Are you crazy about anime? This article is a response to a hilarious wikiHow article that deals with the topic of how to stop anime addiction. The article paints anime as simply an addiction to get rid of, without discussing any of its positive aspects. We hope to cover both sides of the coin.
With all the anime stigma directed towards the fans these days, its easy to mistake regular fans for addicts. Clearly it is up for debate what level of enthusiasm should be seen as too anime obsessed. A parent could define watching an hour of anime a day as addiction. On the other hand, an anime obsessed fan could see 6 hours of anime a day as normal.
While there is nothing wrong with being an anime fan, in some cases the wikiHow article has a point. There are are cases where an anime dependence becomes an obsession and starts playing an excessive role in one’s life.
Maybe you are one of those people who is getting too yandere about anime? We created an anime addiction quiz, so you can test yourself later on in this article!
Stigma Towards Anime
But before the anime addiction test, we have to say a few words in defense of anime. We have to point out that the fans are often unfairly stigmatized! If you are someone looking to start anime, the stigma towards fans from mainstream society might be a bit overwhelming. There are four main reasons for this anime stigma, as far as we can tell. Xenophobia, hatred of “nerd culture”, anime being seen as childish and the view that anime is a waste of time. We will talk about these views one by one.
Xenophobia, aka Dislike of Different Cultures
Japanese culture is quite unique and foreign for western and European countries in many ways. There are historical reasons for this, as Japan was an isolated country for more than two centuries. Due to this, it takes an open-minded person to truly appreciate its charm, but if one gives it a shot, it can truly be worthwhile!
Some people, however, prefer to stick to what they are familiar with and do not recognize the implicit bias they have when they judge anime fans as “weird weebs”. If they could get over this anime stigma, they could discover a rich culture with a lot to offer indeed. Perhaps they might even become anime obsessed!
Anime Stigma and Prejudice Against Anime Obsessed Geeks
It is a sad fact of life that nerdy people face different levels of stigma and prejudice in their lives. Especially those who have an anime obsession. There are some signs of change. Mainstream society has admitted the importance of geeky people for society in tech. They are building and maintaining some of the most important companies and innovative solutions that clearly improve everyone’s lives.
On the other hand, this new attitude has not necessarily improved the life of nerds who still face anime stigma. Anime obsessed Otaku do not provide clear value to mainstream society like Elon Musk does, for example. But to take the same example, Elon Musk has revealed his love of anime on multiple occasions. So there are many cases where anime fans and tech nerds are in fact the same community of people.
Is Anime Childish?
Part of the stigma directed towards anime has to do with it being perceived as “childish”. Why so? The main reason is that western animated series are primarily targeted towards children. The “anime childish” meme is still strong, despite the success of local cartoons like The Simpsons, and Archer doing the same thing.
If the audience has made up their mind that “cartoons” are for children, then they with a quick glance at an animated series will still assume that its for children, even if they are aware of these exceptions. But whereas cartoons targeted towards adults are still the exception in the west, for the Japanese audience its perfectly mainstream and understandable that these shows exist. Therefore it doesn’t make sense to think that a person who watches anime is childish. It is much more likely that the content they enjoy is in line with their age and level of maturity.
Anime vs Cartoons
Another aspect that completely differentiates anime from western style cartoons is that the anime and manga series tend to have an original story line. They are more similar to graphic novels, than to a sitcom cartoons, where episodes are loosely tied to the previous ones. You will find that anime and manga fans are way more hardcore about their favorite topics! If you think about it, it takes a mature brain to process storylines that contain a thousand chapters like One Piece, that recently reached the thousand chapter mark.
To close this topic once and for all, some anime contain graphic content that is not be suitable for younger audiences. Just watch Hellsing for example. Anime is often aimed at adults, just animated, and just because something is animated, doesn’t mean it’s aimed at children.
How to Stop Anime Addiction – Spending Too Much Time and Money On Anime
The last reason is the one that has most validity in our view. Being obsessed with anime can take a lot of time. Time is your most important resource, so naturally we all have to make sure we spend it wisely. It is telling, however, that the majority of people who have this opinion are often parents of anime watchers.
