Should Kids Watch Anime

Should Kids Watch Anime?

By Sabrina Murray

www.storeonanimeonline.com

Sailor Moon

 

This is a question that many parents ask. I know my parents questioned it when I started to watch anime. Parents, you don't have to worry though. Anime is just another form of a cartoon. Yes some cartoons are geared towards teenagers, just as some are for adults.

When you question letting your child watch anime, just remember this, Looney Tunes started out as geared towards adults. They would show them before showing clips of the war or a movie that was in the theater. These Looney Tunes would include fighting in WWII or even Hitler himself. There was even a Disney cartoon called "Education for Death" or "The Story of One of 'Hitler's Children.'"
Back then those cartoons were considered evil for children to watch. They were to violent or to sexual. Now kids watch them starting at a young age. I know I watched them when I was younger.

Yes, some animes are geared towards adults. These are ones your kids should not watch. Just remember, if Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network (excluding adult swim) are not showing the anime on their stations, it might be to much for a younger child to watch. Animes that are normally shown on these stations are Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon, Avatar, Yu-Gi-Oh!, any Miyazaki Ghibli film, Rurouni Kenshin, Any Gundam, Digimon, Pokemon, etc.


Films of Miyazaki and Ghibli

Adult Swim is another chapter of Cartoon Network. This is more of a teen watching program. Animes that are geared towards teens are Naruto, Bleach, Inuyasha, Cowboy Bebop, Yu-Yu-Hakusho, Full Metal Alchemist, etc. These are fine for teenagers to watch, but they do have censored if your younger child is pushing for the anime.



Then there are the ones that are clearly for adults. These may not even be sexually explicit. They may be to violent or messed up for some one who is not mentally prepared for them. Some children are mature to watch these, but still be advised.


Screenshot: Fate Zero

Then there is Hentai. This, parents, are animes that are basically porn. Your kids should not be watching this at all. If your child says something about this, then you should look into the anime.

Don't just assume anime is bad just because you heard one was very explicit. Look into the subject a little. Your kid will appreciate it. My parents sat down and watched one with me, just to see what it was about. After that, they were fine with me watching them. Believe it or not, animes do teach your kids certain things, either through history, scientifically, or just learning Japanese. They can be educational. Watching another cultures films allows your child to become more diverse. Anime is just that, another cultures film.

In anime, they don't always have happy endings. The thing about anime is, they don't hide the true nature of a human's life. There are characters who die. There are characters who turn evil. In animes, the bad guy can win. In Japanese anime, they also tend to be a little sexual. The female characters will have features that are sometimes a bit exxaggerated. Japan is a country that is just more relaxed on subjects such as violence and nudity.

Let your children watch anime, just make sure they are watching the right kind.

Anime Ratings:
All ages - A/E (USA G)
10 and up - Y/10+ (USA PG)
Teens 13 and up - T/13+ (USA PG-13)
Older Teens 16 and up - OT/16+ (USA R)
Adult Content - M/18+ (USA NC-17)