Which anime or manga influenced you the most?

[noname223]

My favorite anime is Death Note. I always wanted to be as smart as Light Yagami and I studied hard to reach that goal. I think though I am done with re-watching it. The last time is many many years ago. I loved the sequel with Twitter 2020. I think this was the biggest manga highlight in the last 5 years for me. I wished they would bring another sequel. I hated Platinum End though. It was trash for me and a big disappointment.

Another anime I loved is Ghost in the Shell. The political plots interested me and the strong philosophical undertone. I am very curious for the new anime that will be released 2026.

I am still reading One Piece and Case Closed/Detective Conan and I loved both. I think both influenced me a lot. My favorite gacha game and I love to watch the new DC episodes on German. We are far behind Japan sadly.

I think Yugioh and Dragonball also influenced me a lot. Pokemon too.

What about you?

 

[CaptainSunshine!]

Baki the Grappler. I've been watching and reading it since I was 14 or so. I think I got into exercising from it. I began to love the human will and strength due to the anime. I find everything about it very cool and take everything seriously (as in, I don't laugh at the things people unfamiliar with it laugh at). I've completed the whole franchise (including the manga) like two or three times.
I've given it a break, but I might pick it up again one day.

I now just can't help but believe that the human mind and body is capable of anything. I just find that so cool. Of course, I know that that is not possible in reality, but it's a fun idea and mentality. I think Baki has influenced my personality a good deal. Probably because I was young and alone.

 

[ABadPerson]

I read Oyasumi Punpun and No Longer Human when I was younger, the former when I was extremely young, and I feel as though they subtly changed my perspective of the world early on despite not having grasped the concepts behind it fully at the time.

I have read a lot of dark novels, mangas and watched dark animes but those two genuinely warped my views and such, so I hold them in a special place in my heart.

Gantz also shaped me a lot, I really loved the series and it weirdly made me try to see through even the "worst" of people.

I always felt like I was more shaped by fandoms of indies more, but those 3 really incapsulates my mind. Especially No Longer Human, I would say that it has affected me the most as the original novel was a semi-autobiography who's author felt extremely relatable in his struggles in understanding humans as though he's simply not one.

 

[KenDuh]

It would be Sonny boy, the saddest thing is not being able to watch it like it is the first time, but even after that I'm thinking on rewatching

 

[Leonard_Bangley39]

i love one piece. i love the idea of being the freest man on earth, free to go wherever and do whatever

 

[shigure]

The animes that affected me the most were Violet Evergarden and Welcome to the NHK.

I recently read The Summer You Were There.. it was so good I read it in one sitting. If I could, I'd recommend everyone to read it

 

[Grog]

Neon Genesis Evangelion. When I watched that anime, I felt understood because I saw a lot of myself in Shinji and Rei. I barely ever feel understood, so it was a huge deal for me. I also think the philisophical remarks made in that show was better therapy for me than actual therapy. After watching Evangelion for the first time, I felt like my depression was cured for a few months.

 

[gunmetalblue11]

Attack on Titan.
Started reading it just after the first season came out. Followed me through some hard stuff. Kinda stayed in back the on my mind, kept going like a scout would when i was young. Everything about it is perfection to me.

 

[Marbas]

NANA, Sailor Moon and Inuyasha.

 

[shampoo sniffer]

Pokemon, Sailor Moon.

 

[Michelstaedter]

It would be unfair to only mention three works, but overall I can say that anime has "saved" me these past few years. I've seen good works, average or mediocre works, and bad series, like Baki, which, respecting personal tastes, I consider the worst thing I've ever seen (I'm talking about the Netflix version).

However, speaking of series that have marked my life, I can say that the first is NHK ni Youkoso, because when I saw that anime, I hadn't seen more than 20 or 30 series in my entire life. From then on, I decided to relentlessly search for more and more to try and feel the same way (as if it were a drug), and today I've seen almost 450 different series, 12 years after seeing NHK ni Youkoso. If that isn't "influencing me," I don't know what is.
Another one that has had a significant influence on me is Kaze ga tsuyoku fuiteiru. Basically, I can say that thanks to that series I became a bit more athletic than usual. While I already liked sports, it was this series that motivated me to run a marathon. I enjoyed running, and I felt great after finishing a long run or even a long walk.
Finally, I can mention that Steins;Gate has been the most influential in shaping my understanding of fantasy, fostering curiosity about absurdly strange things like the universe, celestial bodies, time travel, and so on. Ultimately, it's so brilliant to think that without needing a body, without desiring anything, simply wandering through space, through infinite space and time, without fear of suffering, without fear of feeling discomfort or boredom, is what makes this series so cheesy, romantic, and absurd, yet it leaves you with the feeling that the things of the universe can be more interesting (even if they are gratuitous and monotonous) than how costly and boring it is to live in this horrible world.

 

[asaṅkhata]

Ghost in the shell, angel's egg - really great existential symbolism, both by the same director