Anime: Looking Past Pikachu

Many people don't know what anime is, or they think it is like cartoons that only kids watch. But in fact anime is a genre just like any other form of entertainment, which can express a wide range of emotions and appeal to any demographic. There is anime for kids, like the Pokemon shows that most of the U.S. thinks of when they hear anime, but then there are also anime series that are mature in their themes and sophisticated in terms of artwork, storytelling, and complexity.

Shows like "Serial Experiments Lain," only released officially in Japan but available subtitled by fans on the internet, explores the darker side of the human psyche and studies the influences of cyberpunk and internet influences on modern urban life. Series like Death Note, which has been dubbed and is actually growing in popularity in the U.S., examine the ideas of justice, ego, and obsession in a fast-paced mystery-suspense detective show.

Serial Experiments Lain is one of many anime
series that appeal to more than just kids

So if you've never watched any quality anime before (and no Dragonball Z and Pokemon do not count), you should give it a try; you might find something that's entertaining and makes you think about the world in a new way. You can read some anime reviews about action shows, drama/soap opera shows, even cooking shows, to find something that sounds interesting. Give it a try!

- Susie Q