusho, and Attack on Titan. In a 2017 interview with ‘Complex,’ Toonami co-creators Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco reminisce about creating the Toonami block and acquiring some of the most popular anime of the time:

DeMarco: USA Network had it [Sailor Moon], and the rights expired and whoever was programming at the time said, “You guys want Sailor Moon because it’s available,” and we were like “Yeah!” Dragon Ball Z was something that Sean and I both knew we wanted. But it was Sean that pushed really hard for Dragon Ball Z. By that time Toonami was becoming a thing, so Bandai took notice and came to us and said “We’re looking to launch Gundam in the United States. We have this new Gundam show, we think it would be perfect to be the launchpad. Are you guys interested?” and we said, “Hell yeah.” That’s the way it is now—it’s still a mix of opportunities that come along, or us pushing for something because we like it or fans want it.

Akins: When I was a kid we were still getting up at like six in the morning on our local Ultra High Frequency (UHF) channel to watch Dragon Ball Z. And I thought “I know there are other kids like me doing this. I know people are sending around bootleg VHS tapes.” And I’m like “I bet if we can get this thing and put it on at five in the afternoon, we might have a hit on our hands,” and we really did.

DeMarco: We were working in a bubble until people started writing about the success of Dragon Ball Z, because that was right around when Pokémon blew up. So there was this wave of mainstream publications just being like “Wow, kids are really watching this stuff. What’s the deal with this Japanese animation?” It was really weird to suddenly have the ‘Wall Street Journal’ writing about Dragon Ball Z. And 90 percent of the people who wrote about it got it completely wrong, whether it was positive or negative. That was what clued us in that we were having a larger impact.⁹

Two of my favorite shows during the Funimation dub era were Crayon Shin-Chan and Case Closed  (known as Detective Conan in Japan.) Shin-Chan’s dub is a relic of George W. Bush-era America, complete with Rumsfeld, Cheney, and 9/11 references. Case Closed is a fantastic Sherlock Holmes analog, in which teenage wunderkind detective Jimmy Kudo gets poisoned by a crime syndicate and as a result, is shrunk into a 10-year-old. Re-branded as Conan Edogawa, Kudo helps his girlfriend’s father Richard Moore become a famous private detective so he can find the syndicate and procure the antidote. It's funny when you learn that both Detective Conan and One Piece have been running for over 20 years, and poor Jimmy Kudo is still stuck in the body of a little boy. In my opinion, it’s the second-best modern Holmes analog, with my favorite being The Mentalist. I even enjoyed episodes of Hamtaro from time to time—no shame.

Thanks to the Blu-ray releases, I began 2024 with a full re-watch of one of my all-time favorite animes: InuYasha. The show is sometimes billed as a “feudal fairy tale,” but with its unique mix of action, historical-era, comedy, and romantic drama, it defined my college years. I didn’t know it at the time, but some of my favorite anime are ones that seamlessly walk the line between multiple genres. I remember getting home from working my serving job, turning on Toonami, and catching InuYasha in the middle of its run many times during the 2000s. If you’ve never watched it, I’d urge you to watch the original series at least once. Even though InuYasha is a mix of feudal shounen and action/adventure, it’s still a great love story and time travel epic.

A common point of contention among anime/manga fans is filler arcs–“episodes that are unrelated to the main plot, don’t significantly alter the relations between the characters, and generally serve only to take up space.”¹⁰ In my humble opinion, InuYasha has the greatest two-episode filler arc: The Cultural Festival. (ep. 127-128; ‘Don’t Boil It! The Terrifying Dried-Up Demon’ and ‘Battle Against the dried-Up Demons at the Cultural Festival!’) InuYasha and the heroine Kagome travel to modern-day Tokyo so that Kagome can fulfill her duties in her school’s cultural festival and hilarity ensues. InuYasha’s performance in the festival’s play literally blows the roof off the gymnasium.¹¹

One of my favorite moments in the show comes in the finale of InuYasha: The Final Chapter when Kagome returns to the present from the feudal era and finishes school, only to realize that despite being a product of modern Japan, her real life (and the love of her life) is waiting for her 500 years in the past: “As I live in this world, I know that things will continue to change, but I’m not worried about the future. I’m going to spend every day with InuYasha. No matter what, now I know the two of us will be together as we head toward tomorrow…”¹² Watching this series as an adult made me realize that I can love my family and friends in Michigan, but I’ll never be a Michigander (or even an American) in my soul. The sequel series YashaHime (released in 2020) features the children of the InuYasha cast, with many of the original characters returning to get in on the action. Even though it may pale in comparison to the original 167-episode run of InuYasha, it was a pure nostalgia-bomb for me and I loved it almost as much as the main series.

Even with this exposure to top-tier anime programming, my experience with the medium was considerably limited.  After I finished my friend’s recommendations, I consulted the autists on Reddit, who gave me hundreds of great suggestions. As much as I trash the platform, I am grateful to the r/anime, r/animesuggest, r/Animemes, and r/AnimeMeme subreddits for the entertainment and answering all my noobie questions.

Do Fairies Have Tails?

Do fairies have tails? More than that, do fairies even exist? Nobody knows for sure. So this guild is like them, an eternal mystery, an eternal adventure.¹³

- Hiro Mashima, Fairy Tail, Vol. 01

I touched briefly on tropes in the previous section, and before I deep-dive in, I want to discuss the anime I’m watching as I write this article. Perhaps it’s Recency bias or my chastising anime fans for their lack of nuance or emotion, but Fairy Tail is a perfect bridge in this article. On the one hand, it’s a highly-ranked anime that is beloved by many. On the other hand, it’s ridden with so many tropes that many of its fans find fault with at least one aspect of the show: the gratuitous fan service, the annoyance of the female protagonist, the deus ex machina ways that heroes claim victory (or, at the very least, escape defeat), and the fact that none of the characters die.

I started watching Fairy Tail in early 2024 after a couple of recommendations online. Even though it’s a shounen aimed at teenage boys, I enjoy it way more than I should. I was also shocked to discover that this show had me in my feels way more than it should. Last time I checked, shounen isn’t famous for dealing with complex emotions. As I dive deeper into the show and read some of the comments online, fans who are hyper-critical of the show (and a couple of less-popular arcs) give me confirmation bias that most anime fans are autistic and incapable of parsing emotion:

• Lucy is cute and all, but I don’t like her at all. Sue me

• Second time watching… I don’t remember the show being this lame

• … the other morons can actually fight [Lucy] she’s just boobs and lame keys

• Worst villains ever and worst show 3/10

• Seriously Lucy is so pathetic… Just go back to your daddy princess. If you wanna die at least die fighting

• Ikr lucy is so pathetic I hate her

• I start liking this show less and less with every next arc I swear

• God this is awful, this didn’t deserve more than a single episode

• This filler arc was the most boring arc of the series until now.

