Editorial
Beyond the Blogging Crossroad Part 1: A So-called “Love Affair” with Animes
I celebrated my birthday weeks ago (December 13, and now it’s already past Christmas!), and was supposed to write my introspective “birthday” post — basically reflections on blogging and what it has taught me throughout these [1 2/3] years — but due to one heck of an introspective ride I made myself get into, the topic I had in mind seemed to have undergone quite some evolutions (and revolutions?), and I found myself mulling over other questions like, “Why do I blog?”, and “When did I actually start loving anime? (since my [past] love affair with it seemed nothing else but a fling)” instead. I certainly took my time, thinking over a lot of things, and of course, writing down [almost] all my thoughts in the process.
This introspection “adventure” I embarked on was quite a slippery slope, evident in how much I’ve written, and how much my supposedly draft has changed vis-à-vis my outlook in blogging and anime in general. Oh, and this is the horrible excuse I have for not participating in this year’s 12 Moments of Christmas, or doing any blogging for that matter. I just had to find my HONTOU no JIBUN first, just like how Takemoto-kun sought for enlightenment through an epic bike journey.
I decided to chop this post into two parts since it became quite tl;dr x__x; Totally self-indulgent post lies ahead, BEWARE!
My Long-term Anime “Love Affair”
The question of “When did I actually start loving anime?” began to haunt me the moment it occurred to me that I never seemed to pay attention to what I was watching before I started blogging (or even sometime after blogging). Imagine Osaka (from Azumanga Daioh) watching animes, “The lights are on but nobody’s home” mode of watching, that’s probably the best way to describe my anime viewing habit in the past (not to mention it also happens in conversations I have with people, even now =__=;). Most details of what I watch just go over my head, like more than 90% of the time. While that might seem moe~ in 2D girl standards, it’s totally not in real life, it’s dumb (for the lack of a “better” word).
As blasphemous as this might sound, I watched Honey and Clover in dazed Osaka mode, which is why I never shed a tear for it, not until my recent rewatch, where I wept like a baby because of how much I can relate to it. It’s a wonder how I only felt its *power* just now, and I guess it’s due to the cheesy fact that it’s not until recently that I actually fell in love with it. I don’t think I ever mentioned this to my co-bloggers Seleria and absolute0, both of whom loved Honey and Clover down to the core way back when they first watched it, whereas I just *pretended* to love it.
Cheesiness aside, I guess I owe my past anime viewing habit to my apathetic passive old self, or how I never seemed to have felt the need to step out of my apathetic shell. It’s not because of the lack of anime-loving companions I had as I was growing up or any extrinsic factors for that matter, though I can only wonder what would’ve happened if I got to be part of my baka anikis’ anime viewing sessions before.1 Perhaps my anime sense/taste would’ve developed at a faster rate, and I would’ve been more curious about what I watch earlier in my life, I wonder? Anyways, no time for “What if” questions, and whatsoever regrets. Moving on…
The few times I remember myself actually paying attention to what I watch was with shows like Boys Be and GateKeepers, but even then my mind was so attuned to one aspect of the series to gain what I’d call a deep-rooted appreciation for it.2 Either bishies, or rabu rabu — that’s what made my animu world going before. No bishie or romance = teh sucks. Say for example I blogged about a decade ago, this is probably what my comments would’ve consisted of:
Gundam Wing = hawt pilot bishies. Quatre going berserk = total turn off! Zechs Merquise unmasked is <333
YuYuHakusho = hawt bishie fighters. Kurama-samaaaa <3. Yuusuke x Botan <333
Sailor Moon = Tuxedo Mask! <3 Usagi x Mamoru rabu rabu FTW!
Fatal Fury = omgz Andy-sama~!
Card Captor Sakura = Syaoran x Sakura <333
B’tX = hawt Dr. Hokuto is hawt.
Fushigi Yuugi = too.much.bishies. *faint*
MKR = Lantis x Hikaruuuu <3
Ranma 1/2 = crazy and bizarre. Ranma x Akane FTW!
