So here's the thing... I've been thinking about it a lot recently and wondering to myself why it is that Anime can evoke emotions in me that many other forms of similar entertainment cannot. I've wondered about this before, but what prompted it this time was after watching the entire series of Full Moon wo Sagashite. I do not cry at movies, or stories, etc etc... but here I am... a grown, married, 27 year old man sitting in my computer chair watching a Japanese cartoon geared toward pre-teen girls and getting all misty eyed and choked up. I mean... as I write this down it seems so stupid to me... yet I continue to watch these series because of this very reason. The stories are compelling to me... they evoke emotion... excitement, sadness, happiness... a whole gambit of emotion that is rare to find (at least with me) in forms of similar media.
So I was prompted to ask myself why that was? What makes it so special... The only thing I can think of is that with anime, the stories are often carried out over long periods of time. There is a lot of detail to many little things. Character backgrounds, reasons they act the way they do, etc etc... A "good" story usually spans at least a good 8 - 9 hours if not much more... The attachment and understanding you feel for the characters grows as you watch them in their everyday lives... you feel like you know them and begin to aquire a vested interest in what happens to them... So when emotional aspects happen in "their" lives, you can't help but feel some form of empathy toward them.... the ability to related with what they are going through...
I dunno... that's the only reason I can come up with.... Anyone have any other thoughts or experiences?