Life Lessons From Anime

Since I started including my kids in my anime watching experience and rewatching old series I enjoyed before most of them were even born, I've come to realize a few things I never thought about before. The series I watch with them now have so many important life lessons. Some are a bit subtle and some are right there in your face. Here's what I mean.

INUYASHA

One of the best life lessons in this series is acceptance. Accepting who you are and loving yourself. Accepting others for who they are and not what they look like, who their parents were, whatever. 
You've got the main character who is half demon, half human. He hates his human side and wants to become completely demon. Why? He doesn't fit into either world as he is now. Or so he thinks. 
He meets a human girl who loves him for who he is. Their little group consists of full demons, humans, and the half demon. They're all friends, they hardly think about their differences. 

This is a valuable life lesson, especially now with the race wars going on in America. It doesn't matter what color your skin is. Who cares if you're mixed? Love yourself for who you are and love others for the same reasons. If only we could all see the world through these characters' eyes.

NARUTO

Who doesn't root for the underdog? This is one of those magical series that has so many positive life lessons all throughout. My favorite is that no matter how much you think you suck at something, no matter how many times others call you a failure, you can still succeed. Naruto was the absolute worst ninja of his class. Soon, he was surpassing them all. He proved that hard work and belief in yourself can take you just as far as natural talent, if not further. Never stop believing that you can achieve your dreams. Never let others tear you down. 

FAIRY TAIL

Friendship. That's what this series is all about. The members of the Fairy Tail guild support each other in every endeavor. The bonds of friendship are so strong that they go out of their way to help their friends, risking their lives if they must. 
A couple times, Lucy, one of the newer members of the guild, disappears to take care of her own personal business. And every time, her friends come after her just to make sure she's okay, to stand by if she should need them even if it's just for moral support. You'll never find stronger bonds than the bonds of loyalty and love in this guild. If only every friendship in real life could be this amazing.


I hope to enjoy more series with my kids that have these wonderful life lessons. You can really learn a lot from some good family anime.