Furu Anime Panikku

In Koji Oe’s trip to Tokyo, there was a slight mention about this OMG I NEED THIS feeling. Reading his post made me look back on how I was 2 years ago till the spot I’m standing on this very day.

While I certainly didn’t have much of this feeling locally, the craziness kind of took over me whenever I’m in Japan, specifically the few otaku hotspots in Tokyo. My first trip ended up with me lugging a whole load of crap home, only to realise that I didn’t exactly desire most of what I bought. The only things I really needed were some of the CDs which had hidden tracks which were almost impossible to get online. It’s really funny when I look at some of the figurines that I bought during that trip and go “Was I blind when I bought this, saying that I really wanted it so badly?”.

The second trip was a school trip. At that point of time, I suppose I was at the peak of the hobby. Since I had flown 7 hours and paid good money to get myself to the land of the rising sun, I strongly felt the need to satisfy my urge of making purchases related to the hobby. It didn’t really matter if I liked it or not. I still have vivid memories of the rush from DisneySea to Akiba just to spend an hour running around the area despite the downpour, trying to get as my bag could fit within an hour while drenched in my Laughing Man Cospa t-shirt. It sure was fun. That was the only time where I grabbed whatever that had a resemblance to my interest. Everything then was a need, all needed for me to derive a sense satisfaction from my trip.

Thinking back, I kind of regretted that I was always looking out for any shop that might be selling otaku stuff. I should have focused on the other aspects of the trip. Chiba’s a really nice place with a great countryside to chill out at. Even for Tokyo, it’s sad that after 4 trips, I’ve yet visit attractions such as the Tokyo Imperial Palace or even the famed Tokyo Tower. I think I must really be missing out.

It’s quite amazing how nearly a year later, I feel somehow different about purchasing merchandise, and that isn’t just restricted to figurines. It’s strange how the slight sense of satisfaction each time I obtained a new fancy loot has disappeared. Now, buying merchandise doesn’t feel much different from buying stuff from the supermarket. Sometimes, even purchasing from the supermarket feels much better when I’m getting ice-cream or chocolate. That’s how much the feeling has evolved, or devolved.

This is just probably me growing up. I knew that my flame could never last for long the way it was during its’ peak. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that I enjoy trips to Japan. During my next trip to Japan, which I have not the slightest idea when, I think I might not even be heading to Tokyo. It’s either all the way South or North, I guess.