| Posted in anime manga japan blog japanese , animeshion , dunham , soulreaper | Posted on 5:30 PM
I'm applying for a staff writers job over at Anime 3000, so i have to post my 500 word essay somewhere, so here is as good as any. Feel free to read it and comment.
Anime and the Reasons for My Fandom
When most people talk about anime, there are a few questions that are usually asked, like: “What kind of anime do you like?” or “How did you get into anime?” and the ever popular, “What is/are your favorite anime?” I’m sure all of us have either answered and/or asked these questions, but there is one question that I think is rarely asked, “Why are you into anime?” Like all the other questions above, the answer will differ from individual to individual, but I really feel this is one of the most important questions for an anime reviewer.
First, let me give a brief history of how I was introduced into anime. My story is nothing amazing or out of the ordinary. I was one of those grade school kids who sat in front of the TV watching Dragonball Z on Toonami every weekday. I had no idea what anime was, or any real reason to, I just simply liked Dragonball Z. Soon, I started watching more of Toonami, and moved on to shows like Yu Yu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin, still oblivious as to what anime was. I was purely driven to watch these shows because I liked them, not because they came from a land full of Ninja and Ramen. Time passed, and I continued to watch the same three shows, until I had my first true experience in learning what anime was with Adult Swim. Surprisingly, it was Family Guy that drove me to watch Adult Swim, but it wasn’t long before I ran into Inuyasha.
Captured by the same things that drew me in with the Toonami programming, I decided to learn more about these shows, and thus my long road to fandom began. First thing I did was watch more of Toonami and Adult Swim. I started to learn more about what exactly anime was. As soon as I had a solid definition, I stated seeking more out. Soon, I ran into Shonen Jump, which quickly boosted my interest not only in manga, but in anime as well. I was hooked. Years passed, and I kept watching whatever anime I could find, introducing it to friends, and wasted all my time playing Gundam Wing and Inuyasha flash games.
Looking back, I wonder why I stuck with anime above anything else. There where plenty of good movies, games, and TV shows that I enjoyed, so why anime? The facts boil down to one thing: I was addicted to the experiences that I had while watching anime. Sure, playing Super Nintendo made me want to be an X-man, or watching Star Wars made me want to be a Jedi, but anime was something that always gave me an experience that was unparalleled. It’s my opinion that a good about of people feel similar to the way I do about anime, else there wouldn’t be as many anime fans as there are.
It’s not that anime is cooler, (trust me, growing up reading comics and Super Nintendo was more than enough to occupy a grade-schooler’s time); it’s was that it gives a different feel from everything else. A feeling that, to this day, still keeps me motivated to blog, podcast, and sharing my fandom with others. I don’t do this because I want to be popular (though that is a desired side effect) I do it because those experiences where strong enough to make a lasting impression on me.
Anime and the Reasons for My Fandom
When most people talk about anime, there are a few questions that are usually asked, like: “What kind of anime do you like?” or “How did you get into anime?” and the ever popular, “What is/are your favorite anime?” I’m sure all of us have either answered and/or asked these questions, but there is one question that I think is rarely asked, “Why are you into anime?” Like all the other questions above, the answer will differ from individual to individual, but I really feel this is one of the most important questions for an anime reviewer.
First, let me give a brief history of how I was introduced into anime. My story is nothing amazing or out of the ordinary. I was one of those grade school kids who sat in front of the TV watching Dragonball Z on Toonami every weekday. I had no idea what anime was, or any real reason to, I just simply liked Dragonball Z. Soon, I started watching more of Toonami, and moved on to shows like Yu Yu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin, still oblivious as to what anime was. I was purely driven to watch these shows because I liked them, not because they came from a land full of Ninja and Ramen. Time passed, and I continued to watch the same three shows, until I had my first true experience in learning what anime was with Adult Swim. Surprisingly, it was Family Guy that drove me to watch Adult Swim, but it wasn’t long before I ran into Inuyasha.
Captured by the same things that drew me in with the Toonami programming, I decided to learn more about these shows, and thus my long road to fandom began. First thing I did was watch more of Toonami and Adult Swim. I started to learn more about what exactly anime was. As soon as I had a solid definition, I stated seeking more out. Soon, I ran into Shonen Jump, which quickly boosted my interest not only in manga, but in anime as well. I was hooked. Years passed, and I kept watching whatever anime I could find, introducing it to friends, and wasted all my time playing Gundam Wing and Inuyasha flash games.
Looking back, I wonder why I stuck with anime above anything else. There where plenty of good movies, games, and TV shows that I enjoyed, so why anime? The facts boil down to one thing: I was addicted to the experiences that I had while watching anime. Sure, playing Super Nintendo made me want to be an X-man, or watching Star Wars made me want to be a Jedi, but anime was something that always gave me an experience that was unparalleled. It’s my opinion that a good about of people feel similar to the way I do about anime, else there wouldn’t be as many anime fans as there are.
It’s not that anime is cooler, (trust me, growing up reading comics and Super Nintendo was more than enough to occupy a grade-schooler’s time); it’s was that it gives a different feel from everything else. A feeling that, to this day, still keeps me motivated to blog, podcast, and sharing my fandom with others. I don’t do this because I want to be popular (though that is a desired side effect) I do it because those experiences where strong enough to make a lasting impression on me.
Interesting essay. This has me thinking about how and why I got into anime....might have to do a similar post. :)
Ya, i did this for a job, and had to but it up sowhere so i could link them to it. So after all that effort i said, "Why not share it with everyone?"
thanks for the comment, we dont seem to get many of those nowadays >_>