Why do I go crazy for anime?

Have you seen Disappearance yet? It was fucking AWESOME!!
(c) mcr

Isn't anime just another form of cartoon? Instead of made by the Americans, they are made by the Japanese. Whats the difference? What makes anime so special?

What most people don't understand is, like any other hobbies or interest, once you are "into" it, you will understand the depth that goes with it.

Becoming a fan of anime goes deeper than just enjoying the "cartoons". It becomes part of your lifestyle. You can feel the addiction for it running through you veins. You can't wait to get home from the office just so you get to watch the latest episode of Bleach, even though you already know it will sucks ball.

I dunno about anyone else, but it kinda give me a purpose. I feel fulfilled. You might laugh at that statement and called me shallow or someone who doesn't have a fucking life. Well, maybe you're right but you know what? I don't give a rat ass? At least I'm doing what I want and that makes me happy.

Kyon makes me very happy indeed ^_^
(c) sato unta

It invokes all these feelings that I usually stored and locked away when dealing with real life. The last time I cried, it was because of a manga. And before that it was because of the anime. I cried when Kyon almost got killed by Yuki. I cursed when Kubo fucked up Bleach, I laughed my ass off watching Gintoki and I got excited at the thought that we are going to have a second season of Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu and Working!! soon. Real life events don't move me as much as anime/manga did. In fact I usually found myself got so freaking bored dealing with every day life. If you really know me in real life, you would probably question whether or not I have a heart. You'll either think that I am a heartless bitch or that I just don't care about anything at all. I'm not even kidding about this. See my face? I'm dead serious at the moment ^w^

The truth is, in real life, I'm the coolest bitch you'll ever met. I don't take offense easily. You can say shit to my face and I would probably just laughed with you. Sure I have a temper but I usually save that one up for my writings. When I'm upset I usually bottled it all inside. I know it's unhealthy. That's why I think anime/manga save my life. I only allowed myself to be completely loose and vulnerable when I watch/read anime/manga. That is why I think they play such a big part in my life. Otherwise, I would probably spend thousands of dollars for therapy or worst, wearing the straight jacket.

Normal people don't understand this. I don't expect them to be. None of my friends (the real life ones) watch anime or have any understanding about my "hobby". They think that I'm too old for all of these. Instead of wasting my time with anime, manga and figurines, they think that I should have get married, have kids and basically grow the fuck up. Too bad that I am not a typical person or I would have succumb to the pressure. I'm turning 30 next year and so far although I'm in a relationship, I don't think we are going to hear wedding bells anytime soon. What's the rush? There is still so much that I want to have/achieve. Besides, being married does not mean that you'll end up happy. I have so many examples that I can choose from but why bother. You can find the statistic on the net.

I'll get marry tomorrow if I can find myself a Kyon =3
(c) ia

So back to anime, what is so special about the Japanese made "cartoons" that made me an addict? First, lemme say that I have a fascination with Japan. If you don't read Malaysian history, lemme educate you. The Japanese had at one time (during the World War II) invaded us so I kinda learned about them ever since they taught us about them in history class. Just like my fascination with Hitler and the Ku Klux Klan, I was captivated. Till date Germany and Japan are probably the two countries I want to visit the most with Switzerland in third place. But lets not get side track. The fact that these anime was made by the Japanese are enough to keep me interested.

Second, the language. It just another different feelings when I get to to watch an anime that doesn't speak English or Malay. It gives this foreign and cool vibes to it. That is why I ignore anything that is dubbed. I feel like the anime has lost its originality and virginity when it gets the dubbed treatment. Maybe this feeling was stemmed so early in my childhood after watching all those Malay dubbed Doraemon anime *shudders*. But yeah, the language is cool as fuck. I want to learn Japanese and Dutch before I die. Maybe I could marry someone who is fluent at it :P

Third, the presentation. It feels like watching a real life drama gets animated. Cartoons are usually targeted for children but I feel like anime have totally different audience. Sure they are still few of the anime that are child-oriented but most of them are made for adults. It just made anime more relevant to a person like me. That is why I was able to pour my heart and soul into it. Not to mention that they have all these range of genres. You just have to pick your favorite and enjoy it to your heart's content.

Fourth: the fact that thanks to anime, I got to meet the coolest people on earth whether through facebook or my blog. I think I am able to stay this passionate about anime is because I have someone that I spazz and be a nerd with. At last I found someone else who gets me, who share the same interest and opinion about some of the anime. We might have different taste but when it comes to passion, we are all equal. Thanks to these people, my life is less lonely.

Reason number five: I think I know myself better thanks to anime. I kinda surprised myself with all these new discoveries about what I like and don't like. For example, who would have thought that I will be obsessed with yaoi? Okay scratch that, everyone probably see that one coming. But yeah, anime kinda teach me a lot of things about myself. It let me explore feelings and thoughts that I normally won't even bother to acknowledge. Sometimes it was so contrary to real life that I found it so damn funny how irony it all were.

an obligatory picture for a BL fan like me XD
(c) hagiri

Last but not least, anime serves as an escapism for me. I am a Pisces so it was second nature to me to escape from real life and just imagine whatever the fuck I want. I write a lot but it wasn't enough. This is where anime comes in handy. I let myself get lost in whatever episode I'm watching. It feels cool as fuck. I can pick out any dream I want and be part of it. Awesome. It has become my endless source of amusement and inspiration.

(c) iwashi

So yeah, tl;dr. I am just in a mood to write something. This by no means a measuring stick. It is just how I feel about anime. If you can relate to it, then I'm glad to know you. If you don't, I hope one day you'll get it.

End note: Go watch the Disappearance movie. I'm gonna see it for the fifth time after I posted this.

Posted in: anime freak, itemized, me as klux