Day 1 of 30 Day Anime Challenge – It all started with laughter and tears…

I happened to reach 200 followers right before this post, so take this while I work on my appreciation post!

With unintentional motivation from Alfredo, I say that we begin the ride to a challenge!

 

Welcome to the 30 Day Anime Challenge, on me!

 

For the next thirty days, without a doubt, you will bee seeing one of these on each day. ^_^’

I will only say it right here in the first post, once and only that almost all of what you’ll be reading in the challenge are of my opinion – I’m not speaking for anyone else!

Now, it’s time we get this started (for real!).

30-day-anime-challenge

Very First Anime You Watched

 

 

If we’re talking about the first anime I’ve witnessed with my own two eyes then that title would have gone to Detective Conan.

Damn it, I’m already half breaking the rules of the challenge. Screw it – I’m doing this MY way because duh – I want to talk about what I feel most fitted with the question.

The first anime that I’ve willingly watched however, started from my desire to find emotions other than happiness when I was in my first year of university. Weird, right? I mean, I was a happy person and still am, but why did I try to look for something else that’s not preferred by anyone else?

I was happily drinking away, partying hard in my first year undergraduate until winter came. I’ve found myself staying inside much more often. One night I happened to be watching videos on YouTube – just your typical trip to the weird realm.

Except that it was the one time that led me to where I am right here and now – discarded the fact that it was either weird or not. The video of a song by the goddess Lia that started it all…..

 

Which led my curious self into watching…

Clannad
CLANNAD

 

The journey that began

 

Having been coated with a bunch of shounen on television at the time, Clannad wasn’t just the first anime that I’ve willingly watched; it was also the first to ever have introduced me into a whole new look on the other side of the grass. Still green, just greener.

And with that, let me take this moment to encourage you to always try something new – don’t let yourself be blinded by what you love. At least it was the very case for me – “You think you do, but you don’t.”

Clannad (including Clannad After Story) is the last title from Kyoto Animation and Key/Visual Art’s holy trinity, after Kanon and Air. The show came off immediately as weird to me because remember, at that very moment, my blood was still fused with the inner shounen left by the likes of Dragon Ball Z, Detective Conan and Naruto. The character interactions were noticeably less intense compared to all of what I’ve seen. Occasionally, the comedy gave way for me to realize that what I’ve been missing is the natural flow of jokes that don’t ‘just happen’.

You know, I’m mainly talking about the gym scene with Kyou 😉

Then came the unexpected train of emotions….

Well, I did see characters crying in the opening credit but I didn’t think that I’d be joining the show in doing so! Uwah!

The first season mainly served as a comedic harem with very little romance, at least until near the end. I wasn’t going into Clannad for romance anyway but I can’t deny the fact that the show’s romantic bonus was huge – one that I definitely wouldn’t decline and certainly did not.

Clannad After Story, in short, made me a man.

Hence I started my real journey to discover what I now know as Slice of Life.

 

 

I’m trying to keep these short because you know… there are thirty posts in the making!

 

| Day 2 >

36 thoughts on “Day 1 of 30 Day Anime Challenge – It all started with laughter and tears…”

  3. Yep, same here, either Clannad or K-On introduced me to slice of life and they’re amazing shows to start with. Watching those shows first was possibly the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life 😛

    Other than that, I can’t wait for some of your responses to these questions! I’ll be waiting for Day 8…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. I think the universe is trying to tell me something. Earlier this week I responded to a post on Clannad by Karandi, saying I didn’t know exactly what this show was about (but I of course had heard of it). And was actually a bit ashamed…..Than you said you were going to offer me a box of tissues because of this anime and now I see your post on it. Note to self…really, really have to go and watch this now 😂😂
    Good luck on the challenge…it’s tough 😀 Not counting Robotech (which technically isn’t an anime series, but it comes pretty close), my first anime series was Orguss 02, which was awesome 😀

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      1. Haha lol 😂😂😂 Yeah autocorrect can be both annoying and funny at the same time 😂
        But Orguss02 is a 6 part OVA series that is a follow up to Super Dimension Century Orgus (but you don’t have to see that one to enjoy this one). It’s a Mecha series, that features some seriously awesome robots 😀

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Sorry for getting back so late, but as you may, or may not have yet read over on my blog, I had a pretty horrible flu, so I am really running behind with everything.
        But yeah, I definitely like Mecha anime. There are some very cool ones, but the Macross series (that I highly recommend) will always be my favorite😀

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I know right?!
      I am still seeing people who outright say that they’d with a blink of an eye recommend battle shounen to any newcomer of anime.
      Have they ever considered that there really are people who aren’t looking for action?

