As a secondary part to my comment on your other thread I'll post here. So how do I escape? I like to put on some headphones and go delve into video games or anime usually. Sometimes I'll pick up a TV show, but not often. Select the world I want to visit, then hit "play". Instant immersion into a better place. If I don't like it, I can easily switch. As you can see by My Anime List I have about 11 different anime "worlds" I visit on a weekly basis. 6 of which I visit with a club, 5 of which I'm watching alone. And as you can see by my "completed" list, I've been doing this for a while. My games list is so big I don't bother keeping track of it. But it's getting boring. I know it ends, and that kind of defeats the purpose. Once it ends, I just move on to the next one like a media devouring machine. I have no one who likes the same things I do, so i can't discuss or talk about my interests at all. Most of the time in "life" I just keep quiet and too myself. I've tried reaching out, but people make it apparent they don't want to talk. And thus repeats the self-defeating cycle of devouring anime and games.
Why does anime appeal to you? I haven't seen much, but to me it seems to solely be a merciless explosion of relentless color and sound. Is it brainwashing, or are you engaged by the drama?
Ah, see that's the neat part. At the surface level, it just looks like any other cartoon, or maybe a TV show that's drawn. But really, it's so much more than that. It's the same reason I like video games. Most anime is Japanese. Right off the bat. And I find that in many Japanese media, there isn't a "limit" as to what is done. No topic is taboo. On top of that, most of the stuff I watch creates a world to enjoy and immerse myself in. With Live-Action stuff (like most TV we get here in the West) you are limited by physics or special effects. There's only a certain amount of things you can do. And even then, if you overcome those limits you are still forcing the viewer into "this world". There's that graphical tie that doesn't allow you to escape properly. I avoid realistic games for the same reason. The anime art style frees you from that. Most anime is styled similarly (if you take a look), but there are sometimes creative differences to allow better immersion (take a look at Kaiba for an example). The anime I like best, are usually those that aren't set up in a "show" format. Just little peaks into other worlds. Most anime fans label them "slice of life." A non-anime example would be something like the show friends (which I also thoroughly enjoyed). Other anime (non-slice-of-life stuff) achieves it slightly as well. But really, what I like best is that no two anime are the same. Ever. It's always unique, entertaining, and immersive. The art is a non-issue. It just helps escape the expectations of this world. Honestly, I'd rather change my vision to see everything anime-styled if possible. But that's just my preference.
very cool, you're clearly a true enthusiast :D But then, perhaps its not the fact that you anime is such a unique detachment from 'regularity', but rather the art and idea of anime itself is simply what appeals to you? I mean, if you were presented with something else that didn't look or sound anime that had equal creative freedom and unbounded possibilities, would you still accept it?