My love for Japanese anime started at a young age. I believe I started watching anime at the age of two years (stated by my mom) and began my obsession at five years old. The first animes I ever watched which got me hooked were Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon.epilogue. In the past year, I have also found myself watching the new re-make of sailor moon.
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| Left:Sakura, Right:Sailor Moon |
I can still remember when they were featured on tv and I would get up Saturday mornings just to watch them. I loved the animes so much that I purchased the Sakura Cardcaptor ward and The Book of Clow. I still have the Book of Clow from my childhood, although some of the cards are missing, I’m not sure if I still have the wand. My mom thought it was cute that I was also so enthralled with sailor moon as a child, for my ninth birthday, she bought me this really pretty expensive moon necklace with the thought of sailor moon in mind. I still have that necklace, which is actually one of my favorites. As a child, I found Japanese animation somehow to be different compared to American animation. I enjoyed the design, graphics, and storylines more than American-made cartoons. Over the years, I was able to finish all of Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon seasons, episodes, and movies. In more recent years I was able to discover Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles which is almost a spin-off of Cardcaptor Sakura, or at least it includes all of the main characters. I was elated when I found this series because its predecessor got me interested in anime. In addition to watching all of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, I have watched the movie, OVAs, and have read the entire manga series, which just started up again as a new series adding on to the
Having a taste for anime, I soon discovered several others the caught my interests. I got into the more shounen genres next including; Yugioh, Pokemon, Digimon, and Beyblade. These animes were the start of my tomboy years when I would be obsessed with these with my guy friends, compared to my female friends who were all about dressing up and playing with dolls. I ended up purchasing both Pokemon and Yugioh cards, at which I would battle my friends. Even now I still purchase Yugioh cards but more for collection purposes. As I child, I would also play Beyblade with my neighbors and we would always say the battle phrase “let it rip” when we played. I can also remember when Burger King and Dairy Queen would give away Digimon toys as kid’s meal prizes, I obviously tried to collect them all. Pertaining to the animes, I have watched several seasons of all of them. I ended up Pokemon till the diamond and pearl season with the addition of at least ten of the movies. I have watched all of the episodes and seasons of the original Yugioh, Yugioh capsule monsters, Yugioh GX, and Yugioh 5Ds, and a couple of episodes of Yugioh Zexal and Arc and all of the movies. Fun fact: The newest Yugioh movie: Yugioh The Dark Side of Dimensions will be shown in a select number of theaters in January of 2017. I have watched six seasons of Digimon and the movies; Digimon adventure, Digimon adventure 02, Digimon tamers, Digimon frontier, and Digimon data squad (known as Digimon savers in the Japanese version. Looking back, I probably watched the least number of episodes of Beyblade in compassion with the others.
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| Dorney Park: Had catch some Pokemon |
Gaming wise I have also purchased various Japanese games stemming from those anime for my Gameboy XP and DS. Starting from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire I have purchased all of the generations currently up to the present and am planning on buying the new release next month, Pokemon Sun. I have also played around eight of the Yugioh games. Additionally, I have repeatedly watched Yugioh and Digimon several times.
Later in life, I started to watch more mature anime such as Naruto, Inuyasha, One Piece, and Bleach. I have watched almost all of Naruto and have read all of the manga, and have watched and read all of Bleach. Watching more anime got me interested in reading more manga and discovering other genres. My favorite genre to watch has been fantasy. I like the unreal aspect that is conveyed such as things we imagine or dream of that may not exist in the real world but do with our imaginations. I have watched probably at least over 50 series including all kinds of genres. If I do end up watching a series I try to finish them completely unless I lose interest, which only happens occasionally during longer series. Additionally, if I liked the original series I end up also watching the spin-off if there is one. I am also a fan of doujinshis and fan artwork.
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| Sakura Festival 2016 |
The social aspects of my anime life before college were little to none. I didn’t have any friends to talk about anime with. Most of them had no idea what anime was and the others thought of anime as childish. I can remember some parents questioning why I was watching cartoons instead of real-life drama, so I kind of keep to myself about my anime interests. In junior year of high school, I discovered one of the male assistant coaches at my club gym for gymnastics had interests in anime. He was about the only one I would talk to about anything anime. Coming to college I found more individuals who shared the same appreciation for anime. It is interesting to find others who are interested in anime and be like I know what you’re talking about. For others who don’t know me too well, I always find it interesting how others seem so surprised I know what they are talking about when they are talking about anime. I frequency get, “Wait you watch anime?” or the look that says whoa she knows what we’re talking about. I question sometimes, is that because I’m a girl or I don’t have that look? I’ve had others tell me that I didn’t seem like the type because I looked “normal”. Which means that some people associate having an interest in anime with a particular look. My mom doesn’t care that I watch anime; she has the “you like what you like” attitude.