Akira = ewwwwww exploding bodies!
GiTS = too complicated for my poor brain *Zzzzzz*
My anime love affair was headed for doom, until…
Somewhere along this anime journey, I gained what I call a *relationship radar*, all thanks to my baka aniki #1, who one day told me that Marmalade Boy — the anime I thought I loved (based simply on the summaries I read off the net) — sucks. He somewhat blamed me for wasting his time and money too, because I recommended him a crappy anime. He bought the VHS fansubs after I raved about it and recommended it to him. He explained why he thought it sucked: Show ▼
Being the obedient naïve little kid that I was back then, those words from my Beloved Brother was like an ABSOLUTE MESSAGE FROM THE GOD to me, and I ended up accepting what he said as the truth just like that, not questioning it even one bit. That, and probably the stuff I’ve been reading throughout the years (read: self-help books) made me jaded / self-righteous when it comes to analyzing characters and non-platonic relationships in anime. Which is why I still have this burning resentment for anything Kimi ga Nozomu Eien or Kotoko for that matter. And yes I know I’m jaded.
Despite this, one thing remains clear: I remain unable to see things from a wide-angle perspective, which is why I can’t see the big picture of what I watch. I never bothered paying attention to / understanding what the writer/author intended when he/she “wrote” the anime, and instead, imposed my self-righteous standards in much about every show I watch, particularly those involving romantic relationships.
In the end, it showed nothing else but my delusional (or horribly jaded) fangirl self, apathetic about other aspects of a series that makes it all the more awesome (or crappy, in “objective / non-delusional standards”) than how I shallowly and prejudicially perceived it. I had no desire whatsoever to get to know animes in a deeper level or discover what I’ve been missing out on all these years — the REAL AWESOMENESS of animes that deserve far more attention than what I gave, understand what my brothers found to be EPIC in, say, Tekkaman Blade, Saint Seiya, Captain Tsubasa, Musashi no Ken, Robotech/Macross, etc. or what makes them cringe and stay away from the animes I fangirl over (lol) — the point of convergence and divergence in our biases.
More than wanting to prove myself superior than my brothers (or other people for that matter), more than proving to the world that I R SMARTASS, I’d say it’s for the sake of understanding myself and this hobby. To prove that anime is more than just entertainment and/or justify my love for it? That’s probably one way to put it, but I’d rather think I’m doing this because some animes and mangas truly deserve it, and I owe it to myself to make use of the brains God has endowed me (I’d like to think I still have some left) and discover those gems, otherwise it’ll just grow rusty through time.
It’s egotistic, it’s personal, but it’s also social. As my taste in anime changes through time, so does my ability to relate with people whose views differ or coincide with mine. The more I get to understand what makes me like or dislike certain animes, the more I become equipped to share the whole experience with other people. I mean, when someone asks you, “Why do you like [insert anime/manga here], you can’t just say, “I don’t know, I just do” right? Again, this is not for the sake of proving myself superior than others (though of course I can’t deny the inherent elitism in it 
), but for the sake of showing where I stand as far as judging animes are concerned — so other people can either relate with it, scrutinize it, reassure me if I’m right, or prove me otherwise if I’m wrong. Either way, it’ll be a WIN-WIN situation, since I’ll still learn in the process, and be humbled. And just the thought of the collective experience in watching/loving a series is enough to make for a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Just to clarify, I’m not growing out of fangirling, God forbid that will happen. I’m simply growing as an anime fan (or so I’d like to think), and continually evolving, just like how I’m supposed to — putting on a new set of clothes, or however you want to describe this change. I will fangirl if I want, but having seen different perspectives on what I watch and read, at least now I’m more aware of when I’m being delusional or not, overhyping or otherwise, and more able to discern which series I deem to be really good / awesome and those that are good for nothing else but guilty pleasure. The adventures of this anime fagn has just began…
Enough about myself, and let’s talk about you, dear readers.
(1) In your own opinion, what does “growing as an anime fan” mean?
