Uh Oh... David Got Me Thinking About Anime

Yesterday was my stepson David's 19th birthday, so let's ALL wish him the best-- are ya ready?--"Happy Birthday, David!"

David smiles, at left, with little brother Logan.

It's hard to believe, but I've been in David's life seventeen years now. In the picture below, David was hardly older than Leila is today. Where does the time go??

Though Jon visited David in October (he lives in West Virginia), it's been a full year since Michael, Emma, Leila and I have seen David. As you can imagine, we're very excited about Christmas.

I credit these tech-saavy stepkids of mine with introducing us to all kinds of interesting new electronic devices... and even some cultural phenomena.

When we bought our first computer, it was Susan who helped us order it (and then hooked it up for us). Through Susan and David we learned about Facebook, YouTube, iPods, and those fancy-flip cell phones with internet and cameras.

We have them to thank for our Play Station and my brief Crash Bandicoot "phase" a few years ago (similarly, Jon had his Tiger Woods "phase").

We had a blast playing Guitar Hero AND HOPE THEY BRING IT WITH THEM WHEN THEY VISIT US AT CHRISTMAS (hint hint).

They showed us text messaging on the phone and instant messaging on the computer. I still think those two are mostly silly time-wasters, but as for Facebook... well. Facebook has become as much a part of my morning routine as a good cup of coffee.

I also give David single-handed credit for turning me into an aspiring anime fan. I wasn't real impressed by anime at first... when he was younger, David's anime cartoon of choice was Dragon Ball Z (did I spell that right?), and it struck me as... well. Clearly it's geared toward a younger and primarily male audience. Lots of martial arts-style fighting and action/adventure plots. Not the best animation, either-- lots of strange quivering close-ups of characters' faces--but still some very memorable scenes.

But. More recently he had us watch some of the classic anime movies-- and I'm hooked. The best (in my opinion) is Howl's Moving Castle, but Spirited Away, Princess Monoke, and Castle in the Sky are also excellent.

First of all, the animation in these movies takes your breath away. Clouds move and change and undulate with color. You see the wind blow, through the motion and play of light on grass and leaves. There are all kinds of amazing mechanical and organic creatures and structures.

And these are real movies, dealing with big philosophical themes. What does it mean to grow old? What is our relationship with the spirit world? With our planet? What is a hero... and who can be a hero? How do we fit into society? What's good and what's bad and what just is? There's so much there to feed your brain. They're the kind of movies you want to think about-- and talk about-- long after you watch them.

Part of the fascination, of course, is their strangeness. Because these cartoons originate in Japan, the cultural norms and cast characters are very different from what we Americans are used to. You don't realize how many cliches and repetitive character-types are used in Disney and other American movies until they are suddenly absent when you view a movie from another country. Things are dealt with in different ways... the focus changes. The unexpected happens.

Anyway, just a few of the things that come to mind when remembering David. Happy Birthday and see you soon, David!