Escapism (is-ka-piz-em):
Escapism is mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation (books, film, music, etc), as an “escape” from the perceived unpleasant aspects of daily stress. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to try to help relieve feelings of depression or general sadness.
With more than a few thousand years of history, the human race has found numerous ways of turning away from this harsh fact of life: reality - and indulge in other things that are so much sweeter. From stamp collecting to afternoon soap operas, the arrow has finally landed on the hobby (or sub-culture, whatever floats your boat) of Japanized visual entertainment.
Personally, anime is one of my choices of medication in this tricked out world. To rely on it solely is like relying on only one brand of aspirin and then getting immune to it after years of use - it’s the same with anime. After a while, it becomes part of the routine you try to run from, if you forget about what you’re running from. Like all pharmaceuticals, the moment you let it take over your life is more or less the time your life ends. That said, what’s my take on Anime and Escapism?
The thing is, if anime takes over your life - then you really aren’t escaping into anything. Instead, real life - instead of reel life - becomes your Area of Protection.
I started out as a fan of Japanese visual entertain (a.k.a anime and manga) probably when I was around 3 and accidentally stumbled upon a tape of Rumiko Takahashi’s Mermaid Forest. Being a curious child (and scared half to death by Disney’s Wicked Witch in Snow White), my 3 year old self found solace in this different - so very different - mode of story-telling. Obviously I couldn’t really understand what was going on at the time; I was definitely not versed in Japanese (except for “arigatou gozaimasu“) and I definitely couldn’t read all the words on the English subtitles. Nevertheless, there was something entrancing about this discovery of mine, something that went into hibernation and resurfaced in small bursts until five years later.
Around 6 I found a copy of Urusei Yatsura: Remember My Love next to a now very old copy of Mermaid Forest. I chucked it into the VCR player and thus started a small scale love affair with anime. I was never an extremely outgoing child when I was a kid - I was always the last to be picked when we played tag (here called “catching”), and was constantly chided by teachers for being too talkative. School, in most cases, wasn’t an extremely happy place for me (happy enough, but not all pink and yellow butterflies) and after I found that Urusei Yatsura tape, I began to find more anime VHS tapes in the cupboard. Soon enough, the book fairs held at my school allowed me to get hold of Doraemon and Dragonball manga - albeit in cheaply printed Chinese version - and whatever childhood politics that annoyed me were left behind for adventures collecting legendary relics and traveling through time.
Obviously for me, anime didn’t present to be WAFFY worlds to escape to - rather it was more of the impossibility of the scenes portrayed that entranced a kid like me. For a child in a society which stifled the imagination, anime and manga was the perfect escape. It was a break from the constant worry about keeping grades up, about being friends with the other kids, about toeing the line - I could be different through my hobby and that cheered me up a lot.
These days, there is a fine line between anime and manga being a hobby and being a chore. For the first few months of 2008, I actually felt exhausted by my hobby. Which was odd, because my hobby was supposed to be a way for me to relax and destress - not to get additionally worked up. I no longer felt happy when I indulged in my hobby; in fact I couldn’t even say that I was “indulging”. It was evidently going out of control, and I had to do something to stop anime from taking over my life.
Anime and manga to me, is an outlet for pent up feelings I otherwise can’t express or experience in real life; an avenue where I can indulge in the impossible; a place where I can sit back and relax. That’s entertainment isn’t it? After all, isn’t anime and manga just another form of entertainment dressed in bright pop colors and moe-ness?
Again, one has to ask his or her self, do you escape into anime and return, or simply escape only to never face the reality of a Real World out there? Is it a healthy refuge? It’s as healthy as you make it to be. If you actually have to question how to balance Real and Reel - then something is very wrong. Once you let your emotions take control of you, and allow your brain to stop functioning, reality becomes distorted. Anime becomes your life - not exactly a pretty sight when you actually need to get out there once in a while.
If anything, if your hobby a.k.a anime, doesn’t improve your life somehow - then you’re going about it the wrong way and sinking into a quicksand of Alternate Reality Doom. For one thing, I can safely say that my introduction into anime and my flights of escape into the wonderful world of animated fantasy has made my life a whole lot better. Do I have bouts where I think that I’d rather stay at home and just watch anime all day? Very much so. In fact, I decided that I’d stay at home today and write this entry instead of going out; not that I actually have anything to do but you get my point.
