What 33 Years of Watching Anime Have Taught Me

It is amazing to realize that I have spent about 35 years watching anime. It was the first piece of media that I consumed on my own. I have watched so much, and it is amazing to see how far technology has developed to enable us to consume more. I remember when the only time you could watch anime in the US was if they showed it in the early hours on a local station. Then Toonami on Cartoon Network made big strides in anime and had numerous people, including myself, going through different options. When Toonami didn’t have something, I remember going through YouTube to find the anime that I wanted to watch. 

Things didn’t really change for me until Funimation started streaming shows and blew the door right open, exposing me to many anime that I had never heard of. Now, we have platforms like Crunchyroll, Hi-Dive, Prime Video, Netflix, and Hulu to consume anime from. After watching anime for so many decades, I found that a handful of shows left a lasting impact on me. 

Sailor Moon

A young teenager finds out that she is not only a reincarnated princess, but also has magical powers that can fight off evil. She becomes the leader of the Sailor Scouts, Sailor Moon.

Why I Love: This show was my first introduction to anime and how animation can have rich and deep storytelling. It was also my first experience of seeing female superheroes. It was empowering to learn at a young age that girls did have agency and the power to protect and save the world. 

Trigun

Vash the Stampede has a massive bounty on his head even though he is a gentle giant who refuses to kill anyone. 

Why I Love:  It’s pretty emotional. Vash watched before his eyes as his brother became a stone-cold killer without concern for others in the universe. Watching Vash deal with the loss of the brother he thought he knew and trying not to become like him is fascinating to watch. 

The Apothecary Diaries

An apothecary, Maomao, is kidnapped by bandits and sold to the royal palace. Trying to be inconspicuous, she initially avoids the happenings of the royal palace. However, when a mystery is plaguing the concubines, Maomao is drawn into solving the problem by using her medical knowledge to save the day.

Why I Love: I am always up for a story that shows female empowerment, especially this one. Maomao is very intelligent and uses her smarts to help others in a world that doesn’t really expect much from women. It is especially amazing since she is able to gain the respect of those that are higher up on the totem pole than her. 

Ascendance of a Bookworm

A young bookworm is reincarnated into a frail body and a place where books are scarce. 

Why I Love: I felt seen through Myne’s character. She has a chronic illness that affects her everyday life. She often has to have people carry her long distances or use a moving vehicle to get places. However, she never lets it stop her from doing what she loves: creating books and learning materials for others. It really is an inspiration about keeping moving forward even though the odds are against you.

My New Boss Is Goofy

An office worker starts a new job, but is afraid of doing anything wrong due to his experience with his previous company where the boss physically, mentally, and emotionally abused them. 

Why I love: It is a story that most people can relate to: getting out of a toxic situation. I know that the show focused on workplace toxicity, but the things covered in this story can be applied to any toxic relationship, like romantic, familial, friendship, neighbors, etc. It illustrates how walking away is the hardest, but most important step of leaving a bad relationship. It is scary, but it is better for your physical, mental, and emotional health. 

Spy x Family

Spy Twilight is given an assignment to get close to politician Desmond and prevent him from starting a war. Desmond only makes public appearances at the school his sons attend. In an attempt to get closer to him, Twilight adopts a young girl, Anya, and marries an office clerk, Yor. However, what Twilight doesn’t realize is that Yor is a high-ranking assassin, and Anya is a telepath. What high jinks will this found family get into?

Why I Love: It deals with a found family aspect with Loid, Yor, and Anya. Each of them has their own motives for being a part of this pretend family, but all three learn to genuinely care for each other. I also find it hysterical that Anya is the only one out of the three who knows everyone’s secrets, which is kind of mind-blowing considering that Loid and Yor deal with secrets for a living. 

Witch Hat Atelier

A young girl discovers how to use magic, but it comes at a price: her mother being frozen. Now, she has to study to become a proper witch in order to undo the damage she has done. 

Why I Love: I love that it deals with the concept of curiosity. It is good to have a sense of curiosity because it encourages you to discover new things. However, too much curiosity comes with a cost that may bite you in the behind, especially if you are doing something you have no concept of, like Coco’s first attempts with magic. Also, as a side note, I can’t get enough of my favorite character, Qifrey. The man is hiding secrets, and I can’t wait to find out what they all are. 

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Two brothers try to bring their mother back to life with the power of alchemy, but it leads to disastrous results. 

Why I Love: Maybe it was just me, but I found religious meaning in this particular show. It illustrates that dying is a part of life and can’t be undone because it goes against nature, which Ed and Al learn the hard way when they tried to play God. They lost parts of themselves as a consequence, and they had to fight to gain those pieces back. 

My Dress-Up Darling

A boy who loves making hina dolls and doll dresses becomes friends with a cosplayer. The more they get closer together, sparks fly. 

Why I Love: I love the romance aspect of it, but what I love even more is that it gives us an insight into the world of cosplay. It shows how much work and dedication that cosplayers put into their outfits, and how much they influence the culture around them. It also made me realize how much cosplaying is done in the US. I have an uncle who travels to multiple comic cons every year in costume. It allows him to share his interest with others and to learn more about other types of media that people are into now. 

Kiki’s Delivery Service

A young girl begins her year-long journey as a witch while creating a new business and meeting new people along the way.  

Why I Love: The meaning of this anime has changed for me over the years. If you had asked me about two years ago, I would have said my favorite part of the movie was showing how hard adulting and starting a business is, but with hard work and dedication, you can achieve anything. However, when I watched the scene recently where Kiki saved Tombo from dying, I burst out in tears. 

I didn’t get it at first, but it slowly dawned on me why that scene affected me so. Before the thing with Tombo, Kiki had lost her magic for a while and found herself aimless because something that was so easy for her was out of her reach. I felt the same way when I lost my ability to talk and walk last year. However, seeing Kiki struggling to learn how to fly again to save Tombo reminds me of my situation last year. Talking was something I used to do without thinking. However, I had to do speech therapy to practice getting my voice back. It was hard and painful, but now I am at the point where I can hold conversations again. It made me realize that you can get back the things you lost with enough hard work and determination. 

Thank you, guys, for reading along as I geek out on my favorite anime. They have all meant so much to me and imparted important lessons. I hope that you can find an anime in this list to love too.