Goodnight Punpun. One of my favorites but I'll probably wont ever read it again. I dont recommend it if you're depressed though.
What left the biggest mark on me was probably Violet Evergarden. Her as a character was very raw and secretly vulnerable. They don’t talk about her as being aesthetically a “beauty” but compare her to that of a “doll”. While I am no good in the looks department, her and her exploration of what ambiguous matters like love were, really shaped me. More than it was one character, one scene, or one episode, it was like the whole series took on different meaning of love and the intense feelings and interpretations it can be given. I think her direct and altruistic personality encouraged me to be more open and authentic all while caring/empathetic. This is also the series that made me cry the most over possibly any manga/anime. The entire piece was well animated and done and everything from the op to the extra OVA never failed to make me cry.
Another classic is Naruto.
Yes, cheesy. One on my first shounen so it has that as part of nostalgia too. Loads of sappy stuff in Naruto but it did serve as a good lesson of passion and will. Somewhere along the way they even touched on self-acceptance like with the ‘waterfall of truth’ (or something i forgot the exact name) Naruto tells about how everyone has a reason to fight as well as focusing on who it is we fight for and choose to protect in the name of our own love. In the waterfall arc, Naruto spoke on how the uglier side of him was the parts that he casted out and failed to give love to or acknowledge. I think that while you obviously will have your fair share of shortcomings, you need to confront them as a person to start your journey of contentment. Sometimes, you can’t ever change what you’ve done before or the things you still do and that’s ok.
Lastly, Haikyuu!! was a fun ride. I loved how all the characters had very individualistic traits in someway. They didn’t need to be super special or anything either. Forgetting that it may be because of the fact that it’s in a more realistic setting, all of the characters felt genuine and cared for by the author. None of them necessarily had “evil” tendencies and were fleshed out as if they could just pop out of the series and function perfectly as a living human. They didn’t need a stupid childhood backstory of abuse/neglect to half-assedly justify their wrong doings or mistakes. All of the characters were just different people who liked vball a lot. The entire cast of characters had an empowering desire of self-betterment and each one strived for doing everything that they could do. They also emphasized the importance of trust and commitment to each other and the matches. Losing is natural and they handled it differently but all worked harder because of the strong bond that held them and their love for volleyball together.
Many more series did impact me and many more will do so in the future. It’s never really one title that best describes how I felt like wanting to change as a person, but these are the most immediate/unforgettable ones that made me fall in live with manga and anime all over again.
I didn’t include quotes because there’s a ton of iconic ones in each anime/manga but I tend to forget because I don’t have great memory. One quote I do remember (bc I took a screenshot lol) is from a yaoi manwha
called “wolf in the house” and it’s:
“You don’t place your ego above the other person’s happiness when you’re in love”
Anyway sorry for the long rant.
Boku no Pico...It...It was a work of art.
Is there a manga or anime that you read or watched that changed your perspective or took a big part in making you the person you are today?
Mine would have to be, **Midnight Secretary** which I read at the age of 15.
Here are some of my favourite lines from the Manga.
-"The fate of every taboo is to be broken. The taboos that we plant to prevent problems is sometimes the sole cost of them. Breaking a taboo is changing the world."
-"I am me. No matter what I say or do, I'm still me. The things I feel, the things I do, being a vampire, being a man, being betrayed by my mother...when those things come together they make "ME". But I'm none of those thing taken separately. Netheir you or me are "just vampire". Being a vampire is just a part of what we are. There's no need to feel bound or chain by it."
-"I obtain everything that I want. I live the way that I want to live....As a member of the vampire clan should."
Kyouhei is such a strong and prideful character, throughout the series he learns though his source of happiness and joy sometimes are weak and dishonorable even to HIM, running away from them would make him a even weaker person. He protects and stands for the things he loves even when the world is against him, and through it all he comes out the strongest and most prideful vampire even when no one agreed with him.
Kyouhei's character gave me the strength to repel, to go against the norms and hold my head high even when the world was against me. To live the way I want to live!