GhostBendWriter

-LADY OSCAR

When I say that this story shaped me as a person, I am not exaggerating. I always LOVED reading shoujos, but I never felt like I could relate to any of the heroines. I felt like I was never sweet enough, or feminine enough. Then, Oscar François de Jarjayes came along and dear gods, it was EVERYTHING my heart desired. I wanted to be her so badly: brave, strong, just and never afraid to be who I am. This story is my everything.

-X-1999

(the way Seishiro and Subaru's story had me BY THE THROAT even as a teen,I just cannot begin to explain. Gods, it was so twisted, but so SO GOOD. Seishiro and Subaru were just MY EVERYTHING. And do not let me start with Kakyou and Hotaru, my heart was WRENCHED. tbh, it would be fair to say that everything connected to the Sumeragi just grips my heart , especially after reading Tokyo Babylon. Gah, my heart).

-SLAYERS

RINA WAS MY EVERYTHING. Poweful, Sassy, independent, reckless and with a short temper??? like HELLO?? I connected to her so much fml (and child me shipperd her hard with Zelgadis, fml.). The Italian Theme song was just SO BEAUTIFUL, it was one of the many reasons I adored this anime so much.

-ROBIN HOOD

*takes deep breath* ok. I have a lot to unpack on this because I have this CLEAR core memory from when I was still in preschool and was watching this anime at my grandparents' home and I was just lost for Robin. COMPLETELY lost, and while I am known to have a penchant for being rather theatrical, now I am totally serious. fml this cartoon had such a huge influence on me, that I am still feeling it to this day, even in the way I design characters (like, I never realized how much Maid Marian actually resembled Dottie dear gods.)

- MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING

I usually do not care much for the Mecha genre tbh, it was never my favourite, but Mobile Suit was one of the few that I actually loved. And this was the Anime that made me go "yes, I love men with long hair fml (Duo, you bastard, I had such a huge crush on you. So yes, I am looking at you) and I love magnificent bastards (Treize I hate that I love you so much)", so I already knew there was no going back lol).

-SAILOR MOON

I talked extensively yesterday about HOW MUCH I love Sailor Moon, but dear gods let me reiterate. Sailor Moon IS my childhood. The amount of time I played pretend in school with my group of friends cannot even start to be counted. Adore. just ADORE.

- CHOBITS

(prepare yourself because you will see A CRAPTON of stuff from Clamp. They were my go to, along Rumiko Takahashi, Naoko Takeuchi and Ai Yazawa).

-CARD CAPTOR SAKURA

(this story was *everything* and i coveted so badly her card deck. like, the amount of time I redrew the card of Fire, Water, Light and Darkness because fml i adore Mokona's style so much, especially the one she had during that period of time).

-TSUBASA RESERVOIR CHRONICLE

(I am still trying to recover from THE HUGE HEADACHE this freaking manga caused me, with all the cross referencing and whatnot, but fml I was *living* for all the characters from Clamp´s previous work being included everywhere. It was amazing, I adored it so much).

-MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH

I WANTED TO BE UMI SO BADLY. SO BADLY. BLUE HAIRED HEROINE, ELEGANT, CONNECTED TO DRAGONS, WITH ONE HECK OF A RAPIER AS SWORD?? WHY YES. YES. And Emeraude, oh gods, the way I loved Emeraude and Zagart's story. Just let me sob in silenceeeee).

- GODCHILD

What can I say about this, aside from the fact that this was my descent into the Visual Gothic Genre?? It had everything! fucked up story-lines (Victorian Gothic literature was filled up with that), the AMAZING pencil of Kaori Yuki, and Cain. ESPECIALLY CAIN.

-DRAGON BALL

(Z/GT, you name it. Mandatory watch with my lil bro, as soon as I got back home followed, of course, by a fight between me and him because we couldn't agree on who was stronger, Vegeta or Goku - and I still stand by my man Vegeta, idc. Also, Freezer's saga lasted FOREVER. A WHOLE SUMMER OF WATCHING IT, AND IT WAS NEVER ENDING.).

- NARUTO

this is THE MANGA. The one that, alongside The Crow caused me and my husband to meet and fall in love. We were both following Shippuuden as it just came out and was airing in Japan, and my hubby had a Sasuke fpf. Aside from this though, I just love Kishimoto's work so much fml.

