netflix – Artistic Apathy

How Anime Has Shaped Me

I’ve been watching anime ever since I was just starting out in elementary school. I still distinctly remember the first series of Naruto being aired on Cartoon Network.

Before that, it was series like Pokemon and Digimon that first introduced me to anime. And also an oft-forgotten series: Medabots. There was also the programming block late night on Cartoon Network: Toonami that aired re-runs of anime like Inuyasha, Ruroni Kenshin and Cowboy Bebop.

Anime was an integral part of me growing up and even inspired my own works of fiction. Not only was it a staple of my childhood but each anime along the way has shaped my ideals and morals to a point worth noting.

It was in Naruto, the hated underdog that was desperate for love and connection that I found part of myself in.

When I was younger I wasn’t always the most popular kid in school but I related to Naruto’s mission and journey. He was out to prove something but along the way he became someone he could be proud of. A true friend and hero to the people he cared about. He no longer needed approval from people because he found acceptance in his friends and colleagues. Naruto got his happy ending but it wasn’t without struggle and perseverance. And I think that’s something you just can’t knock.

Naruto had to literally conquer his demons to be able to gain victory in life. The metaphors in this show alone go over some people’s head but there are life lessons here.

Later in life, I decided to check out an often recommended anime: Welcome to the NHK. It was in the character Satou, that I found representation.

I had never seen a character with social anxiety represented before. I related to this character on so many different levels. His ending was not so much a happy ending but a realistic one. He didn’t achieve everything he set out to but he found something that worked for him and he got better.

It was in Ryuko, a high schooler at a brawling academy that I became to believe in girl power fully.

Needless to say, I took a lot of lessons away from anime and without it maybe I wouldn’t be who I am today. It’s entertaining but also relates to real life and there is an anime for any point and time in your life. I think more people should give it a chance.

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Am I “Escaping” Through Film and Television?

This has been a question on my mind recently.

I. like many other people on this spinning globe enjoy a good film or two. Even a long running television series.

But is it all a means of escapism or is it something deeper?

Let’s discuss.

Ever since I was young I’d been captivated by various characters and their stories through television, the screen and in books.

I remember having a real love for Pokémon as a child and it drove me to write stories of my own.

I was a kid that loved to play and goof off and spend time with my friends. As a child I had many things I could be doing but I often found myself sitting in front of the television a lot or buried in a book.

Was that child at that age looking for a means of escape or was he simply fascinated with the colorful and boisterous worlds that appeared out in front of him?

I would go with the latter. I know that film and television can be a means of escape for many from the daily droll of modern day life and it can be a problem. But not for me. I still do things I want to get done. I’ll admit that a lot of times I don’t find my life as exciting as the stories on the screen and escapism may play a small part but there’s something bigger at play.

For me stories are a way of life. Stories, whether fictional or factual, inspire me, put me in a different state of mind and motivate me to write stories of my own. Anything that inspires you to create or break up your daily monotonous routine is purely worth it.

I’ve created stories since I was a little boy and new stories inspire me to create more and give me new ideas.

It’s not to say that you can’t have too much of it. Yes, you should get out and make your dreams come true and not live your life through fictional characters but stories bring people together, get them talking, inspire and motivate.

This is a question I’ve asked myself because maybe deep down there is more I could be doing but by no means are movies/entertainment a waste of time by any means.

I think it all lies in the balance between the two. Consuming and creating. In this world today it’s hard not to be a consumer but whether you end up a victim is entirely up to you.

“Top Boy” Netflix Series Review

Without revealing too much, fans of American crime dramas, especially ones that deal with urban plight will love this show.

Over the course of this week I’ve had the pleasure of binge-watching one of Netflix’s best shows and one of the best shows I’ve recently seen: Netflix’s Top Boy.

So what’s good about it?

Take everything you love about American crime dramas and make it British.

The show provides an insight into the seedy underbelly of the London streets that’s not often documented–that is unless you listen to the heavily popular Grime music genre.

Gangsters or roadmen as they’re called in London localized vernacular, traffic drugs in and out of their London council estate.

They’re just like American drug runners except, er, a bit different. They have their own slang, their own way of doing things and this series displays that lifestyle brilliantly. So much that I want to adopt some of the slang I hear being used in the show.

But enough about the slang or appearances… We want to hear about the meat of this sandwich, right? The actual content that makes this show riveting.

Continuing off where Top Boy: Summerhouse left off, the show follows Dushane and Sully again and this time a newcomer–a young “yute” named Jamie.

Jamie is the leader of The Fields (later they come together to form a gang known as the ZTs.) While Dushane and Sully run the Summerhouse council estate. Both have one object: making money. Whoever stands in the way of that should heed warning.

The story basically boils down to the two vying for control of the local drug market in their council estates. Simple enough plot but you are pulled in with the direction of the story and the thrill of being on the edge of your seat not knowing who will make a move when and how.

Without revealing too much, fans of American crime dramas, especially ones that deal with urban plight will love this show. As long as they can get past the accents and the sometimes confusing vernacular. That in and of itself should not stop you however from enjoying this ride of a show.

This show will send you on a ride you won’t want to forget with characters that feel real and palpable.

I give Netflix’s Top Boy a 4 out of 5.

This has been my review. What did you think? Will you stream it? Have thoughts on the show as a whole? Comment down below! Until next time.