My Childhood Hero: Happy Birthday Kenshin !
By Bunny.† 22:59 anime, childhood, english, Heart of Sword, Kyoto Inferno, personal, Rurouni Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin Live Action, Samurai, Samurai X
It's been said 2014 is a glorious year for anime. With more titles than I can even recognize, there's a lot to look forward this summer. And not only for anime. Movies, manga...
...you can hardly get bored this summer.
In some cases, it came out as a surprise. The opportunity to see our beloved characters moving, talking, interacting with each other. Something that was out of our reach in the gaming experience (DRAMAtical Murder).
In some other cases, it's the revival of something we grew up with, and brings the sweetest childhood memories now in a completely different definition, and with the exquisity and richness of details only modern technology could provide us with (Sailor Moon Crystal).
The case I'll share today though, has not one, but three releases to look forward to this year. Prepared to fill us with nostalgia, a window to the past, but so filled with strength and energy that should be contagious enough to impulse us toward the future.
The birth of the Juppongatana, Shishio and Yumi's first encounter all in the upcoming spinoff manga.
With all of this gathering so closely, I couldn't help but pour down my memories and feelings in this corner. Realization hit me that I had never truly put in written word the thoughts that have been with me for more than a decade. And it's a story those of you who share this same passion will know quite well. Indeed, it's the same story from always, just from my perspective...
We all have our personal childhood heroes. Some wear capes, have a secret cave, are racing kings, or Jedi masters.
I could place my hand on my heart on how certain I am that we all have in common how our heroes caught us by surprise. We weren't expecting them to arrive to our lives. And not only happy with saving so many in their adventures, they also took the time to save us. They just showed up, amazed us, and there was no turning back from there... they just made us believe the impossible from that day they performed the first heroic act in whatever shape or situation it came.
To me it was a simple afternoon, a normal one like many others, normal enough for me to remember no events before the one I'll share now: I was zapping and at some point reached the cartoon time in a local channel. I stopped there because a certain song got my attention, and the screen showed a beautiful animation of a stunning view. Then there was a girl on a boat, welcoming said view with determination.
She was a strange girl, with big shiny eyes, and a puffy hair that crowned her small body.
Next thing I knew was that... she carried a sword?! And was fighting a bunch of bad guys fiercely, with her innocent eyes changed to a menacing feline glare.
I liked that, yes!
Dropping the remote to some forgotten place because I would no longer need it, I threw myself to my parents' bed and kept watching.
...Yeah I eventually found out the girl was actually a guy. But I was excited. This type of cartoon I hadn't seen since I was even younger at my grandma's place, Saint Seiya (Caballeros del Zodíaco) was one of the few available cartoons on those strange TV channels they had there. But I was too little to understand and follow the story. I just knew there was nothing cooler than that, but I never found anything similar on TV back at home, and I actually stuck to tape movies. Disney movies, the majority. And those few strange but madly cool Fairy Tale movies grandma found for me every now and then.
So this felt nostalgic. The same drawing style, but even more beautiful. It was funny... and everything took place in such wonderful locations. I wanted to be there.
It was weird, more than a cartoon. There were epic battles that reminded me so much of those quite graphic Fairy Tales grandma had in her shelves (you know how crude stories for children were long long ago). With their morals and all.
I continued to watch religiously. Mom learned that was now my weakest spot, for whenever she considered necessary to punish me she wouldn't let me watch TV at that exact hour =_=;;
Once it got SO intense and I made such a huge drama, she had to put my younger brother's old Baby Monitor in the living room so I could hear the show from the chaotic bedroom I had to clean. I always had a hard time keeping things in place.
Since I wasn't very fond of playing outside, and I didn't really have many friends to do that with, "Samurai X" hour became sacred for me. I used it not only to watch the anime, but also would bring my notebook with me and try to draw the characters as I watched (which resulted in rage fits when I couldn't really draw them just like that wtf), and after the episode of the day was over... I went to discuss it with my toys. Word. I'd gather them all in a circle and start discussing the day's events and how they could affect the future episodes and the characters (someone tell me you also did this?)
And when an important episode was coming the following day (*cough*battlewithshishio*cough*) I would prepare myself mentally and physically for it. I would spend the day thinking of it, how important it was... I'd take a shower and wear something pretty just to sit and watch.
