From Cartoons to Anime

I have always been that person who could sit and watch cartoons for hours. And I mean, literally hours. Pokémon, Ben 10 , Phineas and Ferber, Tom and Jerry , Powerpuff Girls, Courage the Cowardly Dog and so many others. Even shows like Power Rangers had a special place in my childhood. And obviously who can forget Bas Karo Henry! , basically if it was something animated or had that childhood TV kind of vibe , chances are I watched it.
Phineas and Ferb was one of my comfort shows and honestly I could still watch it today without getting bored. There was just something about cartoons that made me happy. It was not that I wanted to be different or anything , I just genuinely enjoyed cartoons more , they felt familiar, fun and comforting.
And for a long time, pokeman was probably the closest I had come to anime. I didn’t really think much about exploring the genre beyond that.
I think one thing worth talking about before getting into anime is how people often use the words anime and cartoons as if they are exactly the same thing. And while anime is technically a form of , there’s a lot more to it than people realise. Anime generally refers to animation originating in Japan and it covers almost every kind of story you can imagine. Romance , action, comedy , fantasy’s, horror , sports , thrillers and even stories that deal with grief , loneliness, friendship and complexities of growing up.
During lockdown, I was already deep into Marvel and watching all kinds of things and like so many other people , I started feeling nostalgic about childhood. Everyone was revisiting old interests , discovering new shows and trying to find something to do while being stuck at home. So I thought, why not try anime?
I did a little research about where to start. Obviously, one piece was something I came across, but with online classes going on , I needed to choose something that would fit my schedule. Or at least , that’s what I told myself.
I eventually settled on Naruto, and that was basically the beginning of my anime journey.
Now here’s the thing about me, I cannot watch a show one episode a day and peacefully move on with my life. I just can not , if I start watching something and a new arc begins there is absolutely no guarantee that I’ll stop until I have finished it . I’ll tell myself just one more episode and suddenly it’s four in the morning and I am question every decision that led me there.
So , welcome to this new series of mine, I have explored quite a few other anime, and ill be talking about them in the upcoming chapters.