(2) How did your “love affair” with anime start, and how (or when) did it grow?
(3) What animes do you feel guilty of trashing or not giving much attention to, and would want to revisit and get to KNOW and LOVE MOAR? (or series that you already revisited and got to appreciate in a new light)
(4) What animes do you feel guilty of “loving too much”, only to realize that you were blinded to its flaws way back when you loved it? What did you do after realizing its flaws? Hate it? love it moar?
Notes
- My brothers and I have quite an age gap (7 years with baka aniki #2, 8 years with baka aniki #1), so by the time they already gained the wisdom to discern what constitutes an awesome anime and comprehend what the series is about, I could even hardly spell my name. As such, my brothers (or specifically, my tsun bro) never found my presence welcome in their animu watching experience, because then I’d be asking all sorts of questions (I was an inquisitive kid after all!) while they watch and ruin their fun. They’d lock up the room and watch (or play games) all by themselves, making me an outcast. What a poor childhood I had, tsk. [↩]
- Guess you can call this my “anime infatuation stage” or something. [↩]
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Good post, interesting questions!
(1) To me it means finding new ways to express my appreciation for the shows that I like, as well as finding new shows to like (especially outside of what I know or am used to).
(2)
Voltes V, then Macross. Then while at university I discovered Do You Remember Love and Macross+, there was no turning back. I loved anime so much by then. But I didn’t turn into the otaku that I am until I discovered Evangelion some 5 years ago.
(3) Turn A Gundam. I hated on this anime a good deal. I’m re-watching it to give it a fair shake, and with much forgiveness for LOLTOMINO. It can be very rewarding.
(4) My fanboying is not blind, it is forgiving. I can never love Macross enough as far as I’m concerned. I’m not blind to its flaws, its absurdities (fishing in space, performing extemporaneous ad-lib medleys IN SPACE), and the stupidity of the characters that I love (Minmei, Ranka, I still love you!).
Let me say this here:
Perfection does not need your love. It is whole and complete. It is never any less perfect without your love. Nothing, nothing is missing.
Flawed shows need loving. They need championing. Just as your friends, your siblings can frustrate you and infuriate you, your love for them, and for the shows that you do, say something about your capacity for love, and the awesomeness that represents.
Macross: I remember love.
(1) In your own opinion, what does growing as an anime fan mean?
I imagine my reaction to growing as an anime fan is similar to yours… gaining maturity to not scream fangirl sentiments at everything. Altho you can still hear me in real life squealing or getting excited about some things.
(2) How did your love affair with anime start, and how (or when) did it grow?
I grew up watching anime, in the quotes of my friend, we Asians don’t really fit the mold of an American fan. I self-label as starting to watch anime when I was two. Always had anime on my background. This was a treat I took for granted that Disney didn’t bring me. My niche, when girls moaned about Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. I knew about Kiki, or Sheeta.. So I was an anime fan at heart. I didn’t realize that it was a lifer situation until I hit High school, and realized the superiority of raws, subs vs.dubs.
(3) What animes do you feel guilty of trashing or not giving much attention to, and would want to revisit and get to KNOW and LOVE MOAR? (or series that you already revisited and got to appreciate in a new light)
I guess Fushigi Yuugi, or even Dragon Ball. Don’t know if I would rewatch them, but I learned to appreciate shoujo vs. shonen. I kinda feel guilty for saying bad things, but I don’t think I’ll watch them, DB maybe – but dramas always brought the worst out of me. It still does.
(4) What animes do you feel guilty of loving too much, only to realize that you were blinded to its flaws way back when you loved it? What did you do after realizing its flaws? Hate it? love it moar?
Yu Yu Haksuho, Hunter x Hunter, Sailor Moon, Kodomo no Omacha.. these are series I purchased mangas or video tapes for, and is now wondering what to do with it all..?
