Dear Kim Possible,
You were a bright light in a time when everything seemed dark. Middle school is bad enough, but moving back to a small rural town and losing my Grandma made a strong case for 7th as the worst year of my life.
But there, as a welcome distraction, were your exciting life and storylines, quippy catch phrases, and, of course, catchy theme song. (And other musical numbers! “Naked Mole Rap” made it onto an embarrassing number of my home-burned CDs around this time.)
This obsession didn’t stop at just the cartoon and music. Oh, no. There was also The Game.
My Gameboy served as my only respite from being the designated weird kid in my new environment—a tiny, clique-ish, farming community middle school. Of the three cartridges I’d somehow managed to get my hands on, Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey Fist was the obvious favorite. I’d spend hours on end fighting my way through each level and imagining that I could be cool and smart and good at backflips, instead of the awkward nerd who never smiled at cheerleading practice.
All this is to say: thank you.
You helped me see, if you’ll excuse the cliché, that tough times never last, but tough people do. I’m tougher now, but when I rewatch old episodes, I’m thankful that I don’t always have to be.
P.S. What’s the sitch with the live-action version?
Dear Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi,
I remember how excited I was about your show. The J-rock duo that I’d been obsessed with since I first heard the Teen Titans theme song getting their own cartoon? To say I was hyped is an understatement.
Things seemed to be looking up in general: we were back in the college town I’d come to love, I was making friends, playing sports, doing well in school, and it seemed like life might be OK for a second.
Nothing gold can stay, of course, and your tragically brief run was the first of many good things to be cut short at that moment in my life. But I’ll always remember the time we did have together, and how your pink-and-purple enthusiasm made everything else in life just a little bit brighter.
Dear American Dad,
You hold the distinction of being one of only three cartoons my partner will actually watch with me. I wish I could say that was due to his exactingly high standards, but the other two animated selections are Yu-Gi-Oh! and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, so make of that what you will.
Regardless, I’ll always remember you fondly. Many people view you as the less-funny version of Family Guy. Those people are wrong.
For one thing, Family Guy is just not funny. But with biting political commentary, a subtle exploration of the hypocrisy of activists, and quality cultural references (My Morning Jacket! Classical Gas! Das Boot!), you actually were.
You’ve given me so much, from high school memories to mac and cheese omelets. And even if we’ve lost touch over the years, I’ll never forget you.
Dear Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,
Despite being late to the party, I feel like the timing of when we met couldn’t have made any more sense in my life. Running competitively in college may not ever have been as dire as your plot, sure, but I assure you, the parallels were there.
Performing a ritual without realizing that the costs will be greater than expected? Check! Connecting with a sibling while attempting to remedy this damage? Check! Sacrificing my body for knowledge? Technically, I didn’t lose any limbs, but it sure felt like it at the time.
Ed, to whom I relate far too much—#ShortSolidarity, brother!—and Alphonse helped guide me to the ultimate truths in this show and in life as a whole: fight for peace, value your family, and remember that nothing is worth your soul.
Dear The Amazing World of Gumball,
Isn’t it weird how life repeats itself? As a cartoon chock-full of pop culture references, I’m sure you understand that better than most.
For me, the repetition came by the way of another down period in my life. Better than previous ones, maybe, but no easier to crawl out of without some technicolor encouragement.
Thankfully, you weren’t just colorful. You were brilliant, both in visuals and in humor.
Sure, I’m far outside the age group of your supposed target audience, but the Cowboy Bebop references? The Kill la Kill inspired mom battle? Obsessive fan fiction author Sarah? It’s clear that your writers’ room is packed with the same kind of weirdos as me, and realizing that helped revive my cartoon-related dreams.
Even now, when I need a reminder that the world is still good when everything seems bad—and right now, everything seems really bad—I know that this cat and fish duo will be there to light up my life, like cartoons have ever since I was a kid. And maybe someday, I’ll continue the cycle with my own kids.
In the end, cartoons made by people who love cartoons give me hope, for myself and for future generations. And for that, I say: thanks.
Love,
Marley
P.S. I still love you.
Thanks for reading The Dot and Line, where we’ve written about animation of all kinds for more than four years. We’ll miss you! If you’ll miss us too, show us some love on Twitter and show our writers the money on GoFundMe. Read our goodbyes here: That’s All, Folks!