Dear me,
It’s you. An older you. Don’t freak out. This isn’t breaking reality or anything. At least, I don’t think is. But I just want to tell you a few things that will probably help you out as you get older. Especially as you grow into your own as an anime fan.
You’ll probably remember how you got into anime, right? You were out in British Columbia and you didn’t quite know how time zones worked yet. You came in from playing at the lake and wanted to watch your favourite TV show (who knows what it was). But instead you see this picture of a water cyclone and this strange yellow mouse…thing…stuck inside it.
That was your first look at anime. And you liked it. It was a whole new world. You started watching TV an hour later when you got home from vacation. You watched multiple anime on YTV. Sailor Moon, Pokemon, and when it eventually started airing, Inuyasha. But those were only temporary things. Pokemon started losing its appeal as an anime (even if the games are something you’ll forever keep in your heart). Sailor Moon stopped airing and, as much as you tried, Inuyasha didn’t capture your imagination.
If you’re reading this (and if I timed this properly), it’s because you’re just now getting back into anime. Gundam SEED is on TV and you’re routinely checking in to watch it, right? High school is bringing gifts and seeing giant robots fight each other is one of them. You always turn on the TV Friday nights at 10 or 11 PM (dependent on the year). You never miss a single episode…even if it’s a vacation. It tells a fascinating story…even if you’ll see the origins of it years later and realize that it’s probably just rehashing older material. Heck, you’ll also religiously watch Gundam SEED Destiny too and not entirely understand the hate. It’ll be so much fun that you’ll turn an entire website creation project into a fan site detailing every little detail of every single mobile suit.
But things will eventually slow down. You watch your weekly episode but that’s about it. Then the TVs will slowly remove themselves from the equation. Series like Naruto just don’t interest you. Never have, never will. And the networks will stop playing your favourites. Your friends will develop different tastes. Hellsing? Elfen Lied? You’ll try to understand the love for them but it just won’t make sense. You’ll drift away from them in this regard. Don’t worry though. They’re still friends despite this…even to this day. And even if you never really like watching Nanoha.
You’ll at one point remove yourself from anime entirely. Just stop watching. University is starting and you’ll need all the time you can get. Your head will be in books for a full year.
But the next spring, you’ll be 17 and want new things to watch. It’s May after a stressful year of courses and you haven’t watched or played much of anything. Don’t be afraid to explore. You’ll find fun in the strangest of places.
(By the way, don’t be afraid to retell this story to others later despite how embarrassing it sounds. It’s actually really funny.)
There will be a fateful night. You’ll type in the words “Epic space battles” on YouTube because Gundam SEED is in your mind somewhere and you just finished playing another round of Empire at War. And you’ll see a video of some space ships blowing the hell out of each other.
You’ll watch. And you’ll see a some humorous mix of simple graphics and an orchestral space opera take place. Then comes a scene which will forever cement your love of anime.
And that’s all it’ll take. Anime is back on the menu. It’s the perfect mix of comedy, beauty in animation, and fun. Or at least, the mix which makes you tell yourself “I want more of that”.
You’ll first start searching YouTube for any anime you can get. Go wild. Anime is a wide open experience. There are many interesting projects out there. Large and small, you’ll find something you like. You’re just entering the age now where you will start exploring on your own. Everything will be interesting and new.
The age of discovery will be one of your favourites. You’ll find wonderful series. You’ll binge watch anything and everything just because it exists. This will include your favourites…ever. And you’ll rediscover series you long since thought were gone to time. Do you remember that anime that you think you saw a grand total of 1-2 episodes of as a kid? No? Don’t worry. You’ll find it again. By the way, it was Slayers. And you’ll love it and all its sequels.
Someday, you’ll find yourself questioning your own interest in anime. It’s all T&A fanservice you’ll tell yourself. How can you ever hope to find fun in those waters? It just isn’t something you find very interesting.
But just be persistent. Again, anime is huge. You’ll find stuff you love…series which match exactly what you want to see. Heck, one day you’ll see a random image of a cute monster and think “I wonder what anime that’s from”. Trust me, you probably shouldn’t think it’s cute but it’s a worthwhile watch nonetheless. Another day, you’ll just randomly decide to look up what ever happened to a series you liked back in your “must watch everything” days, only to discover that it got a sequel. Actually, I’m writing you from an era when everything you seem to like is getting reboots or anime. So look forward to anime becoming a big part of your life again.
From where I’m writing, you’re still an anime fan. Probably hard to believe from your point of view. Things will come and go in your life…good, bad, ugly…I know you’ll have some tough times ahead of you. But one thing you’ll certainly always cling to is the fact that anime will be there and it’ll provide you some thrills, laughs, and entertainment.
I guess where I’m heading with this is “have fun” with anime. It’s a wonderful medium with a lot to offer…so don’t be afraid to explore all of it. You’ll get frustrated, you’ll find setbacks. You’ll even ask yourself why you even watch any anime in the first place.
But all it takes is a slight push. It might be a late night search on Google. It might be flipping through pages on the internet. It might be a quick chat with a friend. But something will take you back. You’ll again be that kid running in from the lake.
And just like that, everything can change.
— kirant
Lain's First Law 