Us In Twenty Years

                                                          Us In Twenty Years

It’s a fair thought to have pass in our head, even if it is one that we don’t always ask or want to ask.  Where will we be in twenty years, a giant leap in time in our lives, a drop in the bucket some might say and perhaps both are right.  Here though is another question, as fans where will we be in twenty years, what will we consider as fans to be a legacy to pass down to the next generation. The thought can be unbelievable if we consider the world a grim place due to the news, though in honesty, things unfortunate have always happened and yet we don't know a way of truly comparing it to the time we live in now, at least not completely because we live in now and not then. Some take it to another extreme and wonder if we have twenty years to consider.  After all as people we face the task of surviving all the time, we always have, like all things on the planet and one thing we’ve always done is look ahead. We believe in it, which isn't surprising that hope is what made us fans in the first place. So taking this and running with it let’s look ahead and see us as fans in twenty years and some of the possibilities it can hopefully bring.

   As fans, even those of us who are in their teens would see themselves dancing around their thirties, those of us older could look at one generation to pass our love of Anime as a possibility of giving it to two. Anime has been around for a long time, I’ve seen all generations take part in its joy, now imagine that in all places,  anime was something that all these new or relatively new fans passed on to another generation and who knows  how much of the next set would pass on to the one after them. It would mean anime, as we know it at least, since Tezuka brought Astro Boy to the screen, could go on like anything else that has maybe only been around for just as long or twice as long. Such as Rock & Roll and Film. That's stating the obvious I suppose, besides certain statements from certain directors there is no belief of anime ending, we as fans don't consider it and even more don't want it. The things we enjoy define us and most people have a special experience when they first recall watching anime.

     I’d been watching anime and reading manga for some years at the point when Yu Yu Hakusho had moved from that short lived late night slot, midnight run, to its afternoon Toonami slot. It changed a lot of things for me. Storytelling wise it took advantage of my fascination with rich characters, unique who seemed real enough you could reach out to them. Something I enjoyed in comics and movies and books that I probably was too young to see or read at certain times. Not to mention I never saw a show that kicked ass quite like they did when they got to fighting, maybe because it seemed like it held so much purpose thanks to the storyline. Since then I’ve watched it over and over again but it’s impact never left me, since then, anyone interested in anime I knew I quickly rushed a copy of it into their hands.
 
       Which says a lot, there are so many great anime shows before the show and afterwards that I could have placed in their hands but it always felt right to give them that one. It also kind of gave a boot to my backside, to realize at some point what it was that I wanted to do with my life, give power to the thought that might have already been present in my head. To tell stories.

   It never fails to amaze me, how much there really was to say in that show. Just take a look for a moment at the main character Yusuke, yes dead in the first episode but kind of a misunderstood loner, everyone thinks they have him pegged as something he isn’t, saved for a couple of people. His mother tends not to be around, though she cares she’s a drunk too. Once he becomes a spirit detective, impossible tasks are thrown at him, ones he shouldn’t survive. Like the character has to be written off and yet he doesn’t. It’s that sort of attention to detail that seems to go with every other character. Instead he finds a greater purpose and understanding of himself through it, the world around him as well as the people he cares about. He could never be again the person that he felt no one understood.

       There is a sense of growing in the show. Kuwabara the tough seeming street thug, one teachers believe they could trick and write off as nothing much like Yusuke, though we know the truth, he has an honor code, values his friends and for the right reasons would risk his life for strangers. You would think that Kuwabara is the ideal person we could strive to be and yet who would notice him in a crowd as being that sort of person. At the end of the day though that is people for you.

       Kurama, the demon in a human body, who becomes attached to the human world through the kindness of his host’s mother, someone who shows another side to demons, as well as being our gateway into seeing not all demons are evil, not all humans are good, not everything is black and white. Hiei, a badass with a bad temper, short but no one you should underestimate, he can seem ruthless and cold hearted but he is a puzzle, that’s pieces are constantly changing. After all Hiei himself has an honor code and has attachments as well, his sister Yukina born to a group of people that damned him to a death that could not kill him. 

       A sister he refuses to let know who he is because of the things he’s done. Is this acceptance being returned even living beyond the people that labeled him an outsider, does acceptance from his sister still a thing that concerns him. If it doesn't hurt him, is he afraid it would hurt Yukina. Someone born the opposite of the people he would be born into, is it possible that Hiei’s outlook might be more important than those that live in a normal circle, with normal lives?

     Perhaps and if these characters are any indication than you can imagine what it’s like when you see some of their biggest adversaries, those that turn the main cast’s world upside down not just because they struggle to defeat them but their view points and perceptions as well, as will yours. I saw aspects of these characters in everything around me and it was like the show voiced it to say yes we see what you see. Not bad for a show where people working on it were just doing their job, yet some of the enjoyment they might have gotten out of it shows.  The show is potent and I knew watching shows like this was something that I would continue to carry with me for the rest of my life.  Is that something I could see in twenty years, certainly it's already been over ten, though that isn't the finish line nor is it the ending.

      Moments you can bring up in a casual conversation with a friend, moments that in turn move you. That is why we enjoy what we do, pass it on as often as we do, not bothering to wait years  to see other people get the same happiness from Anime.  I’m not the only one, we as fans have those shows that we hold dear to us for various reasons, whether we put ourselves in the shoes of characters or allow it to move you to tears whether joy or sorrow. We as fans find anime to be important in storytelling, in art form, something noticed by most of the world but there are other things some of us complain about, when they feel that it is not as respected as it should be, when it comes to releases, a push in theaters, proper adaptations in the West and various other reason.

 While there is a profound respect, certain works held high in prestige, any actual complaint that might be valid (not that it’ll stop us from complaining, I mean come on), might just be something that will come with time.  It’s a nice way to look forward to things during the passing of time. Also showing how not only those that may come to enjoy anime in the future won’t be the only ones pleased.

                                             Things To Look Forward To

    In the same way, shows that we’ve waited to see more of, have a high chance of coming back in the coming years, the market’s change might even help to make that come true. Looking forward to your favorite shows coming back or hey even manga adapted that have never had the chance. The future can seem dim sometime but in anime it always seems very bright, especially with it's fans a part of it. Just imagine moments you remember sharing when watching a show, looking forward to another episode of it and talking with friends while you wait for another, or a new season or for it to come out to buy. Scouring conventions for it or merchandise for it, or even dressing up as its characters. Imagine that and then imagine all those moments to come like it and perhaps it’s the best way to see yourself in twenty years as an anime fan.