It's pretty crazy, to tell the truth, how something so simple can fill so much of your life. But with so many lessons in each episode... phrases, scenes, fights, found their place in my brain to stay there permanently.
This is me just explaining the tangible side of the experience, because it took a lot of my time, many pages from my drawing notebooks, many afternoons spent dedicated just to it in the same way you do it with a friend.
And there's nothing strange with that, because many of you also have something similar to tell regarding a story that touched your hearts, starring your own personal hero. But then you'll also know it's special and unique to every person, because we all lived the same, in our own personal way.
And woah... it's something so special and personal that somehow, even as I'm writing this, I'm wondering if I should really post it. As a child I never thought I'd be openly talking about my passions. I had this ever present fear that at some point it would all end.
I did have some friends in school, some things we had in common, and school events that kept me entertained or busy. But there was always this strange void. I know "void" it's a big word to say given that I was just in first grade, so let me explain: I always felt there was something missing. The dances in school events weren't fun enough, the things classmates talked about were entertaining but there was always a point in which I felt out of place. Among so many other things, so many others that... in the end it resulted in a lonely feeling.
Until I became friends with a wandering samurai.
To me it was quite real. Not the kind of "honey, we need to talk about your imaginary friend and why it's not necessary that you serve him his own dish at the table"-real. But you know, I felt his teachings, and the warmth they gave me... they definitely made me feel less alone, and that made him real enough. So all in all, he was there, and so was his team. They were right behind me backing me up when I needed an extra dose of courage for a math test. And whenever things got nasty in my classroom (small classroom, big hell) they were in the same place, at the same hour to remind me more things about courage, patience, kindness. Everything was so much easier to put up with because of the wandering samurai. And not only it was rewarding. It was fun.
It got me interested in drawing. It got me interested in a beautiful culture. And it got me interested in music.
First song I ever learned in japanese was Heart of Sword by T.M.Revolution. But God... that is a whole story apart.
Thanks to that moment I turned the TV on, I never imagined I would live so much because of it, because of a simple interest, because of a humble samurai.
I've made new friends, I've grown up... it's been so so long since that moment. And it truly feels like the wandering samurai never left my side. It's like he's always been there, reminding me about the proper use of the sword, the sword that protects. And inviting to explore this beautiful world, that might be filled with cruelty but you must live on to spread kindness and discover beauty in the smallest details. And how you can always die, but living is what takes real courage.
...As usual, when it comes to personal I always manage to type everything in a scattered way and less reader-friendly. Blame the feels, guys. I did what I could.
But I truly wanted to celebrate Kenshin's birthday. And the future releases related to his story.
I'm not quite sure of when I'll get to watch the new movie, since it definitely won't hit cinemas in here. The first movie... I watched it a whole year after it was released! Can you believe that? Since it was so difficult to get hold of it, I just pretended no such a thing existed until it showed it self before me by mere coincidence.
Well, I wouldn't say coincidence. As I mentioned, the samurai never seemed to leave my side. And last year was... (there's no subtle way to say this) such a piece of shit. So when I could watch it, I felt so energetic, looking forward to live and enjoy things, not to mention it helped me get to know a new band whose songs would also impulse me out of the place I was. I can't explain how exciting, how thrilling, and what a shot hunger for life it was. After that I even watched the whooole anime n_ñ;; something I hadn't been able to do NOT even as a child, since the local channel from here didn't truly air the episodes in order (not even sure if they had all the episodes at all o_o).
So, whenever I get to see this new movie, I'll pay homage to my very young self and prepare for Shishio's battle. With the same excitement I'll think of the battle, the enemies, the swords involved... and I'll make sure to look my best for it too (shower included lol).
These scattered words and bittersweet memories are dedicated to all of you, fans of Rurouni Kenshin, who gave me a bit of your time by reading this. To you, who also lived the thrill of each episode, and still smile at those memories of your younger selves, invaded with excitement to see Kenshin's sword fight for justice, for a better world with his own life.
From the bottom of my heart I hope you continue to live by the beautiful lessons learned episode after episode, page after page. And I hope you enjoy the new movies, that I'm sure will be just as great as the first one, and even more... because the whole team of the movie gave their all to bring this to us.
I am so sure my younger self would cry in excitement and joy if she happened to know the wandering samurai would never leave her side.
I hope he never leaves yours either.
Happy Birthday, Kenshin
With love,
BlueTrashBin's Bunny: a Blue Samurai.
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