In looking back at over three years of uninterrupted Top
5 lists (seriously I haven’t taken a week off from one and I do that for
reviews every time I go to a weekend long convention), I’ve always asked people
what they’d like to see as a Top 5 list from me. One common request is…well as list about
me. I did do a list of why I like Anime
a while back (it’s even on last weeks Top 5 if youre curious). However, I’ve also been thinking about my own
special experiences with Anime throughout my life. Felt it was enough to merit it’s own special
Top 5 Wednesday List for the third year mark of this little feature on the
Gundam Anime Corner. So I present to you
all, the Top 5 Facts About ME as an Anime Fan…I wonder if any of it will
surprise people.
#5-My First Anime
was Voltron
Around the time my sister and I were born, my parents had
worked on collecting (whether through purchasing or recording) entertainment
that they thought we would like to see on TV.
Naturally we were both introduced to Disney and Looney Tunes this way. There was, however, one unique tape in the
mix I discovered one day: a sprawling scifi epic about five pilots, five metal
lions, and one invincible giant robot…and it looked so much cooler than
anything I had at the time. I didn’t
know it yet, but Voltron: Defender of the Universe was my first introduction to
the world of Anime. Through that feature
length pilot, I would later discover other shows through syndication and early
Cartoon Network like G-Force, Ronin Warriors and Pokemon…all leading to Dragon
Ball Z. But I must give credit where
credit is due. Without that Voltron VHS
Tape (which I think I still have) who knows when or if I would have discovered
Anime in my lifetime.
#4-Confirmed Anime
Fan since 1998
Where I was like 5 when I first saw Voltron, I didn’t
know it was Anime until much, much later.
Which brings us back to Dragon Ball Z.
When it arrived in the states through Funimation (and Saban at the
time), I was in 5th Grade and knee deep in Beast Wars and
X-Men. And then this little show about
super powered martial artists fighting across the galaxy for seven wish
granting orbs came along. The year was
1998 and the floodgates were about to open for me. Soon, Dragon Ball Z was all we could talk
about. From watching it on TV to seeking
out the VHS Tapes of the series and even the movies, it would only be the
beginning of what came in the next couple of years when Toonami would arrive.
#3-I used to make
Information Books
Man these are leading one into another, aren’t they? When Dragon Ball Z arrived, we weren’t just
talking about it, we were living it. Soon
talks at school became more than just about the latest episode. We were scouring the early internet for any
kind of art we could find, even of events we hadn’t seen yet like The Androids,
Cell and Super Saiyan 3. But I took it a
step further. I was looking up character
bios, episode guides, spoilers, technique lists, the works. It got so extensive I needed to make two book
of Dragon Ball Z intel: one for general info and the other for images. When I’d learned all I could at the time
(even about Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT), I moved onto another show…Mobile
Suit Gundam Wing, making a full blown mecha guide for the After Colony timeline
while getting my first glimpses of the Universal Century and beyond. I didn’t make a huge library out of these kinds
of books but I did make similar binders for Ronin Warriors and Robotech. I think my last one might’ve been Neon
Genesis Evangelion in High School. It
was a rush and so exciting to cobble all of that info together…I kind of miss
it, if im honest.
#2-Personal
Convention Stats
You’ve seen the Top 5 lists but how many cons have I been
too? How many pics have I taken per event
(only a tiny bit of which have found their way onto this blog)? Well…here’s the breakdown:
Otakon 2010-310 Pics
Day 0-0
Day 1-111Day 2-128
Day 3-71
Otakon 2011-528 Pics
Day 0-42
Day 1-161Day 2-171
Day 3-154
Otakon 2012-743 Pics
Day 1-198
Day 2-413
Day 3-110
Otakon 2013-1118 Pics
Day 0-59
Day 1-241Day 2-464
Day 3-354
Otakon 2014-1081 Pics
Day 0-138
Day 1-282Day 2-435
Day 3-226
Baltimore Comic Con 2014-128 Pics
Katsucon 2015-1522 Pics
Day 0-103
Day 1-455Day 2-823
Day 3-141
Otakon 2015-1950 Pics
Day 0-90
Day 1-920Day 2-746
Day 3-194
Baltimore Comic Con 2015-114 Pics
Katsucon 2016-2246 Pics
Day 0-73
Day 1-826Day 2-1177
Day 3-170
Otakon 2016-2368 Pics
Day 0-212
Day 1-1011Day 2-723
Day 3-422
Katsucon 2017-2783 Pics
Day 0-339
Day 1-1039Day 2-1152
Day 3-253
Baltimore Comic Con 2017-95 Pics
Animore 2018-57 Pics
Katsucon 2018-2826 Pics
Day 0-405
Day 1-924
Day 2-1114
Day 3-383
#1-I Am About More
than Giant Robots
This was a hard #1 spot to pick. I think it’s a hard question really: what can
I say about myself that makes me stand out as an Anime fan? And really, im sure there are many who feel
the same way about this particular choice than just me. To say I alone am a fan of more than just the
Mecha/Scifi/Giant Robot genre of Anime is kind of selfish. I know plenty who enjoy more than one genre
and it’s pretty rewarding to feel that way.
It helps us extend the love of Anime to everyone, being able to enjoy
other worlds besides those of action. As
much as I love Gundam, I also enjoy Ouran High School Host Club, Your Name,
Hamtaro, Yuri on Ice, Free, Angel Beats, My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery
Service. I like telling people I really
have seen dozens of worlds that Anime has to offer and like it even more when
im able to track down a title someone might enjoy that they might not approach
on their own like K-On, My Hero Academia, Death Note, Your Lie in April or
Violet Evergarden. If you’ve ever been
on the fence about Anime, come talk to me, im sure I can find a title that will
hit you right in the heart and make you at least like the series or film. This is my universe, id love to show anyone
around if they want.
No comments:
Post a Comment