This is my response to Shay’s video and Kauses (creator of Otaku Gamer Zone) post. In this special post, I will briefly discussing how did I get into anime and what kind of shows did I see growing up. I am going to use the best of my best memory to write down my life. It may not be 100% but I am going to share it. I don’t want to bore you with the details so I will just briefly describe my experience.
Do you remember when you first started watching anime? Do you remember your first show? When did you first learn the difference between a cartoon and an anime?
Anime within Cartoons – Kids WB
I don’t remember the age when I first anime but I was around kindergarten at the time. As a kid, I grew up watching various cartoons like Disney, Looney Tunes and 90’s Nick cartoons. I used to be the kid who would be easily entertained by silly cartoons like Bugs Bunny or singing animals like The Lion King. I guess my first turning point is when I discovered Pokemon from the old TV program Kids’ WB. Kids’ WB was a TV channel program which usually shows cartoons in the mornings or afternoons in specific times; some shows they showed was Looney Tunes, Batman and Animaniacs. Out of the cartoons they showed, I remembered Pokemon. I don’t need to explain Pokemon since it’s still popular today but back then, it slowly became popular. When I saw Pokemon, I was filled with excitement because the animation was different than any cartoon I seen and the action moments were more intense. I fell in love with Pokemon and it was to the point where I tried to sing the opening song for the anime and I even dressed up as Pikachu for Halloween. I missed out on buying the old games but I did remember playing Stadium on the N64 and I used to collect the trading cards. I laughed when Team Rocket gets blasted away to the sky, I smiled when Ash and Pikachu won a gym battle, and I used to almost cry whenever something heartbreaking happened like Ash saying Goodbye to Butterfree. When I first saw the movie, Pokemon the First Movie, I was exposed to a dark but serious Pokemon adventure. As a kid, I didn’t understand why the Pokemon were fighting each other but I knew it wasn’t fun and it was much more sad. When I saw Ash get turned to stone and all the Pokemon including Pikachu cry, I cried as well.
Overall, thanks to Pokemon, I got a taste of anime even though I saw it as if it was a cartoon.
151 more, gotta watch them all – Toonami
Besides Pokemon, I did get to see another anime and it rivaled Pokemon: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Just like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! was another show that also appeared on the Kids WB. Almost like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! was another show I grew up with and it had amazing characters and interesting monsters. I used to wish I was like Yugi and be good at games and I did get jealous that Kaiba got three Blue-Eyes White Dragon and I did get a crush on Tea. I even remembered watching new episodes every Saturday morning; the episodes would either be Yugi and his friends facing Pegasus to the Battle City Duels and stopping Marik to all the way to the grand final where Yugi dueled the pharaoh. Yu-Gi-Oh! became another anime collection that will always be my favorite but my interests in anime grew when they showed anime on Cartoon Network.
I am not sure if anyone remembered this, but I used to watch a cute anime called Hamtaro. This show starred a hamster named Hamtaro who teams up with pet hamsters and they do their best as a team and help each other. Sometimes, Hamtaro asks their help whenever his owner, Laura, needed help. It was a cute show with both a cute opening and ending song.
Unlike Toonami today, Toonami years ago used to premiere action cartoons and anime in the afternoons after school. They used to show shows like Dragon Ball (original, Z and GT), YuYu Hakusho, Outlaw Star, Sailor Moon and Rurouni Kenshin. Out of the shows, I definitely remember watching the Dragon Ball series and YuYu Hakusho. These kind of shows showed me brutal combat and I got to see blood often; as a kid, I was afraid of seeing blood. Whenever I see Goku fight a powerful enemy or Yusuke fight a demon, they don’t show fear, they beat up the enemy and showed me that the enemy can be defeated. I also got to see Gundam… chibi versions actually! In America, it’s SD Gundam but in Japan, it’s called Superior Defender Gundam Force; I remember watching this cartoon and just be hypnotized by kid-friendly humor and recycled special attacks. I was an easily impressed kid. The fun didn’t stop, there was other anime but in different times.
Anime at night – Adult Swim
Just like Toonami from the previous focus, I saw other anime but late at night. Before Toonami joined Adult Swim, Adult Swim was well-known for showing adult shows like Futurama, Family Guy and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, way before shows like Tim and Eric or Rick and Morty came along. Adult Swim also showed some late night anime like Case Closed. Fullmetal Alchemist (classic), Lupin the III (Part 2) and Inuyasha. These shows were little bit different than anime in the afternoon due to content. Inuyasha was violent but it did deal with romance and drama and Fullmetal Alchemist dealt with harsh real answers like sacrificing something to get something. Of course I wasn’t in kindergarten while watching these, but I was slowly developing anime knowledge all the way to grades fifth and sixth. Even though I couldn’t stay up to watch more than one show, I was still able to enjoy anime even though I might missed an episode or two.
