Most Nostalgic Anime (30 Days of Anime – Years 1 to 5) – Day 2
On day 2 of my celebratory 30 Days of Anime challenge, I’ll be looking at the most nostalgic shows from each year that the Otaku Author has been running. This should bring back some happy memories!
Most Nostalgic Anime (30 Days of Anime – Years 1 to 5) – Day 2
For day 2, I will be looking at “Most Nostalgic Anime”. I’ll be selecting the show that gives me the most nostalgic feelings. Surprisingly some of these were from my first time watching them, but there was something about them that reminded me of the good old days of anime… Anyhow, each one is a show that means something to me so let’s get on with the selections!
Year 1 – El Cazador de la Bruja (Season One)
I watched El Cazador de la Bruja as part of an A to Z Anime challenge where I attempted to watch one show starting with each letter of the alphabet. As you can probably surmise, this was my selection for the letter E. Now, I had not seen it before even though it was originally released in 2007. So, how can a series that I had not seen before create nostalgia? Well, in this instance, it comes down to the animation style and the storytelling. Everything about it reminded me of that era of anime and that was enough for me to want to talk about it here. If you’ve not seen it, check it out.
Year 2 – Heaven’s Lost Property (Season One)
I discovered Heaven’s Lost Property in 2016 after moving from New Zealand to Canada. Streaming services were really starting to take off then and there was a far better selection in Canada. Between job hunting, I watched a fair amount of anime and this one instantly captured my imagination. It might look goofy, but this is a fantastic series with some incredible storytelling. It also has several of the funniest episodes that I’ve ever seen. As I mentioned in the last post – My First Anime, I rewatched all of Heaven’s Lost Property so that I could review every episode and watch the movies. This is one of those shows that leaves me feeling warm inside (if you don’t watch the movies… seriously, avoid them at all costs.)
Year 3 – Hundred (Season One)
I first watched Hundred in 2018 and loved it. So, when I finished it I jumped online to see if a second season was on the way. It wasn’t… Not only that, but it seemed to be widely panned as one of the worst anime out there. That seemed particularly harsh. It’s no masterpiece, but it is a lot of fun and has some incredibly catchy tunes. Anyhow, when the Otaku Author went offline in August 2021, I turned to Hundred to cheer me up and it did exactly what I was expecting. I also wrote up a series of posts as I waited to see if this site would recover from the hosting service disaster that left me quite anxious for two weeks.
Year 4 – Dirty Pair (Season One)
This was another series that I hadn’t seen prior to watching it in year 4. However, when I first got into manga and anime in the early 1990s, I read some Dirty Pair in the monthly magazine, Manga Mania and was instantly hooked. Sadly, the anime was not easily available in the UK at that time so I had to wait. I’m not sure why I waited quite so long, but I’m delighted that I finally got around to watching it. This series was released in 1985 so is incredibly reminiscent of the other shows I was watching around then such as Project A-ko, Bubblegum Crisis, and Dominion Tank Police.
Year 5 – Highschool Of The Dead (Season One)
This series is incredibly special to me for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s my favourite anime. Secondly, it was the show that brought me back into the anime scene after years of wandering through life without any anime. When I went to university, I pretty much stopped watching anime, focusing on playing rugby and drinking instead. After university, I spent my time working on developing a career… still very little anime. Then, while I was living in New Zealand, I came across Highschool of the Dead on YouTube. The episodes had been cut into pieces and it was almost impossible to see them all. Some were dubbed, and some were not. It was a mess, but I knew that I loved it. I ordered the series and the OVA from the United States. I also bought the two hardback, full-colour omnibus editions of the manga which are two of my most prized possessions. Basically, I love this series and every time I watch it, I end up loving it more.
Final Thoughts!
If day 1 brought back a lot of happy memories, just imagine what a post about nostalgic anime did to me. The hardest part with shows like these is that they make me want to rewatch them over and over again. That then takes time away from new shows and even older ones that I haven’t got around to yet. That said, I know that I will be watching these all again sometime. In fact, I try to watch Highschool of the Dead every year! Tomorrow, I’ll be back with the next category – Most Emotional Anime! Make sure you bring your tissues… Thanks for visiting!
Other Posts in the Series
30 Days of Anime (Years 1 to 5)
Merry Christmas 🎅
Thanks, and to you!