Complete list of all media shown or mentioned: NOTE * = Featured Strawberry Marshmallow Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens Honey and Clover Please Twins! (also Onegai Twins) Bleach Full Metal Panic! Ah! My Goddess! Love Hina Azumanga Daioh Gurren Lagann Grenadier Midori Days Lucky Star Tales of Phantasia Gunslinger Girl Read or Die Pokemon Tales of Destiny (video game) Tales of Destiny Remake (video game) Spirited Away Ponyo Princess Mononoke Genshiken Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan Welcome to the N.H.K. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Jet Set Radio (video game) Chobits* Beck Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien* Sakura Wars School Rumble Death Note DearS Blue Gender Kiddy Grade My-HiME Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Naruto Haibane Renmei Nodame Cantible Ninja Scroll Kokoro Library The Animatrix Rozen Maiden Kiss X Sis Elfen Lied* Excel Saga The Melencholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Air Dragon Ball Z Ai Yori Aoshi Cowboy Bebop The Movie Bible Black Desert Punk Ikki Tousen Berserk (original series) Eureka Seven Black Lagoon Paranoia Agent FLCL Samurai Champloo Neon Genesis Evangelion Bokurano Higurashi When They Cry Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Viewtiful Joe Kiki's Delivery Service Haikyu!! Akira Clannad Fruits Basket Mushishi
I don’t remember anything too weird from Chobits aside from a very interesting on/off switch point, but that could be argued by from a design engineer’s standpoint to be a good spot for one, because who else but the owner is going to mess with it?
I watched chobits as an adult after watching perfect blue, dominion tank police, ninja scroll, and ghost in he shell. You guys were intro'ed WELL AFTER the dangerous days of watching anime with your parents... Hell, some of those titles were just barely cleaned up for tv viewing on the scifi channel. Nevertheless, just the opening of the chobits OP... Pure nostalgic bliss... :)
You could not have put together a more sincere and heartfelt way to say out load exactly how I felt growing up with anime from the early 90s and how I feel now.
This wasn't just a nostalgic look at early 2000s anime, this is a love letter to the whole medium, and it's beautiful! Thank you so much! You made me fall in love with anime all over again, and I never fell out in the first place!
Wasnt expecting a love letter to Chobits from this channel lol. This video really resonated with me with my teenage binge into anime being around the same time. Elfenlied literally burned itself into my psyche as well. I have extremely mixed feelings about it in retrospect but I cannot deny how in a way it took away a part of my innocence and naivety about the cruelty of humanity. However the ability for those characters to find a family and relative happiness despite the trauma and cruelty they endured is definitely as impactful as the horrors the anime portrayed, if not more so.
There's a part of me that can still lock onto that feeling of being 14 and experiencing Love Hina or Full Metal Panic as the pinacles of excitement and media transgression - gosh, I remember how loudly I laughed. It was a good time. We grow, and so does our taste, but it's also wise to keep a little bit of the preteen (and also the child, the adolescent, the young adult, even the baby) alive inside of us. Perhaps our excitements are not as explosive, but our sense of discovery and wonder is still here. Thank you for the video, it brought me back. I was also handed a CD, and I did my fair share of burning and gifting myself. I tried to learn how to sing, directly inspired by Beck. I studied Japanese for 2.5 years, all that good stuff. Now, like some people on the internet, I make videos about Miyazaki. It's nice to know we're not alone, isn't it?
I still remember being a teenager watching Love Hina and Chobits with my younger sibling and dying laughing, which then got us sharing manga between us, and eventually onto the (annoying to everyone besides us) phase of quoting FLCL all the time.
I viewed it with two of my best friends as the tapes were released. We had watched a bit of CLAMP's stuff before, and we assumed that most of the fan service and smutty aspects were there *despite* who was making it - possibly due to input from male producers worried that pure shojo OAVs wouldn't do as well as broadcast shows. Turning up the naughty was a common marketing tactic for shows that didn't reach a vast TV audience. I realize now that this wasn't the case: this was a group of women behaving exactly like women do when there aren't men around. I agree completely with the creator of this video - if I had to make by top 25 list, Chobits would probably be on there. On the surface it was a typical "magical girl" show. The fact that the girl happened to be an android wasn't even that original when Chobits debuted. To say Chobits was just another magical girl harem romp is like saying Evangelion was just another giant robot anime.
I just want to take a moment and thank you for finding some time in your life to make such a personal video for your audience. Sometimes, uploading takes a backseat to real life, but remember that there is an audience you earned waiting to hear your voice when you'll have the time to share.
At times I lose faith in youtube as a medium and then Beyond Ghibli uploads... So many memories come back with the shows shown and mentioned. Thank you soooo much for your incredible videos.
The editing was perfection. Chobits was one of the first anime I watched knowing it was anime. So nostalgic and opened my eyes to a whole new world and ways of thinking. Anime has such diversity in story telling that you just couldn't find on western TV.
I got dvds of Chobits & Elfen Lied at the same time one summer during middle school, and slept on the couch so I could marathon both back to back easier. It's the clearest memory I have of watching anything, & of that particular childhood house. So different that I never even registered the similarities, and both are permanently burned into my brain, with the two opening themes being the most immediately recognizable sounds in the world to me. Lied is, truthfully, not nearly as good as it is important. Its unflinching maturity was intoxicating for a generation of kids just discovering that such things were available. For all that it is shock value & the original author's skeeviness, Elfen Lied is a phenomena that genuinely only happened once & never will again. I wouldn't say I love it, or even respect it, but I have to honor it, & wouldn't change a thing. Chobits, though? Phenomenal. To this day, it has one of 3 episodes of anime that make me break down into tears every single time. I memorized the OP to be able to say "dakishimetainoni" when I got a girlfriend, & got too distracted by having a girlfriend to remember after. I think I have to rewatch it now. Chobits is not really one of my favorites anymore, but I love it dearly.
Man, there were SO MANY hidden moments in this video. How special. For someone who, more or less, grew up in a similar manner (my brother being my guide), and who ended with manga as my medium of choice in the end, this felt so special. Specially when you said you tried everything (THEN SHOWED A SCENE FROM BIBLE BLACK, DON'T THINK WE'RE LETTING THIS SHIT SLIDE). Much love, thank you for your own response art, it is quite beautiful. It reminded me of the powerful potential of storytelling. With the manga landscape being infested with lazy plots that I have to rifle through, I often times forget it. I forget that there's a reason our love for the artform runs so deep. But there are stories that can truly transform us, like Kimi Ga transformed you. And what a great reminder at the end. What is the language of art if not our collective perception of it? What is art, if it is not shared?
