Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
Among those who aren’t fans of anime, there’s somewhat of a tendency to look down on the medium and its fans. Instead of wasting time watching made-up cartoons, the criticism goes, shouldn’t teenage otaku be studying and learning how to do something useful in the real world?
But one 18-year-old’s love of anime may have saved an elderly woman’s life in Japan. A little before midnight on August 15, Kagoshima City resident Harumasa Kawazu went out for a stroll to his local convenience store in the Kamihonmachi neighborhood. Along the way, though, he found a much more pressing concern than scoring some snacks when he noticed a two-story house was on fire.
From his position on the street, Kawazu could see that a fire had broken out inside the wood-frame home’s front entrance. He quickly whipped out his phone and called 119, the number for emergency fire services in Japan, but he didn’t just sit around and wait for them to arrive. Realizing that whoever was in the house was in danger, he rang the doorbell, and when there was no response, he began pounding on the door. This got the attention of the occupant, a woman in her 70s who lives by herself and was just about to go to bed, completely unaware of the danger she was in.
Luckily, the woman was able to put out the fire before anyone was injured or her home was destroyed. In recognition of Kawazu’s attentiveness and bravery, he has been awarded a letter of commendation from the Kagoshima City Central Fire Department. During the presentation ceremony, which was held last Wednesday, Kawazu said “I’ve been watching an anime about firefighters, so I was able to stay calm while dealing with the situation.”
Kawazu’s heroism and hat-tip to anime have been met with praise and smiles from Twitter commenters:
“Maybe I’m getting old, but when I hear about young people saving someone’s life or protecting them from scammers, it brings a tear to my eye.”
“Nice of him to show an example of anime having a positive effect in the real world.”
“I wonder what anime he watched?”
“I bet it was Fire Force.”
“Fire Force is a great series!”
Of course, calling the fire department when you spot a fire and warning the people in the building aren’t exactly high-level concepts that one could only grasp after watching a full season of firefighting anime. Odds are his viewing habits kept him particularly conscious of both the danger fire can pose and the power people have to save others, spurring him to act before it was too late to help.
Sources: Minami Nippon Shimbun via Yahoo! Japan News via Otakomu, Twitter
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
-- Japanese firefighters now allowed to enter convenience stores while wearing their uniforms
-- Spike in empty houses calling the fire department in Akita City baffles authorities
-- 93-year-old Japanese woman gifts ambulance worth 2.7 million yen to local fire station
- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2021/10/03/japanese-teen-saves-elderly-womans-home-from-fire-credits-love-of-anime-for-his-heroism/
9 Comments
Login to comment
kochikame
Does anybody know what firefighting anime he had been watching?
MarkX
Sorry, but is it not just called common sense when you see a building on fire to call emergency services and at the least ring a doorbell to warm somebody. I was expecting the story to say he scaled a high building at entered the second floor via a window like his hero did in the anime. I think there is a little too much credit being given to the anime, but good for the young man.
ArtistAtLarge
Good for him!
Flute
@kochikame
People are suggesting Fire Force
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Force
You can watch on Gyao among other (free now) :
https://gyao.yahoo.co.jp/title/%E7%82%8E%E7%82%8E%E3%83%8E%E6%B6%88%E9%98%B2%E9%9A%8A/5fa268f9-75c3-4361-8bcb-ac8eac6947cf
smithinjapan
Hey, if that's what helped him save a human life, that's what helped him save a human life. But give the kid credit, not the anime -- it's far more likely people MISS such dangers happening around them because they are watching anime than anime helping them notice the world around them.
Danielsan
Glad he saved her life.
There are too many people who would not have bothered to get involved. Sure, most would call it in, but by alerting her, he may have prevented her losing consciousness from smoke inhalation, which in itself can be fatal for the elderly.
Well done , young man!!!
Concerned Citizen
In a country sadly known for people not wanting to get involved in the affairs of others this is great news. Well done young man.
starpunk
Some cartoons can be educational. In between skits this sometimes occurs, usually as a PSA. TMNT often refers to recycling that way. Other shows like GI Joe and also PBS shows like Sesame Street do that.
Who sez cartoons are a waste of time? As for anime - the same way. I've seen it used for positive messages and negative (like porn).
Good job, dude!