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| J1-Con (right:me) |
I have been to one anime con, which was this past year in Philadelphia, J1-Con. I hope to someday to make it to the huge anime con in California. I have also been able to cosplay two characters; Asuna Yuki the blue fairy version from Sword Art Online and a Pokémon trainer from Pokémon Black and White video game, Hilda. I have worn both cosplays to the Annual Japan Club Halloween party and went as a Pokémon trainer to the anime con because the theme this year was Pokémon in response to this year being their 20th anniversary. Watching and reading so much anime and manga I got interested in drawing them. I have a small sketchbook which I have drawn some characters but only their heads because I suck at drawing bodies. For me to draw something I need a visual to look at so I found that I am unable to draw original characters that look good. At one point I wanted to become a mangaka or voice actor but found that I don’t have talent in either.
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| UC Japan Club Halloween Party 2015 |
What got me interested in anime? I think the first reason that got me interested in anime were the character designs and graphics. Anime has something special in its graphic designs compared to cartoons. I look at it as more of an art form in comparison. Second would be the storylines. I have noticed that most anime have excellent, sometimes complex storylines. Having a storyline engages the viewer making them want to watch more because they want to know what happens next. Whereas, lots of cartoons are standalone episodes, take Sponge Bob for example; you could watch any episode and it wouldn’t matter that you haven’t watched the previous or preceding episode. My interest in Japanese anime has lead me to learn some of the language (2 years, 4 semesters), become interested in the culture, even so far as to study abroad in Japan (summer 2016), and become part of the UC Japan Club, later a member of the executive board. Anime has been a substantial influence on my life helping bring me here to where I am today.
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| Some Sketchbook Drawings |
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Art Project 2016
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Hi Amanda, great post! I really liked that you added your own personal photos. I posted a similar question on Shirley's blog, but part of your post made me think of this again. Why do you think that shows like Yugioh, Pokemon, Digimon, and Beyblade don't appeal to girls as much as they do boys? Do you think there is something deeper than the fact that the main characters in these shows are boys? As I said in my own post, I loved Pokemon and I even occasionally watched Yugioh
ReplyDeleteI think shows like Yugioh, Pokemon, Digimon, and Beyblade don’t appeal to girls as much as boys because those series tends to have more male protagonists and focus more on battling. A show that contains more male characters makes it seem as if it is more appropriate for males to find interest in it, such as Yugioh where almost all deals are between males. Some exception to this would include reverse harems, shonen-ai or yaoi, which do attract female viewer despite the majority of characters being male. You might find one female duelist per ten males and about only one in tournaments. Seeing the dominance of males over females can persuade females that this may be a more boyish show. This type of show could also not appeal to girls because of its focus on battling in general and with the use of monsters. I think a deeper meaning could stem from the reality that there is a higher percentage of males that watch anime compared to females.
DeleteAmanda I love your essay. Learning about your anime loving background was very interesting. I can relate because I tried to do sketches to but I have a question, sis your friends ever think you were too obsessed with anime? If so what did you do about it.
ReplyDeleteI never really had many friends to disclose my love for anime with before college. Of the friends that know of my anime interests, none have thought of it as an obsession. Most are impressed that I do know or have watched a lot of series but have never stressed it as an obsession. I don’t really bring up my interest in anime to people in general unless they bring it up somehow or if I can tell they are a fan from their shirt, jacket, or key-chain then I’ll ask.
DeleteHi Amanda, I don't know you super well, but before I ever read your blog or talked to you that one time, you did not come off as an 'Otaku' or even someone super into anime, mainly because you don't seem to talk much in class. That sounds judgmental, but judging others is a common place thing in society, and in this case I admit I was wrong. Plus I enjoyed reading your blog! So kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteFirst off the bat, I enjoyed seeing 'waking up to watch cartoons', because that reminds me of myself doing the same thing as a child, except I woke up to watch Yugioh- Yugi at Duelist Kingdom and Battle City and so on. But you said yourself later on that you like Yugioh as well.
I agree with your view that "As a child, I found Japanese animation somehow to be different compared to American animation". Although I didn't even realize there were different types of animation when I was a child (it was all just cartoons to me), I now recognize this fact and agree with you. My final project is on the differences between Japanese Anime and American Cartoons. Cool stuff!