@usagijen
Wait, wait, wait! (i’m acting as the self-appointed, pro bono net defender of marmalade boy i’ve become) so your brother tells you marmalade boy sucks and that made you realize it sucks?! How does that work?! (i’d have told him scram). Anyway, i’ve been around a lot of topsy-turvy relationships where even a hint of a possibility of betrayal is enough to trigger multiple emotional Hiroshimas all over (and that’s well into my twenties too), so i don’t see at all a flaw in that specific way they set the Yuu-Miki relationship. go tell your brother, then go watch the show again..
1. Growth is interesting. In [gasp, economics?!?!] classes, growth is much different than development – oh my another buzz word. But in relation to your word, “growth” is just accumulation: watching more anime, reading more blogs and fan-produced content, collecting more related paraphernalia.
“Development” would be the refinement of your fandom. Development is kind of predicated upon growth, but it’s, as you put it, coming to understand your own fandom at a greater extent.
2. If I remember, it may have been Blue Gender my senior year in high school. Then it was Fruits Basket and Evangelion. I vaguely remember the proto-set of anime that really got me into it.
The 2nd set was during 2007 summer, Eureka 7, and soooo many series. I shoved it all down.
Fall/Winter 2007 was stuff like Elfen Lied, Death Note, and that’s when I finally began watching airing series – ef, Minami-ke, Clannad. Winter 08 was True Tears, Kimikiss, etc. Spring 08 I started blogging, that’s when my anime fandom started to develop, and I have definitely seen a huge split here. My consumption is way down, but my development is continuously growing despite however little anime I consume.
3. Toshokan Sensou. The DVD gave it a new light. Will rewatch. LoGH is a series you could continuously rewatch your entire life…I have quite a huge rewatch backlist.
4. Probably LoGH, lol. I…can’t see flaws that I’m concerned with (like crappy animation…who cares? I don’t). I wasn’t at all critical of Bokura ga Ita when I watched it. I wasn’t really critical of any shoujo anime when I watched them (Fushigi Yuugi, Fruits Basket). I don’t know if I’m guilty of my anime watching, having your ideal youth as a backdrop and foundation to the development of your fandom is important for reference, as you’ve pointed out. Yeah, I was in love with Elfen Lied…I didn’t mind the incestual cousin nor the nekked killing girls =p
1) In your own opinion, what does growing as an anime fan mean?
= Growing otaku. =D
(2) How did your love affair with anime start, and how (or when) did it grow?
=Dunnoe…just keep Watchin’ ….
(3) What animes do you feel guilty of trashing or not giving much attention to, and would want to revisit and get to KNOW and LOVE MOAR? (or series that you already revisited and got to appreciate in a new light)
=Cowboy Bebop?? (I didn’t even try to watch that.)
(4) What animes do you feel guilty of loving too much, only to realize that you were blinded to its flaws way back when you loved it? What did you do after realizing its flaws? Hate it? love it moar?
=VK. Nuff’ said.
-Arrgh getting Emo… Noo!
(1) In your own opinion, what does growing as an anime fan mean?
To me, it means being able to tell the difference between the good stuff and the bad stuff. I mean, when I was a young anime fan, I watched anything and everything, and it was all “the best” to me because I didn’t have anything to compare it to.
(2) How did your love affair with anime start, and how (or when) did it grow?
I first became aware of anime through the Pokemon series back in 1998, and the series on Toonami (Tenchi, Gundam Wing, DBZ, etc.). Gradually my sisters and I started buying series on VHS (my older sister bought the entire Slayers series, I recall) and then DVD once we got a DVD player. There used to be a store in the mall that sold fansubs on VHS, and we saw Digi Charat and all of Marmalade Boy that way. I didn’t get into watching anime online until I was in college, really, and I still don’t watch much anime that way, since I have a hard time watching something on my computer without getting the urge to do something online. These days I watch most of my anime by renting it though Blockbuster.com, which can be a sometimes frustrating process when volumes aren’t available, or haven’t even been ordered. But I’ve managed to watch all of Nerima Daikon Brothers, Noein, and Nanaka 6/17 that way.
