Geeking Out: Anime that Inspired me. Dr. Slump, aka Arale-chan
Geeking out can be challenging sometimes, specially if you are the only geek around. One anime in particular, Dr. Slump, saved me from the bullies at school. Paradoxically, they called me Arale due to my huge glasses, and teased me in being a type of weirdo that was not only odd but undesirable. Proof of that was a letter they gave me, signed by all members of the class except one, with all types of insults to Yours Truly. [Which is quite an idiotic thing to do. Who the hell signs an incriminating proof of its villainy? Obviously I handed the letter to the teacher the next morning, ending up bad for the signees who were exposed to public shaming in front of all the kids that went by the corridor that day… And so, they hated me more for that. But, tell me: who were the idiots?] And yes, this was before the internet was alive and kicking for mortals. But, regarding their egos, I truly believe they would have signed an email as well. Sigh.
Cutting things short: they called me Arale. I think this was meant to be an insult, because they said it and laughed loudly after that. You know the type of laugh: Evil Queen type. However they had a problem: I loved that anime deeply.
Think about it: they are calling you crazy Superhero robot with incredible superpowers. You can take your head off and you don’t die. Plus, you get two angel-like creatures to follow you wherever you go. Granted that she played with smiling poos, but she was awesome. [If you ever find a smiling poo, don’t run. Poke it with a stick!]
Arale was one of my favorite characters of all times when I was a kid. The main reason: she didn’t give a damn. She had a good heart, but for the most part she was quite nuts. She was fun and amazing, had superpowers and could run at light speed. It’s an irony that bullies would want to laugh calling me with her name. I suppose that their subconscious minds knew I was not going to give a damn in the future.
I saw the original series and laughed with all the nonsensical stuff that was in it. Years later I discovered all those elements that I loved in the anime existing in Japan. The spooky black crow that would cross the skies in Arale’s town, the weird Suppaman, and other characters, where in fact reflections of what Akira Toriyama found around himself. The only difference is that he made them funnier, crazier and more appealing.
I loved this anime so much that I also collected the manga soon afterwards. I have all the volumes. The first edition ever published in Spain. I loved every single part of it. Not only because the message it gave me was useful for me: bullies are super crazy here when they call you names one day and tell you you’re an awesome superhero the next. Plus, this anime influenced me in being more curious about Japan. Where schools like that? And people? I wanted to know more about the place that made Arale a reality!
Very much like Loki, but with a different way of acting, Arale says to the world: I don’t care at all about what you think of me. I will continue pocking poops with a stick and run around at light speed!
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Copyright: Images on this post (C) depepi.com (C) Akira Toriyama