I’m 55. I remember running home from elementary school each day to catch the newest episode of “Star Blazers”. After that we got “Battle of the Planets”. But, Star Blazers left a mark on me because of the drama that ran much deeper than other “cartoons” I watched. I’ll never forget the episode when Wildstar had his arm grazed by a blaster and you could see the blood oozing from the wound. The suspense and cliffhanger episode made me run home faster the next day…… Years later (early 90’s), I strolled into a comic shop and found a Macross comic and inquired about it because the art was reminiscent of Star Blazers. The owner suggested I check out the anime club meeting in the back room. I strolled to the back, pulled back a curtain and saw a sight I’ll never forget. A relatively small, cramped space filled with old, donated leather couches and chairs. The smell of pizza and a room full of nerds. The old LCD projection screen and a chain of VCR’s and laser disk players giving off electric warmth. That nights feature was Silent Mobius. The cyberpunk, Blade Runner vibe had me from the get go. I was hooked. I’ve been an anime nerd ever since. With the vapid, boiler plate trash that Hollywood puts out today…….I love it even more. Great video! Allergies acted up toward the end.
@@AcroRay those were the days! It was exciting. Went to some of the first anime conventions on the east coast. Those were so fun. There’s a doc on RUclips about them. I know a lot of those people😂
Im 41.. i recall many memories about old skool viewings with my brothers on old tv channels. Voltron, astroboy, macross, patlabor, ... When we were pure hearts and all.
What a beautiful video essay of your personal journey. Although I didn't get into anime until the late 2000s (through discovering a lot of harem shows), I encountered similar points in which the medium shaped my life. Also oh my god, those captions are a work of art in themselves.
84 model here. Watched all these shows in the olden days and they also caressed desires and nurtured my maturity in ways that my broken home could not. I'm happy to have experienced these shows. I begun maybe a little earlier than you, being raised by Heidi and Moomin made by Hayao Myazaki before Studio Ghibli was a thing and I new what anime was.
It´s rare that I actually watched all animes you talk about in a video, albeit ages ago. I had forgotten how much Kimi ga nozomu eien still feels like a splinter in my heart. I had recommended the series to my friend when i was halfway through, and he caught up very quickly. I think I remember us meeting up twice in one day because we had both watched a significant episode and NEEDED to talk about it with someone. I have a fondness for that show
Evangelion was my own beyond Ghibli moment. It started with a single image found in the depths of some early aught's forum or blog. I don't remember where I found it but the image remains stark strange and beautiful in my mind. A giant pale naked woman basked in an eerie monochromatic blood red. She towered above swirling clouds with strange appendages resembling insect wings sprouting from her back and legs. In her hands she cradled a soft white orb that she looked down on with an expression a mother might give their newborn child. It flipped a switch in my brain and I needed to know where this image came from, who made it, and why. Needless to say I always was and still am a Rei fan.
"end of the prologue." Now you've got me wanting more! I'm honestly surprised that Haibane Renmei was one of those first four episodes. I watched it after your video on it, and it's certainly not an anime I'd expect teenage boys to appreciate.
Elfen Lied... It's one of the most controversial shows. But also one of my all time favourites. Not because it's the one of the "best", but because it's succeeded to make me FEEL each time I rewatched it. (Maybe three times.) The tragedy somehow gets to me every time. I don't think I've ever cried more to an anime. And that's what entertainment is about, to me. Not crying, but feeling any sort of strong feelings.
No you shouldn't. And this is coming from someone who likes the show and read the whole Manga. It's just not good and there is better stories out there.@@ivansoto9723
I want you to know that you're an amazing creator. I enjoy your content, and value the zen like insights per episode. The recommendations and hidden finds within the videos are always top tier. 🙇♂️🙇♂️
Chobits actually getting into the ethics of being with a PC was a surpising angle but I'm glad they did. The anime feels juvenile and innocent yet also mature and adult while still never losing itself in the spectrum. With the rise or AI and more socially introverted people i wouldn't be surprised if chobits gains the popularity of something like serial experiments lain which is way more relevant now than it is today. That and being just an overall genuine and sweet romcom. I swear people need to talk about ones like chobits instead of bringing up clannad or toradora all the time which are understandably popular but i feel that chobits despite the metal framing has a real heart to it.
3x3 Eyes, Ranma 1/2, Fruits Basket and Tenchi Muyo were my dive into anime before Pokemon and Naruto and DBZ showed up on my cable channels. Blood and love and nudity seemed to naturally go together.
As a seasoned anime enthusiast, I have had the pleasure of witnessing the evolution of the medium over several decades. Your clips consistently showcase hidden gems from the past, characterized by their sophisticated production values. Great work, as always 👏
I feel a tinge of envy that I can't reminisce about these highlighted series as some others in the comment section can. The overall feeling is something I can understand however, and it has me reflecting on the series that were formative to my early anime years. Thank you for this gift :)
Chobits was the first anime I actively sought out to watch from start to finish, I could (and still can) sing the opening theme song, I made robot ears out of construction paper, I drew art of it, Chii was the girl on my birthday cake that year. I'm so glad my parents had no idea what it was cause I was like 10 or 11, I watched it in the basement on Comcast On Demand.
While I might be a decade removed from you, my experiences were the same. While I might have watched different shows, they were the same. I am so truly thankful that I got into anime how I did, when I did. It has done so much for me, and meant so much to me. Thank you for putting into words, that wonderful feeling of being a teenager with a whole new universe to explore. This is one of the best RUclips channels, and you deserve all the praise in the world. Thanks for making me cry today, Joe.
First time I have watched someone talk about rumbling hearts (kiminozo) and you have captured the same emotions I felt when I watched it and the emotions I feel looking back at it now.. absolutely loved this video
My teenage self watching bootlegged Ranma 1/2 the first time, that was my wtf moment. Then there was Sailor Moon, it was the 90’s, what a fun time that was.
My first dive into anime was Wolfs Rain when i was 13 and i find MYself constantly thinking back on it. All these years later and ive yet to rewatch it. I will one day. This video really resonated with me thank you for all the hard you put into it.
Chobits influenced so much of my style when I was learning to draw, you can still see it somewhat in the way I draw hair too nowadays. I was waiting for someone to talk about this series I love so much
Loved seeing the clips from other nostalgic anime! My uncle lending me Animatrix as a kid was what made me realise a bunch of what I'd already been watching religiously on Toonami was part of a whole new world of amazing art!
