One of the big differences between Anime and Western cartoons is that Anime tries to teach the viewers some life lessons in addition of providing some entertainment. In other words there is a moral to the story.
Two of my favorite Anime are One Piece and Naruto. The main characters of the shows are both young men who have something to prove and while their adventures are exciting there is also something to be learned from watching these characters trying to reach their goals.
Western cartoons are for the most part aimed at kids and their main goal is entertainment. The average cartoon like Teen Titans for example has little to no message that it is trying to convey to the audience, how amusing, funny or good the cartoon might be there is no deeper meaning hidden in the storyline. The only reoccurring message we might be able to decipher is that the good guys will always triumph over evil.
Anime is different however, the shows (even those aimed at children ) have quite a few subtle and less subtle messages that are aimed at the audience. Anime shows also have the "Good vs Evil" message but they tend to focus on moral issues more than we are used to in western society.
In Death Note the main character can kill anyone by just writing their name in a book. He uses this power to eliminate criminals. This raises the moral question is it right or wrong to kill criminals?
Naruto and One Piece are two interesting shows when it comes to morals, the whole story line of both shows revolve around life lessons. One Piece's Luffy fights for his dream of becoming a Pirate King against the World Government and Naruto wants to become the Kage (head) of his village and earn the respect of the villagers who avoid him at any cost.
Besides the obvious there are also some deeper meanings and messages to both Anime's.
Work hard and you will realize your dreams
Both Naruto and Luffy are on a mission against insurmountable odds and they face off against more powerful enemies. But by working hard they overcome their problems and defeat their foes. Naruto is probably the most vocal about the fact that hard work pays. One of the characters, Rock Lee is a shinobi without ninja powers unlike his fellow shinobi who all possess magical ninjutsu powers. But despite this handicap he trains twice (maybe even more) as hard to become a master in hand-to-hand combat and rivals, even surpasses his classmates in combat skills.
Friendship and family are very important
Both Anime's focus on the relationships of the characters with their friends. Naruto has no parents and it is obvious that this weighs on him. He desperately seeks the attention of others by any means necessary. He finds a surrogate family in his teacher and his team mates. In One Piece Luffy will do anything for his nakama (comrades), they are his family and he will not give up on or abandon them even if it means facing the most powerful adversaries. The bond between friends is emphasized in both Anime's and the message is clear, hold your friends dear and if you work together then there is nothing that you can not accomplish.
Never judge a book by his cover
Both Naruto and One Piece have introduced characters at some point that later turned out to be different then we expected. A good example is Naruto's Shikamaru. When this character was introduced all we saw was a nonchalant, lazy guy who acted like he didn't care about anything. It was not until the Chuunin exams where he had to fight that we learned that this guy is actually a tactical genius. One piece also likes to pull one over the viewers, the character Corazon seems like just another thug but it is when we learn of his backstory that we get really to understand this complex character.
Never give up your dreams
This is maybe the most important theme of both Naruto and One Piece. Both Naruto and Luffy chase an almost impossible dream but neither the Pirate or the Shinobi ever gives up believing that they can succeed. In Naruto's case spoiler he not only becomes Kage but also a respected war hero. Luffy is still chasing the One Piece but there is no doubt in my mind that he will be the one to become Pirate King. All through the show Luffy keeps announcing his intentions of becoming Pirate King to everyone he meets, friend or foe. It is their inspiring focus on their end goal that helps them survive some dangerous situations.
Rock Lee, the man who proves that by working hard you can even beat the most talented of adversaries.
Work hard, never give up, believe in your dreams, treasure those close to you, these are just some of the positive themes in Anime, and as far as I am concerned these are morals to live by.
Read more about: Naruto | One Piece |
