6 Anime to Know Me
Part of the User Manual Series where I give some brief overviews of the media, experiences and thoughts that help make me...me. Released hourly on my 32nd birthday.
Death Note
Death Note was the first example of me going back into anime as a teenager with the particular change of now looking for more adult series. Where before I had watched whatever 4Kids had dubbed, now I was using the internet to stream shows in their original Japanese language.
I made a friend in 4th year Maths who was a proper anime connoisseur. He was a big fan of a bunch of shows from Black Lagoon to Evangelion but he recommended one show in particular to start.
Death Note is excellent. It worked as a perfect bridge for me to want to discover even more shows after it. Between this and Code Geass, I was absolutely hooked.
Sword Art Online
I watched SAO before I even knew that Isekai was a genre of its own. The Aincrad arc of this show in particular is just fantastic and sparked a fascination in me with the melding of two lives in storytelling for years to come. SAO is a big reason why I started going to conventions as I wanted to meet Bryce Papenbrook at the now defunct MCM Ireland.
Isekai as a genre often induces groans from fans these days as the market became very saturated. However, SAO stands tall as one of the strongest examples in the genre. In particular, the first half of season one sets up the game incredibly well.
So much so, that even all these years later, people are still clamouring for a proper game, perhaps a souls-like, where you work your way up the floors of Aincrad.
Dragon Ball Z
The original gym inspiration. DBZ, in particular the Frieza arc, was so cool to experience as a kid. The destructiveness of the whole show, the sound effects, the scale of the battles. It all really comes together in such an engaging way for kids.
Now, I'm a bit older these days, and the show does show it's pacing issues. There are a lot of episodes and a lot of build up to get to those big moments. Dragonball Kai does speed up the Z story a little bit but only so much. Dragonball Super suffers a bit less from this so I find it a bit more rewatchable.
We're mostly at the point now where other, more modern, shows have taken the mantle from Dragonball for me. That doesn't mean that I don't respect the OG though!
Cardcaptor Sakura
Queer little boy likes to watch the anime where the girl plays dress-up every episode?
Cardcaptor Sakura is so much fun. As a kid I was obsessed with the Clow cards and I remember cutting out cardboard and drawing my own so I would have a deck.
Nowadays I have a proper deck held in a beautiful replica of the Clow book. I love the vibes of this show.
Little Witch Academia
When the original short film dropped for Little Witch I was completely smitten by the visual design. This is such a gorgeous show.
I believe my original thought was that it had captured that magic of Harry Potter in anime form. A world full of intrigue with incredible effects and a kind of childlike wonder around every corner.
I think one of the themes for the latter half of this list is new anime that replaced some of my childhood favourites. LWA definitely captures the vibe of Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura for me.
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is what I remember Dragonball Z being like when I was a kid. It's over the top, it's gorgeous and the music hits just the right notes to hit you at those peak moments.
It's a fantastic example of modern Shōnen. It is also a fantastic entryway into anime. You get your tournament arc, your enemies to friends, your power creep, your movie that is immediately forgotten about in the show.
It's one of the most fun shows I have ever watched.
