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The True Story of an "Anime First Responder"

I am an anime old-schooler who grew up witnessing the glory of Nausicaa, Akira, Macross and Ghost in the Shell in my youth. This led to an active hunt across the Pacific for more anime that had not yet been curated for American eyes - and in the early days of the internet (1996-2001) this was not an easy task.

There was no such thing as bandwitdh. Not even thumbnails could squeeze through the 24.4 kilobit/second modems. By the way, that would be 4,100 times slower than today's 100mb cable. Trips to Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles opened up further avenues leading to the discovery of gems like Ninja Scroll, Berserk, Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Vampire Hunter D & Cowboy Bebop.

And without an active online anime community like MAL.net, these discoveries were like secret treasure troves of Story, known to only a handful of Anime First Responders desperate to share them with like minded souls.

A lot has changed. Hand drawn cell animation has given way to hybrid and full 3D CGI movies, OVA and television series. Genres and sub genres matured, many of which are unique to Japan including Magical Girls, Slice of Life and Harem. Americans have been exposed to the unique anime traditions such as the Festival episode, the Hot Springs & Beach episode as well and forced to grapple with controversial topics such as, "To Ecchi, or Not to Ecchi?"

But Change is the engine of anime that makes it diametrically opposed to American animation. Think about it. There is no place in the American television business model for a 12-episode series based off a light novel or comic. That would be deemed a financial and commercial disaster. U.S. studios would cling to each moderately successful show, desperate to squeeze every last penny out of it leading to countless open-ended and over-the-hill shows that should have been abandoned years earlier. The willingness - the necessity - of Japan's anime industry to constantly start from scratch and take risks with new ideas and bizarre concepts is what gives it such vitality. Compare that with 32 straight years of the Simpsons where the characters don't even age, effectively baking stagnation into the soul of the show.

I cherish the anime I love and I respect the anime I don't. I try to reflect this in my reviews. I would rate both Berserk and To Love-Ru as 10/10, not because I consider them anime equals. Berserk is a flawless example of a violent, sword & sorcery drama and To Love-Ru is a wonderful light harem romance with the perfect amount of ecchi. They are total opposites, but each does what it does better than much of what came before or has come after.

I truly hope at least one of my reviews helps you on your own anime journey. Drop me a line anytime. I'm happy to hear from you.