Are there times when I use anime as an excuse not to partake in activities with my Real Life friends? Hell yeah. We all need personal space sometimes. I’m glad to say that for the large part of my tenure as an anime fan, I’ve never let it take over my life - that said, as much as I love anime and Japanese culture, I don’t let it dictate my actions and choices. I mean, where’s the fun in that? It’d just become another Harsh Reality, albeit an alternate reality.
Other takes on Anime and the Rabbit Hole of Reality:
Shizukie: Anime, Casual Hobby Or Personal “Rabbit-Hole”?
blissmo: The Rabbit Hole - Means of Escaping Reality
Hinano: The Rabbit Hole: Anime & Escapism
‘Real life as opposed to reel life’
I loved that! ^^
Your anime foray certainly began much earlier than mine. I’m humbled, if that’s even something valid to say here.
I think all of us have become tired of anime at some point in time, but the fact is we do love it, that’s the original reason we started watching it (or reading) in the first place.
Dropping friends for some ‘alone time’ is not odd at all. After a week have a merry time with my friends, sometimes I just need to come back home and do nothing for a little while. Although, that doesn’t necessarily entail watching anime, haha.
Good post, btw! (:
(Btw paragraph seven you misspelled ‘distress’.)
[...] Other entries by members of the Round-Robin: blissmo: The Rabbit Hole - Means of Escaping Reality Hinano: The Rabbit Hole: Anime & Escapism tachikomaticdays: The Rabbit-Hole: Anime and Escapism [...]
All-around great post. The only thing I want to ask is, how exactly has anime improved your life beyond giving you something to partake in and relax?
My first manga was Dragonball when I’m in secondary. I was unsure what I’m reading then as I didn’t even know that a word like anime exist. Slowly came Pokemon, and then Digimon and the media slowly bring the whole anime picture into the scene, only to introduce them as “cartoons”.
Then, I didn’t even consider reading Dragonball as a hobby, it was just part of my life. I’ll head to a nearby side stall and whip out a few dollars to get the mandarin version every now and then. I’m so close to collecting them all but dropped them at the end. Reading Dragonball also did not affect any of my relationship with my friends. In fact some even became Pokemon fans because of the cute squirtle and charmander.
OMG I’m ranting on my childhood grandmother stories!!! -_-”
Anyway nice post Soshi, I enjoyed the read. ^.^
[...] Robin has started and this is our first topic: Anime and Escapism. Other girls like Shizuki and tachikomaticdays have already analyzed what escapism is and what causes it. I don´t have anything to add to those [...]
I like my rabbit hole very much, but it’s sad that we live in the 3D world, so it can’t be help that one cannot stay in his own world forever.
Escapism is always good in this modern world. One would go crazy if there’s no escaping from reality every once in a whole. Of course, deserting the 3D world would be totally doing it, although I would like to think of the wonders that would happen if one could do so.
MY first influence was from Japanese video games. A crazed fanatic over the Super Mario Brothers since 5 years old, this game subtlely aroused the fire within me…but it was until when I touched the Sonic games that everything started…
If anime had some positive effect on my life, it probably gave me a clear perspective of what I would like to do in future. The wide range of anime around also gives me the chance to extract creative elements from them (story, music, artwork etc) and share them with friends so that they can learn something new.
I would not really find watching anime a chore, but it becomes one when I try to catch up with the latest anime showing (especially if I have to follow every season). Hence I gave up doing that.
[...] tachikomaticday [...]
@Shizukie: If I looked at my life negatively, I could say that I was constantly running away from life, haha. But well, negativity and pessimism doesn’t do anything for me.
Thanks for the compliments - and taking time to read the post! I really appreciate it!
Ah, about the typo. It should have be de-stress, as in to relieve stress but I guess the lack of a hyphen made it confusing!
@IcyStorm: Ah, that’s a very good question. Quantitatively, I can’t define exactly how anime has changed my life for the better. By doing so, I’d have to set up another experiment seeing how my life would’ve turned out if I had never gotten into the hobby!
Just joking.
Hmmm, this is stretching it a bit, but my hobby taught me about money. It’s a very abstract concept but due to me getting all Konata-mode at a young age, I realized that hey money isn’t everything but nevertheless money’s really important at the same time. I started to save both for “rainy days” and for hobby expenses (at that time, Sailor Moon trading cards - I still have them! Anyone want to trade?)
I’m a writer by profession (as a student I write, as a amateur writer I write) and anime has definitely provided fertile ground for my imagination. Somehow or other, it gave coherency for my thoughts.
And this sounds totally sociopathic but having a hobby that none of my real friends have made me stronger as a person. I’m not so susceptible to peer pressure and I don’t really give a damn about “fitting in” with the masses - which ironically has gotten me more friends. XD
And of course, I’ve got excellent bonding topics with my Dad and Brother. XD Especially my Dad!
