Few anime, shows, movies, games, or books, some pieces stay with the fans because they have something worthwhile to impart, whether it be nuggets of knowledge or a fresh outlook on life.
Entertainment media is not just a thing watched for sheer fun; it’s more than that – it teaches the way of life for some, and it’s the way of earning bread for others. One Piece is a thousand episodes long, and it’s still going, and so will your life – what you do with your life is in your life.
Souma lost countless times to his father in food wars, but his passion for food never died down; instead, he wanted to better himself to one day surpass his father. And this is the tale of a guy who did not let his passion for anime and cartoons die.

Name: Grant Eimi A. Pineda
Lives In: Philippines
Back when I was a kid, I had things I wanted to accomplish but never really had a dream I would like to be when I grew up. I remember wanting to be a basketball player and becoming an astronaut just for the sake of experiencing zero gravity, but that's about it. I never felt a strong urge to be one until I came across a show called "Ben 10"that ignited my passion for drawing. At that point, I really wanted to be a cartoonist but was still hesitant about it because I told my parents, and they told me that if I loved drawing, they would rather have me take an Architecture course. After hearing that, I kind of just went along with it because I didn't know anything about architecture. Fast forward to 2014, I watched and finished my first anime, Sword Art Online. At this point, I knew for sure that I wanted to become an animator. My urge to be one grew stronger each day and with each anime. I told my parents again, this time that instead of being a cartoonist, I wanted to be an animator, to which they replied, "There's more money in Architecture." I was devastated, but I respected their opinion. I was like; I'll take an architecture course in college. Back to the present, I am in my fourth year of college with a Bachelor of Technical Vocational Teacher Education Major in Animation. In this course, I can either teach or work in the industry, and I'm leaning into the industry but let me tell the story of how I got here. In 2018, I passed my entrance college exam at Rizal Technical University (RTU), and my grades were good enough for architecture, but there was a problem, and I was happy about it. The problem was there were no more available slots for architecture. That's when my mom told me, on behalf of my dad, "Fine, follow your dreams for we don't want to be blame when you are waking up every day working in a job that you hate" Sometimes when you think things are not going your way, just keep walking, and you might be surprised what destiny got for you, and if it still doesn't turn out ok, it will. Just have faith it will.
Key Takeaways
#1 Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day
It’s okay to be lost, and it’s okay to lose the sense of direction sometimes; we are, in the end, humans. Having fun is part of life; you never really know what the next arc of life holds. It all comes down to the mindset; going astray is good as long as you know how to pick yourself up.
Grant seemed lost, like most of us, from dreaming to becoming a cartoonist to listening to his parents to settling down on his goal. Even though he looked to wander along the uncharted path, Grant eventually settled on something that was solely his decision; not his parents, not his peers, not his colleagues, but Grant himself. Believe in your passion and mainly believe in yourself – doubting kills your dreams!
#2 Stare Into The Unkown
Things take time, and it’s always worth the wait; even the shows like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece did not wrap up in months – it took them years, decades perhaps, to conclude.
While it’s simple to judge a book by its cover or a person by their choices, nobody actually understands who someone is on the inside. The Hidden Leaf Village never put faith in Naruto, and neither did they ever believe that he would one day indeed become the Hokage. Embrace the unknownness, for you may never know what comes after.
#3 Live, Let Live
Angel Beats showed us the importance of living a life with no regrets – turn your life into an extraordinary one before it’s too late. People are frequently frightened to pursue the things that excite them or the things that they love, and to a certain extent or so, Grant, too was hesitant to follow his heart.
However, Grant never regretted that his parents did not let him follow his goal. He stood firm, and he did not fall into the depths of despair and continued to live. And to Grant’s surprise, everything worked out in the end, and he got to follow his heart.
We’re glad you stuck with us to the end of this tale. We hope it inspires you to do better. Do let us know your thoughts in the below comments, and share this tale with your friends.
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