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I’m just gonna make it short because I don’t have enough time (and motivation) to develop my point but it seems that in this era it’s not only anime which can "corrupt" the perception of reality. It can also be cartoons, movies and models : so in short, every visual content. For example Jessica Rabbit, Kate (from Inner Workings), the Kardashians or Kate Upton

There has been quite dramatic shift in terms of my tastes for stuff I see in art, especially in the art style of manga/anime. I think in general, it seems like my interest has shifted from more moe-like towards more feminine. More...womanly designs if you catch my meaning. Like actually looking like a young adult (I mean 18-20 and beyond) woman, not just the little 14-16 yo moeblob anime seems to like so much depicting at times. Maybe it's also a weird change that happened with me recently. I started detesting more and more, or at least end up with a sour taste, whenever I see those anime child-like mor-blobs that look like a kindergartener. And for the opposite, I started enjoying more and more mature looking characters, young adults or full-fledged adults (even if I'm trying to keep a safe zone between the age span of 19-20 to 25-30). To put it weirdly, "I'm no longer looking for a cute small/young girl, I'm looking for a lady / a woman" (This, and I think I might have also found a quirk that I seem to have become very attracted by. No matter the art style, this is awesome. I just very fond of young adult women with black, wavy, shoulder-leght haircuts. It is my weak point; also make the hair a bit fluffy, and I feel like in heaven. And now with this, you are also aware of my tastes, at least in terms of art (gonna be interesting to actually rest this in real life at some point...)) (Bonus section below, you can skip to the next bit of text if not interested in an image gallery) BUT... There's a catch to it. Like all good things, it sometimes comes as a double-edged sword. A slightly distressful side effect developed after 2 years of intense exposure to anime-style Touhou fanart (and more recently a lot more other anime-style stuff). A have forgotten how a real young woman looks like (not a joke). I don't know why I feel even at the age of 20 or around they still look like at least a few years younger (not that I am good at guessing ages myself), as if they did not changed a single bit in physical features since I got into school. Or maybe I watched too much anime style art, got too used to that proportions (especially for anything using the "heroic" proportions), so I ended up forgetting what I real woman looks like. I find this thing very weird, and cannot understand why such a big perception change in such a short amount of time. No, women do not have big eyes. No, their hair does not usually stay in strands of hair like in anime art (at least not that often). No, they are not so thin as anime style makes the average girl/young adult woman look like. No, they are not that tall/have long stick-like legs. On the same note, no, young women are that "T H I C C" or have huge boobs like in your average anime (they are not flat either). To me, it feels as if a young irl lady at around the age of 20 pretty much looks the same as few years prior, without too much development. Can anyone help me with some biology explanation (if there is anyone willing to)? I would definitely like to get a better understanding of the topic. I am confused even about myself, a young man in his early 20s. Even I feel about myself that I look tooo young for my age, while I saw other guys around the age 16-17 looking much more mature than myself (which also led to me initially thinking they are like 23-25 years old). Genetics sure are weird. But anyway, the problem of warped perception when it comes to reality, how do you deal with it...? And in what other ways can the world created by the art style distort reality if one is to fall down the pitfall trap?

Even if you believe that you're forgetting what a real person looks like, at least you're starting to prefer characters that appear more mature and close to your age. Anime features are exaggerated like you said with having large eyes and being well endowed, so it's understandable why someone would get confused when people don't actually look like that. It helps keeping in contact with more people to not lose your sense of reality though. I guess another way anime can change our perception of reality is how some people view Japan itself. In most animes, characters have exaggerated personalities and voices, which isn't how ordinary Japanese people behavior at all. Japan is often portrayed as a magical place as well, where everything seems perfect. While there's plenty of interesting stuff to do and beautiful places to visit over there, Japan has it's own set of issues just like every other country in the world. By the way, it's nice to see all the cute Azur Lane and Fire Emblem artwork you saved in your gallery : )

interesting topic, not gonna lie. although I for one haven't watched many anime or read that many manga in my life, I've never had this off-feeling you're describing. I may not have been "corrupted" as @Nekofiresaid above. still, cool topic. also, I recognize that one telepurte art in the bonus section you bastard incredibly cultured