Conclusion
Sorry for this long story and I wasn’t able to keep it short but you get the idea. I first got into anime from watching cartoons and I was convinced anime was cartoons. I later learned that these “cartoons” were different in story telling and characters. Some anime had cute characters, some were edgy and cool and others started off as simple but then became greater. Most people got exposed to anime like me by watching TV or while others watched from the internet or home videos; I was a TV kid in the 90’s. My first anime was Pokemon and I don’t know when will I know what will be my last anime but I hope I don’t have to answer that question.
If there’s a chance in the future, I could write a volume two of my story and describe how did anime shape my future and what kind of impact it left on me.
What was your first anime and how did you meet it?
No worries about this post being long, it was a great read 😀
Well, I did not have to think long about this: my first anime was Robotech (although technically it’s not considered anime as it’s an American version of three different unrelated animes blended together with a new storyline). I did not know it was anime at the time (was 10 years old when I first watched it…wow I really am getting old), but I absolutely got hooked on the series after seeing a scene that has forever been edged in my memory. That scene was seeing the Earth get blasted back pretty much into the stone age by a fleet of over 4 million alien vessels. It was something I had never seen in a cartoon before and made a lasting impression on my young mind. Later when my interest for Japanese animation really took flight my first official anime that I purchased and watched (on videotape lol 😂), was Orguss 02, a 6 part OVA series which featured giant Mecha in a sci fi setting ( awesome 😀😀). And from there I went on to classics such as Akira and Wings of Honneamise.
And the rest as they say is history. Great post! Really enjoyed reading this one 😀
Thank you. I do have a habit of writing long and I was afraid that I might bore my readers. Those are some interesting titles you seen. I heard Robotech is a great classic series. I seen Akira on TV and I thought it was epic on the sci-fi themes and I love the bike. 🙂
Well, I always like wrong posts, especially posts like these, so never worry about boring your readers. It was a really fun read 😀
Thank you. I will keep this mind whenever I want to talk about something lengthy. Once I start writing, I could go on and on XD.
Pokemon! So nostalgic. It looks like even when we become grandparents, Ash and the gang would still be going strong.
Haha yeah. Ash will always stay young for us and the new generation of trainers. If we were in Pokemon, I bet we would be veteran trainers or gym leaders.
Ahaha! Or the Pokemon Master. 😉
Or one of the Elite Four. Ahaha!
When Ash does become Master, I hope we live long enough to see his dreams come true. I wonder where is his dad.
I will be an absent minded Pokemon Professor.
What was your name again?
Are you sure?
Are you a Boy or a Girl?
Are you Sure?
You are a friend of my nephew’s aren’t you?
Um, What was his name again?
Are you sure?
That sounds like the professor has bad memory lol.
Oh man, bringing up the old Kids WB brought back so many memories. I used to watch all of those cartoons religiously every Saturday morning. Such a great post and very interesting to read about your anime journey 😀
Thank you. This channel led me to anime without my knowledge. I tried to watch Saturday morning shows religiously too but at this time, I had to attend to my sister’s soccer games as a kid. Still, I enjoy watching Pokemon and cartoons in Saturdays. 🙂
My first anime I believe was Digimon, but it might’ve been Dragon ball Z honestly I can’t even remember. I originally got into anime because my twin brother was super into it and wanted me to watch it with him. I’m really glad I did as I’m a huge anime fan now.
That’s a cool introduction. I remember Digimon but I ended up liking Pokemon and then getting into DBZ.
Yeah I didn’t mind Pokemon when it first came out but I never got super into it and I love DBZ still watching Dragon ball Super now actually.
Sweet. I am watching Super on Toonami every Saturday.
Haha so do I. I look forward to it every week 😀
Me too. Saturday nights are my favorite time.
Lol yes definitely
I watch Super and Kai together.
Same xD
I watch these shows and other anime.
Cool ive watched alot of anime like one I recently watched was Tokyo Ghoul I loved that anime same with Deadman Wonderland and Pandora Hearts I read there manga as well sooo good.
Tokyo Ghoul is pretty awesome and I can sense the upcoming climax. I haven’t seen Pandora Hearts but I totally seen Deadman Wonderland when it was on TV. I love that intro song.
