It’s an exquisite Saturday morning: the sun is shining and the birds are singing their sweet songs. Many would insist on going outside to interact with friends, go on leisurely walks, or simply experience all the delight that this beautiful morning has to offer… Well, while they’re doing that, I’ll be in a vegetative state on my couch, getting ready to binge my 90th anime for the next 12 hours. 

The formal definition of an anime is, “a genre of film and television animation created in or influenced by the traditional style of Japanese 2D animation,” according to Dictionary.com. Anime is usually aimed towards adults, but it may also contain child-friendly content. Animes are based on their mangas, which are Japanese comics or graphic novels. These mangas contain the story that animation studios then animate to create the cartoon. 

Like all television, anime provides an abundance of different genres, art styles, and story lines; pair that with unique characters and beautiful animation and BOOM! You have a binge-worthy escape from reality. Most animes range from having 12 to 25 episodes per season. Some exceptions to this are animes like “One Piece,” which has 67 to 98 episodes per season. “One Piece” actually has a total of 971 episodes and is still airing. Given the fact that each episode of an anime is around 21 minutes, skipping both intros and end credits, it’ll take you eight hours every single day, for approximately 43 consecutive days, to catch up to the latest episode of “One Piece!” I love anime, but I don’t understand how someone can sit through all of that. 

Although it is easy to track how long you have been watching a certain anime, it’s even easier to get lost in the show. At some point when watching anime, the time seems to melt away right before your eyes. It could be 9:10 a.m. when you start the episode, and then BAM! Your computer finally runs out of power and it’s already 7:27 p.m.

I remember countless times when I kept telling myself, “Oh, just one more episode never hurt.” Then I’m sitting in the dark at 3 in the morning, tearing up because I just finished a coming-of-age anime with a sad ending. Note to self: never watch a sad anime when you are trying to get a good night’s rest. 

The worst feeling when watching a good anime is finding out there is no second season. I would be getting really into the show: the characters are unique, the story is remarkable, and the animation is breathtaking. But alas, I finish that 12th episode and nothing! They leave me high and dry — wondering what will happen next. Of course I could just read the manga, which in most cases continues the story, but it just doesn’t feel the same. The majority of romance animes tend to not contain a second season, due to the fact that the two love birds of the series finally get together and there are no more conflicts to resolve. Although it’s frustrating, I still end up watching them. 

Getting into the world of anime as a beginner can sometimes be overwhelming. With the sheer amount of great animes out there, it can be difficult to find a starting point. I recommend my absolute favorite anime “Demon Slayer.” It is a shorter action anime with 26 episodes and a movie coming out soon. “Demon Slayer” follows the thrilling tale of Tanjiro, a teenager who seeks revenge for the slaughter of his family, while also trying to cure his sister who has turned into a demon. Each episode has breathtaking animation and magnificent visuals that keep the audience entertained. It has a good mix of action and comedy and will leave you wanting to watch more and more. Plus, the soundtrack is amazing.

If you are looking for a longer anime to watch, I recommend “Fairy Tail.” It was one of the first anime I ever watched and boasts 339 episodes. “Fairy Tail” focuses a lot on friendship and working together with others to solve problems. The characters are lovable and the story itself is entertaining. If action isn’t your thing, I recommend watching romance, coming-of-age, or slice of life animes. I do have to warn you, some of the shows in these categories, such as “Your Lie in April,” “Violet Evergarden,” and “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day,” might want to make you bawl your eyes out. Some of my favorite animes to recommend are the Makoto Shinkai films. Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese animator and film director who specializes in making movies that leave me in a messy puddle of my own tears. Many of his films deal with the challenges of love and the struggles two individuals may encounter when falling in love. Personally, “Your Name” and “The Garden of Words” are my favorites of his work and I highly recommend both. 

There is so much out there in the world of anime, just waiting to be discovered. With how versatile anime truly is, there will always be a show just right for you. Whether it be a thrilling action anime, or something along the lines of romance, go out and explore all that anime has to offer. 

Grayson Navarro is a sophomore at Emmaus High School.