The COVID-19 pandemic has afforded many SCHS students extra time, and some have become more conversant with anime.

Many students have grown up watching anime, such as “A Silent Voice” and “Demon Slayer, but over the last year, students like senior Daniel Kingsbury have found that their appreciation for it has grown due to being at home.

“COVID has amplified my love for anime and got me watching a bunch more series,” Kingsbury said.

Some of the animes that Kingsbury has watched is “Sound! Euphonium,” “Violet Evergarden,” “Attack on Titan,” “The Rising of the Shield Hero” and “Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World.”

Anime is apart of Kingsbury’s daily routine as he watches three to four episodes each day. Kingsbury watches anime because he believes each aspect is intriguing.

“Having 2D animation as the medium provides a unique way to tell a story,” Kingsbury said. “Some animes have beautiful, realistic animation with bright colors and extreme detail while others have more simplistic yet effective styles. You can’t get that (with) live-action and other western TV shows.”

Like Kingsbury, senior Karsen Ferreira admires the art style of anime.

“I’ve always had a love for drawing and art, and anime is a truly outstanding form of both of those.” Ferreira said. “And most anime has wonderful, complex storylines and effects that sometimes can’t be expressed through live-action film”

While the art can stand out, shows like “Steven Universe” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender” led Ferreira down the anime road, and eventually, he was captivated.

Watching anime everyday can definitely lead to some favorites, and some of Ferreira’s favorites are “My Hero Academia,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Demon Slayer.”

Like Kingsbury, senior Ray Gabriel Besagar enjoyed anime before the pandemic. With more free time, however, anime started becoming more intriguing.

Some of the animes that Besagar has watched are “Silent Voice,” “Your Lie In April” and “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.” Besagar has some favorites that include “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” and “The Quintessential Quintuplets,” but he likes the different aspects anime features.

“The fact that the community is so fun to talk to is good enough, as well as viewing the animation and listening to the wonderful soundtrack of each series,” Besagar said.

To Besagar, there is a difference between traditional television shows and anime.

“Anime tells more of a story with it’s animation and soundtrack and sometimes emits more emotion than what regular television shows can do.” Besagar said.