I am in LOVE with these subtitles. I had no idea youtube had support for this kind of creativity and style. Can't wait to see more of this kind of amazing content. Worth every second of the wait. Stay amazing Beyond, you're an incredibe inspiration indeed. ❤
The classic children’s story book way that this personal tale of an anime fan is narrated is amazing. I feel such a strong but bizarre sense of nostalgia here. It feels almost like a parody, but I’m enjoying it immensely
In the early 2000s I used to watch random anime online, like throwing a dart on a board. Rumbling Hearts was one of them, wow I honestly totally forgot about it and just the feeling it left in me and I’m getting again just watching this video. It had at the edge of my seat as any other shonen, it felt so adult back then. Thanks for reminding me.
One of the most beautiful, heartfelt tributes to anime I’ve seen in quite some time. Anime has made a clear mark on all of us; it really is a gift that keeps on giving. I’m glad to have been given the chance to experience a medium bursting with that special flavor of profound, one that has never stopped inspiring fans old and new. Thank you for this introspective masterpiece of a video, made me cry.
What a beautiful essay, now I can't help but remember how I started watching anime and to reminisce in how it has impacted my own life and development over the years. Seriously, for a video to put me in this mood, it has to both be really well done and connect to me emotionally, and this one easily clears both marks. Thank you for this, your work is beyond words!
Wow! Kimi Ga Nozomu portion really hit me hard. What's more weird is I had a dream last night that was about this VERY idea of falling in love with an idea of a person in the past, than the person you truly love in the present. Thank you for this episode :)
Very moving video essay. I feel exceptionally lucky to have experienced them in real time and can still share these feelings today. A picture book, Mayaul no okurimono (A gift from Mayaul) is still with me after all those years.
It’s ironic you’re saying you wouldn’t recommend KimiNozo, because this video is probably the most heartfelt recommendation the series has received in years. The way your voice breaks a bit around 20:28 hit my tear ducts like a truck. It’s so wonderful to hear people’s experiences with anime, and I’m very glad you shared this with us. I never watched the show, but now I want to.
While there's a time difference of almost two entire decades, I can relate to remembering that feeling of discovering something amazing when getting into anime. Being drawn into a world that feels so unlike everything you've seen before, but also just... makes sense on some instinctual level. Binging hours after hours, watching and enjoying things you wouldn't watch or enjoy now. I was a bit of a dumbass then, but I can't deny sometimes wishing I could return to those days.
loved spirited away so much had it burned on VHS. watched dragon ball z, yu yu hakisho and other toonami anime but didn’t really understand exactly what anime was. Naruto came out and I liked it a lot, realized the episodes I was watching already aired else where and when I looked on youtube I found 3 part episodes. joined forums discussing anime, naruto, bleach etc and suddenly I found Higurashi and the melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. it was over for me then. Don’t really watch it anymore but I will read it all these years later.
The tidal wave of nostalgia brought by this video, the kind you can't fight but to which you must surrender, enveloped me in memories, feelings, and thoughts; that I desperately tried to forget, because the heartache is too much, but without which I can't be. Thank you.
Elfen Lied was my very first anime I looked at for myself. It's stuck with me ever since, especially that delightfully haunting song. It's a must watch for those who haven't seen it yet.
My turning point where I became a fan was watching Gundam Wing on Toonami as a 6 or 7 year old and realizing that cartoons can be used to tell stories about violence. I didn't really get the theme, but i thought it was cool. Same feeling when I first watched NGE 3 years later
Grew up with Naruto, Pokémon, Digimon, Yugioh and DBZ. They made me feel emotions in a way _so_ different to those of Western media like Lion King or Batman, and in a way that I couldn't quite explain but I knew was incredible Although in terms of Ghibli, I first watched Spirited Away when I was quite young and it was one of the few, if not the first, movie where I just couldn't explain why I loved it or why it was beautiful.
Wow Rumbling Hearts really just brought back a flash of memories for me, I recognised the name and animation of the anime but it wasn't until you mentioned the coma plotline that it all came back to me. I had very similar sentiments to you when I watched it as a young teen and now looking back I also see he made the right choice. I might need to revisit it cause I remember really enjoying the maturity of the anime as I'd mostly watched young high school based animes at the time.
I watched evengalion on a bootleg vhs back in the late 90s thats when i had my first "wtf is this!" moment. i spent a whole decade trying to convince friends, family, and anyone who'd listen to my taste in shows, that anime is the best of story telling. Any story is possible, anything can be converted to a visual median, even dreams. after being ridiculed time and time again even by my own brother. in the past 10 years he now watches anime weekly (all be it dub) but now when we get together its what we talk about. i now give him seasonal recommendations and we deep dive shows. its been a long battle to see anime finally get the recognition it deserves.
I really enjoyed this video, as someone with a 99% similar anime experience, I found that the commentary and the scenes selection were superb. It was great remembering all those stories. And as you said some of those will be stuck with us forever in our minds, the anime that still haunts me to this day is Texhnolyze, that one was cruel.
Highly personal video. I appreciate. BTW: I haven't seen such refined subtitles for a long time. Although I must admit that the choice of anime titles is veeery mixed for me.
I was with you for Rumbling Hearts. It was my first anime. I still hate Rumbling Hearts to this day. It's definitely one of the reasons I stopped watching anime a decade ago.
I love anime in my childhood - Marine Boy, Space Ace, 8th Man, Wonder 3, Kimba The White Lion (The Lion King was a rip-off), Speed Racer - I am way older than you. But it was Ah! My Goddess and Azumanga Daioh that pulled me back in.
CHOBITS and Elfen Lied are among the first shows I saw when properly getting into anime yet it was 15 years after they came out, but equally the "cartoons" I remember the most growing up turned out to be anime! Ulysses 31, Dogtanian, Willy Fogg and The Mysterious Cities of Gold. The first anime I saw knowing it was anime was when Akira first aired in the UK, but it didn't stick, then Spirited Away won the Oscar and I watched the rest of Ghibli on Film4, but again it didn't stick then I saw the likes of Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne and the original Fullmetal Alchemist on the briefly lived AnimeCentral, but it still didn't stick. It wasn't till Netflix started to push anime that I finally got sucked in and I signed up to Crunchyroll and haven't looked back. That when I saw those 2 shows among many other classics and then started watching current stuff too.
