Anime struck a chord with me ever since I was a kid watching My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away and Cardcaptor Sakura for the first time. Not only did these anime capture my imagination with their magical settings, but they featured profound storytelling and characters.That inner journey that Chihiro takes in Spirited Away is the perfect example: We are watching a young girl's psyche come to life through beautiful, dreamlike animation as she sorts through her personal problems. I'll never lose the feeling of the emotions these anime conjured inside me, or the sense of inspiration the creativity in them gave me.
Later I'd come to see just how much more there was to discover through this medium. What appears to many on the surface as simple form of entertainment, is actually an artform that could be used to tell the most captivating stories, and create the most interesting characters. In my teenage-to-young-adult years I'd watch anime like Death Note, Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop really blew me away. These anime not only created their own awe-inspiring imaginative worlds, but grappled with philosophical theory and deeply personal conflicts. They'd ask questions about technology and the future, or about human nature and the meaning of life, all in a way that was nothing short of poetic. They'd explore concepts like justice, morality, the nature of human consciousness and artificial intelligence, all through riveting story-telling. Their plots were absorbing, their ideas thought-provoking, and they all had rich thematic elements and vivid, expressive imagery and music that pushed the boundaries of what the art could accomplish.
I really admire these qualities my favourite anime and manga. They were not afraid to take risks, to challenge viewers, to dig deep into their subject matter, to soar in their imagination and to adhere to their own internal logic to convey their ideas and delve into their themes. My personal favourite, the iconic Neon Genesis Evangelion, is notable especially for this. What you see when you watch NGE is, at once, a deconstruction of a genre and medium, and a harrowing portrayal of the internal conflicts one experience when they try to connect with others and find meaning in a cruel world. In a show about giant robots fighting alien-like creatures, we see the characters in this show confront all kinds of internal problems: their loneliness and emptiness, their mental illness and trauma, their confused sexual desires, their weaknesses and destructive behaviours, their regrets and fears, their core beliefs, their mangled relationships and their overwhelming desire for escape from the pressures of the world. The show cuts straight to the heart with its storytelling, touching on some of the most fundamental conflicts associated with being human, while exploring ideas in existential philosophy, religion and psychology. It does not hold back on its creative expression either: the show is riddled with symbols, features abstract experimental sequences, and it boils over into an insane finale with the film End of Evangelion, an ending that is largely ambiguous and open to interpretation. What director Hideaki Anno did with these anime required him to pour his soul into it. Never have I watched something more thought-provoking and moving. It indeed goes far beyond mere entertainment.
Due to these enthralling experiences with anime, I grew very interested in certain genres, mostly including the psychological and sci-fi. Whether it's the disturbing nightmare of a J-Pop Idol in the film Perfect Blue, or the clever, twisting plot featuring time travel in Steins;Gate, I'm still finding more great examples even now. But what's also great about anime is the variety. There are epic fantasies, hilarious comedies, slice of life dramas, romances and historical dramas etc... Each of these genres contains their own masterpieces. I know I'll always hold the more comedic anime FLCL pretty dear in my heart for its zany, hilarious and relatable depiction of coming of age, even though it's a lot different from what I'd usually be interested in. There is so much yet to be discovered, and anime has always encouraged me to branch out in my perspectives and tastes.
Finally, part of the fun of my journey through manga and anime is that not only a personal journey, but one that can be shared. Anime means a lot to me personally. It has challenged and inspired my creative mind, it has moved me deeply, it has even gotten me through tough times when I had no comfort from the real world around me. But anime is also something that helped me bond with others and meet more people I can relate to. I remember when I was a kid I'd draw anime characters with my brothers, sisters and friends, and I'd enjoy discussing anime with them too. At school we'd talk about the last episode of whatever anime we were watching, or late at night I'd stay up interpreting the convoluted plots or ambiguous endings of the film watched with friends or family. Of course, there was a whole subculture to discover too: Now I enjoy heading in to the local manga shop to find new things to read, talk with the knowledgeable staff, and I've also loved attending conventions with cosplayers, artists and all kinds of cool events. A lot of the people who love anime possess in them that same quality I love about anime itself: they are not afraid to be a little weird or out there, and they have wonderful imaginations. Anime has enriched my life from the beginning, and I'm still excited to discover more on this site!
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