 |
| Random ComiPo art since I can't draw well (yet) |
I was introduced to anime and manga in my 4th year of high school. The art club was screening a "Japanese Cartoon" called Bubblegum Crisis, with English subtitles. After watching some episodes, I was hooked.
I became a huge anime fan in the late 90s. My tastes in shows reflected my aspirations at that point in my life: I was fascinated with the idea of love and romance, but had yet to experience it myself in any major way. So the shows that I watched and liked reflected the aspirations I had for my future relationship. I loved the poised and elegant way Belldandy of Oh My Goddess cared for her human boyfriend, and the sheer tenacity of Ukyou Kuonji of Ranma 1/2 in pursuing her man. I loved stories wherein after suffering hardship and challenges, the main guy and the main girl ended up together. I wanted something like that, which is why I also ranked Fushigi Yuugi as one of my favorite anime's of the 90s, despite the fact that it was a reverse harem.
I lapsed out of my "hardcore" anime and manga fandom phase in the early 2000s. I consider myself a dabbler now, occasionally watching shows but not really paying much attention to them or fanboying over them. With my trip to the US I was able to binge watch a lot of "modern" shows, and I discovered something interesting: my tastes had changed.
Today I am not a stranger to love and relationships anymore, unlike when I started watching Anime and Manga. I *have* my life partner at this point. Inadvertently it started to affect my tastes. Harem shows, which I enjoyed a lot in the 90s I started to find annoying. I guess since I have been in romantic relationships, the simplified and contrived relationships presented by the harem shows break any suspension of disbelief that I have for the show. I also pay closer attention to how the characters develop a relationship with each other. I guess in my heart I'm still a romantic. I just want it more realistic and less contrived this time.
No comments:
Post a Comment