I secretly hope that with each one of these very simple writing prompts I’ll manage to come up with a straightforward answer that gets to the heart of my appreciation for anime. Unfortunately, this one has probably managed to drum up some of the most complicated feelings I’ve had thus far. The question itself has more depth than it might seem on the surface; it delves to the heart of what causes shame and how we often question our own feelings about the things that we love.
My brief, contrarian answer is that I try not to be ashamed of anything that I watch. I’ve definitely come to the end of an anime series and felt that I could have better spent my time, but for the most part I knowingly choose the anime I consume and whatever the outcome, I’m not hesitant to talk about it with others. I don’t hide the fact that I’ve watched and enjoyed anime that other fans have disliked, sometimes intensely. One example that I’ve mentioned several times before is The Perfect Insider, which I found to be philosophically compelling and emotionally affecting. Many other fans were quite vocally unimpressed by one aspect of the series or another. The Lost Village is another recent example; it was goofy in a but had an underlying message that spoke to me. I’m not ashamed of having enjoyed these anime series, but I am disappointed in my inability to convince other fans that they’re worthwhile and have some amount of merit.
