Hello and welcome to the first blog post of Fandom Forest, kind stranger!
Fandom Forest is a blog for the geeks with a natural passion for anime, music, TV series, games, movies, and so much more. However, even then, what will be covered is not as generic as it may sound.
For example, books: Fiction will definitely be covered, but it can be manga or poetry just as much as the romantasy novels one might have on the bookshelf. The possibilities are endless when you have endless curiosity driving you forward!
With that being said, setting the blog’s tone with personal pieces feels like the way to start, so enjoy reading about a few popular pieces that started my own love for geek culture.
Anime / Manga
When it comes to anime and manga, my love for it started with none other than the no. 1 unpredictable Ninja, Naruto!
Part of The Big Trio in the world of anime, “Naruto” and its sequel “Naruto Shippuden” is a Shounen anime that aired between 2002-2017, based on the manga with same title by Masashi Kishimoto. The story follows Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous but hardworking shinobi from the Village Hidden In The Leaves. Although he has a hidden past that has brought isolation as a result, he does his best to work towards his dreams, one of them being becoming the Hokage, the strongest leader and protector of his village.
We get to follow 720 episodes of heartfelt love, painful hatred, unavoidable loss and hope for something better for the Shinobi world. Many have complained about the anime’s fillers, but despite the length of the anime, it was a remarkable journey to follow.
Growing up with Team 7 and their adventures helped me a lot, as I have a complicated past of my own. I felt a strong initial connection with Naruto’s loneliness, Sasuke’s bitterness, Sakura’s insecurities, and Kakashi’s regrets. It was a great escape from reality, as well as a great way to come back, feeling more confident in myself now than I ever did as a child.
“Giving up is the same as being dead.” – Naruto Uzumaki
Books
I have always enjoyed writing, whether it was blogs, poetry, or even my own novels. However, the one book that sparked me to go from interested to obsessed with books was Colleen Hoover‘s “It Ends With Us”.
Lily Bloom is an ambitious young woman who dreams of opening up her own flower shop. To pursue this new life and making her dream a reality, she leaves painful memories behind and decides to move to Boston. Fairly quickly, she encounters and falls for the charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, but a complex childhood memory reappears in Lily’s life… along with Ryle’s progressive toxicity and abuse in their relationship.
I have mixed opinions about this light romance novel… and yes, it was marketed as light romance, despite having heavy elements of types of abuse that could easily trigger if not warned beforehand. I love “It Ends With Us” for reigniting my passion for writing and reading, but I would not recommend the book to anyone today. Aside from the triggers, the writing was either too detailed or too cliché, which also makes it difficult for me to recommend it.
The novel’s sequel, It Starts With Us, was admittedly better but still not good enough. It was an unnecessary sequel, and It Ends With Us’ movie adaptation was not needed either. Both books and the movie combined, and you have a rushed mess of a strange view of romance.
Movies
I’m very new to movies, so my doors to them have just opened, but one movie that caught my attention and heart right away was Interstellar, a 2014 dystopian sci-fi made by Christopher Nolan along with Hans Zimmer as composer.
I am not usually a fan of sci-fi, so it is funny how Interstellar has become a favorite film of mine. The fact that the story explores the greatest and lowest points of humanity in terms of morals is breathtaking to me. A story that makes one think beyond surface level always leave with bonus points from me.
I love the charismatic and curious protagonist named Cooper (played by Matthew McConaughey), as well as every side characters’ roles in the journey to saving mankind. Zimmer delivered a stunning performance with the music as well. Each track was beautiful, and the deliberate silence at times was deafening. The landscapes that were chosen were genius choices too, especially Iceland for a planet.
In general, nothing felt insignificant and nobody felt unnecessary to be included in the movie. The only critiques I have to give Interstellar is the pacing and Cooper’s son, Tom. I enjoyed the entire story, but the pacing could have been worked on, particularly at the beginning of the movie. I do like the idea of the movie “playing with time” for obvious reasons, it simply becomes a bit inconvenient at times. And Tom, protagonist Cooper’s son, had a role that could have been expanded. We saw some pieces of him, but never the entire puzzle at the end of it, which I thought was a missed opportunity.
Interstellar drove me toward a direction I never would have been interested enough in exploring otherwise, which is the movie industry. It made me think and feel far beyond what I expected, thus making it less of a story and more of an experience. I cannot deny that I have cried my fair share as well. Overall, Interstellar is a wonderful piece of cinema, a must-watch.
Games
Lastly, we have the gaming section, where “To The Moon” easily takes the prize. This game might be a bit unpopular compared to the other pieces I have mentioned. It is a story-driven adventure game made in RPG Maker that got released 2011.
We get to follow two scientists working for a company that has the technology to fulfill a dying man’s last wish by entering their memories and artificially changing their life so they can feel complete about themselves, passing away without regrets. Their client in this game is an elderly man named Johnny, who wants to go to the Moon… but has no idea why.
This was one of the first games, if not the first, that I truly connected with. It healed and broke me. It is a short journey worth going on that will make you question life, lies, and love.
Although it was released through Freebird Games, the whole vision was primarily made by one single person, Kan Gao. That really intrigued me in my younger days, how one individual could sit down and put so much effort into a project as passionate as this one turned out.
Today, To The Moon has two sequels, Finding Paradise and Impostor Factory, and an established fanbase, which made me happy to hear. Freebird Games deserves the praise they have gotten through the years, with their emotional story-telling, well-written characters, and heartbreaking soundtrack.
These pieces from anime/manga, books, movies, and games are what initially shaped me into loving geek culture. They may be a bit mainstream, but they definitely had an impact on my preferences, hobbies, and even core values at times.
I truly believe fiction can save you from your deepest fears and tears, as well as teach you how to move forward once you feel ready to do so. It’s going to be even more fun to continue this journey of geek culture here on Fandom Forest!
What was your pieces that started your love for geek culture?
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