The Hampton Script

Ryland Staples | Staff Writer

StreamXO Public Domain

With the internet further establishing itself as a staple in everyone’s life, people have easier access to watch and stream whatever TV show or movie they want. Among the various original Netflix shows that constantly blow up, anime has also made a reappearance.

You can catch up on the latest shows such as Boku No Hero Academia (My Hero Academia), Attack on Titan, One Piece, or Dragon Ball, and you can even have access to older shows, such as Yu Yu Hakusho, Gundum, Pokémon or Sailor Moon.

Shows such as Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon have made a great impact on the entertainment world. More than likely, if you see a character on television yelling to power up or characters making dramatic movements as their clothes metalize onto them out of nowhere, it was inspired by anime.

“My dad and I used to watch Dragon Ball movies late at night on VHS,” Hampton University sophomore Isiah Wells said of his childhood filled with anime.

There was a time when people thought that anime was “uncool” or “nerdy.” Kids would run like a ninja from Naruto, trade Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh cards or even just talk about their favorite anime signatures, and it would lead to judgment from other students.

As a child, I never understood the judgment. However now, it seems like there has been a total paradigm flip. Now you cannot go anywhere without seeing something influenced by anime culture. Stores such as Forever 21, H&M and other retail stores have anime-themed clothes. It is surprising how many designs of Dragon Ball characters can be found on the backs of shirts and hoodies.

I feel like the shift started when Avatar: The Last Airbender blew up. Since it was on Nickelodeon, fans of the show did not have to wait for a dubbed versioned to come out. It was easily accessible, coming on between shows such as SpongeBob and Catscratch.

The number of casual fans who watched it and the quick popularity it gained allowed people to be more open to other anime shows.

With this increasing interest in anime, shows such as Boku No Hero Academia received a greater following and became a part of the new “stan” culture present in social media today.

Today, television shows have a huge following, and the studios and the authors are able to have more room to make better and more consistent content for their fans to consume.

Today, Boku No Hero has a new movie: My Hero Academia: Two Heroes showing in theaters right now, and the highly anticipated Dragon Ball Super movie comes out in December. The more exposure and popularity the shows get, the easier it is to create new content for us fans.

So enjoy yourselves this weekend, anime fans new and old.

Happy watching!