Back when I was in elementary school, I used to visit the local library up the street almost every day. The librarian always greeted me with a smile as I ran straight to the movies and graphic novel section, eager to grab Pokémon DVDs or discover a new manga series to read.
She’d chat with me like I was a regular.
“You’re back again? I thought we just checked that DVD out for you.”
“Oh! Looking for the next volume in this series? Let’s take a look together.”
Those small moments meant everything. Looking back, they were the spark that ignited my love for anime and manga, two things that have become such an important part of who I am today.
I remember one time I was up bingeing a magical girl anime called Go! Princess Precure, when my best friend called me out of the blue.
“Huh? Yeah,” she laughed. “I decided to call you, and you were already watching anime.”
“It was late,” she added, “since neither of us had free time during the day. You were watching some magical girl show, and I jumped in halfway through. We ended up watching the whole thing together.”
Half the time, we weren’t even paying attention to the plot. We were talking about the characters, ranking our favorites, and laughing about which ones were total baddies. Then the conversation drifted into what anime I hadn’t seen yet, and she said, "We should totally watch something together."
That’s when she introduced me to her comfort show: Ouran High School Host Club.
We stayed on the call for hours, just chatting and snacking while the episodes played in the background.
After that night, it kind of became our tradition. Anytime we couldn’t hang out in person, we’d hop on a call and stream some old-school anime. We both preferred nostalgic series over the newer mainstream stuff anyway. It just felt more us.
A lot of anime today tends to focus on intense action, dramatic romance, or whatever's trending in the mainstream. But the shows I grew up with, and still love, offered something different. They carried meaningful, encouraging, and inspiring messages that stuck with me.
Anime like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, Rurouni Kenshin, and the entire Precure franchise taught me valuable life lessons. They reminded me to chase my dreams, stay determined, and work hard to build the future I want for myself.
What I loved most about these stories was how they showed the power of kindness, perseverance, and self-growth. Even when the characters faced major setbacks, they pushed forward, not just for others, but for themselves. Watching them grow and reach their goals made me believe I could do the same.
Those anime weren’t just entertainment; they helped shape who I am. They instilled a strong work ethic, sparked my creativity, and taught me empathy and respect for others.
And honestly? There’s something magical about seeing characters struggle, rise, and win. It makes you feel like maybe, just maybe, you can too.
Even though anime has become way more mainstream, and sometimes it feels like everyone has something to say about the culture, even when the safe space you once loved starts to feel less like your own, there’s still something to be proud of.
For me, cultural pride means being part of the anime community for nearly a decade. It’s remembering the days I’d race to the public or school library just to pick up a new manga. It’s rushing home to fire up the DVD player or flip on the TV to catch another episode of Pokémon, eager to see what adventure comes next.
It’s not just nostalgia, it’s a connection. Each story, each character arc, helped shape my view of the world and, honestly, myself. Their resilience, kindness, and drive to grow inspired me to work toward becoming a better version of myself, someone who thinks creatively, leads with empathy, and stays motivated to build a future on my own terms.
Being part of this world gave me more than entertainment. It gave me purpose.
It’s a dynamic, ever-evolving force that continues to shape my ideals, my passions, and my identity. And even if the space looks different now, I’ll always carry that foundation with pride.
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Story written by Aniya Porter