It was finally the
day I had been waiting for all summer long.
The first episode of the new highly anticipated anime of the summer, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, was posted with
English subtitles. The plot line of a
few friends starting up a swim club at their school did not really interest a
lot of people; but to me, I could not wait to watch it. Finally! A realistic anime that I can connect
to because of being on a swim team myself.
To add more to the realistic feel of the anime, places around Japan can
be seen as places the characters in the anime visit. Over the rest of the summer, the plot
developed little by little and sparked an interest in me to think more about my
life and what exactly swimming meant to me.
One of the main characters in the anime, Haru, explained how he liked to
swim because he liked the way water felt.
As weird as it sounds, I started to think about how I felt in the water
as well. I had been swimming since I was
about five years old on a competitive swim team, but I had started so early
that I did not really join by choice. Being
a Pisces, water makes me feel comfortable and safe. Several sets of a few laps of
"no-breathers" and underwater dolphin kicking do not cause me to swim
faster than normal to make it; I like to take my time to enjoy how quiet and
peaceful it is underwater. I decided
that, like Haru, the competition side of swimming was exciting, but it was not
the reason I continued to swim for so long.
While continuing to question what
swimming meant to me, the distraction of k-pop summer comebacks began. This group of seven boys, known as Bangtan
Boys or BTS, began to change my life just as much as Free! did. Their unique
concept, vocal talent, and lyric writing talent caught my eye almost as
immediately as they did with their good looks.
Their most recent comeback with their title song "N.O" spoke
the most to me. After I googled the
English translation of the lyrics, I started to, again, analyze my life. The chorus of "N.O" shares that
"Adults tell me that hardships are only
momentary To endure a little more, to do it later Everybody say NO! It can’t be
any later Don’t be trapped in someone else’s dream". These lyrics in the chorus made me think
about what the career my parents had always led me to believe I wanted to
pursue. The more I read these lines, the
more I felt I had let my parents down in wanting to make them happy by pursuing
the career they chose for me. For once,
I decided it was best to not put others before myself this time and face my
fear of what they will say about my own career choice is. When applying for colleges came up, the more
they mentioned "my career," the harder it became to accept my current
situation after listening to "N.O".
I came to the conclusion that if I did not tell them now, I would live
"[being] trapped in someone else's dream." I spoke in a shaky voice about my true career
choice, afraid of them not accepting what I had began to dream about doing for
the rest of my life. They fully
supported my decision and began to search for more information on the career to
help me in any way they could. The past
summer of 2014 will always be the most memorable; I found my true self through
the help of people who spoke two different languages on the other side of the
world.
I know we all have our own special interests but it is always fun to look into other peoples minds. It shows me that we're not all the same, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to what you're going through, I feel like as teenagers we're pressured to do exactly what our parents want us to do; I'm glad you had the courage to tell your family how you felt. :)
ReplyDeleteOh I love this! It is inspiring and eye-opening to living up to expectations. It also gives hope for change. Just altogether great!
ReplyDeleteYeah girl, you do you! :) haha, just keep doing what you love!
ReplyDeleteI found it so incredible how something little as a show you liked to watch or a song you liked to listen to can impact your life so much, reading this made me want to go swimming and be under the water to hear nothing but the quietness and see nothing but water im glad that you had also told youre parents what was on your mind good job
ReplyDeleteThats really sweet of your parents accepting your dream! Very courageous of you and inspirational. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I'm not te only one who's life perspective has changed through watching a great anime !
ReplyDeleteI like how you were inspired to follow your dreams through music and that in the end you did have your parent's support despite the uncertainty of the situation :)
ReplyDeleteVery inspirational story! Do what makes you happy:)
ReplyDelete"In a world full of people asking 'why?', (in regards to following dreams), why not ask 'why not?' There's never any reason to discourage dreams ... unless that dream is like 'I'm gonna kill babies!'" - Kevin Smith
ReplyDeleteits great to know that your parents accept what you want to be everyone needs parents like that :)
ReplyDeleteI also was very excited for Free! to come out this summer and waited anxiously for its arrival but wasn't as taken with it as you were (Attack on Titan thooooo!), and obviously so since you have a personal connection to the subject matter in the show. Being able to relate to music and media and be heavily affected by them as to make decision and realizations about ourselves has become a big part of a lot of our lives and I think this communicated how the consumption of these thing aren't always "bad" as many people outside our generation views them. Great job!
ReplyDeleteLovely read! This is so different from anything else. I hope everything works out for you in the end. Keep swimming! GO SYDNEE! WOO!!
