When did you first fall in love with anime?
It must have been one afternoon after school in elementary school. The sun was shining, the weather was clear, and I'd made plans to go swimming in the river with my friends. But somehow word got out, and the adults at home found out and dragged them away. I had no choice but to go home alone. As I walked through the old city's narrow alleys, I happened to pass a bookstore. Our teacher had assigned us some extracurricular reading, so I went in without expecting much. Then I suddenly picked up a Dragon Ball, and before I knew it, I was still standing there at nightfall.
That fantastical, dazzling, action-packed world of battles had captivated Yura.
In that colorful world, Yura had little interest in romance stories. Romantic comedies were another matter, but what drew her in, from beginning to end, were all kinds of dazzling battles. Whenever the heroes defeated one seemingly hopeless foe after another, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction and joy.
That was when Yura realized she loved to fight. She loved taking on powerful opponents. More than anything, she loved overcoming the strong—pure, free of ulterior motives, and trading blows until they hit home.
But in reality, there were never any concrete enemies. She'd spent her whole life fighting, yet didn't know if she'd ever defeated anything.
At some point, Yura stopped looking forward to that world. She stopped enjoying battles, too.
There was probably only one reason: nobody liked fighting battles they could never win.
At first, there was admiration. Then came imagining herself in that world. Finally came detachment: clearly separating herself from it. That was how people grew up. Some chose to stand outside the display window and quietly admire the