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in·spi·ra·tion [in-spuh-rey-shuhn]
[noun]
1) an inspiring or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.
2) something inspired, as an idea.
3) a result of inspired activity.
4) a thing or person that inspires.
5) (Theology)
a) a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.
b) the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.
When you boil things down, anything could be considered inspirational in one way or another. That being said, we have a number of certain criteria that we use to categorize and define an anime title as being "inspirational". The most common genres for our inspirational anime include slice of life, romance, drama and comedy. You may be wondering why animeinspirations.com has this sort of filter in place for their anime titles. First, we wanted to associate an overall theme and by extension, a certain viewing experience, to each title in our catalog. As such, you have a general idea of what to expect prior to watching a show.
Animeinspirations.com Anime Criteria
- The plot must be what one could consider significant or meaningful.
- Generally, fighting/action and battle anime are disallowed.
- Must contain a limited amount of supernatural elements, or none at all.
- The anime must have "clean" content (for the most part) that is suitable for a wide-age range. This means limited "fanservice".
- Harems are a grey area. These titles are usually examined on a case-by-case basis to see if they are relevant.
Still confused on what inspirational anime are? I will describe the points above in greater detail.
The plot must be what one could consider significant or meaningful.
Titles with a bunch of randomness and those which don't take themselves seriously usually don't fit the bill here. This typically leads to harems and reverse harems being excluded. Optimally, we want the anime in question to be able to teach us something, to be a learning experience, imparting wisdom and knowledge for us to take in.
Certain comedy titles are an exception to the rule, which could be amended in the future but is valid for the time being. As things stand, we currently welcome titles that could be classified as slice of life comedies. Shows such as Minami-ke, Chronicles of the Going Home Club and Daily Lives of High School Boys fit the bill here. Characters in these shows, for all intents and purposes, are living in a realistic society. As a result, we may be able to relate to a given character despite the sometimes over the top comedy. Not only that but I feel that these are the types of shows you can introduce to anyone, and mange to get some kind of laugh out of them.
Generally, fighting and battle anime are disallowed.
There is nothing wrong with fighting, and action-oriented anime at all. There are a surprising number of decent ones out there. However, they are a bad match for this site, as they hardly present elements or stories that you can easily relate to as an individual. Nothing wrong with the power of friendship or overcoming obstacles through fighting or powering up, but the nature and elements behind them make them unrealistic. That brings us to our next point.
Must contain a limited amount of supernatural elements, or none at all.
Certain comedy titles are an exception to the rule, which could be amended in the future but is valid for the time being. As things stand, we currently welcome titles that could be classified as slice of life comedies. Shows such as Minami-ke, Chronicles of the Going Home Club and Daily Lives of High School Boys fit the bill here. Characters in these shows, for all intents and purposes, are living in a realistic society. As a result, we may be able to relate to a given character despite the sometimes over the top comedy. Not only that but I feel that these are the types of shows you can introduce to anyone, and mange to get some kind of laugh out of them.
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| Example of slice of life comedies: Minami-ke, Daily Lives of High School Boys, and Chronicles of the Going Home Club |
Generally, fighting and battle anime are disallowed.
There is nothing wrong with fighting, and action-oriented anime at all. There are a surprising number of decent ones out there. However, they are a bad match for this site, as they hardly present elements or stories that you can easily relate to as an individual. Nothing wrong with the power of friendship or overcoming obstacles through fighting or powering up, but the nature and elements behind them make them unrealistic. That brings us to our next point.
Must contain a limited amount of supernatural elements, or none at all.
Supernatural elements tend to make a story hard to relate to when you try to imagine yourself in a similar scenario in the real world. As a result, I feel this tends to make it difficult for you as an individual, to take something away from the viewing experience. However, there are some exceptions of shows that when examined closely, can prove to be educational in some way.
Kokoro Connect is an example of such a title where there are such supernatural elements. However, the plot, setting, and emotions of the characters provide a strong counterbalance to the equation. If these extraterrestrial elements were taken out of the show, it could very well be your everyday slice of life or romance anime. Mainly, the show takes itself seriously enough to be considered a valid title in our repertoire.
Amnesia is one title where I am on the fence about including as an "inspirational" title. Amnesia (the condition/disease) is a very real thing, though it is often exaggerated in fiction, as is the case in the anime Amnesia. It could very well be considered a "reverse harem" to some degree. One reason I declassify it as your typical reverse harem is because it has a similar setup to Amagami SS. The show in its entirety could be considered a reverse harem, but the characters are split up in such a way that there is only a single one-on-one relationship going on at that point in time.
