Why do I love anime

So... Why is my love for anime do great? What fuels my passion for anime, manga, cosplay and all things japanese related? Not an easy question to answer!

Well, I'll have to talk a little of my childhood for that. No, this is not the part where I will tell you I watched lots of anime's when I was young, or something like that...

Who am I anyway?

No, my name is not Nanet! I'm Ricardo Silva, a portuguese guy. Son of three, born in Portugal, in a town called Barreiro, I lost my mother when I was a young toddler (18 months, more or less). She died to that horrible disease... Cancer (in the breast).

That tragedy, of course, changed my entire family and is a dark mark in my past, something I will have to carry with me for the rest of my life.

Not good times when that happened. My father was devastated, being depressed and drinking more than he should. Also, the company where he worked for was not going very well. In those troubled times, the three siblings went to separate homes. I stayed with my grand-mother.

She's a very simple person and Portugal at that time was still a third-world country (well, it still is I guess).

So I had one TV, with 2 public channels. A lot of disney books. Some toys. Not a lot to play and no manga or anime anywhere!

Life passed, things got better. After 1st grade school I went to live with my father again. He had a computer - a Spectrum 128!, and I started playing my first games along with my brother. I really liked it! Still no anime or manga.

Anyway, it was notable that I liked alternative things. Sci-fi and fantasy were my favorite books theme. Even the games and TV shows I preferred delved in that realm. Twin Peaks made a big impression in me at the time, I remember that!

Of course, kid as I was, I also liked cartoons a lot! But the only anime ones that passed in portuguese television was Cavaleiros do Zodíaco (Saint Seiya). I devoured those, of course, but it wasn't enough to get me hooked.

Time moved forward, internet started showing, although I couldn't call it fast at the time... those modem beeps still give me the creeps! But I wasn't too much on the internet back then and it was certainly not to watch anime. Games, games, games, that was my thing...

Yes, you must already seen the trend! I was back then and still are a FREAKING GEEK!

Moving on, my first real hook on a manga show was in my high-school. Dragon Ball started to air! Me, alongside thousands of other young people, idolatrize that anime series. Songoku was my hero!

After a couple of years cable reached my home. A channel called Sic Radical started to show late night anime shows. Cowboy Bebop, Vision of Escaflowne, Trigun, Serial Experiments Lain, Excel Saga... All of those were fabulous and then I finally realised I 've found something I really enjoyed! Anime was great!

Good storylines, not to everyone (I hate to go with the pack), nice music and presentation. In the fantastical realm, just to my liking. Yep, my taste gland had hit the jackpot.

Also, cable opened up more interesting choices. I now had cable-speed internet. That is, I could now download / watch animes way faster than before. Dang, even accessing simple websites was heaven compared to the inferno of 56kb internet.

So, and since I was a measly student, with hardly any money, and even less chance to buy original anime shows (not to mention the prohibitive price the few I could access cost - it's Portugal remember?) and most of the nice shows didn't even existed:

Yes, I did illegal downloads. It's sad to admit it, but it's true. But thanks to that my anime passion flourished and I'm now here writing hubpages about Anime and making money to the producers via my Amazon links... So, it all turned good, right? ^_^'

Now I watch anime series in Animax, a special cable network here in Portugal. I also check out some animes online from time to time. I read mangas also... My last one was Nausicaa and I'll tell you... It's the Lord of the Rings of Manga! I highly recommended reading that one. But it's very hard to find (just like a treasure!) being so old... Good luck!

Well, I talked a bit about me and my past, but still didn't fully answered why, in fact, do I love anime.

Main reasons are:

1. Japanese anime directors tend to be a little crazy and have an incredible imagination. Plus, they can create fantastic worlds and events that are nearly impossible to achieve in live-action films with a smaller budget (that's one of the main perks of any animation, basically!) Also, they are expert in providing with groundbreaking plot twists and action scenes that will make your jaw drop!
2. The normal themes of animes in general fit my personality and personal tastes like a glove - as I already told you in my small revisit to my past.
3. Yes, it's also an escape from reality. I tend to be a little depressed due to some facts of my life (I already mentioned some of those) and watching a good anime show (especially if it has comical parts, that make me laugh a lot) is great way to forget about some bad things in life.
4. It has nice girls!!! LoL, this is the ecchi response, but it's not really one of the main reasons I like this genre. I actually love anime more not for the "physical" aspect of anime girls - come one, they are only cartoons! - but for the interesting traits of personality some girls are given by the authors, like the typical tsunade girl (good example is Narusegawa from Love Hina).
5. I also like anime because it's different and alternative (well If I lived in Japan or Eastern Asia it wouldn't be, but in Portugal there's not a big anime loving culture) and as I said before I prefer to be "a little weird" to other people eyes, instead of being just one amongst many.
6. I also enjoy the typical style of japanese animation. The big and round eyes, the plastic faces of characters, the beautiful background scenarios, some, like in Grave of the Fireflies, almost look watercolors!
7. Oh and almost forgot, one of the first things that really made an impression on me! The music of animes is quite unique and you'll find several tracks of excellence in your quality anime show. I was mesmerized by Yoko Kanno's compositions in Jazz, Blues, Bebop and Classical music along the great show that is Cowboy Bebop!

So I guess I covered the most important reason why I love anime so much!

Hope you weren't bored by reading this hub! (Chances are, if you are still reading this line, you liked it, eheh).

Obrigado e até à próxima!