Inquiring Minds Want To Know #18

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Question: What anime/manga (old or new) do you think encompasses your life? From Ayano.

My initial thought on this question was, no. My life is pretty boring day to day and I tend to not get too into shows that are too real, with some exceptions, so I don’t really see any show as encompassing my life. That said, there are some shows that have strongly resonated with me for one reason or another.

Clearly Sailor Moon did when I was much younger. Without Sailor Moon, I doubt I would be the anime fan I am today. That said, it wasn’t Serena/Usagi that I connected with but rather it was Sailor Jupiter (Lita). She could be so incredibly tough and brave, and her power was awesome but she could still be the love-sick maiden and a good cook. It was kind of nice to see a character that could be strong but still very feminine. As someone who was into a lot of hobbies most people associated more with males, and yet I loved skirts and fairly feminine clothes and just super cute things, Sailor Jupiter was a character I really connected with and it helped me realise that I could find my own balance and my own way of being feminine.

However, as I moved on in life, I found other characters and stories that connected with me. Maka from Soul Eater is a character I’ve always admired. I love her work ethic and her drive. I love that she realises when she’s screwed up. I love that sometimes just working hard isn’t enough to succeed and that the struggle feels real for her. And I love that she never gives up even when everything looks like it is about to fall apart. I’d love to have that strength and determination and I respect that hard work may not always equal success. Maka is a genuinely fantastic character and one I love to return to again and again.

Lastly, and most recently, March Comes in Like a Lion has really made a connection with me. Again, I’ve come to really respect Rei for his hard work and determination, even though he fails and retreats, eventually he finds a way to move forward again (not always by himself but sometimes we need someone to be the one to drag us out into the light). I really love how the show portrays Rei’s mental state and his feelings and in almost every episode there is a moment where I just connect with the show and realise there’s been a time when I felt exactly the way Rei is feeling at that moment. While the challenges I’m facing are obviously significantly different, the emotions really do resonate.

So yeah, no show really encompasses my life, but various shows and characters certainly do resonate with parts of my life and they are usually the shows that have the deepest impact on me and leave the longest impression well after they are finished.

This one was a tough question, which I guess makes it all the more interesting to turn over to the readers. Do you have an anime that you feel encompasses your life?

Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

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