Minakhi Misra

Most food we relish today is result of accidents and without exception they are real strokes of genius. Frank Epperson leaves a drink outside in the cold overnight and the world gets its first Popsicle, while ice-cream cones get invented in the 1904 World’s Fair at St. Louis and the classic story of the Potato Chip still amuses the world. Cook George Crum invented them to silence a particular fastidious customer of his, who kept returning the French Fries on account that they were ‘soggy’. Still, the best story so far is none other than the Coke’s.

“I will never give up. Believe it.”

When Naruto Uzumaki, lead character in the Anime series Naruto, utters these words with a really inspiring music playing in the background, something similar to a current of confidence runs down my spine, my eyes light up, the hair on the back of my neck stand up in excitement and my heart beats against my chest in full vigour. And this feeling of confidence lingers within me even after the half hour episode gets over. Such is the influence anime has on me. Whenever I feel down and out, I seek shelter, direction even, from these fictitious characters with pointed noses and spiked hair. What power they hold over me I cannot express, mostly because I, myself, have not been able to understand it fully. Maybe you can help me out. Let me guide you through a journey down my memory lane so that you can tell me when and how I fell in love with cartoons and anime.