- LITTLE POLLON

A whole ass anime about the daughter of Apollo, busy trying to prove herself a Goddess and making SO MUCH CHAOS?? My cup of tea as a child (I was probably 4-5 when I watched it) and my own personal gateway to Greek Mythology lololol

-WOLF'S RAIN

DO NOT SPEAK TO ME ABOUT THIS ANIME, I AM STILL CRYING THINKING ABOUT IT, DEAR GODS. THIS ANIME FUCKED ME UP IN SO MANY WAYS, I CANNOT EVEN START TO COUNT THEM. FML. But dear gods, the way I adored it and tickled all my wolf spot in the brain. BEAUTIFUL.

-GALAXY EXPRESS 999

I have the fondest memories of this anime, because I used to watch it with my grandpa who actually happend to be a train conductor. He always made sure to record it on the VHS when he had shifts where he would not be able to be home and watch it with me, so this has anime has so many memories conneced to it. Also, I loved Maetel, she alway looked so elegant to me (infact, I had half an idea of drawing Dottie as her for halloween, but didn't have the time lolol). Hilariously, this anime would subsequently be the one to open the doors for me to Captain Harlock lol.

-INUYASHA

I CANNOT START BLABBERING ABOUT INUYASHA, BECAUSE OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE A 50K ESSAY LONG TO PRESENT HERE. But I remember approaching it after I read Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2 (Rumiko Takahashi is a fucking genius, I will take no other opinion on her. She carried this side of the manga industry on her shoulders alone fml), and I fell SO IN LOVE with the Sengoku Era and with the whole youkai mithos that I just tuned on MTV whenever I could just to watch it fml. Also, this cemented my love for the "Magnificent Bastards with long hair" that Gundam Wing started (am looking at you, Naraku, Sesshomaru and Inu-no-Taisho fml) (also no, I don't want to hear about Yashahime. I love the characters design they had for the children, but as far as I am concerned in regards to the story, that thing never existed for me and will never exist).

-SAINT SEIYA

I CAVALIERI!! I CAVALIERI!! I CAVALIERI DELLO ZODIACOOOOOOOOOOOO!! *ahem, sorry. I had to. The Italian opening by Giorgio Vanni is so fucking catching, it alwys put me in such good mood. I adored Lady Isabel but also wanted her to end up with Nettuno, I just couldn't find a freaking compromise lol. AND FML, my heart belonged to Ikki. He was such a spunky, arrogant son of a bitch, I loved him so much. But truth is that I also ADORED Seiya's Italian VA (Ivo De Palma, fml, you magnificent man).

-YU YU HAKUSHO

This was the beginning of my love for short kings who are also emotionally constipated TO THE MAX and a bit of a bastard. AND YES, HIEI, I AM TALKING ABOUT YOU. I was never a great appreciator of Yusuke tbh, but I always shipped him with Botan because they were just SO ADORABLE together. But I was just much more interested in Kuwabara being all over the moon for Yukina and Hiei having to deal with it lololol that was so much fun.

-FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST

BEST. MANGA. AND. ANIME. EVER. I have YET to see to this day a story AS GOOD as this one. Like, seriously, the amount of research that Hiromu Arakawa did for this anime is something that needs to be praised. Seriously, if you have never seen this, GO NOW AND DO SO. You are missing out on SO MUCH.This manga shaped me as a writer and artist, tbh: it had such profound impact on me on a creative level (also, Maes Hughes is living a long life with his family after he retired from service, had 3 more children, and they are all living in a cottage by the sea fml).

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OK I FINISHED PART 1 FOR NOW.

-KODOMO NO OMOCHA

When I tell you that if you were an Italian teen and were watching this anime, YOU FOR SURE HAVE HAD YOUR HEART CRUSHED BUT THIS. CRUSHED. BECAUSE ERIK WAS *EVERYTHING*. Also, there are people who wanted Sana to end up with Ayato and people WHO LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH. Gods, I remember the huge amounts of feelings this anime caused me because I was more or less the same age as the protagonists, also starting to nurse my first IRL crushes toward another classmate and this anime HIT HARD in the feelings fml.

-TOKYO MEW MEW

I loved this Anime so much as a teen because it was SO BEAUTIFULLY drawn and it was so colorful and adorable (but I don't know why, I found Ichigo to be insufferable. Like, I loved her design, because YES, the design is beautiful, but she as a character was insufferable, and I very much prefered Zakuro and Mint tbh. But I loved the mangaka's sense of fashion for the girls, it was just UGH so prettyyyyyy!!!

