I’ve spoken quite a bit about how Anime is one of my many
happy places in life. But something that
I’d never really dwelled on came about a couple weeks ago at Animore 2020. While I didn’t attend this particular panel
cause of time, the subject of “Anime that Changed my Life” made me wonder: it’s
obvious that there are those particular titles that fit the bill, but can I
come up with 5 of them? Were they
gateway titles? Titles I just needed to
see at a certain point in my life? Did
they change the way I saw Anime forever?
Maybe its all of those and more.
Either way, I can def think of enough titles for a Top 5 list. So today I present a peek into my past with
my Top 5 Anime that Changed my Life.
#5-Code Geass
Burnout is a scary concept. Loving something so much that it kind of
becomes boring or loses its luster, that’s the last thing you want to think
about, especially when it comes to Anime.
Well midway through college I was beginning to exhibit signs of burnout:
not really watching Toonami or Adult Swim regularly, not reading as much
Manga. And then Code Geass came along
and WHOA!!! From the infamous first episode onward, it was like a non stop
bullet train of excitement that arguably reached its peak with that perfect
Season One Finale. From the twist and
turns plot, to the awesome mecha battles to the coolness that is Lelouch, Code
Geass was an Anime I needed at a key time in my life and once I made my way
through both seasons…I was back in the Anime game like never before.
#4-Cowboy Bebop
Entering high school was a tough transition. Not only was I starting at a brand new school
after attending the same one for nine years, there was also the chaos and
uncertainty of a post 9/11 world to think about. Enter Adult Swim, Cartoon Networks late night
adult animation block…and the Anime that came with it. While id seen preview of it on Gundam Wing
VHS tapes, nothing prepared me for the perfect storm that was Cowboy
Bebop. The Music, the stories, the
characters, the perfect animated and executed action and drama, Bebop had
everything that had made Anime great before but made it a tad more grown
up. Fun Fact: because it aired on Sunday
nights and there was no way I was staying up til 1am on a school night, I had my
parent record Bebop every Sunday night in order to watch it later in the
week…ah those were the days.
#3-Dragon Ball Z
For all the awesomeness of the cartoons of the 90s: from
X-Men to Spider Man to Batman: The Animated Series, they somehow seemed so
small to me when I first glimpsed Dragon Ball Z. Two guys blasting each other with attacks
that had the explosion factor of atom bombs and rapid fire action I couldn’t
believe I was witnessing, this was where Anime presented itself to me in the
most epic fashion. From the Goku and
Piccolo vs. Raditz to Super Saiyan Goku, from Earth to Namek, from Frieza to
the Androids and Cell Games, there wasn’t a single moment of my middle school
life where things WERENT about Dragon Ball Z.
VHS tapes, action figures, PS2 games, if there was a chance to obtain
merch or gain new intel on forthcoming sagas long since past in Japan, I took
it. This was where my Anime nerdom took
off with the full force of a KAMEHAMEHA!!!
#2-Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
Alright get ready for it Gundam Die Hards…without Gundam
Wing, this blog would not exist. Without
Gundam Wing, my appretiation for one of the greatest Anime sagas of all time
wouldn’t exist. Without Gundam Wing, my
Anime livelihood probably isn’t what it is today. Are there better entry points into the
franchise? Sure. But there’s something to be said about Wings
juggernaut US launch in March 2000. For
the first time for me, the world wasn’t about Super Saiyans and powering up. Now it was about the struggles of five cooler
than cool teens each with their own kick ass giant robots that still hold a
very personal place in my heart. Yes, I
found the OG Gundam and 08th MS Team and 00 and Turn A Gundam all
after…but Mobile Suit Gundam Wing…this is where it truly became a fan of Anime
and it is THE Anime that changed my life forever.
#1-FLCL
Adolescence has never been described so…so…Fooly
Cooly. Yeah it’s probably not hard to
come up with single words to describe FLCL but how many can do it proper
justice? That’s what I was thinking when
I first watched the OVA during my junior year of high school. Though graduation was a year, plus change,
off for me, FLCL felt like a graduation event in and of itself. It was chalk full of artistic styles and
references to tons of shows and overall genres id seen up until that point. And it was one mind blowing ride from
beginning to end, so much so that I was confused it was only 6 episodes
long. While Gundam Wing may have been
the reason I stuck with Anime long term, FLCL has long since earned the
distinction of being my absolute favorite Anime of all time…cause there’s not
one single thing I can pin down as to why I like it. It’s a visual feast and a lullabye for the
ears (courtesy of JRock soundtrack from The Pillows) that must be seen to be
believed…and yeah don’t watch Progression or Alternative afterwards just…just
pretend this is all of FLCL that exists, you’ll feel better.
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