How is Anime Educational? Watch These

There is a preconceived notion that anime, or cartoons in general, are just for kids. Just for entertainment. However, anime has become something beyond drawings and colors. Some anime are suited for older audience, some have life lessons, some are basically a social commentary, and some are even educational. How is anime educational, you ask? There are tons of anime series out there that have successfully combined entertainment and education into one. Furthermore, there is a variety of subjects that are being taught – science, cooking, and even sports.

If you’re looking into something new, or just plain curious on how anime can have educational content, then watch these:

Cells At Work

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPUMb4Yj_wQ]
Ask anyone what educational anime shows are out there and most of them would probably answer Cells At Work. Basically, the whole anime shows us how the human body works. If you’ve ever asked what happens with our bodies if we get sick, our what goes on in our respiratory system, Cells At Work is the show that will answer that for you. On paper, the premise may sound boring but coupled with cute characters like Platelet-chan, and learning biology and how our bodies work seems fun! Each episode tackles a different issue – and our favorite one so far is the episode on allergies.

Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgoVXfhY_Rs]
Moyashimon is another science-based anime. Less known than Cells At Work, but this anime presents biology from another perspective. If Cells At Work told the story through the cells of our body, Moyashimon‘s story is told through bacteria and microbes. The show follows Tadayasu Sawaki, a student an agricultural university, who is able to interact with bacteria. The use of terms in the anime may be a bit overwhelming but it’s a great anime that shows how bacteria affects our everyday life. Watching this show will definitely give you new knowledge, especially on product fermentation.

Dr. Stone

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnEMDDMYYfU]
Dr. Stone is another anime show filled with science lessons and trivias. Unlike the first two shows we mentioned, Dr. Stone is a show that incorporates science lessons in the anime’s narrative. The show is set in a future where everyone has turned into a stone and Senku, a high school student and science nerd, makes it his mission to restore humanity. Throughout the whole show, you’ll see how Senku applies logic and the scientific method to survive and slowly work towards his goal. This is a truly entertaining show that can get most people interested in science. As some have described the show, it’s the Bill Nye for weebs.

Spice & Wolf

Another educational anime on our list is Spice & Wolf. The show is basically economics simplified. The whole series follows two characters, Kraft Lawrence the businessman, and Holo the harvest goddess. The both of them travel from town to town to exchange their goods and earn profit, while seeing the world. It is kind of an adventure anime mixed with learning about the stock market, currency exchange, and making business transactions.

Food Wars

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–v6zWSR_Ko]
If you love cooking – or just a pure foodie, you’ll definitely enjoy watching Food Wars. Unlike other anime shows about food, Food Wars is actually very educational when it comes to cooking. Despite its (sometimes) exaggerated effects, each dish presented in the show is actually based on a recipe. In fact, there is a famous YouTube video where people get to try the recreated dishes from the show. Along with the dishes presented, they also (deliciously) describe how they made the dishes and how the ingredients were used. If you’re looking to broaden your cooking knowledge, try watching Food Wars.

Haikyu!!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhZG9Uw7PxM]
It’s no surprise that sports anime are actually very educational. Each anime explains how the sport it features work and its rules. Haikyu!! definitely nailed that on the head. Not only is the show inspirational about overcoming obstacles in the volleyball sport, it is also able to clearly explain the sport’s mechanics. Moreover, in a game, they are also able to smoothly enter explanations of each team’s strategies through a commentary of the audience. This does not only make the show enjoyable to volleyball fans, but for those who have no prior knowledge to the sport as well.

Comical Psychosomatic Medicine

Image Credit: MyAnimeList

Comical Pyschosomatic Medicine is a great anime that brings light to one of the less-talked about subjects today: mental illness. The whole show is just a quick watch with 20 episodes, and each episode just lasting 5 minutes each. While the subject it tackles is quite sensitive, the show is able to bring hilarity in its story. While it may not be as educational as the ones above, the show is still able to insert psychology facts here and there, discuss illnesses like panic disorder, depression, and even voyeurism, while still being entertaining at the same time. If you’re looking for a quick dose of laughs and knowledge, we recommend this show.

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