• This aint fairy tale [sic]anymore

• This arc was shit I’m glad it’s over now

• Lucy U one idiot

• Carla’s an asshole

• On today’s episode of, “Lucy Is Dumber Than a Six-Year-Old”

Okay, that last one was mine, but you get the idea…I understand why some people didn’t like the Infinity Clock arc, but as Rob Gordon (John Cusack) challenges Barry (Jack Black) in High Fidelity, “how can it be bullshit to state a preference?”¹⁴ I understand why people think Lucy is annoying–she’s a 17-year-old girl who grew up spoiled. I understand why Carla is overprotective of Wendy. That’s one of the great joys of being older and watching some of these shows. I’ve lived a bit more, I’ve seen and done a bit more, and I’ve felt a wider swath of emotions than many teenagers and emotionally stunted individuals. It makes me wonder if I had seen many of these shows during my formative years, would they have had the same impact as they do now in my thirties? Perhaps I’m being too hard on some people. How can someone know unless they’ve gone through it?

How can someone who lost a parent or family member watch this show and not feel the emotionality? When Lucy Heartfilia writes letters to her mother (and it’s later revealed her mom died when she was younger) the realization hits you like a punch to the breadbasket.¹⁵ When Lucy later loses her father and her “little sister,” it gives tremendous insight into why Lucy runs away to join Fairy Tail.¹⁶ When Wendy Marvell learns she’s an orphan, that her entire guild was a projection, and everyone she thought she knew was an illusion, it rips your heart out.¹⁷ When you watch young Erza Scarlet as an orphan (orphans is a common trope in this show) lose her eye and her childhood friend Jellal, you feel that physical and emotional trauma; you understand her desire to become the most powerful warrior and to save those close to her.¹⁸ When you learn that MiraJane and Elfman lost their younger sister Lisanna when she went out on a quest and never came back, it feels like a real family ripped apart by tragedy.¹⁹ At least it did with me. When you watch Juvia’s over-the-top fantasies and confessions of unrequited love towards Grey, it reminds me of my own failed confessions of love as a teen.²⁰

In March 2024, it was announced that the creators had begun developing the 100 Years’ Quest manga into a sequel series.²¹ Sometimes art comes into your life at the perfect time, and I felt the same seeing this announcement as I did in 2022 when a coworker told me InuYasha received a sequel series. As Fairy Tail creator Hiro Mashima remarked in the first manga, [Fairy Tail] is ‘an eternal mystery, an eternal adventure.’²²

No discussion of emotional anime and complex feelings would be complete without mentioning the slice-of-life/romantic comedy, Toradora. After the first two episodes, I almost gave up on this show, because it seemed like it wasn’t going to be my particular brand of whiskey, and then I watched episode 3 and I was all-in. A common happenstance that occurs when people first finish this 25-episode series has become colloquially known as Post Toradora Depression Disorder or PTDD. YouTuber Brandon Talks defines “Post-anime depression” in his video, ‘How Toradora Broke Me,’ “This experience generally begins with you finishing the last episode, then desperately looking for the next one, realizing there is none, and then proceeding to mope around the house for the rest of the day wondering what the point of life is anymore. This feeling can last days, weeks, even months for some people, and it never fully goes away because the second we think about it again, it all comes rushing back again…”²³ If you search Reddit, you’ll find tons of write-ups about the show’s finale leaving most fans wanting something more, or at least something different. Most Toradora fans love the show and love the ending, but they still feel that something’s off… I don’t use this word lightly, but watching Toradora was the first time an anime made me depressed. I was shocked.

In theory, this is just a slice-of-life, high school drama so why does viewing it evoke so many complex emotions? As is a running theme during this article, the characters make the show (Minori, best girl!). Despite being high school seniors, every character in Toradora is complex: each character has several layers, which take the viewer through several twists and turns. As each episode unfolds, the viewer is allowed only small glimpses into each character’s desires. It’s only when certain circumstances happen that each character (and the viewer) is forced to ponder if that’s truly what they want. It’s a show that unravels its complex web through intimate moments. As Brandon Talks summarizes Toradora:

…everything is just pure, heightened emotion… and it’s beautiful! The way that it uses its’ soundtrack even to enhance these moments, especially ‘Lost My Pieces,’ makes it so that every time we hear it, we remember all the emotions of these scenes and everything hits you at once…

Even the small things like the little ways Taiga and Ryuji show how comfortable they are around each other, how they lean on each other, and make fun of each other–basically behaving like an old married couple without even realizing it, and how they help each other through so many of life’s little problems–everything. Whenever I remember Toradora, what I really remember are all of these moments. Moments that I can’t really analyze or explain because it just wouldn’t do these scenes justice… But I do know that they left an impact on me. The meaning behind everything is what made the story function, but the emotion behind these scenes is what really cemented Toradora in my heart as something special.

And I guess, in the process, gave me post-anime depression…²⁴

Fans of Toradora usually re-watch the show during the Christmas season, syncing up the Christmas episode on Christmas Day. If you’ve never watched the show, join the community on the re-watch this year, and don’t let the internet spoil it for you. The depression is worth it…

In a quest to alleviate my newfound depression, I then made the mistake of diving into another emotional show Angel Beats! (which I’ll discuss later in the music section). If you’re a musician or a music fan, both this show and the soundtrack will floor you. After watching two emotional shows back-to-back, the only way to pull me out of my funk was to blast tons of heavy music and deep-dive into some horny ecchi-style comedy.

I can understand and respect that anime isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, these shows evoked powerful emotions within me, even as a nearly forty-year-old man. Although many fans of the medium don’t understand or appreciate the depth of emotions within these shows, they still feel so passionately about them. There’s a reason these shows resonate with young and old alike, and it’s not just the stereotypical tropes.

The Power of Friendship, Harems, and Other Tropes

This is totally normal for high school girls.²⁵

- Hayase Nagatoro, Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro 2^nd Attack

No discussion of anime is complete without discussing the myriad omnipresent tropes within the art form. If you’re watching a shounen, it shouldn’t surprise you that there’ll be an overpowered main character and hyper-stylized fights. If you’re watching a mecha action adventure, expect to see tons of giant robots, destruction, and possibly a kaiju appearance. If you’re watching a slice-of-life or romantic comedy, you won’t have to look too far before a love triangle appears. If you’re watching an ecchi-style or harem, expect tons of fan service, sexualized characters, upskirts/panty-shots, nosebleeds, and an ‘everyman’-style main character meant to be a self-insert fantasy for the viewer. This section only scratches the surface of all the tropes present within your favorite anime.

First, a definition: anime tropes are “recurring themes, character traits, or narrative devices… [t]hat create a sense of familiarity and comfort for the audience, allowing them to connect easily with the storylines and characters.”²⁶ Tropes are so ubiquitous within anime, that there are entire websites dedicated to cataloging every show and its’ tropes, episode by episode. TVTropes.org’s anime articles only cover the basics. There are tropes regarding characters, tropes regarding costumes/clothing, tropes regarding age/school, and tropes regarding anime and manga sub-niches. There are even tropes about tropes. One could spend weeks (and I almost did) entering [show name] + tropes into search engines and reading the hits. One could even find entire sites dedicated to cataloging the various nudity and fan service in every series. Critics of anime, including its fans, argue amongst themselves that some shows learn TOO far into the tropes. I’d argue that anime is enjoyable BECAUSE of its tropes. Many shows lean heavily on tropes to allow the audience to connect with the characters or the plot (not just the nudity/sexuality plot). As I wrote above regarding ‘Fairy Tail,’ it’s easy to hate Lucy because she’s annoying, Natsu because he’s an overpowered main character, or Erza because she borders on a Mary Sue (though she’s far more battle-hardened than any Disney Mary Sue). Because of these characters’ ages, trials and tribulations, backgrounds, or desires, it’s easy for viewers to insert themselves into the story.

