>>28500584I think... right off the bat. In 1999 or whatever, I was 11 or 12. All my friends talked about how "gay" Pikachu was. It was also en vogue to make parodies of it, or to make jokes about it getting hurt/dying, etc.
Even though I would laugh at a lot of these jokes (because I was fucking 11 and you did stuff to fit in in order to "survive"), I didn't engage in them myself. But still, I mostly saw Pikachu as dumb, or worthless, or boring.
My mind changed when I met a buddy on /vp/ a few years back. He loved cute Pikas, and even did some cool stuff with them in battles. I began to accept Pikas for their cuteness because of this kind stranger.
When I watched Ash in the Kalos League (XY and the Z continuation was the first time I ever saw anything in the anime I liked), I found myself rooting for Pikachu. As a kid, I'd groan about Pikachu winning or desire for it to lose. Now as a man, I find myself rooting for it.
Really makes you think.
