I'm not sure why I'm writing this. Chances are no one will read it. It's not like I'm some established blogger. The only thing that might make my blog semi unique is I'm a lot older than most of you. Not exactly something that would draw readers to my blog.
I was first exposed to anime when I was 8 or so. Many best friend was a Korean kid who lived a couple houses down the block. Long before cable TV, or tv's with remotes, we only had a handful of stations. The major networks like ABC, NBC and CBS along with a couple other local networks like KTLA and KTTV where on the main channel dial (remember no remote controls) broadcasted on frequencies called VHF. Then there was also UHF which was basically ch 22 and ch 52.
Channel 52 use to air roller derby and a show called Race for Your Life Ben Gazara. While channel 22 aired programs that weren't in English, so I never watched it. Until one day my Korean friend, Ben, asked me if I ever watched Raideen. I had never seen Raideen so I went over to his house after school and he put on channel 22 and we watched Raideen
This was my introduction to anime. I loved it. Even though I had to read subtitles, it was unlike any cartoon I had seen before. They also ran something called Go Rangers, a live action hero show where each hero had a different color costume and a unique weapon. Although their weapons only worked on the bad guys thugs. To beat the boss they would all have to kick a ball around, like a soccer ball, and when each of them had kicked it, the leader who wore red, would kick it at the boss and it would blow up, taking out the boss for good. This show would show up again 20 or so years later on regular TV as a cartoon called Power Rangers.
Now, near 40 years later, I'm watching more anime than ever and I have traded in reading my American comics and graphic novels for a near insatiable desire to read manga.
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