Konnichiwa readers- today, on a purely whimsical basis, I have decided to pen an article on cross-references in anime as the precursor to my subsequent analyses. Why this particular foci, one might ask. To the unaware few, there is something innately gratifying about noting and recognizing an element from a foreign anime injected into a completely different one that is the subject of the viewer's current attention. To paraphrase the last sentence, it simply means one feels good when he discovers a point of cross-reference in the anime he watches.
Why so? I believe this psychological pleasure is derived from the quintessential otaku's pride of knowing. As any otaku would have you know, he is fully informed about the vital statistics of his favourite anime characters, is able to recite the catchphrases of the said peoples backwards, and has probably sung the OP and ED too many a time in the bathroom. And therefore his otaku ego is satisfied when he feels that his grasp of anime is comprehensive enough to detect traces of cross-reference. This explanation is scarcely exaggerated, when one considers how academicians revel in the cognizance of their intellectual capabilities (like a smug political scientist who ably discerns classical liberalism and neoliberalism); similarly an otaku is convinced of his NEET prowess when he spots a glimpse of anime cross-reference, and the harder to spot, the greater his satisfaction.
For interested people who seek to scrutinize cross-references in their extremity (and have not done so), watch Hayate no Gotoku, which brings in the distinctive cicada sounds from Higurashi, imports Gundam bots from er... the Gundam franchise, incorporates Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu swordstyles from Runouni Kenshin, makes explicit allusions to The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi and does much, much more.
(hayate loves the haruhi girls. very much)
Now excuse me, it’s time to enact my role of a shallow anime fan and indulge myself in the excess of fan service.
Yours truly, Loli Paizuri
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