Everyone has their own preferences about what they watch, but one specific type of animation has become slightly more popular recently: anime. Anime has been around for a long time, and has historically been disliked or unpopular in school. 

“I’m not sure what drew me to it, but I was bored with everything on Netflix so I started “Naruto” and enjoyed the action in it,” said Aubrey Carter, 11.

However, ever since the pandemic first began and people found themselves with a lot of empty hours, anime has spread and become more popular. Some people just form an opinion right away while others are watching it for the first time and finding it interesting. In another perspective, anime really isn’t that different from cartoons; in fact they are cartoons, just made and dubbed in Asian countries. 

“I think some people see it as weird or bad because it is a show that you can’t understand the language of, and people see it as different. I like anime just how I like ‘normal’ cartoons, it’s entertaining,” said Thaddeus Rowan, 11.

Anime’s popularity has increased slightly recently and students are more open to talk about it since people are more accepting about it. Anime truly is much different then other shows and movies, other shows and movies can be watched in different languages and different cultural areas just like anime.

“I think people judge others because of their own opinions, interests, and feelings. I mean it’s kind of weird because those same people watch Riverdale or High School Musical, which really is no different. When I was growing up with anime, it wasn’t cool because ‘weird kids’ watched it or something along those lines,” said Carter.

Anime used to be somewhat frowned on or considered weird in past times, but due to the slight growth it’s being slowly more accepted. Students that enjoy anime don’t have to be ashamed of their interests or feel embarrassed about sharing it. Other students don’t need to like it and can have their opinions but should still be respectful when dealing with others hobbies and interests. All it takes is some respect and humility and things can continue to grow and become more accepting.