Waxing Lyrical ~ Just Communication by Two Six

This past weekend a friend of mine tweeted a YouTube video with no description and without thinking I clicked on it to watch. The moment the music began playing, that familiar wave of nostalgia washed over me. The track in question is Just Communication from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing anime.

Back in 1998, I was very ignorant when it came to anime. The only one I remember watching when I was a youngster was Samurai Pizza Cats and that was it. So by the time I got around to shows like Dragon Ball Z and Gundam Wing, they had already been established in North America for some time.

So why Just Communication? What is it about that song that takes me back to that era? Much like Head Cha La, Just Communication was when my youthful writing began to evolve. Ever since I was a child I had always expressed curiosity towards Japanese culture, but living in the middle of nowhere meant that my access was rather limited. When my English relatives emigrated to Canada, they brought with them what I had been looking for. Up until that time, I was used to American cartoons which for the most part were more or less animated vaudeville. Anime was something completely different. There was a greater emphasis on story over comedy and in some cases, characters could have been killed off.

While Head Cha La is what I listen to when I wish to escape the pressures of being an adult for a few minutes, Just Communication is one that reminds me that I have grown up, I cannot cling to my childhood. Although the lyrics mean something completely different, it is the tone of the singer and instruments that has me face my age.

It has been years since I have first watched Gundam Wing. Like Dragon Ball Z, it too inspired my creativity back when I started getting serious in my writing. The idea of space combat pitting giant robots against one another struck a chord with me. This is a show that treated its audience with respect which sadly, many cartoons in North America at the time were lacking. The anime that came over showcased that cartoons could deal with adult situations in a proper way and did not dumb it down for its audience.

I don't know whether to applaud or condemn my friend Kelly for today's article. On one hand, she had me think back to when I got into anime, on the other hand, the song she chose has been stuck in my head all weekend.

This is Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.