Some time ago, I went to the theater to watch Dragon Ball Super: Superheroes, which is an entertaining film. I was the oldest in the showing. Can you be too old for anime?

“Of course not!” I’m sure you are saying. I reacted the same way to the thought, but take a moment to consider what the question asks. First, it suggests anime is static, something you can progress out of. Second, the question suggests outside pressure from other people and culture. Third, the question asks if anime can remain relevant as you age. Let’s dissect each of these implications before we answer the question.

You Will Progress out of Anime

Aging isn’t progression. All gray hairs show are the passing of years; they don’t show change or wisdom. Wisdom, progression in character, has to be pursued. So to progress out of anime, you have to change and anime has to remain static, or anime has to change along a path that diverges from your tastes. Anime is fairly static, depending on genre. High school stories abound, and as you age, high school becomes more distant. As people age, they develop the idea that they are beyond this or that. This can be for the good. Some people have matured beyond their high school character; others are forever locked there. Many people in the US consider cartoons and anime kiddie stuff. They watch “adult” things like movies and sports. But who decides what is kiddie or adult? The definitions come down to a regional, cultural consensus which is arbitrary at best. After all, this defines “progress”.

Outside Pressure

As you can see, outside pressure determines our idea of progress. At X age, you are supposed to like Y things and avoid Z. Culture and people’s opinions influence us. I felt the pressure when I watched the Dragon Ball Super film. I wasn’t supposed to be watching this kiddie stuff! I ignored the idea, but cultural pressure remains a factor in most of what we do. The pressure often hides from our awareness. As you get older and your career progresses, it becomes harder to ignore these pressures of conduct. Sometimes it’s for the good; most of the time these pressures aren’t good for your character. Age and gender determines different expectations. An older male who watches cartoons can be considered a pedophile, for example, or deficient in some way when measured against cultural norms. The human need to belong makes it difficult to ignore these pressures. Of course, this problem extends beyond anime watching toward more important things like spirituality and cultivation of character, but I need to stay on task here.

Anime Relevancy

Anime’s relevancy for your life is the greatest threat to your interest as you age. Aging well brings different focuses and concerns. After all, you become more aware of your finite time. When I was younger, I could tolerate a bad film or a bad book. Now, I don’t. I’m more aware of the value of my time. Likewise, anime often isn’t relevant for what I want to pursue. To be fair, I don’t watch much of anything anymore for the same reason. I still watch more anime than anything else, but I’m dealing with tiny numbers: I watch perhaps 2-4 hours of television a week nowadays. The nature of anime’s stories don’t have a lot of relevancy because of how conservative their stories are. Yes, anime can be conservative because of how closely it follows well-worn story beats and tropes. Conservationism seeks to preserve something as it is thought to be, as opposed to how that something actually is. In any case, as my perspective shifts, I watch less anime because I value my time more.

Answering the Question

So can you be too old for anime? No. Age has nothing to do with it; your mindset matters. Your idea of progress comes from outside sources which can pressure you to think at X age, you ought to do C. Progress is moving from one arbitrary marker to another, which is fine when you select the markers. I use Christianity, Zen, Stoicism, and Bushido to define my character markers. But when you don’t select your goalposts for yourself, culture and other people will. You “progress” from cartoons and anime to sports, news, and film because that’s what society tells you to do as an adult. Anime’s conservative nature and target audience does threaten to keep it static as you progress through your markers. Then, anime can lose its relevancy for various reasons.

It seems silly to worry so much about entertainment. But nothing we do is a waste of life. Some things we do are more valuable than others; however, everything we do influences us. The messages we consume influence our thoughts. Our thoughts determine our behavior, and behavior, over time, becomes habit. Habit, in the end, becomes character. Finally, character becomes identity. With this in mind, the messages we consume builds the mind just as the food we eat builds the body. The quality matters. Which brings me back to the question: can you be too old for anime? The question itself is the wrong one to ask. Rather: can anime further my character goals? The answer to both is yes. Yes, you can age out of anime, and, at the same time, no. It depends on your measuring stick and what anime stories you consider. Can anime further my character goals? Yes and no, depending on your goals and what you consume.

What’s the Point?

Anime is meant to be relaxing and fun, an escape. But every message we consume shapes us, consciously or not. It comes down to intention. The question “Can I age out of anime?” points to intention. Are your concepts of aging out, progress, and how you are to conduct yourself intentionally chosen or have been following a script because it was there? Have you chosen your character by being intentional about the messages you consume, the thoughts you think, the actions to allow to turn into habits? Getting old is inevitable, but intentionality isn’t. It takes effort to live with intention. It’s best to start small. Anything can act as a springboard to practice, even watching an anime movie and considering an on-the-surface silly question that popped into mind.

So, instead of asking, “Am I too old for anime?” rather ask “Am I being intentional about what I’m doing?” Age has nothing to do with living intentionally. If you watch anime with intention, it doesn’t matter if you are 15 or 95. You’ve chosen.