Recently, I hosted a Q&A on my Instagram stories. I asked my followers to drop some questions. Soon, the classic debate came up: “Dragon Ball or Naruto?”. My immediate answer was Dragon Ball. I chatted with some followers afterward. They mentioned that these series represent their childhood and pure nostalgia. For many, this was the very first anime they watched on TV.
A Childhood Surrounded by Dragon Ball
My choice for Akira Toriyama’s work had a huge reason behind it. My father heavily influenced me. His office was a true anime shrine. He decorated it with posters, Dragon Ball figures, the iconic Dragon Balls, and the Power Pole.
Seeing these objects every day became a big part of my routine. I grew up surrounded by this shonen magic. Interestingly, my real gateway into the anime world was very different. Classic anime often aired on TV. I usually watched for a few minutes and changed the channel. It just could not grab my attention.
Discovering My First Anime
In that same office, my dad kept a massive collection of anime DVDs. These spanned multiple genres. He got all this material from an anime magazine subscription. The magazine constantly sent him accessories and exclusive bonus DVDs.
New packages arrived constantly. The funniest part is that my dad ignored many of the discs. He just unwrapped them and placed them on his shelf. He only wanted to grow his huge collection.
One day, as a curious 9-year-old girl, I explored that shelf alone. I stumbled upon a very unique DVD. The cover really caught my eye. The girls looked super cute and had a kawaii style. I grabbed it and sat in front of the screen. I watched every single episode in one day.
That is how I consumed my first complete anime: Kissxsis. I still laugh thinking about it because of the mature content. My dad reacted with absolute surprise later. He did not even know he owned that specific DVD!
From Ecchi to Magical Girls
After that peculiar marathon, I hunted down more covers with adorable girls. I followed my visual logic and started watching the classic Sailor Moon. I naively believed it would have the same spicy tone as Kissxsis.
Obviously, I guessed completely wrong. I did not find any spicy scenes. However, the story felt incredibly magical and spectacular. It hooked me instantly. This sparked my huge love for the magical girl genre. This new obsession quickly led me to seek out more magic. I soon got hooked on other marvels like Cardcaptor Sakura.
A Hilarious “Shingeki” Mix-Up
The weird combination of Kissxsis and Sailor Moon changed everything. These shows forced me to get much more involved with the medium. I started following currently airing seasonal anime.
However, I was new to following premieres. I paid little attention to the Japanese titles. This led to a very funny anecdote. I confused two series that started with “Shingeki no”. The mix-up in my head caused a huge mistake. I dropped the incredibly famous Shingeki no Kyojin. Instead, the other series, Shingeki no Bahamut, captivated me completely. I will save the exact reasons for my preference for another post.
A Nostalgic Children’s Day
Today is April 30th. Many of my followers in Mexico celebrate Children’s Day (Día del Niño) today. They nostalgically remember their afternoons watching TV. Reading their stories makes me laugh a lot.
My own otaku history started differently. I simply looked for cute covers among my dad’s unopened gifts. I had a weird beginning full of funny mistakes and unexpected genres. Still, it remains the perfect personal memory to share with you all on a nostalgic day like today.
Now that’s a really funny story. It was very enjoyable to read this! Thank You for sharing!
thanks for reading