The Shows That Raised Me

It's no secret that we all watched shows growing up. Now some obviously had more of an effect than others did. For this piece, I want to talk about the shows that hugely impacted me and how my tastes have changed over time. Yes, this is an excuse for me to rave about animes; what about it? 

My favourite show of all time is Attack on Titan. AOT is set in a dystopian fictional world, but through the characters' mindset, desire and struggles, it draws striking parallels to our own mortal reality. Hajime Isayama, the manga artist, has put his life's work and philosophy into the show. He included so many codes and ciphers that excited fans could rewatch the episodes to understand. The story follows the protagonist Eren and his desire for freedom. But as the story progresses, the series deals with humanity's failure to look out for one another while something as devastating as gigantic monsters rampage through the world, eventually turning Eren into the most controversial protagonist in the history of anime. My favourite part was when they found the truth about the origin of their world in season 2. Even though the show is heading to a harrowing ending, I shall forever hope that Levi (humanity's greatest soldier) gets to live a life with satisfaction. I must mention Mikasa Ackerman here because she is the strongest and yet the most vulnerable fictional character I have seen in my life. I think it's fair I mention other great animes, like Haikyuu, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and Gakuen Babysitters.

So after all these shows ended, I found myself in a position where there aren’t any animes I like anymore. So, I started watching sitcoms on Netflix. I think the one I'm least tired of watching would be "Friends." Now at some point, you realize that the jokes are so repetitive. Joey is just trying to get as many girls as possible, Monica is turning into a total control freak, Ross just keeps getting divorced, and Chandler and Phoebe's jokes keep getting funnier. As much as I trash talk about the show, I can't help but mention that "Friends" showed a friend group most people aspire to have, and it was filled with inside jokes and random adventures that made for great stories. So, I do see why these shows are a mandatory phase that every person goes through. Honourable mentions include - How I Met Your Mother and Brooklyn 99.

Finally, we've gotten to shows that I watch now. The last show I watched that I absolutely loved was "The Good Place." I think the plot is so good simple yet so thought-provoking. It's about four individuals and their other-worldly struggle in the afterlife to define what it means to be good. Even if all four characters weren't present in each other's lives before death, they knew they could rely on each other to pass the moral dilemmas of the afterlife. This was because, at the end of the day, they helped each other to become the people they are today. 

But who am I to judge anything? I just watched all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls and I still watch Friends now and then, so I have no upper hand to say that I have great taste. Although I watched "The Breaking Bad" in 2 days (yes, I'm in a dark world now), I hope it's some sort of redemption. So, for the sake of my ego, I would like to believe  I have better taste than most people.