-KERORO GUNSO

ok this is probably one of THE MOST ridiculous manga I have ever read, but dear gods, I remember laughing SO MUCH. SO MUCH. I loved the design Keroro and the Platoon had, they were so cute, and Keroro is just SO STUPID but SO ADORABLE, you cannot help but find him endearing (though, poor Dororo, he is trying to keep this freaking squad from sinking lolol), and the story was just overall hilarious. To this day, one of my favourite still <3

-URUSEI YATSURA

MOVE.THE.FUCK.ASIDE. BECAUSE LUM IS MY PRINCESS. LOOK AT HER. JUST LOOK AT HER. SHE IS *EVERYTHING* AND SO MUCH MORE,BUT BOY OH BOY, I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY SHE WENT AFTER ATARU SO MUCH. Each time she gave him an electroshock I was like "YOU GO GIRL. THAT MOFO DOESN'T DESERVE YOU.* But then again, Mendo nor Rei were actually suitable partners for her, despite both of them going after her fml. Probably her best match was Benten, and fml I adored their relationship (the whole Oni vs Gods of Luck thing they had going on was my everything).

-RANMA 1/2

If I had one OTP, that one is Ranma and Akane, because DEAR GODS, I just cannot. The whole premise of this manga is something else entirely, and I will ALWAYS recommend everyone to read it because it's so worth it. Rumiko Takahashi did such a splendid job with the story and the characters (though my fave must be Kodachi and Ryoga. Like, I am sorry, but Ryoga is such an idiot, but such an adorable one, it's impossible not to love him, and Kodachi is THE QUEEN, with the whole rhythmic gymnastic thing she has going on. ADORE. But Happosai I would gladly burn with a torch. I HATED HIM so much. so much fml). Also fun fact, this was probably the first manga I ever bought, when I was 7-8 years old, always courtesy of my grandparents <3

-TOKIMEKI TONIGHT

NGL, Tokimeki Tonight holds a special place in my heart. I didn't discover it until they printed the manga in Italy in 2002, but ever since then it held my heart. I have a huge soft spot for the 80s style of drawing of the manga (70s and 80s Shoujo are just so beautiful, I adore), and Tokimeki Tonight is no exception. Plus, the story is SO CUTE and Ransie's family and their adventure are just so entertaining (I adore her mom and dad: like, a vampire and a she-wolf together? perfection!!!). This is another manga I would warmly recommend because it's just so super cute. Cheesy and humorous, exactly as I love it lolol.

-NANA

This is not a manga. This is not an anime. This is a WHOLE ASS MASTERPIECE. A MASTERPIECE. Gods, Ai Yazawa is the reason I am so conscious about fashion for my ocs, because, if you have read ANY manga she has written and drawn, you know why. Anyway, this story is just a literal wrench to the heart, from beginning to end, and this is without taking into consideration that it's not finished and will more likely remain incomplete😥😥😥 (and dear Gods, Hachi, you are such a freaking idiot, but I love you anyway. But if I ever catch Takumi, that bastard is going to get the snip snip from me. Bastard.)

-BERSERK

I have only one thing to say about Berserk: this manga/anime is TRAUMATIC. Like seriously, Kentaro Miura was not shy in traumatizing his characters and whatnot, but let me tell you something: if you ever want to approach Berserk, read about ALL the trigger warnings, because the story truly dwell in profound dark themes. I usually am able to read manga in one-go, but with Berserk I had to take several pauses because sometimes it was A LOT. That being said, Casca an Guts are my precious babies and deserve ALL THE SAFETY IN THIS WORLD. GRIFFITH, YOU BASTARD, I AM GOING TO TEAR YOUR BALLS AWAY FROM YOU. *starts wailing in a corner.*

-SHAMAN KING

I actually had to thank a dear friend from high school for discovering this manga. I remember we were in the same school but different classes, and she was always reading it, so one day she suggested me to read it and I WAS HOOKED. The whole concept is AMAZING, the story is HILARIOUS (when it's not too busy squashing your heart with absolute glee) and the characters are *perfection*. I honestly adore Rei and Bason (once more, emotionally constipated short king with one hell of a temper), especially Bason in his spirit form. He was adorable lolol.

-OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB

Ok this is another one I ABSOLUTELY recommend because it's downright HILARIOUS, and the drama/comedy/ shoujo thing that is going on is just *chef's kiss*. Tamaki and the Hitachiin twins are SUCH HUGE DORK AND IDIOTS, OMG, but they are so adorable. Though, my man there is Kyouya, the KING IN THE SHADOW. Honestly, if you want something light and hilarious to read, this is PERFECT. And the anime is SO WELL DRAWN. SO WELL DRAWN. I adore.

