Wednesday, November 9, 2016

T5W#65-Top 5 Reasons I Love Anime


Normally I tend to keep real world and politics out of this blogsite.  This is a special place where I hope people can come to forget about things that have taken their toll over the course of a work day or sleepless night.  Today though, is the day after one of the hardest day in the country I call home.  It was so dark that I don’t think I knew a single friend who was smiling or saying anything positive.  We all have our breaking points, just so much we can hear.  And for a small moment…I wasn’t going to work on a Top 5 today (especially considering what I thought the topic might be but it’s a bit too painful atm).  I was just going to try and sleep and try to endure what I had seen and heard…
And then…

I looked at a Youtube video where Stephen Colbert signed off on his Election Coverage for the night.  This guy…listening to him talk was something.  He went on about how tough, confusing and downright saddening the election had been.  But not once, at all, did this man who has done so much to make people laugh (including Daniel Craig in a spoof of Spectre, seriously you can see Craig trying to keep it together but hilariously failing), give in to the darkness.  He gave us wise words, told some much needed jokes, and told us to go on and continue our lives.  Then it hit me…Anime actually speaks to me a lot in that kind of way.  It may not always be funny.  But in the darkest of times, it’s the medium I need.  It’s a medium I love so much that has shaped so much of my life until now. 

I know it’s a tough time for everyone but please, if you have a few minutes and need some cheering up, I’ll do what I can by telling you my Top 5 Reasons for loving Anime so much.  The #1 might be a little obvious but I could care less…I just hope it helps.

 

#5-Worlds of Wonder 
Looking at the images unfolding on Mobile Suit Gundam, Madoka Magica, X, GATE, Macross Fronteir, you have to think at some point…this all came from someones imagination.  There’s only so much you can get onto the screen in a live action feature film.  With Anime, the sky has never been the limit, it’s the minimum.  From space to alternate realities to the infinite realm of God knows where, Anime can transport you far away from real life…or even make real life seem more magical than you ever though possible (or probable if you live in the world of Haruhi Suzumiya).  Anime is the ultimate in unlocking imagination and telling it to go have some fun.

 

#4-Bad Ass Characters
If I’m ever feeling down, sometimes I’ll ask myself…what would Spike or Kenshin do?  Spike…would probably take a nap and then eat.  Kenshin…would go into the woods and meditate or just take a walk.  But if the need called for it, they’d kick their senses into high gear and join the ranks of Goku, Duo Maxwell, Alucard, Edward Elric, Amuro Ray, Byakuya Kuchiki, Shinji Ikar…wait…wow how did that guy ever almost make it into this one?  Heroes, bad asses, the guys who step up to the place and get the job done and show us that anything is possible when we put our minds to it…unless it is Shinji in which case we are all pretty much screwed.

AND!!! Just incase the ladies were wondering, “What the hell?  You only listed guys?”  Well…that brings me too…

 

#3-Women…Yes Women
Sooooo many beautiful, heavenly, hold their own and look so great doing so women.  Their hearts are strong, their skills undeniable, their prowness in the heat of battle…inspirational.  And yes, they look so freaking hot.  Sailor Mars, Rin Toshaka, Misato Katsuragi, Celty Sturlson, Yoko Littner, Revy, Riza Hawkeye, Deedlit.  These are just a few of the girls who wear as little as they want, carry the heaviest weapons no man can wield and blow away the notion of being a damsel in distress.  Hell they might even save said Damsels in Distress…which isn’t a terrible notion if a romance begins (Sailor Uranus and Neptune anyone).  Ok, ok.  They’re the ultimate dream girls, only possible in the world of Anime where any girl can be any heroine or bad ass they want to be.

 

#2-The Music
One of the perks to having a car of my own…I can play as much Jpop and Jrock and other assorted Anime tunes as I please.  More often than not, I find myself enjoying the soundtracks to Anime far more than the shows themselves.  I’ve covered this in a previous T5W about series soundtracks (and still plan to do one on Movie Soundtracks down the line).  When I cant watch a show or am bummed on a ride home, I can always pull up a theme song or ending credits theme to jam to and feel good about the day.  Right now I’m still enjoying “Dreamcatcher” from Magical Girl Raising Project and always have FLCL on standby ready to go.  With Anime tunes on your ipod, Anime is never far from my reach even if I cant watch it.  The tunes can help open my mind to good memories of travels, battles, comedic moments and romantic feels of the many Anime ive seen.  Music has never been so powerful to me thanks to Anime…actually I really dig music from the 80s and I grew up with that in the 90’s so…maybe just as powerful haha.

 

#1-Friends…scratch that, Family
More often than not, I do get a little lonely.  Part of that is being busy but, since…well forever, part of that is also being a nerd who’s into nerdy things that make me a bit of an outsider.  It has never depressed me to watch Anime but it did feel like a social stigma at times.  But then…I went to my first conventions and then I met people who were just as weird as I was.  And they knew others just like me and I met them as well.  And I also remembered I have a sister who loves Gundam Wing and Soul Eater and has turned me onto titles herself.  Anime has brought me to people who cant wait to talk about what’s coming next in the world of Gundam, or which new Anime heroine has the potential to become our new cherished Waifu’s, or how they’re so excited for the next line up of Toonami shows, or joining together in planning a new convention get away.  When I get really, REALLY down, I think about those guys.  I have long since stopped referring to them as friends and started calling them by the title they have more than deserved to be called…Family. 

Anime has opened my world and it’s better than I ever imagined.  And I cant wait to see what other adventures it has in store for me and all of us down the line.  Going to get this posted then crash and look forward to watching a show (probably more X, got reviews to do) and then finding a friend to talk about it with.

Cause right now, watching and talking about Anime is as important as “Putting a coat around a young boys shoulders, to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.”  Yes I just quoted “The Dark Knight Rises”…hell yes, ill keep loving Anime and come to it even in the dark times…that’ll never change.

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