Yes, there are supernatural elements present in Amnesia, one reason I am iffy about the inclusion of this title. That being said, the title has some positives going for it that make it somewhat valid. The show certainly takes itself seriously enough, given the context of things. Not only that, but it sparks interesting discussion and controversy with some of the actions that certain characters take. As as result, Amnesia has both positives and negatives going for it. Given that the criteria for defining titles is still shaky and not concrete (not to mention the community is in its infancy) we shall leave the title for now.
One can't deny that nowadays, nearly every anime (or media form for that matter) has some type of "fan service". Now what is fan service exactly? Generally it is a blatant attempt to incite a positive response from an audience. Female characters showing their underwear, and male characters running around without a shirt on all the time are just a few examples.
That being said, the amount of fan service present in some harems is usually a cringe worthy amount. Enough to bring the story and plot to an unrealistic level. This tends to lead the plot into something that is meant only for comedic value, leaving you, the viewer, unable to grasp anything meaningful from the viewing experience. animeinspirations.com is largely about drawing a parallel between the fictional stories of anime and the real world, often on a personal level.
Can we actually learn anything significant from watching anime?
Yes. Just like you can easily learn something from watching a random tv show or movie. Although anime (like most media) is a recreational outlet meant to entertain us, we can take quite a bit from the viewing experience if we pay attention. If we can relate to a character or something they have gone through along the way, this increases the odds. Why not take our favorite form of entertainment and not only make it an effective pastime, but an educational tool as well?
The most common type of learning through such means is taking the experiences of a certain character and becoming better because of that fact. While "becoming better" is quite subjective, it equates to you becoming more knowledgeable in one aspect of your life due to what a fictional character has taught you. While you still may be doubting that this is possible, I am about to go into some common examples.
One facet that anime is most likely to teach us is how to associate with the opposite sex. Sure enough, fiction throws a lot of unbelievable elements at us and while this is true, there are some realistic interactions as well. Associating with the opposite sex is a very broad category, but inspiration could come in many forms. This could include, befriending, conversing with, starting a relationship with, how to treat them and much more. Such learning doesn't just have to include physical actions but mental ones as well. Examples of this type of betterment include a change of attitude, mindset or what not to do in a certain situation.
As a mentioned above, any form of media could be considered inspirational to the right viewer. The criteria I outlined for anime is what I feel is the best fit for providing an inspirational, educational or emotional experience. Yes, you may even shed a few tears.
Above all, animeinspirations.com offers anime fans a catalog of titles that present a consistent viewing experience. We know how broad the common genres of comedy, romance and slice of like are. This filtered list makes things easier as a whole, and will hopefully save you less time searching, as I once did. You may even find some form of inspiration along the way.
While the community is still in its infancy, we have big plans ahead. By early next year, we will be transitioning to our own self-hosted servers. This will promise a better page structure, layout, and user experience overall. You are free to suggest any title that you feel would be a good fit for this site. Our anime list is still in its early stages and far from complete.
In the meantime, check out our anime list and start viewing some inspirational anime!
Our contest is still ongoing. Have a talent for writing or with art? Design for us, or become a guest author to earn some easy money! There is up to $100 USD in possible rewards.
Above all, animeinspirations.com offers anime fans a catalog of titles that present a consistent viewing experience. We know how broad the common genres of comedy, romance and slice of like are. This filtered list makes things easier as a whole, and will hopefully save you less time searching, as I once did. You may even find some form of inspiration along the way.
While the community is still in its infancy, we have big plans ahead. By early next year, we will be transitioning to our own self-hosted servers. This will promise a better page structure, layout, and user experience overall. You are free to suggest any title that you feel would be a good fit for this site. Our anime list is still in its early stages and far from complete.
In the meantime, check out our anime list and start viewing some inspirational anime!
Our contest is still ongoing. Have a talent for writing or with art? Design for us, or become a guest author to earn some easy money! There is up to $100 USD in possible rewards.
Love Lab reaches its inevitable conclusion with Episode 13 coming to a close. Maki and Riko ultimately teach us that we can forgive and forget.
Today's picture of the day features Watamote. A scene that was the highlight of the anime to me, and probably many others as well.
Today's featured image highlights Silver Spoon. Be on the lookout for more daily pics from the Summer 2013 anime season.
Inspiring words of wisdom from Kengo Miyazawa. This quote comes from Episode 25 of the Little Busters anime.
"You can find something else to live for. Even if you lose hope in doing one thing, you will find something you can do".
Source: My Youtube Channel (Youtube)
This OVA starts where the plot left off at Episode 77 and is a nice "re-visiting of the series. The exchange at the beginning with the cast breaking the fourth wall is quite hilarious.
Links
You can check out the OVA here.
If you have not been introduced to the series I highly recommend it. Although it is a lengthy 77 episode series, it has great comedy and slice-of-life elements. If I am not mistaken, it may the longest anime in the "slice-of-life" category but I could be wrong on that point.
Sket Dance Episode List