A couple weeks ago, Pewdiepie made a video talking about his favorite anime and titled it, “why am I so embarrassed..” In the video, Pewdiepie explained that he likes anime and went through a short list of his favorite anime series. I regularly watch Pewdiepie on YouTube, but this was one of the few times that I saw him honestly embarrassed-- and it was not because he was embarrassed to be an otaku, but because he was talking about something so personal.
Now, there are some people who assume that Pewdiepie was suggesting that liking anime is something to be embarrassed about, and that is not an accurate description of the video at all. However, there are a lot of otakus who hide the fact that they like anime because they do not want to be judged or labeled as “weeaboos.” In all seriousness, no one should feel ashamed about liking anime or anything geeky. My fellow content creator, Ashley Colombo, wrote an article titled, “Why There's No Such Thing As Guilty Pleasures,” and her words and philosophy apply here.
One of my favorite YouTubers, Lost Pause, decided to join Pewdiepie and shared some of his own favorite and personal anime, in an act to demonstrate that anime is nothing to be ashamed of. I do not have as much fame as Lost Pause, and I definitely do not have as much fame as Pewdiepie, but I’ll join my fellow otakus and spend the rest of this article gushing over my absolute favorite anime.
Fullmetal Alchemist
“Fullmetal Alchemist” was the first anime series that I watched, and it holds a special place in my otaku kokoro. Now, when I say “Fullmetal Alchemist,” I am not referring to “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,” which many people refer to as the greatest anime of all time. I am actually referring to the 2003 “Fullmetal Alchemist” series, which is often overshadowed by “Brotherhood.” What really intrigued me about “Fullmetal Alchemist” was that I really had no idea what to expect from it. I thought I was getting an episodic adventure and instead found myself in the middle of a grand epic about two brothers. It was also one of the few times that I felt real emotions and pain for a character. Yes, I am talking about Nina. I will not spoil anything, but for those who know about “Fullmetal Alchemist,” you know exactly what I am talking about.
Death Note
Okay... There are a lot of great anime out there that people call masterpieces, and I have barely seen a handful. But no matter what I watch, I still think that “Death Note” is one of the best anime out there. I love stories about villains, and I also love tragedies, and I think “Death Note” fits into both of those categories with the character arcs of Light Yagami and his nemesis, L. Not only did it fit into my tastes, but it also gave me surprises and twists that I did not anticipate, so it kept me coming back for more until I finished the last episode. And I will admit this: there are times that I try to emulate L's character in the way I sit or the way I position my hands while I am thinking.
Ouran Highschool Host Club
This is weird to put out there in the hands of the Internet public, but I really like “Ouran Highschool Host Club,” and I think it is one of the funniest anime among comedy series. When one of my friends recommended that I watch “Ouran,” I decided to check it out, and in the first few minutes all I thought was, “Why did she recommend this to me? What the heck am I watching?” But after finishing that first episode, I couldn’t keep myself away. I eventually just grew attached to the characters and the weird situations that they found themselves in, and I completed the series in just a couple days. And every now and then I catch myself singing the opening and losing my quote-unquote manliness… “Kiss kiss, fall in love…”
Nichijou
Like “Ouran,” Nichijou is a comedy series, but unlike “Ouran,” I did not feel as guilty for watching it. If anything, I really liked “Nichijou” because it made me genuinely laugh. It didn’t just amuse me or make me crack a smile-- “Nichijou” had me breaking out into laughter because it was just so random with its stupid sense of humor. Not only did I enjoy watching the series, but I still distract myself from my homework to watch a clip on YouTube. Here, just watch this, and tell me that “Nichijou” is not stupidly funny.
Kill la Kill
Oh... ah... I guess one of the reasons why I don’t just go around telling people that I like “Kill la Kill” is because I don’t want everyone to think I’m a huge perv. I honestly like “Kill la Kill” because the story and animation are so good. I don’t watch it for the fan service (I mean, that may have been the reason I started watching, but that’s besides the point.). Seriously, I think “Kill la Kill” deserves as much respect and admiration as “Fullmetal Alchemist” and other shounen series. I actually use “Kill la Kill” when I am writing action stories because I have so much respect for the work that went into making it. I’ve even named one of my own characters Ryuko after the protagonist of “Kill la Kill.”
Wow, now I have a better idea of why Pewdiepie was so embarrassed to talk about his own anime. I actually did not plan to feel embarrassed when I started writing this article. I think what happened was I thought about how others would judge me if they knew I watched things like “Ouran Highschool Host Club” or “Kill la Kill,” even though what others think should not matter. One of the great things about being a geek or an otaku is that there are so many out there, one never has to feel alone or weird for liking these series. So Pewdiepie, you’re not alone.