The odd thing about Elfen Lied is that at it's core, it's about family. It is a show about family values. Somehow, the creators were able to convey that through incest, intense violence, and pornographic themes. How in the hell they were able to pull that off is a mystery, but they pulled it off. I've been watching anime since the 80's. Seeing Elfen LIed was a "Whoa!" moment. One of those shows where life turned. There was anime before Elfen Lied, and there was anime after Elfen Lied.
My initial taste in anime was in 2004 on Adult Swim. My first full season episode watch was in 2010 with High School of the dead, and at the beginning of 2015, I started looking for it on my own. Up till now, I'm over 500 anime series in according to MyAnimelist. Just as you stated how you felt first watching it and the flow of emotions just watching anything anime as a young child, Is the same thing that I've felt at the age of 39. Anime does change you with the stories of the characters they portray and the lives they live. Another great video. Thank you for sharing! 🙏
Thank you for recommending Rumbling Hearts. This show is brilliant! I think it's one of most underrated anime that ever existed. There are so many emotions between all characters, especially with this old artstyle they had in 2000s, so many emotions they conveyed through the eyes, tears, movements and magic of music, and in addition to that the story is ULTRAREALISTIC. So many people adore Makoto Shinkai for melodrama and realism (no offense to Shinkai, he's very talented in his ways) but they don't even know what kind of gem is hidden in time. The show is just a simple soap opera without any attempts to be complicated but if you try to put yourself in this kind of situation - you see that the plot is deeply melancholic, and watching of these series is like drinking poison, it slowly tears your heart apart episode by episode, every character's life is getting complicated and ruined with every episode until the sad, cruel truth finishes the anime so perfectly that... I don't know how to properly explain it but the ending seems to be so COMPLETED, so polished that you can't even find any way to criticize it. The charming, nostalgic prologue in the first episode. The cruelty of fate in the ED, showing childhood friends and innocence while every episode destroys all this. The moment you see a ring on a finger in the end of second episode and realization of eternal blame that Mitsuki immediately understood - there are so many interesting, deeply ironic things in this masterpiece. And the way this anime has divided everyone in two camps shows how controversial the topic is and how difficult this situation could be if it happened in real life. This anime disguises itself as anime but it's LIFE ITSELF, pure fragment of life. Real slice-of-life, not those corny/cheesy situations that we see today in many romcoms with a lot of exaggerations. I don't think they're bad, but if you want to see, feel something very real - this is the best story you could recommend for any anime enjoyer. I wouldn't say that I'm biased to a certain epoque in anime industry - I like different shows from different decades - but 2000s with their Clannad and Rumbling Hearts were most sincere experiences that made me felt like I have lump in the throat and I just can't immediately return back to normal life after watching such things, they affect your heart strings with surgical precision.
I was a middle school girl in this era and out of ALL of the anime you could've selected you chose three that had the most impact on me (for better or worse). Such a pleasure to listen to. I literally just bought a wig to cosplay Lucy and my newest tattoo is from Chobits.
I can’t get over how good you are at distilling the way I feel about anime into videos . I often share your videos with friends and family and hope you realise just how important they are becoming to the medium we love
My origin story was with Monster Musume. Back in 2015, that was the first anime Crunchyroll showed me when I installed it on my crummy Samsung phone. That scene with the spider lady awakened my interest for legs. After that, I watched Squid Girl. As a preteen, it was one of the few times I ever thought "CUTE!" while watching a show. (Now, as an adult, I love cute anime!) Some point later, I found out about Kill la Kill, & it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Mind-blowing. Still can't get enough of that show.
As always, that was beautiful. I'm not sure which was the first anime to change my life like that, but it was such a great nostalgia hit to see all those old anime!
Some things are universal. I first encountered anime in the 80s boom, with Robotech, Captain Harlock and Thundersub on Super Channel being noticeably different than the other weekend morning cartoons that occupied my childhood, but I got into it properly with the early 90s explosion and all the baggage that came with it. I remember staying up late at 16 or so to watch Cyber City Oedo and Doomed Megalopolis in Channel 4's Saturday night extreme cinema slot... and worrying about how to explain the latter to my parents if they came downstairs and asked exactly what was going on in the show. Exactly like that Chobits moment.
Complete list of all media shown or mentioned:
NOTE * = Featured
Strawberry Marshmallow
Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens
Honey and Clover
Please Twins! (also Onegai Twins)
Bleach
Full Metal Panic!
Ah! My Goddess!
Love Hina
Azumanga Daioh
Gurren Lagann
Grenadier
Midori Days
Lucky Star
Tales of Phantasia
Gunslinger Girl
Read or Die
Pokemon
Tales of Destiny (video game)
Tales of Destiny Remake (video game)
Spirited Away
Ponyo
Princess Mononoke
Genshiken
Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan
Welcome to the N.H.K.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Jet Set Radio (video game)
Chobits*
Beck
Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien*
Sakura Wars
School Rumble
Death Note
DearS
Blue Gender
Kiddy Grade
My-HiME
Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
Naruto
Haibane Renmei
Nodame Cantible
Ninja Scroll
Kokoro Library
The Animatrix
Rozen Maiden
Kiss X Sis
Elfen Lied*
Excel Saga
The Melencholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Air
Dragon Ball Z
Ai Yori Aoshi
Cowboy Bebop The Movie
Bible Black
Desert Punk
Ikki Tousen
Berserk (original series)
Eureka Seven
Black Lagoon
Paranoia Agent
FLCL
Samurai Champloo
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Bokurano
Higurashi When They Cry
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle
Viewtiful Joe
Kiki's Delivery Service
Haikyu!!
Akira
Clannad
Fruits Basket
Mushishi
Omg thank you 😩😩😩
I've watched about 1/3 of those. But 2 are my 2 favourite shows ever: Mushishi and Haibane Renmai.
@@flowerss.992 My pleasure. Please don't cry :D
Officially, it's Oh My Goddess! Fujishima himself approved of it for English licenses.
*Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi
“Don’t watch Chobits when your parents are awake” Truer words have never been spoken. Dude was a BRO
I don’t remember anything too weird from Chobits aside from a very interesting on/off switch point, but that could be argued by from a design engineer’s standpoint to be a good spot for one, because who else but the owner is going to mess with it?
my mom loves chobits 🤣
… has now become, “Don’t watch Chobits when your children are awake”.
Don't watch Chobits
I watched chobits as an adult after watching perfect blue, dominion tank police, ninja scroll, and ghost in he shell.
You guys were intro'ed WELL AFTER the dangerous days of watching anime with your parents... Hell, some of those titles were just barely cleaned up for tv viewing on the scifi channel.
