Anime is more than just a bunch of cartoon characters put into a show; it is life. I’ve come to realize that when I started to figure out how much anime has impacted my personality, perspective, and way of living. I don't expect anyone to be impacted the same way that anime did for me, and sometimes people might not feel impacted by it at all, but here is how anime changed my life.

1. I started cherishing the little things in life

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Whether it’d be walking home from school, eating dinner with family, listening to my music, waking up to a sunny day, or hanging out with friends, there are just so many little things in life that I often take for granted. Anime has taught me that there is joy and significance in the daily; that every day can be an adventure, and every day can be enjoyable as long as you want it to be.

2. It feels easier expressing my emotions.

Due to some past experiences, I would generally keep a cold-stoned face wherever I went. But anime helped me to express my emotions easier. I would laugh, cry, scream, get angry, cringe, or tense up during certain parts of an anime, and through that I was able to translate it to my own life where I could be genuine about my emotions.

3. The world looks more beautiful.

Some of the scenery within anime are exceptionally beautiful (kudos to the artists), and discovering how most of their scenic art derives from the world we live in, I began to see my surroundings in whole new lenses. The world is a beautiful place, and I'm glad that I'm able to enjoy it now.

4. I began to appreciate my own culture.

Growing up in a Chinese household, there were customs and traditions that I disliked and thought was weird. But seeing how culture-heavy anime is, it made me start to appreciate more of my own culture and upbringings. And even though anime is based off Japanese culture, there are many things in which I could relate to coming from an Asian family.

5. I stepped up my fashion game.

There was a time when I dreamed of being an anime character; I wanted to look all cool and fabulous, but I just wasn’t 2D enough. But then I thought, why I don’t I just dress like one? So I started modeling some of my outfits after certain characters, and before I knew it, I had upgraded my fashion sense due to the inspiration I received from anime. From then on, my wardrobe was never the same.

6. I learned to be myself.

No longer did I feel the need to hide or pretend who I was; I could express myself in a way that’s true to who I am and not feel judged for it (though I can be a bit weird sometimes). Being comfortable showing my true personality was definitely a long process, but because of how awesome, crazy, and emotional anime is, it gave me an outlet to be myself without feeling ashamed about it.

All in all, anime has heavily impacted my lifestyle in a positive way. Life has become a lot more fun, joyful, and exciting in many different aspects. It's nice to know that I gained something valuable from anime, and hopefully there are people out there who discovered something amazing of their own through their experiences with anime.