When it comes to television and film, my preferences can’t easily be pinned down. While I can cite an action picture as my favorite movie, I’m a huge fan of the horror genre, and I’ve seen every episode of both Law & Order: SVU and Gravity Falls. Of course, I’m no stranger to watching a pilot and abandoning it – how else can one wade through the risky list that is the Netflix suggestions list? – but there was always one genre that never tempted me enough to click on it: anime.
It’s not that I’ve heard bad things about it, it’s actually the other way around: my school is full of students who are enthusiastic about various forms of art – a notably prominent form being anime. Additionally, Orlando isn’t unfamiliar with cons and fests, and every so often my Instagram and Twitter become cluttered with live tweets and photos of that year’s comic, anime, and sci-fi conventions. I’ve never been one to purposely go against the grain, but all the hype turned me off. I was never particularly drawn to Japanese cultures or styles like others seemed to be, and quite frankly, the exaggeration of characters, sounds, and movements made me cringe. I left no place for anime in my heart.
As soon as I met my best friend, there was an instant connection. We had so much in common that it was becoming hard to find something we didn’t like about each other. And then, a few months later, he dropped the bombshell: he was a closet anime fanatic. It didn’t bother me, of course, since he wasn’t pretending to be Japanese or shoving cosplay down my throat, and it never came up again, so we both let it go. Until last week.
It was an innocent suggestion that has perhaps ruined my life already: “You should watch my favorite anime, I think you would like it. I know you’re not a huge fan of anime in general, but… keep an open mind.” He had used a particularly adorable emoji, and it was hard to say no. And so, in one sitting, I watched an entire half-season of Tokyo Ghoul. And I enjoyed it.
I’m still not sure what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although there was still a cloud of doubt and skepticism in the back of my mind, I really did try to watch objectively. While the sound effects and the language itself made me giggle more than once, the art and the premise of the show sucked me in too deep to give it too much attention. To my surprise, the plot of the series wasn’t unlike American television (save for the fact that it actually felt original). The characters had distinct and lovable – or hateable – personalities and characteristics, and the sci-fi element wasn’t over-the-top.
As an avid cartoon watcher, I hadn’t considered the level of expertise in terms of the art and music that anime has to offer – I was fascinated even by the theme song, which I have since downloaded to my phone to use as a ringtone. Just as in American television and movies, different artists have different styles, but Tokyo Ghoul had art that kept my eyes trained on the screen for hours on end. This was especially taxing on my eyes, given the fact that I do not understand a word of Japanese, and I have to read the English subtitles as well. But I threw on my glasses and carried on, finishing the whole season in one day, two episodes of which I watched alongside my best friend on Skype. This only proved my original claim that watching anime makes you a nerd.
The bottom line here, I suppose, is don’t be afraid to try new things. Who knows? You may end up finding a new hobby, a new love, and/or a new reason to sit on the couch and not move for hours at a time. My suggestion for you, also, is to go watch seasons one and two of Tokyo Ghoul, because it’s good as hell and as of now, season three comes out in March. You’re welcome.
