Is anime for kids only?

My parents still tell me that cartoons are just for kids and that my taste in cartoons needs to change, now that I have child. Even though I have a child, I am still going to watch Anime because it isn't something that is solely for kids. Yes, they make childish anime, but there is a lot of out there that simply isn't for children to know or understand. When Hayao Miyazaki released his masterpieces to American audience, he introduce a whole new world of story telling. Never before, has a animation won best picture in the Oscars. Never before, would anyone think that an animated movie would earn multi million dollars at the box office. All the while, telling a story that is easy for a child and yet, complex enough that only an adult would understand. 

Anime, has transcend the stereotype of "just for kids" and has been recognized as something anyone could enjoy. Artist use it as a way to tell a story that simply isn't possible. How else could we tell a story about a space cowboy that is a bounty hunter with a ragtag crew? Hollywood has tried to capitalize on the unique stories told by anime and make live actions, but has thus far failed at it. There are stories out there that can only be show to adults. In Japan, nearly everyone watches anime and read graphic novels called Manga. As an American who wants to go to Japan and see it with my own eyes, this seems amazing for a country to love something like this. 

The first anime that I ever watched was Dragon Ball Z. From there, whatever I could watch as a child. Card Captor Sakura (inspiration for my daughters middle name), Sailor Moon, and Knights of the Zodiac (I watched that while I lived in El Salvador). Thanks to the internet, I could watch anime whenever I want, where ever I want. 

All I could say, it's a good time to be an anime fan.

Steps towards a future... unknown to me.

So recently, I have been feeling a little frustrated at work. Part of it is the fact its' retail and it will never seam to be a good career choice for me. The other part is that I don't get to spend a lot of time with my wife and daughter. My wife, Yumaira, has weekends off and that, is something I don't think I can do while working at a retail job. I voiced this concern to her and she suggested/pushed me into going back to school. It has been ten years since I went to school and many more since I lost took it seriously. Having grown up in Los Angeles, the school system, for me, was an utter failure. When I attended High School, there were riots there. While it didn't happen in my time, it did set forth the climate of my high school years.

http://articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/23/local/me-25304

It was bad enough that every class, including my honors class, was over crowded and full of teachers that didn't care anymore. When I would speak to them, they were frustrated with the system and the extremely low wages didn't help. I agree with them on that one, they needed more money to put up with the s*$% they had to deal with on a daily basis.

So, to say the least, school wasn't really all that inviting for me during those important times. I ended up ditching a lot because of it. Sometimes I would go to the local college (LA Valley College) and sneak into a class just so I can learn something. Other times, I would go hang out in the library and talk to the people that ran it.  Over the course of four years, I began to understand how the world works... And that Bush was a terrible president.

Sorry about that, I tend to go on a tangent sometimes. Either way; me going back to school takes a real big push. Thankfully Emilia, my daughter, and Yumaira are there to push me to get a degree and make something out of myself. Because they are tired of me going to work on the weekends, instead of going to a park with them. They are my biggest motivators and I am going to try for them. I tired doing it for myself and that's how I ended up in retail so lets see if I can make something of it.

The ongoing journey...

You know, as a new father, I found the transition from married guy to responsible dad pretty challenging. I went from playing video games with my wife to having to wake up and change a diaper or provide food to another human.. The change is still ongoing and to be honest, I don't think I am always doing a great job of it.I wasn't confident in what I was going. But then, a question popped into my head, what kind of father do I want to be? 

It might be too early to be worrying about that kind of stuff but it was something that hang over my head for a long time. When my daughter started to show interest in thing I was doing is when it dawned on me.  My daughter will repeat or imitate everything I do and, for good or bad. She is going to like whatever I watch/do. I was watching an anime called Dragon Ball Z and after watching the movie, Battle of the Gods by the way, she started to yell and throw punches at the air in the same way the characters were doing. I told this to my wife, who just rolled her eyes. But when I told my friends, they thought it was the coolest thing ever and that I was molding her to be an Anime fan early.

Whenever I played video games, she wanted to play with me. Pretend of course, but she wanted the controller to interact with. Then, it came to me, my daughter will most likely grow up liking the same things as I do. She will know the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars. She will know that Japan is a mythical place of wonders that we must go one day, my 40th birthday is planned. Of course, my wife has some influence as well, but come on, my daughter is a daddy's girl.

I am raising a future nerd.

When I finally came to that relational, it made me feel really happy. It made life for me a lot easier to withstand. All of the troubles that come with a child become a lot more bearable. For the future my little girl, and the ones after her, I can withstand the many hurdles that come my way. In order to make my nerdy family, I can't lose myself to the current of negativity that is enveloping the world. I will be that nerdy pillar that my family will need and strive on. The question ,what kind of father do I want to be, gave me the strength I needed to and in the answer, it gives me hope and a drive to make my family what I want it to be.

I want my family to be a proud clan of nerds.