I'm always fascinated by the idea of "formative media."
That is to say, fascinated with the idea of media we consume in our formative years, say from the ages of around 12 to 18 and how that period of our lives affects how we might view it.
Whoever you talk to it's often with the sense of reverence that people discuss their favourite games, TV shows and movies they experienced when they were a teenager but also I think it makes it quite difficult when returning to such media many years later as it's media we experienced when we were arguably at our most vulnerable and least sure of our own identity and something that we may have clung to in a world of whirling hormones and ambiguous hard to grasp social norms.
I think this period of vulnerability means that we consume media with more sensitivity than we do at any other point in our lives and thus respond more strongly to it.
For instance, ask anyone what their favourite Playstation one Final Fantasy is and it will most likely be the one they experienced first in their early adolescence.
It's often with a little trepidation that I go back to games and anime from this period for the reason that it can be a real disappointment to return to one of your favourite series only to find out that it doesn't hold up in the cold light of post-adolescence.
