Reminisce With The Press 3: Greenday, One Tree Hill, and Inuyasha

When we look back at the past, we may squirm at the absurdist music, shows and movies we found flawless. But whether you sought comfort in Taylor Swift’s country-pop era or Pokémon “Ruby” and “Sapphire” games, we can all agree that they made our childhood enjoyable and simply nostalgic. During times of massive boredom or isolation, I still look back on these memories and recall a time of delight.
Greenday – “American Idiot”, “21st Century Breakdown”, “Dookie”
The band might have lost its charm with the passage of time, but I can still remember the first day my best friend and I listened to “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. School had already been over half an hour; my friend had smuggled a small mp3 player into her bag as we hid in a corner away from the teacher’s eye and listened to this song with her Samsung earphones. Perhaps it was just the melody we connected to since we were not old enough to comprehend the dismal nature or gravity of the lyrics in each other’s company.
After that, we only listened to Greenday – singing along to “When I Come Around” from 1994 or memorising all the lyrics of the nearly five-minute song, “21st Century Breakdown”. To this day, I still turn on “American Idiot” and sing along to the lyrics in the solidarity of my nostalgia.
Inuyasha
From the numerous posters on my wall to my massive collection of DVDs, saying I was fond of this anime would be an understatement. It was only a year ago that I spontaneously decided to read the manga “Inuyasha” written by Rumiko Takahashi. However, instead of following the adventures of Inuyasha, the reader follows the narrative of Kagome. She is a typical Japanese high-school student whose family holds a well through which she accidentally travels back to the Sengoku period in Japan, where unbeknownst to her, demons and monsters are commonplace. Eventually, after climbing out of the well, she encounters a white-haired half-demon with dog ears, sleeping whilst pinned against a tree. Thus, Inuyasha provides an escapist world for the everyday reader who also wishes to avoid their responsibilities and fight demons instead.
One Tree Hill
There was nothing better than coming home from school, still dressed in your uniform and watching One Tree Hill on Star World. I recently began rewatching it during the pandemic. Although there are instances where the melodrama can be over-the-top, it is still an enjoyable show, and the characters are easy to root for and are easy on the eyes. Whether you are swooning over a young Chad Michael Murray or enamoured by Brooke’s charms, the characters have wistful aspirations which make them relatable even to today’s audiences. Anyone who wants to be an athlete, artist, designer, or musician can find comfort in the characters’ dreams. In this cutthroat world, where not everyone has the liberty and financial stability to “follow their dreams”, this show provides an escape into the life of someone you had always wanted to be as a child.