Anime is a kid’s show? Many people who hear about anime for the first time immediately think it’s like a kid’s cartoon, but it is different. The shows that we watch are way more mature for older audiences; anime taps into real-life emotions that can make a big guy cry. The shows don’t hide reality, moreover, bring out a lot of the dark parts of our society that other non-animated shows wouldn’t show. We have seen shows like Family Guy, The Simpsons, and/or Rick and Morty, which are similar in that they have a more adult audience watching these shows, but I believe what makes a huge difference between these shows is the reality of us relating to the characters in anime. 

The really popular shows that can relate to sad emotions are shows like Anonana, The Promised Neverland, Tokyo Ghoul, and Death Note. These are all shows that I have seen and personally really enjoy; they all have a glimpse of death, regret, survival, and hope which are emotions that can mess with us, even as an adult. Some other Anime recommendations that are inspiring shows are Food Wars, Haikyuu, Sword Art Online, and One Punch Man. Encouraging shows can help us better ourselves, and maybe even reopen our wishes that we had as kids. As we grow older, we start getting pushed around by society/society rules, giving us a hard time reaching for our dreams. The issue is not built on only adults, but teens that are also starting to get the gist of becoming grown-up.  A lot of adults, and teenagers (including myself) who watch anime, can have all sorts of problems, but as a way of escaping reality, watching anime provides us with a bit of inspiration to do better in our lives. 

A long-time favorite for the somewhat older generation is Dragon Ball Z. This show is about a man named Goku who pushes himself to the very limit in every fight and battle he’s been in, but what makes this man amazing is the fact that he becomes good friends with the enemies too. The strongest bond that many of the anime characters cross and connect to made me learn that everyone is different, and even if you are weaker right now, there is always more to learn. These are shown with real-life skills that are needed for a person to grow emotional intelligence. Elon Musk, a well-known,  successful businessman, posted on Twitter some of his top recommendations which included Death Note, Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, and others. This list impressed many anime fans around the world and proved that anime is definitely not a kid’s show.