Yes–the humor is slapstick and over-the-top. Yes–there are tons of silly fights. It seems comical that the cast of the Toaru universe could level Academy City in one battle, yet they’re more stressed out about college entrance exams. If you’re a high school student with overbearing parents, you understand that stress. Yes–many times the good guys win because of myriad deus ex machina tactics. Yes–the power of friendship vanquishes far too many evil villains. However, since anime and manga are marketed towards children and teens, it makes sense that its fanbase understands the importance of a loyal and loving peer group, even the loners amongst us. Yes–the girls have comically-large anime ‘booba.’²⁷  If you’re watching some cartoon with 50-foot robots, giant swords, crazy magic, and teenagers that could level a city, why wouldn’t the women in the show also have exaggerated features? Yes–sometimes they sexualize young girls. Yes–sometimes there’s rape and sexual coercion. I’m not here to defend or explain away those two. Some things still make me uncomfortable as an adult. The ending of ‘Berserk’ (1997) fucked me up for a week straight! If the emotionality of a ‘Fairy Tail’ or ‘Toradora’ can affect me, then the graphic sex and violence can mess me up too. I don’t think I’ll ever adjust to or understand the lolicon/shotacon fascination.²⁸ Nor will I understand the daily Reddit posts arguing that lolicon appreciation is pedophilic-adjacent. Arguing for/against sexualizing children in fiction is a weird hill on which to die, but I guess those are also powerful emotions elicited by this art form.

[Author’s Note: Speaking of Berserk (1997) I had no other place to put this, but ‘Guts Theme’ is a top-ten anime theme and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. It’s a genius theme that works well as emotionality and meme-tier]

You can hate the tropes all you want, and many do. You can say it turns you off to the medium as a whole. I would caution you to explore other sub-genres within the art form. Even child-friendly favorites such as  Hamtaro, Ponyo, or Yo-Kai Watch use tropes from time to time. Movies such as My Neighbor Totoro Weathering With You, and Your Name are highly ranked for a reason: they’re visually stunning and take you through a whirlwind of emotions in under two hours’ run time. There’s a reason why Studio Ghibli is a worldwide phenomenon. Although, as a Miyazaki fan, I’ll be the first to tell you, that I love that his first full-length film is a Lupin III movie.²⁹

Another great series that is meant for teens, yet extremely enjoyable by adults was Ranking of Kings.  “The story is about a little prince named Bojji who is deaf but above all naive, despite many criticisms from his people about his accession to the throne, he does his best and dreams of becoming the greatest of kings. One day, he meets Kage (Shadow), a survivor of a wiped-out assassin clan, who understands his words despite Bojji being unable to speak due to his disability. The story follows the pair as they navigate the world and all of its adventures and darkness.”³⁰

Out of all the tropes present in Ranking of Kings, one that I was pleasantly surprised to be absent was the “wicked stepmother” trope.³¹ Even though Queen Hilling wants her biological son Daida to become the true heir, she doesn’t hate Prince Bojji. It’s revealed in a flashback that when Bojji was young, Hilling learned sign language to communicate and care for the young prince.³² It makes sense that she wants her biological son, Prince Daida, to be the rightful heir, but she neither hates nor neglects Bojji. When her kingdom is under attack, Hilling takes up arms (and potions) and helps in battle by fighting and curing other soldiers.³³ Even though she’s an outsider, she’s not cold and uncaring for her new home or its citizens. She legitimately steals the show.

No discussion of anime tropes is complete without discussing a recent anime/manga taking the internet by storm: The 100 Girlfriends that Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You. The premise is simple: why settle for one girlfriend when you can have all of them:

Rentarō Aijō has confessed to (and been rejected by) 100 girls in his lifetime. On the last day of middle school, he visits a shrine and prays that he gets a girlfriend during his time at high school. Suddenly, the God of Love appears and tells Rentarō that the reason for his non-existent love life is because everyone is only supposed to have one soulmate in their life. Due to an error on the God of Love's part, Rentarō is destined to have 100 which is to begin when he enters high school.

Sure enough, on the first day of high school, Rentarō meets the wealthy Hakari Hanazono and tsundere Karane Inda. Both girls instantly fall in love with him. Rentarō is also in love with both of them but cannot decide between them. That evening, he revisits the God of Love and is informed that if he does not return the feelings of one of his soulmates, they will die in an accident. Not wanting such a fate to befall Hakari and Karane, Rentarō decides to date both of them simultaneously, with their blessing.

As the story continues, more girls are introduced and become Rentarō's girlfriends, establishing a polyamorous relationship called the "Rentarō Family". The story revolves around Rentarō meeting new girlfriends and the interactions between the Rentarō Family members.³⁴

I learned of this anime when a random video by YouTuber Gigguk popped into my feed and caught my attention. Gigguk’s video intrigued me, so I began watching the show, and holy shit… If you love anime tropes, the first 12 episodes give you every conceivable trope (short of giant swords and mechs) that an anime fan could ask for. Gigguk sums it up better than me:

Everything, everything has been exaggerated to the point of insanity–plot, design, character–we don’t have five girls, or ten girls, we have 100 girls. Karane isn’t just a tsundere, she’s a TURBO TSUNDERE! Shizuka isn’t just shy, she’s TURBO SHY! Hakari isn’t just horny, she…

The series takes all the most ridiculous tropes and cliches we see in the [harem] genre, dials it up to ‘100,’ fucks around, and finds out. And you know what—it actually works…

It knows how to openly poke fun of the genre without being overly reliant on cheap shots because the biggest compliment I can give it is that beyond being just a parody, the cast have genuine chemistry with each other... 100 Girlfriends is like putting an all-you-can-eat buffet of every insane character trope you see in anime in the most unhinged situations you can think of, and seeing what kind of insanity would ensue.

The girls play off each other as much as they do Rentarō: they fight with each other, banter with each other, sincerely care for one another; every girl has a different dynamic with every other girl, and partway through the series, the harem starts acting more like a dysfunctional family than anything else.³⁵

It’s so good, I’m hoping it airs long enough to introduce all 100 girlfriends. If the anime gets canceled before introducing them all, I will have to bite the proverbial bullet and read the entire manga series. Although it refuses to take itself seriously, 100 Girlfriends manages to create a handful of moments where you care about each girl, while creating real stakes that affect the future of every character. When you and the characters begin feeling a bit too comfortable, something pulls the rug out and creates real stakes in the group dynamic.

