My First Manga/Anime

Oh wow. It’s already the 100th post on Manga, my life. \o/ Woohoo! I wanted to do something short and a little different for this milestone.

Are you familiar with the Anime Amino app? It’s a mobile application for Anime enthusiasts to share posts, news, opinions, discussions and chat etc. with other Anime fans. I tried it out last year, but it didn’t seem like a virtual space I could be comfortable in, so I’ve stopped using it. Here’s something I shared a little while before deleting the app off my phone: Hashtag, MyFirstAnime.

#MyFirstAnime and Manga was One Piece「ワンピース」.

[Image source: Viz Media]

No surprise, there. I’m just one of the many thousands—maybe even MILLIONS—of people whose ‘first anime’ (and manga) was One Piece.

‘First anime’ because at the time when I watched some Digimon Adventure or Beyblade or Super Yoyo or Crush Gear or Pokemon, I didn’t actually know what ‘anime’ was. One Piece was legitimately the first series I read AND watched with the knowledge that it was a manga and anime.

There’s no way I can even come CLOSE to waxing lyrical about this amazing series and do it justice. It’s brought me lots of laughter, tears, surprise and frustration to name a few. Taught me the importance of friendship, to dream big, stay strong, never give up and so many other cliche, but admittedly important, lessons. Most of all, it introduced me to the hobby that would shape me and my life for the numerous number of years to come. Thank you so much for creating the world that is One Piece, Eichiro Oda-sensei, and to every single person who has supported/continue to support you and the world of One Piece as well.

Avex One Piece Log Collection

To be honest, I haven’t been keeping up with the series at all. The last episode I watched was in 2008, the last movie (Film Z) I watched was in 2013, and the last manga chapter I read was in 2014. I probably won’t be picking it up again until it’s actually finished, but One Piece will, forever and always, have a special place in my heart.

#MyFirstAnime and Manga wasn’t out of the ordinary at all, but it’s no doubt been an immensely influential part of me.

So, what was your first manga/anime and how was it for you?