Is this the Real Life?: The Podium: Ani mo Anime

"Bakit Anime?"

I grew up being influenced by a lot of various stuffs, ranging from the serious to the not-so-serious ones, from the trivial stuff as well as the major and fundamental stuff. One of those that influenced me during my childhood was Anime. Anime, for those living under a rock the past two decades is, well you should know what Anime is even if you are living under a rock. Some may say it is childish to be enamored by such childish shows, but if you do look at the underlying tones and the rather complicated plot and story lines, anime is certainly a lot different from your typical comedic nearly slapstick cartoon shows. I even remember back then, these anime series were the telenovelas of my time. There would be the anime series being shown before primetime at 4 to 6pm, then the primetime slot at 7 to 8pm would also be showing anime series. Then you’ve got anime on during the weekends as well, and anime merchandise from trading cards (or teks!) to pogs, to tops, and posters, and shirts and all sorts of apparel were abound! Anime, to put it simply, was all around me during my childhood.

And so, in this entry, I present to you the top 5 most influential anime series of my childhood. Do note that this would only include anime series that I watched during my childhood to early teen years, so that would be around 1997 to 2004. So I’m sorry, as much as I am a HUGE fan of Shingeki No Kyojin (and all those kick-ass OP songs) it just wouldn’t be included in the list, as well as the so-called Big 3 of manga today, Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece.

(Additional note: When we are talking about influential “children shows” then the Power Rangers series, specially the first one – Mighty Morphin, would no doubt be included. But we are talking about anime series here. So maybe that could be a topic for another time.)

NUMBER 5 DIGIVOLVES TO!

Digimon, or Digital Monsters, was introduced to me thanks to ABS-CBN as they tried to answer GMA 7’s flaghip anime series at that time (which to the surprise of no one, would appear at this list later). Digital monsters are...monsters that are made up of…digital data. So…yeah. Digimon has spawned seven (or is that now eight?) seasons, with all but two a separate story on their own (though the latest series seems to try and tie them all together). I grew up watching the first season of Digimon, Digimon Adventures. It features seven (eventually becoming eight) kids who are the Digidestined. The Digidestined together with their partner Digimons set off to an adventure to fulfill their destiny of saving the Digiworld.

So why did it digi-influence you Kelvz?

These are monsters evolving and getting high tech equipment and armaments. So you have a dinosaur-dragon hybrid that is equipped with an armor and huge metal claws that throws a huge energy sphere! What’s not to love? Not to mention the team aspect, plus the concept of the crests (which represents values such as courage, friendship, love, etc). As a growing boy, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to imagine having a dragon/dinosaur companion that becomes an even stronger monster thanks to your will and determination.

EDIT:

HOLY SHIT DIGIMON ADVENTURE TRI!

LET’S VOLT IN NUMBER 4!

“Fly together!”

“LETS-VOLT-IN!”

“♫ Denterententeeen-tenten.Denterententeeeen-tenten.Dererereen…Derereen..

Dundundererereredundundundun..Dundundererereredundundundun! ♫”

(Admit it, you know how that seemingly random words actually sounds. And yes, here is a link to that awesome opening)

I love robots. I love giant robots even more. I love giant robots that combine. Therefore, I love Voltes V.

How did Voltes V volt in your life, Kelvz?

Imagination dude, imagination. Thanks to Voltes V, my imagination ran wild! Who would have thought, five seemingly independent vehicles becoming one giant robot. Then his weapons are just out of the box. Fingers that turns into missiles, belt as whip, a freaking ultra electro magnetic top! It seems like anything and everything could become a weapon.

FOR THREEEEEE!

Gung-gong! Gori! Boy Labo. Mitchi. Kulotski. L-O-V-E-RuKaWa. Henyo.

All too familiar, right? Being a huge sports fan, watching Slam Dunk was nothing short of delightful. It was the first sports-centric anime that I watched, and many after soon followed (Hungry Heart, Knock Out and Diamond no Ace to name a few).

So why did Slam Dunk won your heart?

Two words: Anime and Sports. I know this ain’t realistic - virtually no substitutions, running down the court that feels like a kilometer long, shots that stay in the air for three episodes (I’m looking at you Kogure) – but still, the thrill is still there. Add in some nice subplots, like Mitsui’s back story and Sakuragi’s growth, plus a large range of characters and teams. Heck, until now I am still waiting for them to animate the rest of the manga!

(TWO) Catch them all!

I wanna be the very best, like no one ever has..
(Dun dun dundun!)

Who here grew up not knowing about Pokemon?

Pokemon was a HUGE thing back then. It all began (for me) with the anime, and then eventually it continued to the games. To say that the anime series back then was a big thing would be an understatement. I used to wait every Friday nights on GMA 7 to catch the Pokemon anime series (which ABS-CBN answered by showing the original Digimon Adventure series at the same time slot). Pokemon's influence stretches generations, and I bet the younger fans of the series does not even know/remember that Pikachu was once a fat mouse, and a big jerk of a mouse at that:

The world of Pokemon has expanded so much that it started with 151 Pokemons,

..has now expanded to include 750+ Pokemons!

So how and why did Pokemon captured your childhood?

I mean, just look at those things! As a child, it would really appeal to your imagination. Think of it as having your dog grow and learn how to fight (without the danger of dying! They always just faint!). Then you discuss and play with your friends on how to create the ultimate Pokemon team, that it is so cool to have a Pidgeotto (it was!), on who was the best Eevee evolution, on which fossil to choose, and ofcourse, who starter Pokemon one should choose,

which I might add, is a discussion that spanned generations!

Pokemon is so influential that it is now a huge part of popular media. And it all started almost two decades ago, with a world renowned professor asking you such a deep question:

Ore Wa, Gundam!

This probably should come as no surprise if you've been following me for quite some time. I'm a huge fan of Gundam.

Let's throw away the format, and go straight as to why Gundam is f*cking awesome!

1.) Huge Robots