Speaking of girlfriends (Something most anime fans will never have), I must dedicate a little time to the anime detractor’s largest gripe: horniness and fan service.

What’s Happening to my Bathing-Suit Area!?³⁶

You’re still a “cherry boy,” am I right? ³⁷

- Yamada, B Gata H Kei

The one trope or stereotype surrounding anime that draws the most ire from its fanbase and detractors alike is its’ horniness. The fans are horny, the creators are horny, and the nudity is called ‘fan service’ for a reason. However, this doesn’t just have to be horniness for teenage girls, naked and semi-naked characters, or even depictions of sex acts animated in graphic detail. Criticizing anime, manga, and hentai for nudity and horniness is low-hanging fruit. In this section, I’ll give you a few of my favorite ‘ecchi’ titles and urge you not to always judge a book (or dirty magazine) by its cover.

First, a brief disclaimer—I won’t be discussing hentai in this article for one simple reason: I don’t watch hentai. I’ve seen a couple and at this point in my life, it doesn’t warrant a deep dive into the sub-niche. I also want to clarify that hentai doesn’t just mean explicit sex or nudity. There is some hentai that people praise more for the plot/characters than the nudity, sexuality, or rape. To that same token, there are some ecchi-style anime that are on par with the amount of nudity and sexual content in hentai (I’m looking at you, Interspecies Reviewers, and Overflow). The average horny person will never be without fap material if pixels on the screen get you there.

Two of my favorite horny anime are B Gata H Kei (also known as Yamada’s First Time) and Shimoneta.

“B Gata H Kei follows lascivious 15-year-old high school student Yamada, who makes it a goal to have sexual relations with 100 different guys, although her insecurities as a virgin herself lead her to reject every chance to do so. To overcome this mental barrier, she searches for a "cherry boy," an inexperienced guy who will be her first. She makes a rather plain classmate of hers, Takashi Kosuda, the target of her seductions for the sole purpose of achieving this goal; however, she ultimately falls for him.”³⁸

This show resonated with me because I remember being a horny, yet painfully shy middle school kid that always wondered if the girls I liked were into me. I never experienced middle school from the girl’s perspective, so I lacked the cursory experience. Even though I dated and had many girlfriends in high school, I still wondered these things about the girls I had crushes on: “Is she as horny as me? Does she want me to make the first move?”

When my mom became the cheerleading coach at my middle school, and later another school, I became one of the most popular kids in my school (and infamous at a school down the road). For the first time in my life, I had all this female attention and didn’t know what to do with it. Many of my attempts at intimacy crashed and burned like Yamada and Kosuda.

B Gata H Kei was created by Yoko Sanri, who wrote and drew Milk on the Farm!, Oh RIKO tea!!, and Onee-san is Invading!? It would be easy to dismiss all sexual anime and manga as created by horny men. However,  I respect that Sanri, a woman, created several characters within B Gata H Kei to showcase different girls’ views on sex and losing their virginity. There’s the best friend with a steady boyfriend who gave her virginity to her first love. There’s the horny underclassman who doesn’t understand why she’s feeling what she feels. And there’s Yamada who wants to have sex with 100 guys, but every time any guy makes a move on her, she gets so shy that she ruins the moment and runs away. Another reason I enjoy B Gata H Kei is it is one of the best handling of fan service moments in the genre. Even though the show is very lewd and horny, the nudity is very minimal and tastefully done. In the series finale, Yamada and Kosuda go to a love hotel so they can finally lose their virginity to each other. I won’t spoil it, but the show’s ending is not what you’d expect, but it’s exactly what both characters deserve.

Shimoneta is a hilarious cultural critique of Japan’s conservative culture and censorship movements. From the Shimoneta MyAnimeList page:

With the introduction of strict new morality laws, Japan has become a nation cleansed of all that is obscene and impure. By monitoring citizens using special devices worn around their necks, authorities have taken extreme measures to ensure that society remains chaste.

In this world of sexual suppression, Tanukichi Okuma—son of an infamous terrorist who opposed the chastity laws—has just entered high school, offering his help to the student council in order to get close to President Anna Nishikinomiya, his childhood friend and crush. Little does he know that Vice President Ayame Kajou has a secret identity: Blue Snow, a masked criminal dedicated to spreading lewd material amongst the sheltered public—and Tanukichi has caught the girl's interest due to his father's notoriety.

Soon, Tanukichi is dragged into joining her organization called SOX, where he is forced to spread obscene propaganda, helping to launch an assault against the government's oppressive rule. With their school set as the first point of attack, Tanukichi will have to do the unthinkable when he realizes that their primary target is the person he admires most.³⁹

Shimoneta is easy to enjoy—the characters are funny, the plot is relatable, and despite it being a show with lots of naughty words, the nudity is infrequent. The show is more about SOX sticking it to the student council and attempting to liberate society from being prudes. It’s like V for Vendetta but instead of a Guy Fawkes mask the protagonist(s) wear white cotton panties with eyeholes cut out. I still think the weird science girl Hyouka Fuwa is my favorite character. She’s how Abby from NCIS should be if the writers knew how to write these types of girls. The scene of her arguing the educational merits of her amateur Yaoi manga (depicting Tanukichi with Gouriki) with the school’s new decency squad prefect is hilarious.⁴⁰

[2024 Edit: In October 2024, a group of nerds and out-of-its, spearheaded by The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is attempting to censor anime, manga, and video games in order to spare a few hurt feelings.⁴¹ It never ceases to amaze me how far people are willing to let self-appointed bodies, government entities, and other unbeholden groups censor art all in the name of public stuffiness. Not that I expect much, but if enacted, it will be Shimoneta in real life. I’m willing to lead the real-life SOX resistance group, should people allow this. It’s reasons like these that people should realize the UN has outlived its’ usefulness and needs to be dismantled. Maybe once they come for your hentai body pillows will you nerds wake up and realize I was right about Herd Immunity after all.]

I’ll discuss music, soundtracks, and opening/closing themes in the next section. But Shimoneta may with my award for the best anime ending theme. When you watch Reservoir Dogs, the ear-cutting scene stands out because director Quentin Tarantino juxtaposed a Stealer’s Wheel pop song with a man being tortured. With the Shimoneta end theme, ‘Inner Urge’ by Sumire Uesaka, you have this sugary-sweet bubblegum pop music juxtaposed with extremely bawdy lyrics. It’s horny without being overtly trash or ‘hood rat’ like you’d find with Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and Nicki Minaj.

⁴²

Check out this video with the Japanese and English subtitles below, but I warn you–don’t listen unless you want this song in your head all day:⁴³

In addition to these two series, there are a few other ecchi shows that deserve praise:

·         An all-time classic that is highly ranked, yet also receives tons of shit is Golden Boy. I understand most people think the dub is horrible, but I’d argue the dub is part of the show’s charm. Golden Boy centers around Kintarou Ooe, a specialist in part-time work, riding all over the highways and byways of Japan on his trusty steed, the Mikazuki 5, and finding employment wherever he can. His adventures bring him knowledge and experience that can't be taught in a classroom, from political corruption to the delicacy of a young woman's heart. With nothing but the open road before him—not to mention the many beautiful women along the way.⁴⁴ If I had the chance to do it all over again, instead of going to college, I would’ve bought a bike and a one-way ticket to Japan, a bike, spent 4 years traveling the country, taking part-time jobs, and learning the ways of love. I  half-jokingly state that if I fell into a couple million dollars, I would self-fund a proper 24-episode modern remake. The manga source material is deeply flushed out and needs more than 6 episodes.

