Anime And Weed: A Surprising Guide To High Viewing – Experts Share Their Top Picks
By Hernán Panessi via El Planteo
Japanese animation, always vast, deformed and brilliant, tends to fold over intense edges. And delirium, a sexy fuel for enjoyment, is situated on these edges, finding novel places for experimentation, comedy, madness and even introspection.
What!? All that happens with anime and smoke swirls? Yes, all that and much, much more.
Marijuana and anime, anime and marijuana, a pairing that the West has embraced wholeheartedly, which most of the East (especially Japan) forbids but, honestly, it suits it well.
Consciously or unconsciously, many works of Japanese anime express the most psychedelic side of society, the most unhinged of the mind and the most effusive of creativity. There are works that “self-activate” and others that “need to be activated.” Works that, in their own nature, carry psychoactive components and others that, on the flip side, the “420” stimulus enhances, waters or revitalizes.
And in this article, an exclusive selection is proposed by various connoisseurs of the subject. A cartography full of data—authors, series, and movies— that arises from a question. From a doubt that is concrete and also everyday. Here, then, a kind of trippy and Japanese guide: What is the best anime to watch high?
Anime to enjoy while smoking marijuana:
Agustín Gómez Sánz, from Ivrea: Paprika
Alune, from Malditos Nerds: Akira
Aye Zabaleta, from Infobae Latin Power: Pokémon
Diego Labra, from La Batea Podcast: Devilman Crybaby
Ezequiel Schapira, streamer: Dotto! Koni-chan
Martín Fernández Cruz, from La Nación and Video Manga: FLCL
Tomi Noxico, from Cortina de Humo: Mob Psycho 100
Vicky, from About a Geek Girl: Excel Saga
Anime to enjoy smoking marijuana Agustín Gómez Sánz, from Ivrea: Paprika
The choice was not very difficult. I think the first thought that crossed my mind when I saw this film was precisely “this is like being high.”
The story is about a psychologist who uses a novel device called the “DC Mini” that allows her to enter her patients’ dreams, assuming the identity of “Paprika,” and thus treat their particular disorders. Obviously, it doesn’t take long for others to start abusing this device, and eventually, the barriers between reality and dreams break down, giving rise to a sort of demonic procession that sweeps through the city and that, surely, will be appreciated twice as much with a pipe in hand.
If this type of multicolored and bizarre experience had good results in combination with weed, then I recommend continuing with a pair about cyberspace by director Mamoru Hosoda: Summer Wars and Belle.
Alune, from Malditos Nerds: Akira
I recently watched Akira while high, when it was re-released. Although I had seen it many times, it was like watching a new movie. Honestly, the experience of the action scenes, the motorcycle chases, the philosophical moments, the questions and all the futuristic setup is enjoyed much more. It blows your mind. And it has music that accompanies all that in …