Being myself with Manga

One of the main sub-cultures that have influenced my life has to be anime and manga. As a child, I was obsessed with Pokemon and Dragon Ball, and when we got our first dial up connection I delved further into the world Japanese comics and cartoons. Through my teenage years I became an avid reader and watcher of anime including Naruto, Bleach, One Piece and Full Metal Alchemist. I became further involved with the online community and started helping with the process of taking the raw Japanese comic and translating and cleaning pages for distribution around the world.
My acceptance into this online culture was a major factor in my life. In the real world my friends did not share these same interests as me, with our friendships evolving from a love of sport instead of anime and manga. But online I was able to be completely open with a global group of individuals who shared these same interests as I did. I still read manga on a weekly basis and while my contribution on forums and blogs has waned over the years, I still feel a strong connection to the community as it allowed me to share the other half of myself with the world, in a time where I was only being half of myself.