Anime has a considerably broad influence. From exposing other countries to a small dose of Japanese culture to relaying thoughtful and dramatic stories, it truly is a genre of far-reaching interest and uncanny uniqueness. It can even said to affect the lives of those who are invested in it.

For example, lots of elements in anime have their basis in real life. When one watches something done in an anime, they might be pushed into trying out the real deal for themselves. While you don't see many people turning into a Super Saiyan by screaming for 10 minutes, the more grounded professions are can be sought out.

Take a female 26-year-old machine operator who wanted to write music. Without really knowing how, it wasn't until she became invested in famed Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku that she began to study songwriting for herself. A 30-year-old woman reflected on joining a basketball club, having been inspired by the manga Slam Dunk, and had many good experiences from that. Thanks to Final Fantasy VII , a 25-year-old woman found herself working in the gaming industry.



Anime still has further hidden powers over people. Just like any media, the words and lessons learned in anime can have a truly emotional impact on somebody's well-being.

Whenever this 29-year-old woman is going through painful moments in her life, she always remembers the words of Jinbe, a pirate from One Piece: "Don't just count the things you've lost," which means that one should count the things they have. In other words, this person knows that concentrating on the happier moments in life is more important than counting up the bad ones.

A man, aged 25, was inspired to never give up on finding a job thanks to the manga, Glass Mask.

Sometimes, it's even enough that an anime leaves a lasting impression on those that watch it. For instance, a 30-year-old man had no idea that such wondrous stories could be woven through anime until he watched Castle in the Sky as a child.

However, not everyone exposed to such media were happy with what came afterwards, even going so far as to say that their lives became worse. In the case of one 23-year-old man, he became an otaku (something generally looked down upon in Japan) after watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The same goes for a 26-year-old woman who blames her current status on Neon Genesis Evangelion. In the world of online gaming, a 39-year-old man blames Final Fantasy XI for getting him addicted to online games, which now take up most of his free time.

Anime, along with manga and gaming, have a much larger impact on its consumers than one might think. Some changes are positive and inspirational, while others can be less than desirable. Either way, it's hard to deny the kinds of things that anime can do to people.

[Via student.mynavi]