Anime on a Saturday.
My introduction to Anime happened When I was a young boy, I remember the thrill of Saturday morning. No school, no homework, the day was mine to enjoy.
Every Weekend started the same waking up early for hours of cartoons. But one morning in particular a show debuted, and I loved it.
The name was something that made little sense to me, something about dragons and balls.
It was off the wall, something I had never seen before, I thought this show was amazing. Talking pigs, energy blasts, and kung fu action.
where had this program been all my life?
My childhood obsession.
It was so different from anything I had ever seen and quickly became my childhood obsession.
There was only one problem, in those days you had to watch a show when it aired.
That was all you got. The internet was not the internet we know today.
If you didn’t know what something was, you had to look until you figured it out. And I didn’t even know where to start.
I remember feeling overwhelmed with the thought of having to fid out what this was.
I had to figure out where I could get more, and soon.
an anime outcast.
My friends laughed at me when I asked them about a boy flying around on a yellow cloud.
They only laughed harder when I told them he shot beams from his hands and yelled kamehameha. Or something like that.
Every Saturday morning I woke up early and waited to watch the adventures of Goku and friends unfold.
I found myself disappointed as the show neared the ending credits.
Why could this show not last longer, I would think?
While my friends talked about other shows, I couldn’t stop talking about Dragon Ball.
When we played cartoon tag, I would say names from Dragon Ball. And of course I would lose, because no one would know the character.
I felt like I was the only person on the planet that watched Dragon Ball.
But then I met Joana.
Joana the anime key.
Joana was the type of kid everyone liked, but she had no friends.
Simply put, she was strange.
Constantly going on about moon prism powers, Mobile Suite Gundam, and special attacks.
I didn’t approach; I hovered around her for a few weeks until she verified my suspicions.
After class one day, I thought I heard Joana talking about last week’s episode of Dragon ball. so I quickly joined in.
MY FIRST ANIME FRIEND.
“So you watch Dragon Ball, huh?” I stammered.
Joana said, “of course I watch Dragon Ball, doesn’t everybody?”
“Everyone should, I love it,” I said.
That was all it took, In just a few words I had my first anime friend.
Me and Joana walked down the hall for what felt like hours.
Im pretty sure it wasn’t much longer than a few minutes. But I still remember how excited I was.
She told me about Sailor Moon and Mobile Suit Gundam. she told me they’re called Anime, and are from japan.
My little child heart almost exploded as the question came flowing from me like a tsunami.
This was the beginning of my journey into the anime world.
A few more names of shows I could watch and add to my VCR collection.
But what was most important here was the term Anime.
Now I knew what to call it, and that changed everything.
Hollywood video IS THE SHIT!
A few years later, and I thought I knew what anime was all about.
I had added more shows to my body count, and I was now the kid that people were asking what is Anime?
I thought I knew it all, Pokemon, Digimon, Medabots and One Piece were now staples in my rotation. And now they aired Dragon Ball Z, which was still my favorite.
One evening after school, my dad told me they opened up a Hollywood Video movie rental store, a few miles away.
And that we were going to go later. He even said I could pick a few movies.
I felt like I had just took a hit the jackpot.
As we entered the shiny new video store a few hours later, I felt elated. This was outstanding, I ran around thinking about what I would get, and how to convince my dad to get me one more.
As I neared the new releases, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye.
ANIME AT THE VIDEO STORE. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
Could this be?
Did they have?
I could not believe this.
They had Anime!
Not one or two; they had shelves of anime.
So many titles I had never seen.
I was like a kid in a proverbial candy store.
Up to this point in my young life, I had made very few hard decisions when it came down to picking things out.
Choosing only two anime to rent was the hardest things I ever had to do.
I begged my dad for five, then four, then three, My father gave me a little leeway and we agreed on three.
Even that wasn’t enough for the Anime thirst that was trying to swallow me whole.
My dad told me we would come back next week. He said I could pick something else next time, but that consolation prize made me feel no better.
My attitude changed as we exited the store and I realized that I had 3 new Anime I had never seen before.
I based my choices on what cover looked the coolest to me. Strong male characters that were going on
Interesting adventures were my type. So the three I chose were:
Conclusion
Let’s say those three titles did not disappoint.
These were the title that showed me anime was more than stuff for children. It had depth; it told wildly different stories, and everyone would not always survive.
I remember staring at the screen wide eyed. Holding on to every bit of action and dialogue.
I understood the sadness of Shinji Ikari in Evangelion.
Tears fell for prince Ashitaka when he had to leave his peaceful village in Princess Mononoke.
I felt like a bad ass when Jubei was kicking butt and taking names in Ninja Scroll.
These were not like the children’s shows that I had thought were the base of what anime was.
I was a child, but I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty, I knew I loved anime.
And after this experience, I would chase after it for the rest of my life.
THANKS FOR READING.
Thanks for reading about my start in the anime world. I would love to hear your stories as well.
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