Otaku, No Video

serial experiments lain (c) Yoshitoshi ABe, Geneon

As is so often the case, Cutfilm Tovent gives me things to think about. Specifically, daydreaming, in a post where he quotes a report correlating daydreaming with depression, then goes on to write:

…anime is never very far from my mind, whether it’s thoughts of a recent episode that I watched, a blog entry I just read, or a favorite character. What does this mean for myself, or for anyone else who frequently thinks about anime? And what effect does it have on us?

…When we think about anime, we devote our mental energies to recalling and exploring worlds we can never visit, characters we can never meet, and events we can never experience or affect….does thinking about anime really differ from daydreaming, or the effects it might ultimately have on one’s mood?

This touches on a larger topic: that which we do changes us. But that’s another post.

If we spend a large percentage of our time thinking about worlds we can never set foot in, 1) that’s unproductive, and 2) we will eventually feel frustrated at our inability to actually inhabit those worlds. Nothing is free, not even daydreaming.

One might call daydreaming about anime “simple escapism.” It’s escapsim, yes. Escape from what? Reality? Is that really the most healthy reaction to reality: running away?

What’s most ironic about this is anime’s constant focus on the need to accept reality. Anime is full of heroes who “mustn’t run away.” We honor heroes who face impossible odds instead of running from them.

Anime’s heroes (and manga’s heroes) live very much in their real worlds, not escaping into fantasies at every opportunity.

So, what should we do? Well, look around you. Find something in your life that you dislike and can change, and change it.

Anime can be relaxing and recharging and challenging. Great! May it never die. But never forget that a life well-lived is one full of shuffling through autumn leaves, quiet chats with friends, dusty book shops, dinners you can remember, and the smell of sea air.

Let’s do a little more.