When students get bad grades, parents start to blame the kid’s free time activities. This includes social media, video-games, and yes, being obsessed with anime. Don’t get me wrong, doing well in school is important, and parents are right to expect results. Question is, are the bad results caused by anime? Probably not. The lack of achievement in people’s lives is not caused by having hobbies. If procrastination is the problem, it is time to learn time management skills, not drop anime. Its easy to blame the anime habit, but rest and recreation, in due proportion, is also a necessary part of life.
On the other hand, there are genuine anime addicts out there. Sometimes, a harmless interest can become a relentless anime obsession that can lead to harmful habits and excessive procrastination. So let’s jump into the quiz!
Are You Addicted To Anime?
Now, moving on to the real question at hand. There are people in the world who are suffering from “anime addiction”.
[qsm quiz=1]How To Get Rid of Anime Addiction
If you answered most of these questions with yes, then indeed, you are an anime addict. But no reason to worry! We can show you how to get rid of anime addiction. It is possible to have a balanced work and social life while watching ample amounts of anime.
The first 2 steps are pretty simple, recognize that you need to learn how to stop anime addiction and resolve to make some changes in your lifestyle. We will discuss how to improve the situation.
Look, the truth is that there is no miracle that’ll just suddenly teach you how to stop an anime addiction. You have to put in the effort for it!
How to Stop Anime Addiction – Reduce the Time You Spend On Anime
The first option how to get rid of anime addiction is to cut down the your anime obsession little by little. If you find yourself watching an average of 20 episodes each day, reduce it to 19 the next day. Then reduce it to 18 and so on.
No matter how much suspense you have piled up, you have to push yourself not to watch more than the amount you’ve promised!
Binge watch anime only if you have the time to do it, don’t neglect your everyday responsibilities. Instead of using your anime addiction for procrastination it can become a force for good instead! Reward yourself with anime for tasks you have to complete!
Another way to deal with anime addiction, is to switch to a shorter anime. If you find yourself watching series that are longer than say, 200 episodes, then it’s time to divert your attention to anime that are 12-25 episodes long.
It may sound stupid, but the easiest “how to stop anime addiction” tip is to watch less anime!
With longer anime, you can watch all the episodes you want in a day and never run out of material. Even if you watch 20 episodes of a 200 episodes series, you still have 180 to go. You can easily see how the amount of time spent on anime can get excessive!
With shorter anime, you can finish a series relatively quickly, and once the show is finished, there’s no drive that makes you want to watch further (not that you can since the series has reached its conclusion anyway).
One way to be an anime fan and spend little time on it, is having a number of series you are caught up with. This way you can follow the chapter weekly, as it is released and the time you spend on reading manga or watching anime will be drastically reduced.
How to Get Over an Anime Addiction – Spend Time On Productive Activities
If you are still wondering how to get over an anime addiction, here is the next step for you.
Once you’ve reduced your anime consumption to a reasonable amount, say one episode a day, set a specific time for watching it. For example, only after you have finished the days work or home assignments. The idea is simple, you work before entertainment, so you will not lose out on productivity.
I know, this is easier said than done, but hear me out! I’m not telling you to read books in the time you’ve saved if that isn’t your thing. There are numerous activities out there, such as sports, arts, writing, spending time with friends, etc.
You have to choose an activity that genuinely keeps you engaged and not make you contemplate on how much anime you could’ve watched instead. Look into your other interests and make sure you spend time learning new skills.
And most important, don’t think of yourself as an anime addict in a bad way! The anime addiction test is only here to help you think the issue through. Everything is good in moderation.
If the anime fixation has become excessive, try this. Each day, experiment with something different until you find a topic that is as engaging as anime for you. This diversion will help you keep your mind off of anime and manga and you wont even need to think about how to get over an anime addiction, its just natural.
How to Get Over Anime Addiction – Talk To a Friend Or a Therapist
There is no shame in sharing your anime obsession with others. In fact, sharing experiences has been linked to a greater success of recovery by professional therapists and organizations that deal with addiction.
To my knowledge there is no dedicated group for dealing with anime addiction, but even talking with a friend may be helpful in discovering ways to make your anime addiction a healthy one. Or feel free to discuss your experience in the comment section below.