Nevertheless, just the opening of the chobits OP... Pure nostalgic bliss... :)
Oh man, I saw the self titled video and got scared that it was a farewell RUclips video for a second.
When he erased the words “beyond Ghibli” on the screen, I started CRYING!
Same
You could not have put together a more sincere and heartfelt way to say out load exactly how I felt growing up with anime from the early 90s and how I feel now.
Agreed.
that "Let Me Be With You" is forever burned into my memory
If I made a top 20 openings list, it would be there. I'm not sure what would be at the top...possibly Rondo Revolution.
OOH OOH OOH OOH YEAH
This wasn't just a nostalgic look at early 2000s anime, this is a love letter to the whole medium, and it's beautiful! Thank you so much! You made me fall in love with anime all over again, and I never fell out in the first place!
Wasnt expecting a love letter to Chobits from this channel lol. This video really resonated with me with my teenage binge into anime being around the same time. Elfenlied literally burned itself into my psyche as well. I have extremely mixed feelings about it in retrospect but I cannot deny how in a way it took away a part of my innocence and naivety about the cruelty of humanity. However the ability for those characters to find a family and relative happiness despite the trauma and cruelty they endured is definitely as impactful as the horrors the anime portrayed, if not more so.
There's a part of me that can still lock onto that feeling of being 14 and experiencing Love Hina or Full Metal Panic as the pinacles of excitement and media transgression - gosh, I remember how loudly I laughed. It was a good time.
We grow, and so does our taste, but it's also wise to keep a little bit of the preteen (and also the child, the adolescent, the young adult, even the baby) alive inside of us. Perhaps our excitements are not as explosive, but our sense of discovery and wonder is still here.
Thank you for the video, it brought me back. I was also handed a CD, and I did my fair share of burning and gifting myself. I tried to learn how to sing, directly inspired by Beck. I studied Japanese for 2.5 years, all that good stuff. Now, like some people on the internet, I make videos about Miyazaki.
It's nice to know we're not alone, isn't it?
Loved FMP!
I still remember being a teenager watching Love Hina and Chobits with my younger sibling and dying laughing, which then got us sharing manga between us, and eventually onto the (annoying to everyone besides us) phase of quoting FLCL all the time.
!!!! Somebody who’s seen Chobits? And appreciates the complexity of Tsubasa?? And CLAMP??? I’ve never been so excited in my life
I viewed it with two of my best friends as the tapes were released. We had watched a bit of CLAMP's stuff before, and we assumed that most of the fan service and smutty aspects were there *despite* who was making it - possibly due to input from male producers worried that pure shojo OAVs wouldn't do as well as broadcast shows. Turning up the naughty was a common marketing tactic for shows that didn't reach a vast TV audience. I realize now that this wasn't the case: this was a group of women behaving exactly like women do when there aren't men around. I agree completely with the creator of this video - if I had to make by top 25 list, Chobits would probably be on there. On the surface it was a typical "magical girl" show. The fact that the girl happened to be an android wasn't even that original when Chobits debuted. To say Chobits was just another magical girl harem romp is like saying Evangelion was just another giant robot anime.
Honey wake up, Beyond Ghibli uploaded again
I just want to take a moment and thank you for finding some time in your life to make such a personal video for your audience. Sometimes, uploading takes a backseat to real life, but remember that there is an audience you earned waiting to hear your voice when you'll have the time to share.
At times I lose faith in youtube as a medium and then Beyond Ghibli uploads...
So many memories come back with the shows shown and mentioned. Thank you soooo much for your incredible videos.
The editing was perfection. Chobits was one of the first anime I watched knowing it was anime. So nostalgic and opened my eyes to a whole new world and ways of thinking. Anime has such diversity in story telling that you just couldn't find on western TV.
I got dvds of Chobits & Elfen Lied at the same time one summer during middle school, and slept on the couch so I could marathon both back to back easier. It's the clearest memory I have of watching anything, & of that particular childhood house. So different that I never even registered the similarities, and both are permanently burned into my brain, with the two opening themes being the most immediately recognizable sounds in the world to me.
Lied is, truthfully, not nearly as good as it is important. Its unflinching maturity was intoxicating for a generation of kids just discovering that such things were available. For all that it is shock value & the original author's skeeviness, Elfen Lied is a phenomena that genuinely only happened once & never will again. I wouldn't say I love it, or even respect it, but I have to honor it, & wouldn't change a thing.
Chobits, though? Phenomenal. To this day, it has one of 3 episodes of anime that make me break down into tears every single time. I memorized the OP to be able to say "dakishimetainoni" when I got a girlfriend, & got too distracted by having a girlfriend to remember after. I think I have to rewatch it now. Chobits is not really one of my favorites anymore, but I love it dearly.
I discovered toonomi back in 2003, and I was hooked. They were stories and art style I had never seen before. I have been in love ever since.
Man, there were SO MANY hidden moments in this video. How special. For someone who, more or less, grew up in a similar manner (my brother being my guide), and who ended with manga as my medium of choice in the end, this felt so special. Specially when you said you tried everything (THEN SHOWED A SCENE FROM BIBLE BLACK, DON'T THINK WE'RE LETTING THIS SHIT SLIDE).
Much love, thank you for your own response art, it is quite beautiful.
It reminded me of the powerful potential of storytelling. With the manga landscape being infested with lazy plots that I have to rifle through, I often times forget it. I forget that there's a reason our love for the artform runs so deep. But there are stories that can truly transform us, like Kimi Ga transformed you. And what a great reminder at the end. What is the language of art if not our collective perception of it? What is art, if it is not shared?
Bible black... I remember that one... 🤭
Chobits was one of my favorite anime/manga of my youth, and Video Girl Ai. Unforgettable
I’m 55. I remember running home from elementary school each day to catch the newest episode of “Star Blazers”. After that we got “Battle of the Planets”. But, Star Blazers left a mark on me because of the drama that ran much deeper than other “cartoons” I watched. I’ll never forget the episode when Wildstar had his arm grazed by a blaster and you could see the blood oozing from the wound. The suspense and cliffhanger episode made me run home faster the next day……
Years later (early 90’s), I strolled into a comic shop and found a Macross comic and inquired about it because the art was reminiscent of Star Blazers. The owner suggested I check out the anime club meeting in the back room. I strolled to the back, pulled back a curtain and saw a sight I’ll never forget. A relatively small, cramped space filled with old, donated leather couches and chairs. The smell of pizza and a room full of nerds. The old LCD projection screen and a chain of VCR’s and laser disk players giving off electric warmth.
