If your answers to these questions are something like for survival, life etc. etc. then for me anime and manga are survival elements; a part of life.

Following up on the answer…as they say, drops of water make the ocean, the small and tiniest elements in anime make you fall in love with them.

Some are purely motivational and inspirational. The amount of determination you will get from watching Haikyuu!!, just overpowers the strengths of motivational speakers like Sandeep Maheshwari. I have watched that anime 3 times now and all during my exams. There are a lot more to name like one piece, fairy tail, Boku no hero academia etc. Most Shounen genre anime are somewhat inspirational.

Next… When some anime provide motivation, some take the different route and create a sense of relief and relaxation when you watch that. It helps you to escape reality. Whatever be the reason for you feeling down, just sit down and watch a good anime ( some people may calm down by watching fantasy and adventure while some like me really like to watch a good slice of life anime). Just recently I realized that listening to opening and ending songs of various anime also did the work.

That comes to the next point…The music and songs in anime are absolutely amazing. There is a whole range of songs from metal to soft ( although most are categorized as j-pop).

Anime inspired me to learn more about Nihon(Japan) and it’s culture and it’s language too. Most fantasy anime have their storylines based upon some Japanese legends and mythology, and most have done great work in presenting it to the outside world ( through anime).

Now coming to the animation and story… great plots, great plot twists, great “every cinematic criterion”. The characters and story have proper depth to them and the different types of animations bring out the story further to fully express the idea of the writer. The Monogatari series use a minimalistic background in the animation that helps in bringing more depth to the characters and The Tatami Galaxy uses both different animation and storytelling to engage the viewers.

Some anime are just for fun.. watch it with your friends when you are bored af and have nothing to do. Classic examples... "DMC" and high-school dxd.

Also to add as I previously mentioned Haikyuu! gave me motivation, it also led me into playing volleyball ( it got me into sports!!).

Yeah, that’s it….for now….. Watch some and come back for recommendations!!

P.S. As I am writing this answer I am listening to a playlist of anime openings and endings ( including some other Japanese songs ). Feels great!!