Life seems to cause all the drama in high school and college that causes hardship and pain. If you heard about the tragedy with Tyler Clementi, its hardships like this that shows the ugly side of life as a result of the two college students broadcasting of the victim‘s a sexual encounter. My mentioning of this is things that people, not just Anime Fans go through with.1
Furthermore, I am pretty sure that you have gone through some tragic events that affected your life such as a relationship that did not work out, loss of a family member or people bullying you because you are a minority. After reading Aorii’s first anniversary post on her blog that relates her difficulties to ones that the characters in an Anime goes through, it give me some thought on how Anime could relate to the hardships I have gone through in my life.
Since I was Chinese (American Born), I have to deal with discrimination and bullying. In addition, the elementary school I was attending placed me in Special Education because of my nationality and a reason to keep Special Education teacher’s jobs. As a result, I was not learning a lot even though I was capable of learning with the normal students. Therefore, the lack of writing skills gave me some difficulties in high school since the years I was in Special Ed. English did not teach me up to the level of writing required in college. Up to this day, I still have some problems writing even though I am getting a bit better as a result of writing blog posts.
Early in my childhood when I was 1 or 2 years old, my first sister, Patricia passed away since the doctors misdiagnosed her 2 when she was completely fine. My mother would always recall the moment where I was touching her motionless hands and wondered why they are cold. Even though I did not know my first sister that much, it was a tragic loss to me.
When I started high school, I was learning with everyone else without any problems, but I started to get bullied by a few students. Most of them are immature, high class students that participates in sports and do not give a crap about education. I reacted at first, but it got me in trouble. Eventually, I ignored the nasty things they say to me. In addition to the bullying, I had a feeling of unrequited love, which most teenage students experiences. I have a crush on a girl (which is pretty ridiculous and lame), but it burdened me as the days go on as it gave unnecessary pressure. In addition, I never went to prom 3 since the girl that I wanted to take was going out with another boy. After that, I pretty much gave up, which gave me the feeling that high school was a mixed bag. I did have a few friends I enjoyed talking to, but I felt unsatisfied and college is the only thing that will turn it around.
When I attended my first day of college 4, it was a breath of fresh air. The students in college felt nicer and mature. The lack of bullies and the diverse student body allowed me to open up to more people, which lead me to start blogging and tweeting.
Another important change that happened in college is my return to watching Anime. After I watched the emotionally deep shows like Kanon and Clannad that shows the hardships the male lead and the girls go through, I felt better about my life and I have matured a lot as a result. Since Anime has a positive impact on my life, it became a big part of my life.
Looking through someone else’s hardships makes you a stronger person since you can sympathize with the character and understand the hardships they go through. Nagisa’s and Shiori’s story is a good example of this. Both of these girls suffered from a mysterious illness. In addition, they had to go through the family or social conflict. With the help of the male leads, Tomoya and Yuuichi respectively, they encouraged the girls. They gave them guidance and help them to overcome their difficulties and achieve their dream. In this instance, Shiori reunites with her sister and becomes well and Nagisa successfully giving birth to Ushio.
Anime in a way feels deeper than a typical cartoon. Sure its fun to watch and laugh at the male lead being punch by some tsundere, but its story and settings is what makes these types of shows feel enjoyable. K-ON is one of those many shows that are relatable to life. K-ON shows the girls having a fun time and having an everlasting friendship. Shows like these bring nostalgia to your fond memories in the past. It is something that no typical cartoon can ever convey.
In the end, I think that many anime fans go through hardships or a traumatic events like CCY suggested. It is human to have a difficult time getting over such events. With some help, effort and time, it is possible to overcome it and eventually become a better and stronger person. To me, I think I have accomplished my goals of getting into college and doing well in my courses. Therefore, I feel more confident about myself than I was in the past since I can understand the troubles and do something to make it better. I am sure that other fans will feel the way when they overcome their difficulties. I know it…
Some Notes
- Orig Picture Source. ↩
- She was just a breath holder, something that could be solved without medicine ↩
- Prom is stupid come to think about it. It’s an excuse to do drugs and have sex ↩
- In my first year, I attended NJIT. I transferred to Rutgers Newark after my first year ↩
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