SAILOR MOON AND MY RETURN TO CARTOONS


By Mei-chan



From the moment I turned ten, I promised myself that I wouldn't watch any more cartoons. No more would I draw entertainment from Batman, Rugrats, Doug, and my secret guilty pleasures: Ninja Turtles and X-men. No more would I wake up early on Saturday mornings to watch useless, boring, and "infantile" cartoons. I was ten, already a big girl. And big girls don't watch anything that doesn't involve real people. Or so I thought.

I have no idea where I came up with my anti-cartoon behavior; after all, they had done nothing but entertain me, and they enhanced my life in a way that TGIF could not. (TGIF was the only other thing I watched, back then.) Maybe it's my brothers fault. After witnessing the brainwashing effect that Johnny Quest and Underdog had on him, I was ready to give up on the television in general. But it was probably that Ren and Stimpy show that really got to me.

True to my word, I stayed cartoon free until I was 13. Having moved to Colombia, South America, it was very easy. The dubbing on what little shows they had was terrible, and it was enough to turn me away for "good." I jeered even more at my brother's insistence on watching them. Heck, I laughed at everyone who did. The only cartoons I could bear were the Disney movies. And again, the TERRIBLE DUBBING had me running for my life soon after the movies ended.

Most other Colombian girls hated cartoons as well. We were soap opera addicts, which is truly pathetic. We lived for the 8 o'clock Novela. And we scorned those brave enough to sneak a peek at X-men. In my heart, it hurt to see them laughed at, and made fun of. But, I went along with it.

Then...came Sailor Moon. I discovered it one day I stayed home sick. It was on channel 6, the one no one watched, at 3 p.m, the time no one tuned in. I stared fascinated at the big eyes and the strange hairstyles. I gasped in horror when I saw a creepy guy who was wearing a mask and a top hat. Oblivious to the outside world, the characters inside the TV waltzed around merrily, transforming, attacking, and throwing roses at a monster (the mask guy, that is.) It was strange, it was entertaining...and most importantly, had me hypnotized. I watched for 15 minutes straight. Then I caught myself.

"I was watching *SAILOR MOON*"

A cartoon that was nationally hated, the but of jokes at school, that had dubbing worse than anything I'd ever seen, and had a guy in a mask, cape, and top hat throwing roses around as if they were weapons.

I turned the TV off. And that was that.

Until I moved back to the states, and discovered Pokemon. Now, that's a totally different story...

Then, I re-discovered the wonderful world of cartoons (anime and non-anime) all over again.

Sailor Moon included. Now, I admit, I'm totally hooked and not ashamed of it. I can bear with the annoying Usagi, bland Ami, and all the rest of the gang. It's worth it, you see, because I love Tuxedo Mask and all the bishounen on it. For every fault, it has two redeeming qualities.

I've watched all the movies in japanese, bought Sailor Moon merchandise, downloaded Sailor Moon mp3's... And best of all, I don't miss an episode.

Hard to think that someone who was so prejudiced against certain TV show would become a loyal fan. I admit, it was Pokemon that opened my eyes to Anime in general, but it was Sailor Moon that taught me an important lesson: that you can't judge a show by what people say about it. Keep your mind open. Give everything a chance.

Now I watch Nickelodeon, I watch Cartoon Network, I watch all those anime shows on syndication. I even buy anime every chance I get. I recently watched the X-men movie, proudly announcing to all my friends who didn't know: I watched X-men cartoons as a kid. I liked it. I watched Titan A.E. People know me for being a big cartoon-junkie.

Cartoons aren't just for little kids. For about 3 years, I missed out on what is one of the greatest pleasures in life. And my Colombian friends think I'm crazy, still. But they'll never know. I have only pity for them. They don't know what they're missing out on.


THE END
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Well, it was short enough! I hope everyone learned something from my lil story. Wrote this to please myself, mostly, but...I would like others to read and appreciate it too, of course. Comment! Even flames would be nice, I like feedback of all kind!
And pass this along to anyone who scorns cartoons. Make them understand!
Email me @ KiryuuGirl@aol.com