5 Animes Parents should show their Children and why.

Welcome back to my blog. Firstly I must apologize for the lack of posts here. as a third year University Student I have been very busy and occupied. However I endeavor to bring you more posts relating to childcare and children over the next year.

I have some interesting news for all my readers. I have applied to the JET Program which is the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program. This would mean I would become a teacher of English working and living over in Japan. This week I had my interview at the Embassy of Japan in London and am rather excited about the whole process. Fingers crossed that I get in.

There was one question that peaked my interest in the interview and that was about my interest in Anime and Manga. I would like to share with you today a more thorough explanation of the subject, once again with a particular emphasis towards children.

When someone asks me why I watch Anime they usually presume that I'm watching some kind of weird tentacle pornography. That unfortunately does exist and is often seen on the internet and blackens the name of all Anime. For example 98% of the people in my class at University all think that Anime is ALL just cartoon pornography from Japan and would cringe if I suggested allowing children to watch it.

Now you'll have to bear with me because Anime is a wonderful invention and just like any other media has its audiences from children to adult and extreme... However Anime has many different messages and the stories are sometimes the best I've ever seen.

Here are my suggestions for Anime or Anime Films that children should definitely see and why.

1. Usagi Drop/Bunny Drop.

Usagi Drop is an Anime which deals with loneliness and grief. The story follows the daily life of a middle aged man called Daikichi who is doing well in his business style job. He wears a suit to work every day, has no children or partner and lives alone. However he receives news that his grandfather has passed away one day. Naturally he attends to family in their time of need and attends the traditonal funeral.

Thats where he meets Rin. Rin is the illegitimate daughter of Daikichi's grandfather and no one knows who her mother is, or where she is. Rin is first rejected by all of the other family members because they don't want her as she is a stain on their family name. It was even suggested that Rin was to be put up for adoption as she was not a proper part of the family. 

Daikichi decides that the attitude to Rin is wrong. He simply stands up and takes her home. He states that she is still family and its not her fault. Once home he finds it hard to adapt to looking after a young child. He asks his co-worker for help in enrolling her in a nursery school. He also faces challenges at work, such as taking a pay cut and working less hours so he can pick up Rin from school and walk her home. He quits smoking because he realizes that it is harmful to Rin's health. Over the course of the Anime Daikichi changes to be a better man and learns to accept Rin in his heart. Also Rin begins to grow up and learns to trust Daikichi and see's him as a father role. 

Usagi Drop is one of my favorite Animes when it comes to emotional content and story. The story deals with many problems that children face in the real world as well as problems for parents. Rin has to deal with losing her father, moving to a new home, transitions into school and living with a foster parent. This Anime can help children and even adults who are in similar situations especially children in care. Many people can relate to both Rin and Daikichi as they are both very real and have very real circumstances. It shows that families are all different and that's perfectly fine and I strongly believe that it should get more credit. If you have a spare few hours, or have a child who is going through similar circumstances then I can't recommend watching this enough.  

2. Spirited Away 

Spirited Away. If you don't know what this Animated Movie is then you are seriously missing out. This film is my favorite animates film of all time. There is a reason why Spirited Away is the only Anime film to ever win an Oscar Award.

The story follows Chihiro who is in the process of moving house with her parents. They get lost after her father takes what he thinks is a shortcut. The family end up in the Spirit World which is in the form of an abandoned theme park. Chihiro's parents start eating food in a cafe. Chihiro goes off to explore, disgusted by her parents table manners. She comes back to find them turned into pigs.

Chihiro ends up working at a Bath House for the Spirit World where she meets a variety of characters including one called Haku a young man who helps her. He promises her that one day she can return home with her parents, however things go badly. When Haku comes back injured from a journey that Yuubaba, the witch that controls the Bath House sent him on, Chihiro has to do the right thing. She runs away to return a golden seal to lift a curse on him and apologize. This short synopsis does not do the film justice, you really have to see it for yourself.

Spirited Away can be beneficial to children. It helps them realize that they all have courage and to trust their judgement to do the right thing. It teaches them loyalty and to take pride in who they are. It also teaches them that love can help with a lot of the problems in the world and they should look out for those who look out for them. I would strongly recommend this film to everyone and its a film you should definitely watch sometime in your life. Hats off to Hayao Miyazaki, this film is in my opinion his best piece of work ever.

