As someone who has read the book, 13 Reasons Why a few years ago, when I found out that they were turning something that I remembered loving into a show, I just had to watch it. As I watched the first couple of episodes, I realized that I didn’t remember anything from the book. Either that or they changed everything. Many other people I have talked to about it forgot everything, too. Although we couldn’t remember, we all just decided to follow the trend and continue the show.
Obviously there are tons of articles out there that say “this is why you should watch it,” or “this is why you shouldn’t watch it.” Sorry to say this, but mine probably won’t be too different. On the other hand, my reasons are both why you should and shouldn’t watch it.
Personally, I think that this show is a must see. They accurately represent the lives of teenagers, especially in high school. It shows you that there is more to a person’s life than you can see, and you should be careful as to what you say and do to someone. Obviously that shouldn’t be something that you need to learn through a TV show, it’s just common sense.
That being said, there is one reason as to why I think people should watch 13 Reasons Why. This reason is also why I think some people shouldn’t watch it. Towards the end of the series, they start some of the episodes with a disclaimer stating that there are graphic images not suitable for younger audiences. They show images of rape, abuse, and suicide; they graphically depict these scenes to the point that many people have to turn away or even shut it off. This is the reason that I don’t think some people are suited to watch 13 Reasons. So many people are not capable of sitting through these scenes and they are not okay.
If you are able to watch it, I think you should. It shows you what is happening in Hannah Bakers life and how real it is. This is happening to people all around the world and if you need this show to understand, it is here to watch. It will help you to understand that people have so much more going on in their lives than you understand.