·         Highschool of the Dead – Set in present-day Japan, beginning as the world is struck by a deadly pandemic that turns humans into zombies, euphemistically referred to by the main characters as "Them" (奴ら, Yatsu-ra). The story follows a group of high school students and the school's nurse as they deal with the worldwide catastrophic event known as the "Outbreak". As the cast tries to survive the zombie apocalypse, they must also face the additional threats of societal collapse, in the form of dangerous fellow survivors, and the possible decay of their moral codes. Starting from the high school, the students escape into town where they must deal with a corrupt teacher and his students.⁴⁵ Highschool of the Dead is home to one of the weirdest places for fan service in an anime. The team escapes the zombies and finds a safe house, and the first thought of the girls in the group is… bath time! All of a sudden, five girls naked, including the nurse’s tits outta nowhere.⁴⁶ Much like Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, as soon as people narrowly escape zombies, it’s time to get naked. I can understand wanting to do a load of laundry and get the smell of zombie blood, but still… This show knows exactly what it brings to the table: guns, zombies, and fan service. Yet, this show surprised me when a couple of great romantic subplots manifested as well. Watch this one in October to get the full spooky vibe.

·         Prison School – Hachimitsu Academy, one of the strictest girls' academies in Tokyo, has decided to admit boys into their system. Kiyoshi Fujino is one of these new boys, but he discovers to his shock that he and his four friends are the only male students among 1,000 girls. The five boys all commit voyeurism in the school's bathing area with the lecherous philosophy of "all for one, one for all". Their capture and "arrest" by the Underground Student Council causes the five boys to receive an ultimatum: either stay a month in the school's Prison Block or be expelled. Kiyoshi is overwhelmed by the discovery that all the other boys are masochists that revel in the punishments handed to them by their attractive but vicious supervisors.⁴⁷ Another fantastic show with copious nudity, but the story itself is charming from a semi-autobiographical standpoint. I can’t say I’ve ever been a masochist, but if I had three sexy upperclassmen punishing me when I was 15 years old, I probably would’ve acted the same way. This one takes a couple of wild turns as well with nudity and awkward sexual situations.

Now, I have to show some love for my favorite facet of anime: the music!

Let’s Jam

I think it's time we blow this scene

Get everybody and the stuff together

Okay, three, two, one, let's jam.⁴⁸

- シートベルツ (Seatbelts), Tank!

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a musician would find the best parts of anime to be the songs.

The job of an anime’s opening and closing themes is to set the mood for the show and the current story arcs. When you hear ‘Cha-La Head-Cha-La,’ it gets you psyched to watch Goku and his friends battle the Saiyans or Frieza’s gang on Namek.⁴⁹ When you hear LiSA belting out ‘Gurenge,’ it prepares you for the insanity of Demon Slayer.⁵⁰ Or when you hear ‘エンジェルビーツ! – (Brave Song),’ it immediately puts you in your feels, as you witness something crazy happen to the SSS.⁵¹ One of the best aspects of the Angel Beats! ending credits is that as the story progresses, the cast changes in the closing credits, and the animation reflects those changes.⁵² It’s hard to put it into words. You just have to watch it to appreciate how the music of a show becomes a character in its own right.

When you watch a show like Angel Beats! and you learn that these students have died and are trying to pass through the afterlife,  ‘エンジェルビーツ! –( Brave Song)’ gives this somber, bittersweet tone to the show. You experience the students’ grief,  loss, and frustration of feeling trapped in the afterlife and trying to gain closure. In the epilogue of the final episode, the remaining students experience a “graduation” of sorts, and ‘My Song’ adds tension and depth that helps guide the students through the afterlife. The viewer gains the same omniscience the characters achieve through their graduation. Yet, unlike the ambiguous reunion ending in Toradora, Angel Beats! gives the viewer a bit more hope and a bit less ambiguity. It was a crazy bit of serendipity that I watched these two series back-to-back, and it made me realize that perhaps I’m not as hard-hearted as I’d like to believe.

To briefly wrap up Fairy Tail, one great thing they do is pair an ending theme with a specific character and their emotions within that arc. When you hear ‘完璧ぐ~のね (Kanpeki gu~ no ne)’ by 渡り廊下走り隊 (Watarirouka Hashiritai), you feel Lucy’s youthful naivete, earnestness, and excitement to join her new friends on new adventures.⁵³ When the theme changes to ‘Tsuioku Merry-Go-Round’ by One Life Crew, the ending credits feature Happy the Cat flying through space and seeing various guild members.⁵⁴ When you hear ‘ひとりさみしく(Lonely Person)’ by ShaNa, it portrays Carla’s reticence to reveal her premonitions and Happy’s desire to protect Carla from danger.⁵⁵ One of my favorite ending themes, ‘キミがくれたもの (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)’ by Shizuka Kudo, elicits trepidation and uncertainty within the Grand Magic Games as Fairy Tail attempts to reclaim their position as Magnolia’s top guild.⁵⁶ However, the spotlight is solely on the guild’s founder Mavis Vermillion, who appears as a ghost. In a guild full of wacky characters, hearing the various themes helps form bonds with them (except apparently Lucy and Carla, whom many of the fans can’t stand–as mentioned above). It’s another show where I enjoy all the opening and ending themes.

Even though I can’t stand Western pop music, I have a playlist full of anime opening and ending themes. Say what you want about Japan and Korea, but their pop music brings the thunder, and anime uses many of them to fit the mood. If you like bubble-gum pop sung by cutesy girls, there’s ‘バニラソルト (Vanilla Salt)’ by 堀江由衣 (Yui Horie), or ‘神様はじめました (Kamisama Hajimemashita)’ by ハナエ (Hanae)⁵⁷⁵⁸  If you like more pop-rock, there’s ‘君がいない未来 (Kimi ga Inai Mirai)’ by Do As Infinity and ‘瞬間センチメンタル (Shunkan Sentimental)’ by SCANDAL⁵⁹⁶⁰ If want something a little heavier, there’s ‘Clattanoia’ by OxT, and ‘絶望ビリー (Zetsubou Billy)’ by マキシマム ザ ホルモン (MAXIMUM THE HORMONE)⁶¹⁶² If you’re more a rap/R&B fan, there are many artists that mix-in rap and hip hop styles, such as ‘Battlecry’ by Nujabes feat. Shing02.⁶³ The Afro Samurai soundtrack by RZA is fantastic, though technically NOT J-Pop (my personal favorite is ‘Cameo Afro’).⁶⁴ If you want upbeat music, there’s ‘I am’ by Hitomi and ‘Re:Re:’ by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION⁶⁵⁶⁶ If a sad ballad is more your style, there’s ‘Every Heart -ミンナノキモチ (Min’na no Kimochi)’ by BoA and ‘no more words’ by 浜崎あゆみ (Ayumi Hamasaki). If you’re an old-school prog geek like me, but still dig the heavy stuff, check out ‘Let Me Hear’ by Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas.⁶⁷ I think you get the idea.