-SUGAR SUGAR RUNE

THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF THIS MANGA IS JUST SO PURELY ADORABLE. CHOCOLA IS SO CUTE, HER MOTHER CINNAMON IS SO BADASS and fml when I read the manga Glacier was *definitely* my type fml. ALSO, MOYOCO ANNO'S ARTSTYLE IS *FANTASTIC* and I absolutely *adore* the fashion style she has for the EVERYONE. I ADORE.

-OJAMAJO DOREMI

I might be biased, because I used to watch it with my baby sister, so i have many fond memories connected to this, BUT THIS IS PROBABLY THE CUTEST AND MOST ADORABLE ANIME EVER MADE. It's just so cute, the story is adorable, and I absolutely adored Momoko and Onpu, they were my babbus. And the Italian theme songs were ALL SO CATCHY AND BEAUTIFUL. Cristina D'Avena, you will forever be THE SINGER FML.

-VAMPIRE HUNTER D

And nothing. this is THE Dhampir. D is THE MAN. Honestly, if I were to start blabbering about Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, I would spend DAYS going over and over EVERY SINGLE MINUTE DETAIL, because dear Gods, this is Yoshitaka Amano style animated, and for my eyes is a FEAST each time I watch this movie. I just truly can't express into words what it means to me and the influence it had on 13 yo Nemo back then, the way it shaped my love for vampires and gothic atmosphere. Also, D is so freaking handsome, fml, between him and Vincent Valentine I would probably become incoherent lol.

-CLAMP SCHOOL DETECTIVE & MAN OF MANY FACES

I put these two together because the characters and the setting are the same, and I read them in tandem when I was younger, so to me they are kind of indivisible. The chapters in the manga are all self-conclusive, but the stories are just so cute, with the Nokoru, Suoh and Akira helping all "damsels in distress" around CLAMP Institute campus, they are just adorable (and I LIVED for their brief cameos as adults in X-1999. *inserts Leo DiCaprio gif pointing at something* I honestly enjoyed them thoroughly!

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Ok for now I am done with Part 2!

I've said this before, but I only like tsundere when the story does the work to frame their behavior as harmless. When the story takes the time, during the tsundere's introductions, or throughout their entire portrayal, to make it constantly clear, that their outbursts aren't malicious, but just signs of their embarrassed insecurity, I usually don't have problems with them. Hetalia's England and Lucky Star's Kagami are both tsundere that I have no problems with.

I remember that decade of the tsundere trend, when studios/creators very badly tried to emulate Rumiko Takahashi's characters like Akane Tendo and Lum Invader (while often forgetting that Takahashi's leading men characters were also tsundere). I remember when years of Ranma 1/2 anime filler episodes reduced Akane into primarily a slapstick running gag of her being angry and hitting Ranma. Even today, I've seen comments complaining about the Ranma 1/2 remake's season 3 getting sakuga because, (to paraphrase) "What more do they need than girl gets angry, girl hits guy, funny laugh laugh?" As if Ranma wasn't constantly doing things to deserve it, like being rude, saying callous things, and being sexist. (That's why we got that decade of "harem anime" where the leading men were milquetoast, blank slate, "nice guys". Producers of the harem trend wanted the fantasy of a group of girls all chasing after one guy; not a male lead with interesting characterization, like Rumiko Takahashi. "Tenchi Muyo" literally means "No Need For Tenchi".) I remember when Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach got reduced down to another tsundere running gag, in more filler anime adaptations. Anime-Rukia was picking fights for NO REASON, just so the audience could giggle at ridiculous behavior. Nevermind that not everyone finds artificially-induced "drama" entertaining, and some of us actually find it extremely abrasive. The Bleach anime filler eventually sacrificed the characterization of Rukia, from a rounded and unique character with reasonable moments of slapstick, to just an abrasive character, frequently yelling and hitting Ichigo for no reason. Nevermind that the manga's portrayal of Rukia had her hitting Ighigo when he literally needed to be knocked out of bad mindsets, when the story had so much tension that only ridiculous slapstick could break it, or when Ichigo literally said something insulting or offensively stupid (from Rukia's perspective). That decade of trending tsundere very often forgot that these characters that act tsundere are very often REACTING to something so stupid or offensive, that their violence or moments of abrasive behavior is actually REASONABLE. That's why so many forgettable tsundere from that era were so abrasive; they forgot to give acceptable reasons for the behavior.

Otherwise, a tsundere is just an abrasive character, picking fights for no reason, and being violent to people who didn't seem to deserve it. And that's why I hate an abrasive tsundere.