Anime that is Truly Thankful!

There are a lot of names for the holiday of Thanksgiving. It’s often called “Turkey day” or “Eat Everything day” or even “I’ll Diet Later day”. But the most important element of this holiday that is sometimes over looked, is giving thanks. It’s usually when life is the most plentiful that we forget all the wonderful little things in this world that make it shine so bright!

I was recently reminded that in the not so distant past, anime didn’t used to be so easily available. In that dark age of anime fandom, you might have to travels hundreds of miles to buy anime at conventions just to have some series to watch. The only anime available online were very poor videos that were made via someone pointed a camera at their TV screen. It was a dark era, indeed! Being reminded of that unfortunate anime famine is why I’m very thankful that bleak past is over and now we have an abundance of anime to harvest from so many places.

For us anime fans, our cornucopias are now over flowing with more anime series than we could possibly watch while they are still fresh off the vine. So in this time of year while we are giving thanks for all the wonderful anime available to us, here are some anime that are truly thankful too!

Fruits Basket

Who could deny that Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket is one of the nicest characters that you will find in anime. And one of the reasons that she is so endearing is because no matter how hard her life becomes, whether it’s the tragic loss of her mother, having to resort to living in a tent in the woods, or being shocked by those strange Sohma boys,

she never stops being thankful for everything she has. Throughout the series she often expresses how truly fortunate she feels for having such loyal and caring friends in Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani, and being taken in by first her grandfather and then the Sohma family.

The World is Still Beautiful

The World is Still Beautiful is about a wild and carefree princess with a little bit of a temper and a very young king that conquered the world and yet finds no joy or beauty in it. Nike is a princess from the Rain Dukedom and has the magical power to call rain clouds with the sound of her voice. King Livius of the Sun Kingdom (and current ruler of the world) hears about the strange talent in the Rain Dukedom and insists on marrying the princess. The princess has heard all sorts of bad rumors about the current king, but she travels to the Sun Kingdom regardless.

The person she meets is nothing like what she was expecting. Instead of a gross, womanizing, middle aged tyrant (like she heard in the rumors) Livius is actually a warped and disenchanted boy that feels apathy towards just about everything including her. Being a little ticked that the ruler of the whole world could be like that, and a little disturbed at the mental state of a boy that was pretty young, she decides to try and show Livius just how beautiful the world is.

Rinne

The anime Rinne is a rather unsung hero from the amazing manga/anime writer Rumiko Takahashi (the creator of Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2) and it’s about a high school boy (Rinne) that’s a bit down on his luck. He’s a half shinigami and he’s working hard to pay off the debt his dead beat father has accumulated. His life was pretty bleak, working every chance he got, and trying to keep up with school while living in extreme poverty.

And then his life suddenly changed when he met Sakura Mamiya, a girl that can see ghosts and can even see his shinigami form (something that is invisible to everyone else). Though Rinne doesn’t have much in his life, he cherishes every good thing that comes his way (even if it’s as small as a can of peaches) and he is the most thankful for his relationship with Sakura.

Noragami

In the anime Noragami, there isn’t a lot that the unfortunate god of calamity (Yato) is thankful for. Yato spends most of his time trying to drum up business for his shady life-fix-it job and scamming money out of just about anyone he comes across. He’s even considered selling his precious holy weapon (Yukine), and robbed the piggy-bank of the same holy weapon.

In fact, he will do just about anything so he can gain prestige, followers, and rank in the gods hierarchy. Looking at Yato’s actions, anyone would guess that he was just about one of the least thankful characters in anime. And yet, even Yato can be brought to tears with gratefulness when Hiyori Iki (a friend and follower) presents him with something he has wanted for hundreds of years, his very own tiny shrine.

Do you have a favorite anime that you are grateful for? Leave a comment below!

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This weeks anime exclamation is: Okasan! meaning Mom!

I’m currently watching:

• Banished from the Heroes Party
• Toilet bound Hanako-kun
• Click Link
• Visual Prison
• Taisho Otome Fairy Tale
• Mars Red
• Inari Kon Kon
• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
• The Great Jahy will Not Be Defeated!
• Detective Conan
• The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window
• Revolutionary Girl Utena
• Neo Angelique Abyss
• Hanasakeru Seishonen
• Takt Op. Destiny
• Zombie Loan
• Hells
• Sakugan
• Over Lord
• Backflip
• Bung Stray Dogs
• Cardfight Vanguard Overdress