That nights feature was Silent Mobius. The cyberpunk, Blade Runner vibe had me from the get go. I was hooked. I’ve been an anime nerd ever since. With the vapid, boiler plate trash that Hollywood puts out today…….I love it even more.
Great video! Allergies acted up toward the end.
My experiences were roughly similar, friend. Same age, same shows, same fan clubs and daisy-chains of copying media sources. :-)
@@AcroRay those were the days! It was exciting. Went to some of the first anime conventions on the east coast. Those were so fun. There’s a doc on RUclips about them. I know a lot of those people😂
I need to get my hands on Silent Mobius...... I've been wanting to watch that anime for around 23 years
Im 41.. i recall many memories about old skool viewings with my brothers on old tv channels. Voltron, astroboy, macross, patlabor, ... When we were pure hearts and all.
What a beautiful video essay of your personal journey.
Although I didn't get into anime until the late 2000s (through discovering a lot of harem shows), I encountered similar points in which the medium shaped my life.
Also oh my god, those captions are a work of art in themselves.
84 model here. Watched all these shows in the olden days and they also caressed desires and nurtured my maturity in ways that my broken home could not. I'm happy to have experienced these shows. I begun maybe a little earlier than you, being raised by Heidi and Moomin made by Hayao Myazaki before Studio Ghibli was a thing and I new what anime was.
Your poetic narrative brings me back to this channel. It's something that seems to stand on its own.
It´s rare that I actually watched all animes you talk about in a video, albeit ages ago. I had forgotten how much Kimi ga nozomu eien still feels like a splinter in my heart. I had recommended the series to my friend when i was halfway through, and he caught up very quickly. I think I remember us meeting up twice in one day because we had both watched a significant episode and NEEDED to talk about it with someone. I have a fondness for that show
I didn’t expect to get so emotional over an video essay but you truly touched me. This is really a fantastic video!
Evangelion was my own beyond Ghibli moment. It started with a single image found in the depths of some early aught's forum or blog. I don't remember where I found it but the image remains stark strange and beautiful in my mind. A giant pale naked woman basked in an eerie monochromatic blood red. She towered above swirling clouds with strange appendages resembling insect wings sprouting from her back and legs. In her hands she cradled a soft white orb that she looked down on with an expression a mother might give their newborn child. It flipped a switch in my brain and I needed to know where this image came from, who made it, and why. Needless to say I always was and still am a Rei fan.
Evangelion is one that lasted the test of time. It could come out now in 2024, and be as intriguing as back in 1995.
Thank you for puting into words what i couldnt. I was there. Kindred spirit, thank you.
"end of the prologue." Now you've got me wanting more!
I'm honestly surprised that Haibane Renmei was one of those first four episodes. I watched it after your video on it, and it's certainly not an anime I'd expect teenage boys to appreciate.
Elfen Lied... It's one of the most controversial shows. But also one of my all time favourites. Not because it's the one of the "best", but because it's succeeded to make me FEEL each time I rewatched it. (Maybe three times.) The tragedy somehow gets to me every time. I don't think I've ever cried more to an anime. And that's what entertainment is about, to me. Not crying, but feeling any sort of strong feelings.
I dropped it because I thought the scene at 34:02 was really cringe. Should I give it another shot then?
@@ivansoto9723same here. it’s like fan service for pedophiles & sex maniacs. it always ruins it for me.
it’s so cheap.
No you shouldn't. And this is coming from someone who likes the show and read the whole Manga. It's just not good and there is better stories out there.@@ivansoto9723
these subtitle shenanigans have got to be a throwback to the fansubs of the old!
I want you to know that you're an amazing creator. I enjoy your content, and value the zen like insights per episode. The recommendations and hidden finds within the videos are always top tier. 🙇♂️🙇♂️
Chobits actually getting into the ethics of being with a PC was a surpising angle but I'm glad they did.
The anime feels juvenile and innocent yet also mature and adult while still never losing itself in the spectrum.
With the rise or AI and more socially introverted people i wouldn't be surprised if chobits gains the popularity of something like serial experiments lain which is way more relevant now than it is today.
That and being just an overall genuine and sweet romcom.
I swear people need to talk about ones like chobits instead of bringing up clannad or toradora all the time which are understandably popular but i feel that chobits despite the metal framing has a real heart to it.
3x3 Eyes, Ranma 1/2, Fruits Basket and Tenchi Muyo were my dive into anime before Pokemon and Naruto and DBZ showed up on my cable channels. Blood and love and nudity seemed to naturally go together.
As a seasoned anime enthusiast, I have had the pleasure of witnessing the evolution of the medium over several decades. Your clips consistently showcase hidden gems from the past, characterized by their sophisticated production values.
Great work, as always 👏
ty for including mushishi. its a very special anime to me, i teared up immediately at the short clip.
I feel a tinge of envy that I can't reminisce about these highlighted series as some others in the comment section can. The overall feeling is something I can understand however, and it has me reflecting on the series that were formative to my early anime years. Thank you for this gift :)
A manga called plus anima and Clannad was my introduction to anime and i love to hear others
Thank you friend for making me feel less alone in this world, as I recognized myself in many of your thoughts! Magnificent essay.
It's a testament to your video making skills that you managed to make me vaguely nostalgic for Elfen freaking Lied of all things
Pokémon was also my introduction to anime. I dressed up as Pikachu one Halloween and had the Ash Ketchum hat.
Chobits was the first anime I actively sought out to watch from start to finish, I could (and still can) sing the opening theme song, I made robot ears out of construction paper, I drew art of it, Chii was the girl on my birthday cake that year.
I'm so glad my parents had no idea what it was cause I was like 10 or 11, I watched it in the basement on Comcast On Demand.
While I might be a decade removed from you, my experiences were the same. While I might have watched different shows, they were the same. I am so truly thankful that I got into anime how I did, when I did. It has done so much for me, and meant so much to me. Thank you for putting into words, that wonderful feeling of being a teenager with a whole new universe to explore. This is one of the best RUclips channels, and you deserve all the praise in the world. Thanks for making me cry today, Joe.
First time I have watched someone talk about rumbling hearts (kiminozo) and you have captured the same emotions I felt when I watched it and the emotions I feel looking back at it now.. absolutely loved this video
My teenage self watching bootlegged Ranma 1/2 the first time, that was my wtf moment. Then there was Sailor Moon, it was the 90’s, what a fun time that was.
