The Old School Otaku Lounge

Hi all! I've been an anime fan for the longest time...more than 30 years now, with some breaks here and there. Probably due to too many video games as well as watching Sailor Moon at the tender age of 4.

I've also suffered from mental illness for most of my life, and anime (to be precise, Neon Genesis Evangelion) has been instrumental in my survival and recovery. I wrote a book about my experiences, the chapter which deals about anime is here :

http://www.tomato-of-justice.com/anime-no-daibouken/

It does provide a look at early fandom, but it's wider content is in the book that it is part of. I didn't want to plug that too hard, but you are certainly welcome to read it. The link is to the chapter about anime.

I hope you get something of it and enjoy my writing. Have a nice day!

Just read it. Pretty interesting, though do you have the book out on Amazon or something? What exactly is it about?

Maybe you expand more on it in a later chapter (I assume the Eva one) but from this chapter alone, I wish you explained more how anime played a part for you mental well-being wise.

I've recently been watching more anime and reading manga in general (mostly classic stuff). I think it's been helping me with stress/anxiety. I think it's more beneficial for my mental well-being than just browsing random YouTube videos (that aren't shorts/films). You could argue it's escapism but I feel like there should be another word for it.

I'd love to type more but I feel too tired, heh. That and I think a storm is coming and I'm afraid of the power going out while typing this.

I also did read and enjoy the essay, and I'd also like to see more about how anime viewing impacts mental health and stress, etc. I know for me sometimes watching something familiar has a relaxing effect, and of course researching a series or film is an entertaining hobby in and of itself (which has mental health benefits). On the other hand, being involved in fandom to the extent of running an anime club or a convention can become stressful, so we might be talking about a zero sum game here, at least for me.

Glad you all liked it. There is a link to the book on Amazon on the page.