the impact of anime

By Selina Tran

Rodrigo Angeles Perez, who was a student at Stonegate back in 6th grade, had three friends who introduced the manga “Love and Lies” to him. This experience helped shape Rodrigo’s personality and made him into the open-minded person he is today.

Rodrigo thought, “Anime and manga were cringe at the time.” He only saw the negative side of being a weeb. But, he decided to look more into it himself and realized that it wasn’t all bad.

He wasn’t interested in anything before, but when anime and manga were introduced to him, he felt something inside him click. Some of his favorite anime are Toradora, Gintama, Rent a Girlfriend, Kamisama, and Jojo. He likes to read manga that have comedy, romance, or slice of life.

Anime and manga have taught him many important life lessons such as friendship and always being true to yourself.

An anime that taught him the importance of friendship and being true to himself is The Rising of the Shield Hero. “The character, Naofumi forged such strong bonds with his party and when all the odds were stacked against him, he always told his party he needed help and even embraced the slander thrown at him,” he stated.

When Rodrigo watched the anime, March Comes in Like a Lion, he felt that it really connected with him: “It connected with me to the point where I felt weird watching it.” He feels a connection with characters that slowly lose the habit of wanting to stay solitary.

When Rodrigo was a kid, he felt like his parents abandoned him. Rodrigo felt a connection with the protagonist in March Comes in Like a Lion because they also went through a traumatic experience.

Rodrigo Perez is currently 16 and he’s still amazed. “Anime changed me in a way that I no longer judge people on what they like (as long as it’s sane),” said Angeles. He continued, “As a kid, I really disliked anime and the people who watched it.” But, he’s seen the errors of his ways and changed that about himself.