My first dive into anime was Wolfs Rain when i was 13 and i find MYself constantly thinking back on it. All these years later and ive yet to rewatch it. I will one day. This video really resonated with me thank you for all the hard you put into it.
Straaaaaaahiiiiiyaaaaay
I cried while watching Chobits bro. The storyline was really great.
Chobits influenced so much of my style when I was learning to draw, you can still see it somewhat in the way I draw hair too nowadays. I was waiting for someone to talk about this series I love so much
2:11 those captions go crazy, damn
Loved seeing the clips from other nostalgic anime! My uncle lending me Animatrix as a kid was what made me realise a bunch of what I'd already been watching religiously on Toonami was part of a whole new world of amazing art!
17:15 ooo, DBZ and hitting reruns of the episode over and over again because I didn't always have the controller 😂
I am in LOVE with these subtitles. I had no idea youtube had support for this kind of creativity and style. Can't wait to see more of this kind of amazing content. Worth every second of the wait. Stay amazing Beyond, you're an incredibe inspiration indeed. ❤
The classic children’s story book way that this personal tale of an anime fan is narrated is amazing. I feel such a strong but bizarre sense of nostalgia here. It feels almost like a parody, but I’m enjoying it immensely
In the early 2000s I used to watch random anime online, like throwing a dart on a board. Rumbling Hearts was one of them, wow I honestly totally forgot about it and just the feeling it left in me and I’m getting again just watching this video. It had at the edge of my seat as any other shonen, it felt so adult back then. Thanks for reminding me.
One of the most beautiful, heartfelt tributes to anime I’ve seen in quite some time. Anime has made a clear mark on all of us; it really is a gift that keeps on giving. I’m glad to have been given the chance to experience a medium bursting with that special flavor of profound, one that has never stopped inspiring fans old and new.
Thank you for this introspective masterpiece of a video, made me cry.
Beautiful video dude! Thanks for the memories; being born only 1 year apart, I have some of those as well.
Alright time to lock in.
What a beautiful essay, now I can't help but remember how I started watching anime and to reminisce in how it has impacted my own life and development over the years. Seriously, for a video to put me in this mood, it has to both be really well done and connect to me emotionally, and this one easily clears both marks.
Thank you for this, your work is beyond words!
Wow! Kimi Ga Nozomu portion really hit me hard. What's more weird is I had a dream last night that was about this VERY idea of falling in love with an idea of a person in the past, than the person you truly love in the present. Thank you for this episode :)
I love chobits and no one ever does it like retrospect about it. I'm so excited to watch this tonight
Welcome back, we missed you
Very moving video essay. I feel exceptionally lucky to have experienced them in real time and can still share these feelings today. A picture book, Mayaul no okurimono (A gift from Mayaul) is still with me after all those years.
It’s ironic you’re saying you wouldn’t recommend KimiNozo, because this video is probably the most heartfelt recommendation the series has received in years. The way your voice breaks a bit around 20:28 hit my tear ducts like a truck. It’s so wonderful to hear people’s experiences with anime, and I’m very glad you shared this with us. I never watched the show, but now I want to.
Seeing the old titles brings back lots of fuzzy memories. Thanks!
While there's a time difference of almost two entire decades, I can relate to remembering that feeling of discovering something amazing when getting into anime. Being drawn into a world that feels so unlike everything you've seen before, but also just... makes sense on some instinctual level. Binging hours after hours, watching and enjoying things you wouldn't watch or enjoy now. I was a bit of a dumbass then, but I can't deny sometimes wishing I could return to those days.
This was absolutely beautiful! 10/10 made me feel again.
My man, i feel you. Kimi Ga is always with me since the time i watched it for the first time.
Right time and place it was
loved spirited away so much had it burned on VHS. watched dragon ball z, yu yu hakisho and other toonami anime but didn’t really understand exactly what anime was. Naruto came out and I liked it a lot, realized the episodes I was watching already aired else where and when I looked on youtube I found 3 part episodes. joined forums discussing anime, naruto, bleach etc and suddenly I found Higurashi and the melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. it was over for me then. Don’t really watch it anymore but I will read it all these years later.
I'm glad I watched this and now I got to finish Elfen Lied so I can watch the entirety of this video. Thank you for your hard work, it is uplifting.
The tidal wave of nostalgia brought by this video, the kind you can't fight but to which you must surrender, enveloped me in memories, feelings, and thoughts; that I desperately tried to forget, because the heartache is too much, but without which I can't be. Thank you.
those are some slick subs you got there, almost thought they were burn-in lol. I appreciate it a lot
The editing got me hooked
I wasent a teen but in my early to almoat mid 20s at that time and it was GREAT!
Elfen Lied was my very first anime I looked at for myself. It's stuck with me ever since, especially that delightfully haunting song. It's a must watch for those who haven't seen it yet.
My turning point where I became a fan was watching Gundam Wing on Toonami as a 6 or 7 year old and realizing that cartoons can be used to tell stories about violence. I didn't really get the theme, but i thought it was cool. Same feeling when I first watched NGE 3 years later
Grew up with Naruto, Pokémon, Digimon, Yugioh and DBZ. They made me feel emotions in a way _so_ different to those of Western media like Lion King or Batman, and in a way that I couldn't quite explain but I knew was incredible
Although in terms of Ghibli, I first watched Spirited Away when I was quite young and it was one of the few, if not the first, movie where I just couldn't explain why I loved it or why it was beautiful.
Wow Rumbling Hearts really just brought back a flash of memories for me, I recognised the name and animation of the anime but it wasn't until you mentioned the coma plotline that it all came back to me. I had very similar sentiments to you when I watched it as a young teen and now looking back I also see he made the right choice. I might need to revisit it cause I remember really enjoying the maturity of the anime as I'd mostly watched young high school based animes at the time.
I watched evengalion on a bootleg vhs back in the late 90s thats when i had my first "wtf is this!" moment. i spent a whole decade trying to convince friends, family, and anyone who'd listen to my taste in shows, that anime is the best of story telling. Any story is possible, anything can be converted to a visual median, even dreams. after being ridiculed time and time again even by my own brother. in the past 10 years he now watches anime weekly (all be it dub) but now when we get together its what we talk about. i now give him seasonal recommendations and we deep dive shows. its been a long battle to see anime finally get the recognition it deserves.
I really enjoyed this video, as someone with a 99% similar anime experience, I found that the commentary and the scenes selection were superb. It was great remembering all those stories. And as you said some of those will be stuck with us forever in our minds, the anime that still haunts me to this day is Texhnolyze, that one was cruel.