Ikr Deadman Wonderland theme was awesome definitely read the manga to see ow it ends.
Yeah I need to start my manga collection of it. The series is over.
Yeah I finished the manga last summer and I wish deadman wonderland would get a revamp
Awesome. I wish it got attention. It had potential.
Yeah same here Japan hated it so I lost hope for a second season or a revamp and just read the manga instead. I do wish that the anime stuck closer to the manga because the manga is filled with amazing and dynamic characters we never meet in the anime.
That what stinks. If Japan doesn’t find it appealing, we don’t get a second season. Usually the manga is a solution of a continuation of a story.
Yeah I was bummed if they includes all the characters and stuck closer to the manga I think it would’ve been way more popular.
I agree. They had the opportunity but they didn’t do it. Now we are stuck with this show feeling unfinished.
Exactly and I hate that it’s so annoying when they waste opportunity and potential
It is. it’s a shame that even today that the series is done, the creators of the studio are not coming back to finish it. Instead, they are doing other titles that think will sell.
Exactly it’s so annoying and it just sucks.
At least the manga volumes is decent short and we can finish it no time.
Yeah that’s true
At least it’s not long like most long going series.
Yeah that’s true
It’s the right amount.
Yeah
Watching Pokemon and Sailor Moon after school… ah, that was so fun. We need more afternoon anime blocks.
Yeah I agree. I want to feel like a kid again. I guess they need more money and viewers. Not to mention, we live in a time where you can watch shows on your phone or on demand.
Where I live it was also the animes who passed at the afternoon, And digimon! I’m portuguese so the anime was in portuguese. Later I watched them in japanese and damn! It was difficult not to feel strange 😀
Haha that’s cool! It is awesome to see anime more widespread in far places.
Nice post, Matt! At some point I also wondered how you got into anime, now you answered the questions! And cheers! I like those shows you’ve highlighted!
Detective Conan and Inuyasha, specifically, have special spots in my heart.
I’d love to hear that Volume 2 you were talking about! Go and write it!
Thank you. I kind of want to go back to Detective Conan. I remembered watching it very young and I was attracted how a kid can solve crime.
If there is a volume two, I might discuss the change from watching anime on TV to online.
I think Detective Conan already has several volumes in it.
That’s cool. It is well known to be a long lasting series.
Exactly and I hate that it’s so annoying when they waste material chance and possible I cerebrate police detective Conan already has several(a) volumes in it.
Conan is very long series and I wonder when will it end in the manga.
Wonderful☺
https://avoicefromiran.wordpress.com/2017/09/28/tiny-house%d8%ae%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%87-%da%a9%d9%88%da%86%da%a9/?fb_action_ids=10214475951842598&fb_action_types=news.publishes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B1483168085052151%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22news.publishes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D
thank you
my firsts were definitely pokemon and digimon (I’ve always partial to the latter and haven’t kept up with the former) but then I remember my brother had a huge crush on Sailor Moon, so that was definitely the second I’d ever seen. And then I remember, very distinctly, NOT being allowed to watch Yu Yu Hakusho, shortly followed by my piano teacher’s son (who I looked up to) having a TON of DBZ stuff in his room, and I remember that I was also told I wasn’t allowed to watch that. But, when I went to Nana and Papa’s house, there were no rules so, whatever parents 😛
Haha sounds like you Nana and Papa were pretty chilled. I still need to see Digimon and Sailor Moon. Anime can be hard to watch when you have strict parents.
I can remember watching “Astro Boy” reruns on a Black and White TV in 1964.The coolest thing ever.
Astro Boy is a creat classic. I always wanted to see the show back then but I missed out.
I also saw Yugioh when I was younger and I thought it was awesome, especially that one episode where the loser would get their legs sawed off which created tension. The first anime I saw was unfortunately the 4kids dub of One Piece. I didn’t really pay attention to butchered dialogue I just liked the characters and plot at the time. My second anime was Zatch Bell playing on Toonami; this whole time until just recently did I find out that Zatch’s name wasn’t even Zatch, it was Gash. After Zatch Bell they would air Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (jesus that took a while to get right), and I actually found it pretty funny at 12 years old. Everyone I knew was always into DBZ but I’ve yet to watch the full series.
I remembered those anime you mentioned. Yu-Gi-Oh! was intense back then as a kid but I loved it though. I remember Zatch Bell and I always enjoyed Zatch and Kyo. Bobo was funny anime. It was weird and random but I enjoyed it.
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