(3) What animes do you feel guilty of trashing or not giving much attention to, and would want to revisit and get to KNOW and LOVE MOAR? (or series that you already revisited and got to appreciate in a new light)
I feel kind of bad for abandoning Kodocha after getting the first three volumes of the anime, and I seriously need to buy the rest of the Princess Tutu DVDs (I’m such a bad fan…)
I really should watch Pretear again. I always meant to make an AMV using that to Bare Naked Ladies’ “Falling for the First Time.”
(4) What animes do you feel guilty of loving too much, only to realize that you were blinded to its flaws way back when you loved it? What did you do after realizing its flaws? Hate it? love it moar?
For me, it’s Love Hina. Back when I first saw it, it was the first relatively normal anime I’d watched, so I loved it. Looking back on it now, though, I can’t even watch it again, it’s too painful.
1. Watching shows, reading up on shows, and buying related merchandise (i.e. gunpla for Gundam fans). All these things immerse me in anime. However, a pivotal stage to one’s growth would be the realization of one’s tastes. I can’t say when it will happen, but you’ll know when it does. It’s like a eureka moment.
2. Speaking of Eurekas… Eureka Seven dragged me into watching fansubs, and I made the huge jump from local TV to fansubs with it. That was in early 2006. By the end of the year, I had truly fallen in love with anime, thanks to Honey & Clover. <3
3. Evangelion. I watched it when I was 11, and would want a rewatch of the TV series. Also, I should’ve caught 12 Kingdoms while it was airing here! I was also guilty of ridiculing G Gundam when it was very good for what it’s worth. The rewatch blew me away.
4. Gundam Seed. Hahaha. Sorry, I didn’t know any better Gundam shows (or so I thought) back then, and was in for a rude awakening upon experiencing the UC timeline. I’d still recommend it to people though, although with the friendly warning that there are much better Gundam shows out there.
I like long posts, interesting read.
The “daze” seems a pretty tough way of looking at things. Personally I think of my low-communication watching days more as a frantic rush of consumption. Judgement compromised perhaps, but far too exciting to be a daze. I think I was excited just to be watching. So I suppose I’m absolutely sure I was loving anime before I moved in the direction of thinking.
@ lelangir: Maybe fans who don’t think of their changes as growths are the ones who quit. Development and love might not always be compatible.
I remain unable to see things from a wide-angle perspective, which is why I cant see the big picture of what I watch
My moe whiskers were tingling.
Before the questions, I think that there may be an underlying relation to the answers among many media, not solely anime. Media is something powerful.
1. Appreciation, objectivity, taste, experience. Forming a sort of mold for what the viewer appreciates, but not holding out on series simply because they aren’t the viewer’s bag. Growing more knowledgeable, and closer to that of a connoisseur, where the viewer can pinpoint exactly what set’s them off for a given anime. (could apply to books, music, etc)
2. Strangely, I’m thought I was new (lelangir seems new), and mostly was caught up in reading Rurouni Kenshin, then seeing stuff on Adult Swim. Sentiment started to grow when I would passively watch Inuyasha, but it wasn’t the series, but the ED music/sequences that I adored (DAI). I felt transported elsewhere. At that point it was still mostly passive, GiTS and Akira were in my experience, but they were films, and I was still unfamiliar with the finite series.
Early experience (I was probably 19) held Lain and notably Cowboy Bebop, the latter holding an unrivaled identification with the forerunning, character Spike. To this day, I haven’t found a stronger identification, because my turbulent/rouge/love life was quite similar, and events still rang clearly in time; 9 years later (from my own turbulence at 17), I’ve calmed a bit.
Not quite love though, for that I believe it was Crest of the Stars, which exposed a setting I could feel lost in and dreaming about… yearning to be there. As I danced with Inuyasha, sure it was a nice atmosphere to be drawn to, but Crest was overwhelming in situation. Then, I believe I found shoujo, manga at least, Fruits Basket, etc, which led to a another love of the female shoujo lead.