Fevol knocked it out of the park with the captions. Beautiful work
Highly personal video. I appreciate. BTW: I haven't seen such refined subtitles for a long time. Although I must admit that the choice of anime titles is veeery mixed for me.
Chobits awoken something in me that I didn’t even know I had when I was that young… anime fanservice oh god 😭
I was with you for Rumbling Hearts. It was my first anime. I still hate Rumbling Hearts to this day. It's definitely one of the reasons I stopped watching anime a decade ago.
I love anime in my childhood - Marine Boy, Space Ace, 8th Man, Wonder 3, Kimba The White Lion (The Lion King was a rip-off), Speed Racer - I am way older than you. But it was Ah! My Goddess and Azumanga Daioh that pulled me back in.
CHOBITS and Elfen Lied are among the first shows I saw when properly getting into anime yet it was 15 years after they came out, but equally the "cartoons" I remember the most growing up turned out to be anime! Ulysses 31, Dogtanian, Willy Fogg and The Mysterious Cities of Gold. The first anime I saw knowing it was anime was when Akira first aired in the UK, but it didn't stick, then Spirited Away won the Oscar and I watched the rest of Ghibli on Film4, but again it didn't stick then I saw the likes of Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne and the original Fullmetal Alchemist on the briefly lived AnimeCentral, but it still didn't stick. It wasn't till Netflix started to push anime that I finally got sucked in and I signed up to Crunchyroll and haven't looked back. That when I saw those 2 shows among many other classics and then started watching current stuff too.
The odd thing about Elfen Lied is that at it's core, it's about family. It is a show about family values. Somehow, the creators were able to convey that through incest, intense violence, and pornographic themes. How in the hell they were able to pull that off is a mystery, but they pulled it off. I've been watching anime since the 80's. Seeing Elfen LIed was a "Whoa!" moment. One of those shows where life turned. There was anime before Elfen Lied, and there was anime after Elfen Lied.
My initial taste in anime was in 2004 on Adult Swim. My first full season episode watch was in 2010 with High School of the dead, and at the beginning of 2015, I started looking for it on my own. Up till now, I'm over 500 anime series in according to MyAnimelist. Just as you stated how you felt first watching it and the flow of emotions just watching anything anime as a young child, Is the same thing that I've felt at the age of 39. Anime does change you with the stories of the characters they portray and the lives they live.
Another great video. Thank you for sharing! 🙏
I really appreciate the effort you are making with the names of each anime that you are showing. Looking forward to the next video of this series!
Dude we’re the same age and I felt this entire video so hard!!!
Thank you for recommending Rumbling Hearts. This show is brilliant! I think it's one of most underrated anime that ever existed. There are so many emotions between all characters, especially with this old artstyle they had in 2000s, so many emotions they conveyed through the eyes, tears, movements and magic of music, and in addition to that the story is ULTRAREALISTIC. So many people adore Makoto Shinkai for melodrama and realism (no offense to Shinkai, he's very talented in his ways) but they don't even know what kind of gem is hidden in time. The show is just a simple soap opera without any attempts to be complicated but if you try to put yourself in this kind of situation - you see that the plot is deeply melancholic, and watching of these series is like drinking poison, it slowly tears your heart apart episode by episode, every character's life is getting complicated and ruined with every episode until the sad, cruel truth finishes the anime so perfectly that... I don't know how to properly explain it but the ending seems to be so COMPLETED, so polished that you can't even find any way to criticize it.
The charming, nostalgic prologue in the first episode. The cruelty of fate in the ED, showing childhood friends and innocence while every episode destroys all this. The moment you see a ring on a finger in the end of second episode and realization of eternal blame that Mitsuki immediately understood - there are so many interesting, deeply ironic things in this masterpiece.
And the way this anime has divided everyone in two camps shows how controversial the topic is and how difficult this situation could be if it happened in real life.
This anime disguises itself as anime but it's LIFE ITSELF, pure fragment of life. Real slice-of-life, not those corny/cheesy situations that we see today in many romcoms with a lot of exaggerations. I don't think they're bad, but if you want to see, feel something very real - this is the best story you could recommend for any anime enjoyer.
I wouldn't say that I'm biased to a certain epoque in anime industry - I like different shows from different decades - but 2000s with their Clannad and Rumbling Hearts were most sincere experiences that made me felt like I have lump in the throat and I just can't immediately return back to normal life after watching such things, they affect your heart strings with surgical precision.
I was a middle school girl in this era and out of ALL of the anime you could've selected you chose three that had the most impact on me (for better or worse). Such a pleasure to listen to. I literally just bought a wig to cosplay Lucy and my newest tattoo is from Chobits.
Absolute banger of a video! Thankyou for distilling my similar thoughts and feelings into it! Great Job!❤
It's like a nature special but for anime. And I fuckin dig it
I can’t get over how good you are at distilling the way I feel about anime into videos . I often share your videos with friends and family and hope you realise just how important they are becoming to the medium we love
i love that you list the names of everything in the corner
it makes it so much easier to find new stuff
Love the name being below so we now the series easily
Thank you for this. We are inseparable from the art we engage with and the art we make and I'm so happy to hear your story, so that I can make my own
anime is so full of art for me
My origin story was with Monster Musume. Back in 2015, that was the first anime Crunchyroll showed me when I installed it on my crummy Samsung phone. That scene with the spider lady awakened my interest for legs.
After that, I watched Squid Girl. As a preteen, it was one of the few times I ever thought "CUTE!" while watching a show. (Now, as an adult, I love cute anime!)
Some point later, I found out about Kill la Kill, & it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Mind-blowing. Still can't get enough of that show.
As always, that was beautiful. I'm not sure which was the first anime to change my life like that, but it was such a great nostalgia hit to see all those old anime!
Glad to have you back!
Would love to see your take on modern anime like post 2020 and compare with classics....
Some things are universal. I first encountered anime in the 80s boom, with Robotech, Captain Harlock and Thundersub on Super Channel being noticeably different than the other weekend morning cartoons that occupied my childhood, but I got into it properly with the early 90s explosion and all the baggage that came with it. I remember staying up late at 16 or so to watch Cyber City Oedo and Doomed Megalopolis in Channel 4's Saturday night extreme cinema slot... and worrying about how to explain the latter to my parents if they came downstairs and asked exactly what was going on in the show. Exactly like that Chobits moment.
That final moment at the end of Cowboy Bebop...thats when I knew.