Singapore as anime scenes

Whether it’s One Piece or Pokemon, we’ve all fallen in love with the idealistic, artful, and sometimes over-the-top world of anime at some point. If you’ve ever wondered what it’ll be like to be in an anime, and maybe even meet your own Taki-kun, join the club. 

We’ve decided to take matters into our own hands and re-envision iconic parts of Singapore as anime, to bring the whimsicality a tad closer. You’ve got to admit, the photos below do look like a scene out of Your Name. 

P.S. No AI was used in the creation of these photos.

1. HDB Corridor to Tokyo city apartment 

The humble HDB corridor may be where our neighbours’ dogs bark loudly at us, or where we have to adjust our walking trajectory to avoid shoes, plants, and laundry. Seeing it anime-fied romanticises it, while also reminding us that home is a magical place, and laundry can, at times, be an aesthetic prop.

2. Braddell Road to Slice of Life screenshot

If the everyday Singaporean’s life were to be a Slice of Life anime, this is probably what it’ll look like. Enter Natalie Tan Xin Yi-chan on the way to school. Maybe she will bump into Justin Lim Jun Jie-kun on the way. 

3. MRT tracks to Shinkansen stop

Yishun or Ueno station? The SMRT logo is the only tell-tale sign. With enough wishful thinking, you may even see a red braided cord floating around the train carriage like a scene out of Kimi No Nawa. 

4. Neighbourhood playground to pastel print ft. oba-chan

Here we have auntie, I mean oba-chan, picking up after her grandkids. “Terrible Threes” being little tyrants are a scene that never looks out of place, no matter in film photography, or in colourised manga art. 

Can we also take a moment to appreciate how aesthetic Singapore’s playground looks too? Those pastel colours? Chef’s kiss.

5. Kopitiam to ko-hi-tia-mu-des

Kopi peng? More like “ice-u kohi desu!”

Ah, the dear ol’ kopitiam is where we satiate our hunger with the best Hokkien mee or chicken rice for under $5. For some reason, anime kopitiam looks more bougie, like a meal could cost upwards of $10 – even before 9% GST. But hey, we love the Tiong Bahru-meets-Tokyo look, and if this picture were used to advertise a coffee shop in the ‘hood, you can bet we’ll be there.

What would Singapore look like as an anime?

Turns out, Singapore would look pretty amazing as a Japanese-style cartoon. While we wait for the next episode of Spy x Family or Jujutsu Kaisen to be released, why not look at Singapore through a different lens?

More for Japan and anime lovers:

• Places in SG that look like Studio Ghibli scenes
• How to bluff your friends you’re in Japan 
• “Japan” things to do in Singapore
• Ghibli movie & anime scenes in Japan

Illustrations by Memoi Marzan.