3. Shugo Chara

Shugo Chara is a rather interesting Anime and is aimed at children. The story follows a girl who has just moved to a new Elementary School called Amu. She is known across the school as being "Cool and Spicy" as she puts on an emotionless front and acts like she is tough. However in fact she is much different and turns out to be hiding her true self. In reality she is still finding herself as a person, and it probably doesn't help when three eggs turn up in her bed one morning.

These eggs eventually hatch and turn out to be called "Guardian Characters" which turn out to be what her heart wants to be in the future as a person. She befriends some other classmates who have Guardian Characters. Guardian Characters are what your heart truly wants to be and are a combination of your dreams and desires as a child.

Amu and her friends then have a mission. Someone is trying to lure out X Eggs. X Eggs are black eggs that come from childrens hearts when their dreams are restricted or broken. For example if your want to be a certain person and are denied the opportunity your egg (dream in your heart) becomes black and goes wild causing havoc. Together they are on a mission to purify the X Eggs, help others realize that they can be whom they want to and to follow their heart. Its a strange Anime but it has a good meaning.

This Anime can teach children and even adults that you should follow your heart and not let people get in your way. It also helps with people who think they need to put up a front to be accepted and that you should be yourself and not someone different. Its a good anime to watch overall, its pretty long and has some good action scenes so its good for children who might become bored easily. Its also very very colorful and cartoony. 

4. Angel Beats

I've mentioned Angel Beats before. And this is an Anime for older children and teenagers. But I am going to include it in here as well. Angel Beats is about Otonashi who wakes to find himself in a High School with a girl who is about to shoot a sniper rifle.

Seriously, its not as crazy as it sounds. It turns out that they are in the limbo between Heaven and Earth and no one can die, it just really hurts (Apparently). Anyways without ruining the story it is about the characters who are there because they have had a bad youth and couldn't enjoy themselves while they were young and have died because of it. For example one of the characters grew up in an abusive home environment and escaped through her music, while another was witness to watching her siblings being brutally murdered during a robbery at her home.

Angel Beats is one of those Animes that makes you think about others and what they may be going through. It also shows how special educational needs are real. For example Yui is paralyzed after a car accident when she was young. Her dreams are simple, such as hitting a home run, doing wrestling and getting married. Dreams she was certain she would never be able to do when she was alive. It can teach children that no matter where they are from or whats happened in the past they can always do what they dream of and progress with the help of friends and loved ones.  

That's what makes Angel Beats more special.

For more information on Angel Beats please take a look at this link from my previous blog entry. LINK

5. Anohana, The Flower We Saw That Day. 

Anohana, The Flower We Saw That Day is an amazing anime when it comes to grief and relationships. It follows Jinta who is a high school student. Several years ago he had friends who used to hang out at a den in the woods together. However there was an accident causing one of their group, Menma to have an accident being killed in the process.

Jinta is then haunted by what can only be described as Menmas spirit and love. She appears and bothers him, but only he can see her. She's a kind of ghost and she wants to know what happened. In the time she has been dead the group of friends have all separated in different ways and each feel guilty for her death. They all blame themselves as well as each other for the death of Menma.

The story progresses as the group faces conflicts. Menma tries to get Jinta to explain about her. They think he's crazy, but then they realize that she is still there as a ghost and in their hearts. Menma can't pass on as she has a wish to fulfill. She doesn't know this wish, only her heart will tell her when it is time. Eventually the group of friends work together to help Menma pass on and to get over their own personal grief which has been building up inside them since they were children and Menma teaches them that even though she is gone they should all stick together as friends.

This Anime teaches children the value of true friendship. It helps children who may have lost a friend, to death or otherwise and helps children with any guilt they may feel. A lot of events happen and children can feel like they are to blame. This Anime is wonderful for helping them realize that with friends and love, you can accomplish anything and be strong together. No one should have to suffer in silence. Be prepared though, the ending is very emotional and even I end up tearing up. Definitely recommended, so many important lessons for life.

Those are my five recommendations of Anime to show to children. I hope that I've influenced you or helped you understand what Anime can be and why I believe it is better than normal cartoons. You can watch a cartoon where you beat up aliens and monsters all day, but does it help you understand being alone or how to deal with losing someone close to you? This is why any future children of mine will be exposed to these Animes because I believe with some understanding, they can help children become better people.