Saturday morning cartoons offer a smorgasbord of nostalgia. The colourful imagery, laugh-out-loud moments and over-the-top goofy hijinks have left young children square-eyed for decades.
But who said animation was just for kids? The world of Japanese animation – anime – offers a stylish approach to storytelling rarely seen in Western media.
Spanning countless genres, themes and settings, anime pushes the medium of animation to its limit and tells mature stories that entertain viewers of all ages.
For 15-year-old Isaac Hooper, anime isn’t just light entertainment: it’s an escape from the pressures of high school, work and social commitments.
The stylised action, vibrant world-building and timeless stories help him to take a break and find a safe space.
“It’s something different from reality,” he said.
It started as most things do these days, with mindless scrolling on a phone.
But Isaac’s routine check of the news quickly turned into something life-changing when he learnt of the 2019 film ‘Weathering with You’ (pictured).
From there, he said it was a slippery slope down the rabbit hole.
Moving schools can be daunting for a young teen, so when Isaac moved to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane at age 13, he struggled to find like-minded peers.
“The few friends I’ve made, we’ve hit it off (over) anime,” he said.
Now in Grade 10 at Chancellor State College, Isaac has found himself a supportive friend group that bonded over their love of all things Japan.
Of course, Isaac has seen the most anime of his friends – he stopped counting around the 600 mark. It’s a number he wears as a badge of honour.
“They’re probably not that far behind though,” he said.
Isaac’s love of anime has led him to the Generation Innovation challenge.
The annual initiative provides young entrepreneurs the chance to create and nurture their own unique and exciting business ventures.
Isaac is one of the youngest participants, but he won’t let that stop him.
He hoped to combine his passions, to create an anime and gaming café where like-minded young people can socialise and play video games together.
The venture, named Otaku Lounge, aims to develop a sense of camaraderie in teens who may feel socially isolated.
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Isaac is no stranger to the business world.
At just 13, he tried to make a name for himself repairing computers.
Then, he bought a digital camera and tried to break into the photography business. He said that he’s faced some difficulties because of his young age.
“I usually find it a lot more difficult to speak out, especially doing a speech or giving a pitch,” he said.
Regardless of his stage-fright, Isaac remained optimistic.
“From every single failed attempt I’ve got a little better,” he said.
A deep-seated passion for helping people seems to be his biggest motivation.
In fact, he hoped to study psychology at university in the future.
It’s one of many ways he hoped to create a “safe space” for like-minded teens.
While the idea of starting a café was an exciting prospect, Isaac was the first to admit he hasn’t had to work on it alone.
“There’s six of us,” he said, before listing an impressive skill-set for each team member.
“One of my friends is an amazing cook … one of them can pull apart almost any (computer) part and put it back together.”
What started as a hobby for the friend group has grown into something deeper, Isaac said.
“We realised that if we combine all of (our skills), we have a mini team.”
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As a self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades, Isaac hoped to lead his team from behind to make Otaku Lounge a success.
“I just want to help out: giving advice, giving directions, pointing someone in the right direction,” he said.
Isaac faces some stiff competition in the Generation Innovation challenge.
If he manages to take out first place, he’ll receive a $10,000 prize package to help make Otaku Lounge a reality.
Isaac says the mentorship provided was invaluable.
“To win would be glorious though,” he said.
Shea Dawson is a USC journalism student.
