Looks like the winner of the Attack on Titan Volume 1 giveaway is one that makes reference to an anime/manga series that still hits many fans’ hearts even after its debut. After reading many emails on how Titan and anime/manga series inspired them, I would like to congratulate Anthony Morrison as his message on how Tengen Tappa Gurren Lagannhit home to him. There were some great entries from fans and it was hard to choose a winner. This was my first giveaway, so I didn’t know what to expect. But as someone who has been through cases of depression, Anthony’s short essay spoke to me and made a good note about an important item in the Lagann universe. With his permission, I present to you what he wrote. This is for the Gurren Lagann fans out there as well.  "Just a short insight into myself, I deal constantly with anxiety and severe depression and as a result I make unhealthy choices and mess things up constantly. However, there are a few things that run through my mind that keep me going. The message I got from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann has helped so, so much. Throughout the series, watching the main character, Simon, progress from being very introverted and unable to speak up for himself (much similar to myself, due to my anxiety and such; which has made me feel like I need to build walls between me and people constantly) to the fearless, powerful man he becomes in the latter half of the series has seriously given me so much motivation to continually strive to be a better me. What I picked up from that show is that though I make mistakes constantly, like a drill, I am always moving forward. Leaving the me that made those mistakes in the past and no longer a part of my being. It gave me the ability to understand that under no obligation am I supposed to stay that same person. With each rotation of that drill, the new me is introduced and with that, I am given the choice of doing things different. Even the smallest things I change up can make my days significantly better. Though it’s definitely not that simple, I relapse into my depressive and anxiety driven tendencies often and it’s hard to wanna keep going. But I know the me that’ll be here tomorrow has the option of making different choices. That my failures today do not define me as a mis-drilled hole does not define the drill. That manga has given me so much to lean on when I feel like no other ideas or anything can support me. I know this is a bit much, but considering I’m a 19-year-old young man to anyone else I know; taking that much from just an anime sounds ridiculous and childish, but it’s not often (if ever) that I get the chance to be open about a topic like this. If anything, this served more as something to allow to me to vent all that to someone who i know hopefully understands what manga/anime is more than just a cartoon and what you can get out of these stories can be more than just cosplaying or anything like that.” ——————- And that’s why we need art in society more than ever. It doesn’t have to be high-class to make a great impression on people’s lives. I want to thank those who emailed me for entering. It’s good to hear some nice thoughts about what people have learned from following anime/manga. You guys keep me interested in the fan communities. Like Izaya once said, despite whatever faults they have, this is why I love humans.
Read the rest of this entry Entry meta