I could write an entire article just on the band Do As Infinity–an amazing discography in only a 6-year career. Seriously, go listen to ‘Mysterious Magic’ and then imagine it as the background music in any teen/tween rom-com as a try-on montage.⁶⁸ That’s the best thing about J-Pop: much like anime, it seamlessly transitions between sub-genres. In the same way that InuYasha mixes shounen, slice-of-life, rom-com, and period subgenres, many of the groups mix elements of pop, rock, jazz, or R&B, while also evoking those powerful emotions. I can hear the song or piece of music and I’m transported back to what I felt while first experiencing the anime. It’s very Pavlovian. Another plus with  J-Pop is that it’s more musical than its Western counterpart with less propaganda about how boys are the devil and girls are “bad bitches.” You can have Taylor Swift, I’ll take J-pop any day:

Arguably the best part of J-pop, as parodied in the ‘Fun With Weapons’ episode of South Park is the hybrid ‘Engrish’ vocals, where bands mix English words and phrases with Japanese. Compare the odd mix-ins of English words or katakana cognates of  ‘イタズラなKISS (Itazura na KISS)’ by Day After Tomorrow with Parker’s over-the-top parody ‘Let’s Fighting Love’:⁶⁹⁷⁰

[Author’s Note: No translators were harmed in the writing of this article]

I’d be remiss if I discussed music and anime without mentioning my all-time favorite anime: Cowboy Bebop.

The music of Bebop is the real star of the show. Every episode of Bebop begins with the song ‘Tank!’ by Seatbelts.⁷¹ The show’s ending theme, ‘The Real Folk Blues’ wraps up each episode before the next episode preview voice-over.⁷² In keeping with a futuristic space sci-fi western with a jazz soundtrack, many of the episodes are named after famous music styles, such as ‘Jupiter Jazz’, ‘Asteroid Blues’, and ‘Mushroom Samba’. Some of the episodes are also direct references to famous bands, such as ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ (The Rolling Stones), ‘Toys in the Attic’ (Aerosmith), and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (Queen).⁷³ Even if you’re not a fan of jazz music, it adds a layer of complexity and tension to the show that wouldn’t work with any other genre of music.

As I discussed with Fairy Tail and Angel Beats!, Cowboy Bebop also knows exactly when to use a sad song to play up the emotionality of a scene. In the episode ‘Hard Luck Woman’, there’s a moment where Edward meets her biological father and is given the choice to stay on the Bebop or to go with him to chase meteorites. I dare anyone to watch the scene when Edward and Ein leave, Faye discovers her old house is nothing but rubble, and Spike and Jet somberly eat hardboiled eggs while ‘Call Me Call Me’ by Seatbelts and Steve Conte plays and not tear up.⁷⁴ I’m a grown-ass man, and it still wrecks me twenty years later. I don’t even need to watch the video or hear the song, just typing this puts the scene into my head. That’s the power of utilizing music as a character. I need to go outside and touch grass…

On January 22^nd, 2024, I saw The Cowboy Bebop Movie in theaters for the 20^th anniversary, which gave me the perfect excuse to rewatch the series for the sixth time. Like I needed an excuse. If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably already seen Cowboy Bebop and you know exactly what I mean, but even after six views, I still notice new things. Entire books could be written about this amazing 26-episode show and film.

After Spike and Jet foil a local convenience store robbery, the film’s events are set in motion and the film opens with another great Seatbelts song ‘Ask DNA.’⁷⁵ The opening synth line sounds like something you’d hear in a 1970s Stevie Wonder song. Because of the events that transpire during the final act of the film, I’d argue that it’s my favorite Halloween movie, even more than The Shining.

Cowboy Bebop is always my #1 recommendation for the anime neophyte. Any time someone posts an anime recommendation or when someone asks, “Where should I start with anime,” the answer is Cowboy Bebop. As much love as I have for the classics, as well as finding new favorites, it checks all my boxes: comedy, action, drama, romance, and friendship. Even though Bebop is another anime with an ambiguous ending, I’d argue it’s the most fitting way to end such a beautiful series.

So Long, Space Cowboy

Everything has a beginning and an end. Life is just a cycle of starts and stops. There are ends we don’t desire, but they’re inevitable. We have to face them. It’s what being human is all about.⁷⁶

- Jet Black, Cowboy Bebop

I’m gonna leave you with something and feel free to meditate on it or dismiss it: The reason anime is such a popular and robust art form is that many of the creators understand that art acts as a mirror to those who consume it. Even with all its tropes, anime allows its viewers to insert themselves into many types of characters and worlds. As a result, I feel deeper emotions watching anime than I do with other entertainment. Thanks to Fairy Tail, it forced me to process the lingering grief and frustration of losing my dad. When Erza tells Wendy, “I know all too well the pain of losing a loved one. But you’ll heal—we’ll help you. Come with us… be a part of Fairy Tail,” I felt like she was speaking directly to the audience, not just Wendy.⁷⁷ Writing Herd Immunity helped, but more was buried deep down. As I explore more shows and movies, I have no doubt they will continue challenging those unresolved emotions. If anime brings it out of me and forces me to deal with it, then I’m grateful for the process.

In Herd Immunity: Societal Deprogramming, I dedicate two Chapters to arguing that media is propaganda and everything ends. Since I argue it’s not a matter of if, but when American culture collapses, why not get on the bandwagon and enjoy the myriad of art emanating from South, Southeast, and East Asia? All these anime that I discussed because they trigger powerful emotions within me. It’s worth going down the rabbit hole to see the effect it has on its viewers. As Lucy Heartfilia scolds her father in a powerful episode of Fairy Tail, she exclaims, “There’s nothing happy about having your fate decided for you! You have to grab your own happiness!”⁷⁸ I choose happiness and anime is a continuous source of happiness for me—even in the moments of pain, sadness, loss, and other strong emotions I feel while watching. There is perhaps no greater testament to the power of anime than in the powerful emotions you experience while watching. When you take into account that many of its core fans are either incapable of expressing or understanding complex emotions or emotionally stunted adults who never had a proper setting or excuse to process these emotions. In this wonderful medium, we can all find something that draws those emotions from deep within our souls.

Thank you to all the writers, animators, voice actors, and fans of anime. I look forward to spending the next few decades enjoying many old favorites while discovering tons of great new ones. Finally, arigoto gozaimasu, Toriyama-sensei…

---

---

Archived Post Notice:
This article is preserved here for archival purposes only.
The updated and permanent version now lives at:
https://realityunveiled.com/drawing-emotions/
Visit the site for the full archive and new essays.