Two things I want to talk about
1- You listed a bunch of animes and tangents related to anime. Reading about things like LET IT RIP brings back good memories for me. I know it's your blog, but reading bits like 'ruby and sapphire'... oh so mcch feels. i loved sapphire, it was such a great game. RSE was my favorite pokemon game experience, and although I have not played ORAS, I think the original is still the best. Plus the music from RSE was amazing. Especially the Desert theme and mt pyre. Make sure you have your go-go goggles and mach bike to climb 'dem desert ramps, run over 'dem desert tower holes.
2- The pokemon movies have all been great. I haven't legitimately played any pokemon game since Pearl, but the pokemon series is amazing and I still watch the newest movies that are released, along with pokemon generations, and pokemon origins. go pokemon!
--- Ok, so I didn't read this part when I first said that I didn't think of you as an anime-extremist or otaku
'I question sometimes, is that because I’m a girl or I don’t have that look? I’ve had others tell me that I didn’t seem like the type because I looked “normal”. Which means that some people associate having an interest in anime with a particular look.'
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So my perspective is based off snap judgments. When I meet people, or find myself in setting with people I don't know well, I assess situations and try to get a feel for what people are like.
All in all, since I don't talk to you often, my initial belief that you aren't super interested in anime is because you seem rather quiet. At least quiet in class. If I glance around the room, I feel like I can semi-accurately judge people on a spectrum of how much they like anime. Most of this has to do with how much they talk, what they talk about, how they talk, and additional information I know about them.
I think a lot of people might be surprised that you like anime (possibly, I don't know this for certain), because you might not discuss it that much. It's not about looking weird/normal/whatever, it's more about self-disclosure and your behaviors, so when you say you like anime, it comes as a shocker because most people wouldn't expect otherwise.
tl;dr, it's surprising (at least to me) that you don't like anime, because you don't seem to talk a lot (at least in class), and don't appear to exhibit certain behaviors/attitudes/values (maybe because i don't know you, but also because you don't talk a lot in class). But I don't think you liking anime/not liking anime has anything to do with your appearance per-se; it's more of a social aspect that might seem to conflict with people's pre-judgments based on how you act, and what you disclose. That's just my two cents on the matter. Sorry for being a bit judgmental on this matter.
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ReplyDelete--
ReplyDeleteQuestion.
I could ask you a bunch of questions, but I'll limit my spammy/long comment nature for this...
When Rafael beat Yami-Yugi in Yugioh, how disappointed were you? I was pissed off and don't think Rafael should have won, but maybe it served as a plot point in helping Yami-Yugi learn from some of his personality flaws.
2nd question- What is your favorite pokemon, and why? If you don't have a specific favorite, you could list a couple. but my favorite pokemon is Gengar, because he is a trickster ghost as well as pretty strong. My second/third favorite pokemon(s) Teddiursa and Cubchoo because they are teddy bears and pretty cute. I also like drifloon, because it is a balloon with a smiley face on it, and reminds me of wilson the volleyball from that movie castaway.
3rd question- Have you played the yugioh gameboy game - Reshef of Destruction?? If so, do you agree that this game was absolutely terrible and also incredibly difficult? I beat the game, just barely, on a stroke of numerous attempts/shutting off the game to prevent loss detriments.... it was just way too hard.
First off, I’m impressed how much you commented on. I’m glad liked the blossay and found yourself reminiscing about your childhood. I agree with you that people tend to make assumptions based off of appearance and the little interaction if any, you receive from someone in order to gauge their personality, likes and dislikes. I’m generally a quiet person when it comes to group atmosphere so it makes sense that you gauged that I had little interest in anime. I think I was more disappointed in Yami-Yuki that he decided to push Yugi to the side and make snap judgments by himself than rely on his partner, which then his partner faced the consequences. I was disappointed that Yami-Yuki the seal of orichalcos knowing it was an evil and dangerous card. My favorite Pokemon is Dragonair. I’m a fan of dragons, the color blue, and wings; plus it is cute. My second is espeon because I’m a fan of the eeveelutions. Third, would be mega absol because of the added wing detail and how boss it looks. I have not played reshelf of destruction, I started playing Yugioh with the DS games. After beating all of the DS games except 5D’s world championship 2009 because the four final bosses have starter decks and you cannot heal in between, I did try some of the Gameboy advanced games but found them harder and more boring.
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