Confessions of an Anime Addict

By Donnie | Articles

It all started when I was around four or five. I watched the cartoon Tranzor Z religiously and was intrigued by it. I later moved on to acquire a second addiction…the Thundercats. Now that I think about it though, I can’t remember which came first for me, Tranzor Z or the Thundercats. I remember watching Voltron and being fascinated with every episode even though the animators would use some of the same scenes over and over again. Though I didn’t know it at the time, many of these cartoon greats that I loved so much were animated by Japanese artists. I don’t really consider these true animes, but it was the precursor to the anime I would start watching later.

The first real anime I ever watched was Akira when I was 12 or 13 years old. It was SO different than any other cartoon I had ever seen. The characters were darker, that what I was used to, the situations seemed so much more serious…needless to say, it wasn’t a family cartoon. I didn’t care that I couldn’t understand the story (I still don’t understand it fully…18 years later), Akira really whet my appetite. The next anime I remember seeing was Little Nemo the Dream Master. I remembered playing the Nintendo game over a friends house before, and thought…why not? I liked it even more than Akira because the story was simple. In late high school I was exposed to one of the most macabre cartoons I had ever seen, Ninja Scroll. This was the most brutal anime that I had ever watched, but the story was amazingly good and the character and animation were so well done. After watching Ninja Scroll, the floodgates opened and anime became a pretty normal thing for me. I watched some of the many Street Fighter anime variations, Yu Yu Hakusho, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and more.

I don’t know why, but the anime stories can be quite addictive. I am currently into the Naruto Shippuden series, which is extremely cool (except for the current filler episodes), and watch it every week. I want to try watching other animes, but lately I don’t because I don’t want another series to sink it’s evil hooks into my brain. I highly recommend watching at least one episode of an anime because they are such a big part of Japanese culture, but caveat emptor (buyer beware) if you’re not careful that small bit of nerd/geek that resides in us all could completely take over you.

Donald Ash

About the Author

  • Ryan McGuinness says:

    Where do I start on Anime? I remember watching Dragonball Z 10 years ago, which started me down the Otaku path. I watch Naruto Shippuden as well. =) Almost as good as Dragonball and Yu Yu Hakusho! Anime has really helped me come to terms with how various Japanese accents and the language itself sounds.

    I am not as obsessed with anime as I was a couple of years ago, though I do often watch a few episodes of whatever Series I’m watching at that time every week.

    • Donald Ash says:

      Nice. I didn’t watch much Dragonball Z, but there were hordes of followers for that show back in the U.S.. I think it’s great listening practice, even though some Japanese people say the anime Japanese isn’t always natural. I try to watch more Japanese news, listen to Japanese radio, etc. (to try to improve my comprehension). I’m kind of similar. In my late 20s I really started watching a lot less, but I think I will always like anime.

  • Joshua Kramer says:

    Princess Mononoke is the end all be all of anime.

    • Donald Ash says:

      I’ve heard a lot of people say that Princess Mononoke is great, but I’ve never seen it unfortunately. It’s sounds like an anime night for me.

  • Joshua Kramer says:
  • Joshua Kramer says:

    sorry I tried to post a video, but I see it does not work

    • Donald Ash says:

      I’m working on trying to find a way to fix that Josh. I’ve been wanting to do the same…

  • LanceT says:

    Some of my oldest memories from anime… hmm… I think the first real exposure I had was back when Sci-Fi channel had the first block of anime shown around Thanksgiving late one night. The lineup was Lensman (Movie Version) http://anidb.net/a2531, Robot Carnival http://anidb.net/a1163, and Vampire Hunter D. http://anidb.net/a204

    Somewhere around there were a some Sailor Moon on TV. I later find out how much the US changed that series to suit American TV. First series I borrowed was on VHS from a friend in Jr. High which was the Tenchi Muyo! OVA. From there I was lucky enough to have a video store that had some anime in supply. Was really hard to find back when the internet was still sprouting on dial-up BBS’s. Now I’m just making myself sound old. -_-

    But yeah, right there with you on Thundercats, Yu Yu Hakusho, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun. Also watched Dragonball and Dragonball Z.

    From another comment, Visions of Escaflowne (http://anidb.net/a184) is a must watch if you like the “girl from another world” plus the combination of mechs and swordplay.

    If you like murder mysteries and long running series, look no further than the longest series running to date, Detective Conan (http://anidb.net/a266). First ep aired back in 1996 and is still airing. With over 620 episodes and 14 movies. It is anime on steroids.

    Honestly these days, regular TV here in the US is just boring. I don’t even have cable TV, just cable internet and am fairly up-to-date with most anime that came out this past spring season, though I only watch a small sampling from any new anime season and any recurring series that come back for an additional season that I liked. A wonderful series that came out this past spring named Hana-Saku Iroha (http://anidb.net/a7874) is worth a watch. Great art and awesomely memorable characters.

    Oh and one last (make that two) awesome movie(s) to recommend Summer Wars (http://anidb.net/a6249). From the director Hosoda Mamoru. Same guy who directed The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (http://anidb.net/a4151) another great movie.

    Sorry for the wall of text. 😛

    • Donald Ash says:

      Man, please don’t apologize, Lance. It really makes me happy when readers feel like sharing a lot. Great recommendations and anime references. I really like the fact that you mentioned dial-up BBS’s…that’s classic. I think one day I’ll be telling my kids about how we used to have dial-up and the pages used to take forever to load…and how I used to watch Thundercats and Cowboy Bebop when I was young. They’re gonna be all like “WHOA! Really grandpa?” Thanks Lance 😀

  • Donald Ash says:

    GREAT CHOICES, JEFF!!! I didn’t actually watch Escaflowne, but I had a friend in high school who freakin’ swore by that cartoon.

  • CindyF says:

    My first dark anime was Akira as well but lately I am on an anime binge. Lol I am watching FairyTail at the moment and it is cool. I managed to get my kids hooked on the ones below..

    Death Note is super amazing
    Hellsing
    Vampire Hunter D
    I have more but I should be in bed. I am new to your site and you officially have a new fan. I’m in South Korea but will be making the transition soon.

  • Ivony Torremonia-Manalo says:

    Hi! Donald, it’s my first time to leave a comment. Here’s my list:
    Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
    Clannad and Clannad: After Story
    Code Geass
    Death Note
    Naruto/Naruto Shippuden
    Samurai X

    Thanks for a wonderful blog! God bless!

    • thejapanguy says:

      Well thank you so much for taking the time to leave your first comment! Your list is great! I haven’t watched Clannad and Clannad but someone told me it’s pretty good stuff. I’ll have to get on that for sure! Thanks for sharing, Ivony

  • ecchiaddict101 says:

    hey im new to this site and you are like a guy i can look up to being an adult still fixated with anime. im only 16 going on 17 and im obsessed with anime/manga and one of the first serious anime series i have watched would highschool DXD its amazing with its plot characters and the emotions it brings out of me. moving to japan when im older will help me fully dive into the 2D world, australia is too hot and it sucks. no-one i know personally appreciates anime for what it truley is. so donnie you cool with me bro. *fistbump*

  • >