@Hynavian: GO DRAGON BALL! I loved Dragon Ball GT! XD But frankly I still cannot really appreciate Toriyama Akira’s art-style.
Yeah, I find it nice that for “older” fans, anime and manga was simply a part of life. Returning from school, kick off our canvas shoes and sit back with a volume of Dragonball or Sailormoon.
POKEMON WAS AWESOME. If you were my primary school/secondary school classmate I WOULD’VE BEEN SO HAPPY. X3
I like your grandmother stories! :D They’re nice to read!
@double: Ah, but if we lived in the 2D world forever, we’d probably see 3D-world as our rabbit hole. Sadly for humans, we’d never really be content wherever we are.
But yeah, escaping once in a while is always good. It keeps us sane!
@Ken: Super Mario Bros! But did you know that Super Mario came from Japan? (Just a question) XDD
I found it interesting that you brought up stifled creativity as a reason for watching. I had a fairly unstifled childhood and never really got into anime until high school, when the pressure started to loom. Just thought I’d share that but it piqued my memories.
@Soshi: At first I thought Mario and gang were from America cos of the animated series that were shown on television during that time. Gradually it became more clear that they were from Japan…cos most of the characters I saw on television never existed in the game. Plus Yoshi’s name sealed that fact too. XD
[...] tachikomaticdays - The Rabbit Hole: Anime and Escapism [...]
Man, I’m pretty impressed at how early you discovered anime…
Great post, Soshi, I share the same sentiments as you are regarding this topic. Anime is anime, real life will always be present no matter what too. At the end of the day, after indulging yourself in anime and mangas, you have to face the real world again, face your problems, deal with it like any normal sane person would :)
there are good means and bad means… some forms of escapism fuel individuals to be able to do more in the cold, hard world that they live in, some just destructs what they have already put up.
anything taken in overdose is not good, though… but as you pointed out, real life is not reel life. it would always depend on the individual on how to make sure they are not going overboard.
Great post! :)
@adaywithoutme: Hahah, no thanks to my dad. That’s how I’m nearly blind too.
@Caitlin: Hmmm, that’s interesting. I wonder how many other kids got into anime because of stress/pressure - and at what age. STUDIES SHOULD BE DONE!
@Ken: Hahaha yeah. Western-ish names like Mario and Sonic hardly set of weeaboo radar.
@usagijen: Thanks! :D Glad you enjoyed it!! Yeah, anime can only be a temporary respite - and I’m glad if it stays that way. If it becomes Real Life, then I probably wouldn’t love it as much…
@kaeboo: Thank you~~ Yup. Going overboard is well, okay I guess if you remember to pull yourself back.
[...] and I found myself empathizing with, and pondering upon this escapism issue. Then comes Soshi’s write-up on this topic, and once again I am [...]
[...] The Rabbit Hole: Anime and Escapism [...]
[...] soshi - The Rabbit Hole: Anime and Escapism [...]
[...] and I found myself empathizing with, and pondering upon this escapism issue. Then comes Soshi’s write-up on this topic, and once again I am [...]
[...] in general, and if that’s a good thing or an unhealthy thing. Other participants: Blissmo, Tachikomatic Days, Shizukie, myucon, KaeBoo, animemiz, elezend, usagijen, Gar Gar Stegosaurus, and of course, [...]
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[...] Here’s another [...]
“If anything, if your hobby a.k.a anime, doesn’t improve your life somehow - then you’re going about it the wrong way and sinking into a quicksand of Alternate Reality Doom.”
You nailed it. You are the living example of someone who is capable of enjoying anime and losing herself in its wonders, while simultaneously maintaining a solid hold on reality. So long as it makes you happy without hurting or affecting others negatively, there is no shame in it. You make a critical and remarkable point about the responsibility of the individual. It is a personal choice to watch anime and it really is up to the person in so far as how they wish to view it and to what ends they will use it for. You’ve written a wonderfully thought-provoking entry. Thank you for participating in this round.
[...] before I write this post, I want to apologize to the women for butting into their conversation. But I think they’ve offered a fascinating range of views on the idea of [...]
I remember the VHS anime.. I still have a lot… but did you ever watch Fire Tripper from that same time?
Whoa… reality-bending posts, just how I like ‘em :) …
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[...] Hinano, elezend, animemiz, soshi, myu, blissmo, shizukie, choux, a day without me, usagijen, gia, kaeboo, and [...]