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      1. I have been teased many times for liking Light hearted romcom or SoL series more than action and psychological stuff, “Even though I’m a guy”
        It’s frustrating that they link preferred genres with gender. Someone should really tell them that it’s a proof of individualism when we choose the genre we are more comfortable with.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Ooooooh, you’re taking the 30 day Shoka-san!
    Hmm… Clannad, huh? I didn’t actually read Afterstory for some reason… I might go for it now.
    Day 26 and 27 sound fun!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  8. Pingback: Let’s Talk About Preferences – Ryuji Tatsuya's Anime Corner

  9. Clannad is amazing and I agree that slice of life is indeed, as people younger and cooler than me say, bae.

    I tend to be a fairly stoic person most of the time, or at least I put up that facade, but my weakness is emotionally charged anime and visual novels. I’ve learned to just let the tears flow when I feel them coming; there’s something oddly satisfying about something having such an emotional impact on you that you have a physical reaction to it. And works that have done this to me tend to be those that I remember most fondly. Clannad is one of them.

    Must read the visual novel one day; I have a lovely Kickstarter limited edition on my shelf.

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. I’ve already watched the anime. 🙂 I’ve been holding off on the VN because I know it’s very long and I’d like to write about it, so I need to devote a period of time to nothing but Clannad to give it my full attention.

        And invest in all of the tissues before doing so, because there’s no way I’m getting through that without bawling like a baby, I know. The anime destroyed me.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Oh that’s fine then.
        In the end I think VN is seriously advantageous over anime when it comes to pacing — you can choose to go fast or slow, or even better alternate between the two.
        Like, the anime sure made me cry a few times but never did I want to pause the show. In VN however you are given all day to let your tears out and to dry your eyes while the BGM still plays and CGI remains as it is. It’s what I call a great pause (though technically it isn’t pausing).

        I’ll be here to read what you have to write!

        Also, people are giving Clannad too much credit; visit Tomoyo After for some real emotion destroyer.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Fully intending to. Tomoyo is Best Girl. Or possibly Kyou. Tomoyo’s definitely up there though!

        You’re absolutely right, I generally much prefer the original VN to anime adaptations, simply because you get more time to explore the characters and narrative thoroughly! That said, Clannad is one of the relatively rare examples where they did a good job of it. For an example of where they did a terrible job of it, look at Grisaia.

        Actually, don’t, because then you might not read Grisaia, and everyone should read Grisaia because it’s amazing. :3

        Liked by 1 person

      4. I’ve finished Amane and Sachi route, I didn’t even dare to enter Amane bad end.

        You’ve seen my spooky post before, let that be a hint of how scared I am of Grisasia…

        Like

      5. Amane’s bad end is utterly horrifying. But there are some important narrative nuggets in there that you don’t get anywhere else! Guh. I’m getting the shivers just thinking about it. Thankfully her After story in Labyrinth more than made up for all that unpleasantness.

        Michiru’s bad end is pretty traumatic too, just to warn you, but in a different way. Have fun! 😀

        Liked by 1 person

      6. I think we all know what would happen if Michiru never comes out of the grave… Though you’re making me interested in how it plays out.

        See, this is my problem. Grisaia VN IS good but it’s like presenting million dollar suitcase to me but I know all too well I cannot touch it because it’s Goddamn cursed.

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Haha. I kind of perversely love that feeling. That knowledge that your emotions are going to get slapped around and you’re going to come out of it a complete wreck. But still I wade in there, knowing exactly what will happen! Maybe I’m a masochist.

        Liked by 1 person

      8. You know…
        If you are here with me, I’d most definitely carry on with Grisaia. You only have to promise that you won’t scare the living shit out of me while I read at midnight.

        Liked by 1 person

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