The Influence of Anime on Teenagers' Psychology

The Influence of Anime on Adolescent Psychology

By: Fadia Hayya Tahta Auniillah

Chemistry Education Student

Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training

UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta

Cartoons from the Land of Cherry Blossoms, often known as Anime, are quite popular among Indonesians from children to adults. Anime is a distinctively Japanese animation drawn by hand or with computer technology. The word is short for “animation” in English. Meanwhile, in Japanese ¢0Ë0á0 is read as a-ni-me, not a-nim. In the 20th century, the population of anime enjoyers and manga readers in Indonesia increased rapidly by as much as 67%.

Indonesians usually call people who like anime wibu or bau bawang (smelling of onions). In fact, anime fans have their own levels for categorising them based on how addicted they are to anime.

There are eight levels of anime fans:

First is the newbie. A newbie is the lowest or most normal level. Newbies usually only know about certain anime. If asked further about anime, they are still very unfamiliar. Second are anime lovers. They already have a lot of knowledge about anime. However, they have not yet memorised the characters' names or the storylines of those anime.

Third is the otaku; at this level they are hardcore fans of anime and manga. These otaku are usually introverts. Because they are crazy about anime and comics, they prefer to shut themselves in rather than socialise with other people.

Fourth is the otamega; this level is more extreme than the otaku. Because they watch too much anime, their eyes get damaged, so the majority of otamega wear glasses.

Fifth is the nijikon. At this level the fans do not like anime that much, but they are very obsessed with the characters in anime or manga. They even imagine themselves becoming the characters they like.

Sixth is the hikikomori; at this level their social life is worse, because almost 80% of their time is spent watching anime, reading manga, or playing games they like.

Seventh is the weeaboo, better known as wibu. At this level, wibu not only like anime but also the place where the anime is produced. As a result, these wibu tend to dress like Japanese people. Last is the wapanesee. Anime fans at this level are the most acute. They also have a great obsession with Japanese culture like wibu, but the difference is that these wapanesee even marry characters from their favourite anime or manga.

Anime, which consists of several genres, turns out to have a great influence on the psychology of teenagers who like watching anime and reading manga. Anime fans in Indonesia rank third highest among 10 other countries. In first place is the Philippines, El Salvador, then Indonesia, followed by Nicaragua, Peru, Malaysia, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Honduras, and lastly Chile.

In early 2020, Indonesian television showed more soap opera programmes than anime. But that did not make the number of anime fans decline, because nowadays many blogs, fansubs, YouTube, and even apps provide anime for free with Indonesian subtitles. So anime fans have no difficulty watching anime.

Anime is popular in Indonesia not only among children; teenagers and adults also like watching anime. During the recent pandemic, we were advised to stay at home until a set time. Because of that, quite a few people felt stressed while at home. People usually refresh themselves after finishing tasks from school or the office so that their minds do not feel burdened and their brains become fresh.

Unlike in normal times, during the pandemic many people were unsure how to entertain themselves at home. They looked for entertainment to accompany their feelings of restlessness or boredom at home, and one of them was watching anime. With the various genres in anime, viewers do not get bored watching it and can choose the shows they like.

Anime is not just animation; anime also contains various forms of education, moral messages, and knowledge that can broaden our horizons. Many anime titles are related to education, for example Hataraku Saibou, which relates to biology and tells about the cells in the human body. Dr. Stone relates to chemistry. Detective Conan relates to physics, geology, chemistry, and history, and can make us think logically and critically in solving a problem.

Of course, by watching anime we can also learn the Japanese language and culture, and much more. Watching anime can also be used as a way to relieve stress after doing various piled-up tasks that make us weary. Anime can also be used as motivation for doing tasks; for example, once we have finished a few targeted tasks, we may watch anime up to a certain episode. That way we do not feel burdened by the tasks given.

With such targets, it can indirectly give encouragement and help treat teenage depression during the pandemic. Because during the present pandemic, a person's mind and psychology greatly affect the condition of the body.

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