Let's face it: each one of us here at the Otaku has become addicted to anime in some way. Whether we've been pulled into it by interesting characters, intense storylines, or even just the fact that an anime falls under a favorite genre of yours, we've been the audience of anime for years. Has this not happened before, many years ago? Yes, it has, during the time of Shakespeare himself. His audiences were captivated the same ways we are to anime; the characters, the storylines, the overall atmosphere of the productions. Of course most anime doesn't have the dramatic feeling many of Shakespeare's plays had, the two have many similarities.
Take, for example, Naruto. Within it lies betrayal, romance, and tearful deaths. Shakespeare's Othello has much of the same qualities, and enthralled many, including some of today's audiences. Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden has an enormous fanbase now, and has the promise of continuing with its ever-growing fanbase for years to come.
We've all experienced Shakespeare in school, for projects, reports, and entertainment, but many of us dislike it. To many, these are just more school assignments. When we compare it to some of our favorite animes, however, there are more similarities than you would have once thought. Even the fanbase for anime and Shakespeare's productions are alike: both fanbases are still growing, and are giant. Both enthrall us, and spread across a wide range of topics and genres; romance and betrayal, as I have spoken of before, are in many animes, as well as many Shakespearian productions. Although many productions from both sides show supernatural beings or royal characters we won't ever be, there are those that show normal life, or at least have hints of it here and there.
It is obvious that many people can try to disprove the similarities in some way, trying to prove that one side is better than the other. We have to remember that these are centuries apart, and thus differ when faced with many different topics. Again, the styles may be different, but the overview relatively close when comparing the two sides to one another. Sure, I'm positive that the audiences of Shakespeare didn't come up with as many character pairings that we have come up with over the years anime has been around. I'm sure that many anime fans don't like over-dramatizations, and don't want an anime to become as dramatic as some television shows that are around today.
When you think about this topic the way I have throughout this essay, you may come to find that many more things you know other than anime have their own Shakespeare, just as everything has an Achilles' Heel in something. Hopefully we will understand many more ideas about anime in the future, about the whole psyche in us Otakus that back the very thought of anime. Addiction? Possibly. Entertainment? Maybe. Even these questions have been pondered upon by the Shakespeare audiences throughout history. The human psyche is indeed an interesting topic to cover when it comes to both anime and Shakespeare. Where does one get the ideas for such works? Everyone has usually come to agree on a one-word answer when it comes to both topics: Imagination. Both were created by imagination, both were supported and forwarded through imagination. At the heart of both, you find imagination.
Can we really say that we know the motives behind such fanbases and such works? I don't believe that we can truly understand such, but we can give answers here and there that are far apart, but can create an answer. It is a surprise, isn't it, to come to understand that the project you might have had years ago, or maybe even a few days ago, shares a basis and many ideas with one of your favorite forms of entertainment? I suppose that it depends; we could find similarities here or there during that project you might have had, but stored it away in those memory cells and never reopened that "door". With this whole new aspect on both fronts, we might never look the same way at either of the topics again. You might even take my musing about many things having their own similarities to Shakespeare and look at just about everything in a new light.
One thing's for sure: I suppose to many Otakus out there reading this, Shakespeare isn't as boring as it once was.
