In anticipation of the summer 2021 season, let’s discuss anime characters that I can relate to or, perhaps, reminds me of myself.
Umaru, Himouto! Umaru-Chan
If there is any anime character that embodies my soul, it is Umaru. In this anime, Umaru does her best to hide her “home” personality. At school, she is the top student, and portrays herself as kind, approachable, talented, and classy. However, at home, it is a completely different story. She immediately sheds her “school” skin when she walks in the door and, instead, opts for comfortable clothes and a hamster cape. She is an avid gamer, eats all the junk food she can place her hands on, and is generally, a slob. Instead of being kind and classy, she’s downright terrible to her brother. This, y’all, can be me in a nutshell. And, I own the hamster cape, too.
Naofumi, Rising of the Shield Hero
In Shield Hero, Naofumi is shunned because of false rumors spread. Y’all. This was my entire high school career. It’s amazing what jealous teenage girls can do. The most vicious rumors was because I had a lot of male friends, I slept with all of them. There were rumors that I was sleeping with my drumline instructor because I was made center snare/drum captain. Any positive accomplishment I achieved on my own free will was tarnished with rumors that I slept with someone to achieve what I worked hard for. I have very little female friends, but in one way or another, they all turned their backs on me. So, in that sense, I could completely relate to Naofumi. It was out of his control what others said about him, but he still worked hard and used that hate and spite to continue climbing the ladder. I see you, Naofumi. I see you!
Retsuko, Aggrestuko
When this anime was first announced, a good friend of mine, Suz, told me, “Look! It’s you!” And, by George, she is completely right. I can’t think of any anime character that currently embodies me. Aggretsuko is about a salary woman that is underappreciated, taken advantage of, and generally mistreated by her misogynistic boss. Now, I do not have that issue at work. I have a very good work culture. However, where I related to Retsuko is I like to sing to vent frustrations. While I don’t go sing heavy metal, I do tend to record myself singing on the Smule app.
Do you have any anime characters you can relate to? Leave it in the comments, I’d love to hear your stories!
