01-04-10, 8:29 AM
Outgrowing Anime?
Even since I became an anime fan nearly 6 years ago in May 2004, the question has always been on my mind about whether one day I would grow out of it. As of the time of this post, it’s been almost six weeks since I’ve watched a single episode (my previous record was only two weeks), and I just don’t seem to care. Recently, a part of me has got to thinking that anime is a bit childish –– it’s almost always the same cliché plot or character types –– so maybe I have outgrown it. But apparently, I’m still not “too old” to listen to Lady Gaga or play Modern Warfare on my Wii; maybe I’ve just had a change in hobbies.
As one who plans to become an American author, I think it’s important, maybe even essential, for me to develop American-type hobbies. 2009 was the year of change for me –– that was my old New Year’s resolution –– but not even I could predict that I would change this much by 2010. Now I have learned to embrace the American culture (just as much as I love Japanese culture) –– the music, the videogames, the technology, in addition to the blockbuster movies that I already loved.
By no means do I think this is the end of my anime-watching. Mind you, I have been quite busy for the past two months: first with NaNoWriMo where you have to write a full novel within the month of November (I missed the deadline, but I’m currently still trying to complete it), then I got Modern Warfare for Wii and played nothing but that for about two weeks non-stop, then I had to prepare for the holidays and relatives coming over for New Year’s. It seems, just now, after what seemed like forever, I’m finally getting back to my regular routine.
I think the better word to describe my current anime situation is “burned-out”. Also, I hate having to wait every week for a new episode, so this winter season I might just wait till the end so I can do a marathon in a single week, or something. It seems like it’ll be less tiresome that way. In 2009 I also started my blog –– something I’ve always wanted to do, but never thought I actually would. I’ve enjoyed it quite a lot over the 4 months I’ve had it, which just reassures me even more that my career choice is the right one. On it, I’m counting down my top 50 anime of the last decade. In fact, I’m even re-watching a lot of my favorite series in order to refresh my memory, so I still have a lot of episodes to watch ahead of me. Even if you look at my Anime List, you can see there are anime I’ve had on hold for years now. So, even though it feels like I’m watching less and less anime as time goes on, I think I’ve just gotten sidetracked, like a little kid at a candy store looking for the newest, shiniest thing. XD Will I still be watching anime 5 years from today? That I can’t say for sure. But even though anime to me now feels like a distant part of my late-teen life –– it doesn’t feel as fresh, new, and intriguing as it used to be –– I still think it will remain an important part in defining who I am, along with all my other hobbies. You see, I don’t view any one of my hobbies standing out more than the others; I believe they are all just equal parts of the whole me.
As one who plans to become an American author, I think it’s important, maybe even essential, for me to develop American-type hobbies. 2009 was the year of change for me –– that was my old New Year’s resolution –– but not even I could predict that I would change this much by 2010. Now I have learned to embrace the American culture (just as much as I love Japanese culture) –– the music, the videogames, the technology, in addition to the blockbuster movies that I already loved.
By no means do I think this is the end of my anime-watching. Mind you, I have been quite busy for the past two months: first with NaNoWriMo where you have to write a full novel within the month of November (I missed the deadline, but I’m currently still trying to complete it), then I got Modern Warfare for Wii and played nothing but that for about two weeks non-stop, then I had to prepare for the holidays and relatives coming over for New Year’s. It seems, just now, after what seemed like forever, I’m finally getting back to my regular routine.
I think the better word to describe my current anime situation is “burned-out”. Also, I hate having to wait every week for a new episode, so this winter season I might just wait till the end so I can do a marathon in a single week, or something. It seems like it’ll be less tiresome that way. In 2009 I also started my blog –– something I’ve always wanted to do, but never thought I actually would. I’ve enjoyed it quite a lot over the 4 months I’ve had it, which just reassures me even more that my career choice is the right one. On it, I’m counting down my top 50 anime of the last decade. In fact, I’m even re-watching a lot of my favorite series in order to refresh my memory, so I still have a lot of episodes to watch ahead of me. Even if you look at my Anime List, you can see there are anime I’ve had on hold for years now. So, even though it feels like I’m watching less and less anime as time goes on, I think I’ve just gotten sidetracked, like a little kid at a candy store looking for the newest, shiniest thing. XD Will I still be watching anime 5 years from today? That I can’t say for sure. But even though anime to me now feels like a distant part of my late-teen life –– it doesn’t feel as fresh, new, and intriguing as it used to be –– I still think it will remain an important part in defining who I am, along with all my other hobbies. You see, I don’t view any one of my hobbies standing out more than the others; I believe they are all just equal parts of the whole me.
Posted by MkMiku | 01-04-10, 8:29 AM | Add a comment