---

Support Herd Immunity:

Get Herd Immunity: Mental Firmware

Get Herd Immunity: Societal Deprogramming

Add me on MyAnimeList

1. “Akira Toriyama Quotes.” BrainyQuote. n.d. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/akira_toriyama_963158

2. Caruso, Skyler. 2023. “What Is 'RRR'? All About the Award-Winning Film Generating Oscar Buzz.” 2023. PEOPLE.com. March 10, 2023. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://people.com/movies/rrr-movie-everything-to-know/

3. Burt, Kayti. 2023. “How K-dramas came to and dominated America.” 2023. Polygon Entertainment. November 29, 2023. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.polygon.com/entertainment/23964539/k-drama-history-american-korean-popularity-success-hallyu

4. Miguel del Callar, Carlos. 2021. “Beating Them at Their Own Game: Why Manga is Overtaking American Comics.” 2021. Areo Magazine. March 9, 2021. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://areomagazine.com/2021/09/03/beating-them-at-their-own-game-why-manga-is-overtaking-american-comics/

5. Savage, Mark. 2022. “BTS were the top-selling act in the world last year.” BBC News. February 24, 2022. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60505910

6. Maken-Ki. 2011. Season 1 Episode 5. "The Strongest Girl in Tenbi." Directed by Kōichi Ōhata. Written by Yōsuke Kuroda. Aired November 2, 2011, on AT-X. https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GRZXGP4VY/maken-ki

7. Dragon Ball. 1986. Season 1 Episode 13. “The Legend of Goku.” Directed by Minoru Okazaki. Written by Toshiki Inoue and Takao Koyama. Aired October 14, 1996, on Fuji TV. https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/G8DHV7W21/dragon-ball

8. Dragon Ball Z. 1990. Season 1 Episode 65. “Enter Goku.” Directed by Daisuke Nishio. Written by Akira Toriyama. Aired October 31, 1990, on Fuji TV. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/G31UXQZ05/gokus-new-power

9. Watson. Elijah C. 2023. “The Oral History of Cartoon Network's Toonami.” 2017. Complex. March 21, 2017. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/elijah-watson/oral-history-of-toonami

10. TVTropes. 2024. “TVTropes: Filler.” TVTropes.org, Inc. Last modified March 17, 2024, 03:06. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Filler

11. InuYasha. “Battle Against the Dried-Up Demons at the Cultural Festival!.” Episode 128. Directed by Tomoe Aratani. Written by Akatsuki Yamatoya. VIZ, October 13, 2003. Blu-Ray, disc 3.

12. InuYasha: The Final Act. “Toward Tomorrow.” Episode 26. Directed by Teruo Sato. Written by Yasunao Aoki. VIZ, March 30, 2010. Blu-Ray, disc 4.

13. “Hiro Mashima Quotes” Goodreads. n.d. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8790107-do-fairies-have-tails-more-than-that-do-fairies-even

14. Frears, Stephen, director. 2000. High Fidelity. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, 2012. Blu-Ray Disc, 1080p HD.

15. Fairy Tail. 2010. Season 1 Episode 29. “My Resolve.” Directed by Akiko Matsuo and Yuuzi Ushizima. Written by Shimo Fumihiko. Aired May 10, 2010, on TV Tokyo. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/GRGG722WR/my-resolve

16. Fairy Tail. 2012. Season 5 Episode 150. “Lucy and Michelle.” Directed by Iizuka Masanori. Written by Masashi Sogo. Aired September 29, 2012, on TV Tokyo. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/GYE51KK1R/lucy-and-michelle

17. Fairy Tail. 2011. Season 2 Episode 68. “A Guild for Only One.” Directed by Yuuzi Ushizima and Akiko Matsuo. Written by Sogo Masashi. Aired February 28, 2011, on TV Tokyo. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/GR9P337E6/a-guild-for-only-one

18. Fairy Tail. 2010. Season 1 Episode 34. “Jellal.” Directed by Uchida Takashi. Written by Sogo Masashi. Aired June 21, 2010, on TV Tokyo. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/G6K51MJ3Y/jellal

19. Fairy Tail. 2010. Season 1 Episode 24. “So No One Sees the Tears.” Directed by Inada Masaki. Written by Yonemura Syoji. Aired March 29, 2010, on TV Tokyo. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/GYE5099PR/so-no-one-sees-the-tears

20. Fairy Tail. 2012. Season 5 Episode 133. “Travel Companions.” Directed by Suzuki Kenichiro. Written by Sogo Masashi. Aired June 2, 2012, on TV Tokyo. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/G6VN3EM7R/traveling-companions

21. MyAnimeList. 2024. “Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest | Trailer.” March 4, 2022. Accessed April 23, 2024. YouTube. Video, 0:28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN0ZCVn1FkE

22. “Hiro Mashima Quotes” Goodreads.

23. Brandon Talks. 2022. “How Toradora Broke Me.” March 12, 2022. Accessed April 17, 2024. YouTube. Video, 16:19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNj0yWrw95o

24. Ibid.

25. Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro 2nd Attack. 2023. Season 2 Episode 13. “It’s You and Me, Senpai~.” Directed by Yū Takahashi. Written by Taku Kishimoto. Aired January 8, 2023, on Tokyo MX. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/GX9UQ081W/its-you-and-me-senpai

26. Culture of Gaming. 2023. “Analysis of Popular Anime Tropes and Why They Work.” March 13, 2023. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://cultureofgaming.com/analysis-of-popular-anime-tropes-and-why-they-work/

27. Urban Dictionary. 2021. Urban Dictionary: “Booba.” Pottymouth1776. Last modified May 15,2021. Accessed April 18, 2024.  https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=booba

28. Wikipedia. 2024. “Wikipedia: Lolicon.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified April 11, 2024, 23:04 Accessed April 18, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolicon

29. Wikipedia. 2024. “Wikipedia: The Castle of Cagliostro.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified April 6, 2024, 01:31 Accessed April 18, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Castle_of_Cagliostro

30. Wikipedia. 2024. “Wikipedia: Ranking of Kings.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified March 3, 2024, 08:07 Accessed April 18, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranking_of_Kings

31. TVTropes. 2024. “TVTropes: Wicked Stepmother.” TVTropes.org, Inc. Last modified April 13, 2024, 15:47. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WickedStepmother

32. Ranking of Kings. 2021. Season 1 Episode 9. “The Queen and the Shield.” Directed by Arifumi Imai. Written by Taku Kishimoto. Aired December 10, 2021, on Fuji TV. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/GMKUX4NX2/the-queen-and-the-shield

33. Ranking of Kings. 2022. Season 1 Episode 14. “The Return of the Prince.” Directed by Yumi Kamakura. Written by Taku Kishimoto. Aired January 21, 2022, on Fuji TV. https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/G31UX351N/the-return-of-the-prince

34. Wikipedia. 2024. “Wikipedia: The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified April 11, 2024, 02:04 Accessed April 18, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100_Girlfriends_Who_Really,_Really,_Really,_Really,_Really_Love_You

35. Gigguk. 2023. “The Final Boss of Harem Anime.” December 20, 2023. Accessed April 17, 2024. YouTube. Video, 13:50. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEp2YBw1Tq4

36. Shimoneta:A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist. “Whom Does Public Order and Morality Serve?.” Episode 1. Directed by Yohei Suzuki. Written by Masahiro Yokotani. Funimation, July 4, 2015. Blu-Ray, disc 1.

