Pocky Central

One of my biggest hobbies has been collecting, watching, and translating Japanese animation. Yes, I know, it’s “anime”. That’s an argument I’ll get into another time.

I should rewind a bit. I have always loved animation in general. From animated drawings to claymation/stop-animation to 3D work, it has always facinated me. I remember growing up on Bugs Bunny cartoons (my favorite “anime” of all time) and Tom and Jerry. Then, one day I got a tape from my mom. It was dubbed in Korean, and it was… different. The animation was smoother, the “story” from what I could tell, was deeper, and the characters were more interesting. Granted, I made a lot of it up in my head, since it was in Korean.

I forget what show it was, exactly, but I do remember thinking, “hey, this is really neat”. It wasn’t until years later that I learned that it was a Japanese cartoon. By then, I had watched several shows off of tapes from a penpal in addition to Robotech, Voltron, and Star Blazers. I was still watching American shows (and still do today), but I well and truly a fan of Japanese animation.

Since then, my tastes have changed quite a bit. I started off as a big comedy and mecha fan. I was big into Gundam (still am, for the most part), Macross and Mospeda, Ranma, and a lot of other shows. I didn’t have much of a taste for the more serious shows and movies.

Then my tastes shifted… towards more dramatic/less slapstick fare, like Maison Ikkoku (yes, a comedy, but one without giant hammers) and “girls” (shoujo - never forget the ‘u’) shows. I started watching a lot of majokko (magical girl) shows from the early eighties, and found them to be a lot more serious than some of the mecha shows I had watched.

These days, I watch a very mixed bag of shows. I’ve enjoyed The Meloncholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, I liked the Gundam Seed series, and found myself laughing out loud at the antics in Pani Poni Dash. I don’t watch as much as I used to, partially because of time, partially because I’ve translated some shows. There’s nothing like doing your hobby as your job to kill your taste for it.

This is hardly all I have to say on anime… I just want to save material for later.

I am a collector. I love collecting books, videos, figures, games, and many other things.

If the phrase “Collector’s Edition” is on something, there is a strong chance that I will want it. (Case in point, the World of Warcraft Collector’s Edition)

The people who have been to my home know how much of a collector I am. I have shelves and shelves full of books, DVDs, and other collectables. I am continually buying, selling, and replacing the things in my collection. Sometimes I just give things away, and sometimes I sell them (to friends, on eBay, whatever). But regardless, I’m always running out of room.

Someday it will be the death of me, I’m sure of it.

Every time I tell myself, “Okay, no more of ‘X thing’,” I end up finding that ONE thing I need for my collection. I swear, if I did drugs/smoked/drank, it would be cheaper… because I’d be too drunk/chill/stoned/high to care. (Well, maybe.)

I have gotten better about being a pack rat, thankfully. The sales I mentioned earlier started a few years ago, in order to break myself of the pack rat habit.

However, it ended up just being a way to make room for new things. Despite my best attempts, I’m still a collector.

But at least I have a hobby.