More intense, was perhaps this loss of self in dreaming about school anime. The entire concept of Japanese high-school is alluring, as it’s portrayed in many ways. Sometimes I get all RAGE and want to do a Onizuka-sensei and go teach high-school in Japan for the sake of fun memories… but it’s not realistic for me atm, ahah.
In any case, I feel quite deprived from high-school in the States, which seemed to mimic whatever reality show was airing on TV at the time, and often seemed cheap. Japan does nice things like Valentine’s and White Day culture, clubs, those silly but adorable confessions, Golden Week, etc… all we have is, overly alcohol-infused Spring Breaks, and a large spread of shallow-mindedness… cheap -_- University is a little better, but experiencing school in anime has pushed me to appreciate it from an outsider’s perspective, even if it is 89% of all anime settings.
When it comes to growing, it’s been learning to accept a wider variety, stomaching the full force of heartache, and trying to see beyond the evocative nature of a series for the fundamental aspects (realism, logic, reasoning, etc) as time goes on. Though, I still like to find those engrossing settings I just wish were real.
Also, hearing others’ perspectives, via blogs, reviews, chat is something special. A growth that can’t be found by oneself.
3. For totali’s sake, Touka Gettan. Extreme allure, but somewhere I began to hate it, perhaps it was the backwards showing which just got weaker and random, or so I felt. Wishlists are always large.
4. Rurouni Kenshin, well, it has to do with loving the characters and setting more than what was actually going on in the story. Probably any shoujo I’ve read/watched, a lot of it doesn’t say much, but it’s bloody enjoyable. Not everything needs to make a statement ^^
1. I never really considered anime fandom to be something to grow-in, but instead, some gem I could share with my friends. But I did feel that I’ve grown out of simply watching anime for entertainment and now asking meatier questions while on the tube. The answers of which, make for some wonderfully long bouts of contemplation and insight.
2. Gainax’ Evangelion–a great start, I agree! I grew some sense only when I had to justify certain questionable anime tastes
3. I enjoyed pretty much everything I watched, though I do wish I’ve seen more of the classics
4. I’m not the type to rave about anime that wasn’t popular already, so I’m pretty safe when it comes to anime choices, haha.
… so this was what you were working on. good job ^_^
@ghostlightning: Trying animes out of your comfort zone is always rewarding, especially if you were once jaded against the genre, or whatever category it falls under, and be proven otherwise. Had you not done this, you’d be like other guys who refuse to watch “shoujo” just because, or in my case, I’d be forever stuck as the shoujo-loving fangirl that I was
“Perfection does not need your love. It is whole and complete. It is never any less perfect without your love. Nothing, nothing is missing.” – aww, this brings tears to my eyes ;__; O Great ghostlightning, I shall remember this for as long as I live.
@animemiz: the fangirl in us shall not die, but only grow stronger! We learn to balance things as we mature, and so long as we’re aware of our fangirl tendencies, there’s nothing wrong with that! It shows that we still know how to have fun, or something
Oh, I’m at the other end of the spectrum with Fushigi Yuugi, that’s one of the animes I totally LURVV, until the episodes where the author seemed to have ran out of ideas and resorted to ‘cheap plot devices’ x__x;
I don’t go out of my way to watch Dragonball, only when my brothers watch it on TV, and I’d say it’s great in its own right
As for YuYu, well, I’d say it’s one anime I’d consider ‘timeless’, though not necessarily the kind of anime I’d collect DVDs of… yeah. I heard great things about Kodocha, and I’d like to think there are people out there who still love it to bits until now.
@animekritik: I doubt my brother will change his mind over it, but you make me want to rewatch it and see it in another light
I hope I’d sing a totally different (and better?) note when I rewatch it.
@lelangir: Ohh yes, I mentioned growth with ‘development’ in mind, oh well, I fail in semantics, but so long as the thoughts gets across, all’s well that ends well.