ReplyDeleteThis was really inspirational to the readers by telling them to keep doing what makes them happy. Good job :)
ReplyDeleteSydnee!!!!! I love this! Don't be afraid of what you are, you are different and special in your own way! You inspired me to be discover new things in life! You did great girl! I like how us teenagers tend to be inspired through pop culture because it shows the connections in the reality we live in and how it could actually change our lives in an instant.
ReplyDeleteAwuh, this made me really happy:) Thank you for sharing. Your excited diction and determination stoked my fire. That sounds kinda weird, but i hope you know what i mean. I loved the personal connections of being a Pisces, and indulgence in smaller details such as the k pop stars good looks. I think its important to remember that these are personal narratives, and these small additions make you real. It's hard to make a choice, i literally struggle when someone asks my favorite color, instantly consumed by thoughts of lost opportunity if i were to make a different decision, how much i could have done, seen. It is ridiculous and so frustrating and its comforting to see someone else partake in the conflict, and come to a happy conclusion:)
ReplyDeleteGood post! I have nevr heard of either the show or the band but I will surely look them up now. Its kinda funny isnt it how lyrics can really inspire us. The power of music!
ReplyDeleteThis made me want to try new things because you never know what will spark your interest! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to this! I wanted to be an engineer up until I started working at the airport. Now I'm on the path of becoming an Airline Pilot. A lot of things can really show what you want to do in life.
ReplyDeleteOh man! What an interesting subject! Being a fellow anime watcher, I believe this was a really awesome read! Although "Free!" isn't an anime appealing to guys like me, your personal relation to the anime subconsciously made me wonder if I could really watch it for its story line. Also, your personal reflection with "N.O" really was awesome as well! The way you explained how you wanted to take charge of your own life and how you were influenced really was wonderful! Job well done Sydnee!
ReplyDeleteI think that it is very neat that you eventually spoke up and figured out what you truly wanted. I hope it all works out for you!
ReplyDeleteThis story really spoke to me! I have known you for years and have seen you grow as a person and I always thought that swimming was your true dream future! I applaud you for revealing that that really isn't the case! I know how difficult it can be to try and tell your parents something when you feel like you are letting them down, but it takes true bravery to take your future into your own hands and ensure that no matter what, you will get where you feel like you need to be! Extremely interesting, inspirational, and caused me to reflect on my own life! Great connection to your animes and your song lyrics! Its awesome that something could speak to you even through a different language :)
ReplyDeleteBeing yourself is always very important. Don't let anyone sway you from what you choose, well... as long as its not bad lol.
ReplyDeleteThis definitely proves that inspiration can come from anywhere. Also, I think it's great that you finally told your family what you want to do and they are doing everything they can to support you. That's what family's for and it's nice to know they are behind you 100%.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that the stuff you watched and listened to had guided you to what your possible dreams and aspirations are. What's even cooler is that it was a different culture (different language on top of that) that was still capable of making an impact. I get a strong sense of self-discovery, an important process of life that truly changes what the future reveals.
ReplyDeleteGreat story! Always aim for the best of what you truly want to do! Very inspirational. :)
ReplyDeleteI like how you showed us what it meant to you.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one! we got too see whats going on in your head and at the same time see how even simple stuff made you think about life changing things.
ReplyDeleteIm glad you figured out what you wanted and your parents are accepting it
ReplyDeleteNow you got me thinking of what I really want to do instead of what I have always felt I should do. Also it's really cool how you let two completely different cultures influence your decisions. I bet that helped you understand the world from a whole new perspective.
ReplyDeleteI like how you used other things to describe how it relates to your own life. Very inspirational
ReplyDeleteI like how you can relate to characters that you are so fond of! Although I am not a follower of anime, you make it sounds so interesting!
ReplyDelete"If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life." Not sure if that's the exact quote but I added parenthesis just in case. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteI find it amazing how we can make a clear connection to the media around us, how it influences our characters and how we interact with one another. Your writing was able to capture it exactly with your story I think all of us are able to relate with what we see. I also swim competitively for the school and I find my self sharing common interest with the stuff around me and I think that's the beauty of the media and time we live in because it's so real for us. It gives us a little synopsis of our identity. Well done :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing.... that is completely amazing. I have a few friends that I know, who also are trying to live the life their parents planned out for them and it makes me sad to see them so unhappy and " trapped in someone else's dream". It is really great that you were able to realize that before it was too late. It reminds me of my theme song for the year. It is called " Brave" by Sarah Bareilles. You should really listen to it. The chorus talks about being brave enough to be yourself.. Anyways I loved it. :) Go Sydnee!
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