37. Yamada’s First Time: B Gata H Kei. “Boy Meets Girl. Please Give Me Your ‘First Time’!!.” Episode 1. Directed by Naokatsu Tsuda. Written by Yoko Sanri. Funimation, April 2, 2010. Blu-Ray, disc 1.

38. Wikipedia. 2024. “Wikipedia: B Gata H Kei.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified April 17, 2024, 17:10 Accessed April 18, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Gata_H_Kei

39. MyAnimeList. n.d. “SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist.” Accessed April 19, 2024. https://myanimelist.net/anime/29786/Shimoneta_to_Iu_Gainen_ga_Sonzai_Shinai_Taikutsu_na_Sekai/

40. Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist. “The Devil Blows His Own Trumpet.” Episode 8. Directed by Yoshitaka Koyama. Written by Masahiro Yokotani. Funimation, August 22, 2015. Blu-Ray, disc 1.

41. Lyttle, Brandon. 2024. UN committee criticizes Japanese media, “may incite violence against women and girls.” NicheGamer. October 30, 2024. . Accessed October 30, 2024. https://nichegamer.com/un-committee-criticizes-japanese-media-may-incite-violence-against-women-and-girls/

42. Sumire Uesaka. Inner Urge Lyrics. n.d. Lyrics from Anime. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://lyricsfromanime.com/anime/shimoneta/inner-urge-lyrics/

43. Sparfuler. 2021. “SHIMONETA Ending theme inner Urge (English Lyrics).” January 12, 2021. Accessed April 17, 2024. YouTube. Video, 1:30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKzBYlRy040

44. MyAnimeList. n.d. “Golden Boy.” Accessed April 19, 2024. https://myanimelist.net/anime/268/Golden_Boy

45. Wikipedia. 2024. “Wikipedia: Highschool of the Dead.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified March 5, 2024, 12:38 Accessed April 18, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highschool_of_the_Dead

46. Highschool of the Dead. “In the DEAD of the Night.” Episode 6. Directed by Naoyasu Hanyū. Written by Yōsuke Kuroda. Section23 Films, April 14, 2011.

47. Wikipedia. 2024. “Fandom: Prison School.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified March 17, 2024, 16:52 Accessed April 18, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_School

48. Seatbelts. 1998. “Tank!.” Track 1 on Cowboy Bebop, Victor. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

49. Hironobu Kageyama. 1989. “Cha-La Head-Cha-La.” Track 1 on Dragon Ball Z Hit Song Collection, Columbia. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

50. LiSA. 2019. “Gurenge.” Track 2 on LEO-NiNE, Sacra Music; Sony Music Japan. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

51. Aoi Tada. 2010. “Brave Song!.” Track 47 on Angel Beats! Original Soundtrack, Key Sounds Label. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

52. AngelBeats! Wiki. n.d. “Wikipedia: Brave Song.” Wikimedia Foundation. https://angelbeats.fandom.com/wiki/Brave_Song

53. 渡り廊下走り隊 (Watarirouka Hashiritai). 2009. “完璧ぐ~のね (Kanpeki gu~ no ne).” Track 2 on “Fairy Tail” Op & Ed Theme Songs, Vol 1., Pony Crayon. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

54. One Life Crew. 2011. “Tsuioku Merry-Go-Round.” Track 4 on “Fairy Tail” Op & Ed Theme Songs, Vol 1., Pony Crayon. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

55. ShaNa. 2017. “Hitori Samishiku.” Track 4 on “Fairy Tail” Op & Ed Theme Songs, Vol 2., Pony Crayon. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

56. Shizuka Kudo. 2012. “キミがくれたもの (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)” Track 1 on Kimi ga Kureta Mono, Pony Crayon. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

57. 堀江由衣 (Yui Horie). 2008. “バニラソルト (Vanilla Salt)” Track 5 on HONEY JET!!, Star Child Records. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

58. ハナエ (Hanae). 2013. “神様はじめました (Kamisama Hajimemashita).” Track 1 on 十戒クイズ (Jyukkai Quiz), Virgin Music. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

59. Do As Infinity. 2010. “君がいない未来 (Kimi ga Inai Mirai).” Track 12 on Eight, Avex Trax. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

60. SCANDAL. 2010. “瞬間センチメンタル (Shunkan Sentimental).” Track 3 on Temptation Box, Epic Records Japan. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

61. OxT. 2015. “Clattanoia.” Track 3 on Hello New World, Pony Cannon. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

62. マキシマム ザ ホルモン (MAXIMUM THE HORMONE). 2007. “絶望ビリー (Zetsubou Billy).” Track 2 on ぶっ生き返す (Bu-ikikaesu), VAP. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

63. Nujabes ft. Shing02. 2004. “Battlecry.” Track 1 on Samurai Champloo Music Record: Departure, Victor. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

64. Big Daddy Kane ft. Sugar Bang Bang & GZA. 2007. “Cameo Afro.” Track 11 on Afro Samurai The Soundtrack, Koch Records. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

65. Hitomi. 2002. “I am.” Track 8 on huma-rhythm, Avex Trax. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

66. ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. 2004. “Re:Re:.” Track 8 on Track 8 on ソルファ (Sol-fa), Kioon/Tofu. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

67. Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas. 2015. “Let Me Hear.” Track 10 on Feeling of Unity, VAP. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

68. Do As Infinity. 2015. “Mysterious Magic.” Track 1 on Brand New Days, Avex Trax. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

69. South Park (OST). Let’s Fighting Love Lyrics. n.d. LyricsTranslate. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://lyricstranslate.com/en/let039s-fighting-love-lets-fighting-love-english-only.html

70. Day After Tomorrow. Itazura na KISS Lyrics. n.d. LyricsfromAnime. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://lyricsfromanime.com/anime/inuyasha/itazura-na-kiss-lyrics/

71. Seatbelts, “Tank!.”

72. Seatbelts. 1998. “THE REAL FOLK BLUES.” Track 1 on Cowboy Bebop: Vitaminless - EP, Victor. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

73. Wikipedia. 2024. “Wikipedia: List of Cowboy Bebop Episodes.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified April 23, 2024, 7:52 Accessed April 24, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cowboy_Bebop_episodes

74. Seatbelts ft. Steve Conte. 1999. “Call Me Call Me.” Track 10 on Cowboy Bebop: Blue, Victor. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

75. Seatbelts ft. Raj Ramayya. 2001. “Ask DNA.” Track 2 on Ask DNA, Victor. Spotify streaming audio, 320 kbps.

76. Cowboy Bebop “Hard Luck Woman.” Episode 24. Directed by Hirokazu Yamada. Written by Michiko Yokote. Funimation, April 9, 1999. Blu-Ray, disc 3.

77. Fairy Tail, “A Guild for One.”

78. Fairy Tail, “My Resolve”