Anime apparel is what we do. We create original anime artwork and use it to adorn T-shirts, sweatshirts, and more. Without anime, we wouldn't have a brand. But that's not the worst part. A world without anime would be, quite frankly, boring.

Some of us who love anime find that our friends and family members think we are obsessive. That may or may not be true in individual cases. But the thing is that everyone is passionate about something. What sticks out about anime, at least in the West, is that it is so different from other types of art. It's also terribly misunderstood by people who don't know anything about it.

It Has a Unique Look

There is no denying that anime has a unique look. A lot of people have tried to describe it by saying anime characters are more realistic in proportion and features. That may be true, but such an explanation doesn't fully capture the anime difference.

What is that difference? We cannot explain it. Neither can you. We all know it when we see it. We can all distinguish clearly between anime and Western animation. But words cannot truly express the nuances that make anime so unique. It just looks different.

Western animators have created their own works designed to be as realistic as possible. Proportions are spot on. Hair and skin colors are realistic. Even body shapes are accurate. And still, what they produce is not anime. So the look is more than just realism.

It Has Some Edginess

True anime involves animated illustrations and a storyline. So yes, we realize that our artwork doesn't qualify under the dictionary definition. It is more anime inspired. But anyway, getting back to the product itself, anime tends to bring some edginess to the table.

Anime stories tackle real life problems. They present situations that fans can easily identify with. But again, there is a certain edginess that cannot be explained any easier than explaining anime's unique look. Something about the Japanese edge makes it completely different.

There are exceptions to this rule. Slice-of-life (SoL) anime is a good example. By the way, if you haven't seen our two posts on SoL anime, they are both good reads. SOL doesn't quite have the typical anime edginess – but it's not supposed to. That is part of its appeal.

Anime Offers Tons of Variety

We know anime has a unique look. We know that it has a certain edginess. But it also offers a ton of variety in terms of types, subtypes, stories, themes, and characters. There are so many different types of anime aimed at different demographics and audiences that it can be difficult to quantify them all. You will not find that with Western animation.

This is where the real intrigue comes into play. This is what makes anime anything but boring. You can have a new series built around a story of demons chasing down vampires for an epic battle to dominate the Earth. Flip over to another streaming service and you can find a series with a story built on organized crime and the yakuza.

There is anime aimed at preteen and teen boys. There is anime for preteen and teen girls. There is even anime for young children and their parents. The variety is incredible.

Imagine if it were all gone. Not only would Umai have nothing to sell, but life would also be pretty boring. Those of us who would otherwise occupy our time with anime would have to do crazy things like work in the garden or take a walk on the beach. Imagine that!