I can’t believe you’re really new in the anime scene, makes people like me who’s been “long” here in the ‘business’ feel intimated. j/k. I’d like to think your taste in what you watch is already in its ’stable’ level when you got into animes, hence you skipped the ‘anime fan identity crisis stage’ lol. Anyways, more development / learning is always good~
MOAR LOVE for ToshoSen is always more than welcome, of course
As for being critical of shoujo shows, well, hmm… in my case I’d say it became an instant defense mechanism / result to being exposed to too much shoujo crap. And the next day I woke up I realize that the shoujo stuff I used to be crazy about was total crap. Gah, jaded senses activated~~
@spiralspade: you have yet to discover what anime has to offer, so just keep discovering gems and you’ll eventually see your taste change and get honed through time
@Evalana: learning how to discern good and bad shows is definitely a sign of growth, our tastes get molded through time after all. And wow, you and your sister are quite a completist, I might say. Then again, I think many of us become that kind of fan at some point in our lives.
Princess Tutu is definitely worth keeping, IMO. I owe it a rewatch (or more) myself. Kodocha too, since I became jaded before even giving that series a try x__x;
@schneider: “a pivotal stage to ones growth would be the realization of ones tastes” – I concur. I think my Eureka moment happened when brickshats got thrown on my favorite animes, otherwise I never really thought about what I was consuming.
The stuff on your rewatch list is also in mine. I trashed Eva for its ’sacrilegious’ aspects, imagine that lol. 12 Kingdoms is in my rewatch list for a looongg time now, and heh, I should’ve caught it on TV too, would’ve made watching 40+ eps feel like a breeze! My memories of G-Gundam is really faint… all I could remember is the Shining Finger OP song and the ED theme which I loved lol.
@Ryan A: what an epic anime autobiography you have there. I’d say I’m in the same boat as you regarding InuYasha, though up until now I’d say the OP and ED songs grew on me much more than the actual series could ever do lol. It’s always great to see guys discovering shoujo shows, something I’d like to happen with one of my baka anikis *grumble*
Oh, and I feel guilty of trashing Touka Gettan too, but in my case it was the ‘eww incest!’ aspect. Will give that a rewatch when I feel like it.
@didinskee: some animes deserve to be treated ’special’ that way :3 Gah, I guess I’m really missing half of my life by not watching/understanding Eva, eh?
Count on ABS-CBN or GMA for the reairing of the classics!
@ usagijen
Thanks for appreciating my words. Your appreciation is spiral energy to me yo!
Watch EVA. It turned me into an otaku, and led me to otou-san, whose debut post at OH! helped me legitimize my fanboy aesthetics, politics, and way of life.
@ usagijen
Ahhhh thanks for response – much like what @ghostlightening said it.
I so agree that the fan girl of us will not die. I was actually out today with a classmate of mine, and she asked what facet of Japanese culture I liked. I think that she and her friend were actually surprised at my responses.. but to be enthusiastic shows a spark or a spice of life. I actually spent some time trying to think about how I am maturing..
I guess I was a shonen fan since I was young, since the only series I grew up were was a lot of action/shonen.
Sure I find myself preferring some older series to the newer ones that I see now, although at the moment.. I am having an obsession with One Piece at the moment.
omgz the almighty coburn’s comment got lost in the comments queue x__x;;;
@coburn: *recovers from starstruck mode* That’s a very comforting (and optimistic?) way of looking at the ‘daze mode’, and yes, I guess we can always view it in that light. I’d personally prefer to see things that way
Interesting that you mention about the correlation between development, love and growth, something to keep in mind for further discourse (I can’t say anything more insightful about this, at least for now)
@ghostlightning: wow, Eva it is. Now all I need to do is stop being lazy and actually watch/marathon the stuff I download! x__x;
@animemiz: I might not be into One Piece as much as my brothers and other people, but I’ve got to say it’s really AWESOME! Being excited over things, even the most simple stuff, is a sign of having SPICE in/and LIFE
Rightly said… well I don’t think a lot of females around me like One Piece as much as I do… I guess it’s like Fuyu Maiden’s liking of Shugo Chara. I always find that I have some more in common grounds to speak with male anime fans about One Piece… >_<