#also thinking about how he switches on a dime to being bubbly and cheerful

[stuck-in-jelly]

Love Qifery but he kinda scares me, what is that guy up to what’s wrong with him/aff

[beyblader-observations]

Reasons to watch Bakuten Shoot Beyblade (updated)

I want to take some time to recommend one of my favorite anime to everyone: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade! Most people don’t know it’s an anime, or even more than a toy franchise. Yes, it did start as a toy, but there is more to it than that. This is a wonderful anime, and I believe more people will like it if they give it a shot. Main Characters: 1. Tyson Granger/ Takao Kinomiya
Tyson is your typical, lovable main character. As with most shounen heroes, he wants to be the best. In his case, he wants to be the best Beyblader. He is excessively confident, energetic, charismatic, and cares deeply for his friends. He can be annoying and rude, but that just adds to his boyish charm. 2. Kai Hiwatari
Kai is the character who any fan of this show loves and hates at the same time. He’s an immensely powerful Beyblader who hates the world and everyone in it. Striving for perfection, he will crush anyone in his way to achieve it. He’s a multi-faceted character on the border between good and evil. 3. Max Tate / Max Mizuhara
Max is the adorable little puppy-like member of the group. Incredibly bubbly and optimistic, he’s the one you can always trust to cheer up his friends. He loves tackle-hugging everyone. 4. Ray Kon / Rei Kon
Ray is the cool and collected member or of the group. He comes from a Chinese clan of cat-people, so many aspects of his personality resemble a feline. He is the most polite, charming member of the group. Cultural Diversity If you think the four characters I just named are the only important ones, you are mistaken! There are 100s of important characters in this series (in addition to a bunch of unimportant characters)! They all have their own unique personalities and significance to the plot! One thing I love about this large array of characters is their cultural differences. As the main characters travel to Beyblade tournaments, they meet characters from all over the world! They fight teams from all different countries. As they travel to tournament sites, we get little glimpses of life in these countries! Even the main four were raised in different countries. Japan, USA, China, and Russia. Relationships
As if the characters weren’t great enough on their own, their connections with each other make them all the more lovable! The characters share strong bonds. Everyone has a unique way of interacting with one another due to their personality, upbringing, or personal opinion towards the other characters. 
As a shounen sports manga, teamwork is very important. Watching these characters work together is inspiring and admirable. Emotions 
The gamut of different emotions can be surprising. At first glance it just seems like kids playing a game, but there is more than that. In their world, Beyblading is the most popular sport. While watching this show, we see the “athlete’s” lives as they go through obstacles to win these competitions. The story is portrayed dramatically in a way that can take you from laughter to tears. Variety in animation style One fun fact about Beyblade is that if you don’t like the art style of one series, you might like the next. The original Beyblade series is separated into 3 parts: Beyblade, Beyblade V Force, and Beyblade G Revolution. Each of these have very different animation and artistic styles.
 Comedy This anime is hilarious! They throw in jokes and slang all the time. The Canadian dub makes it great because they even add characters that didn’t exist in the Japanese version just to make it more funny and entertaining to a Western audience! It’s even funny when it isn’t necessarily supposed to be… Action Of course, this show has action! It’s not your typical man to man fighting. It’s with spinning tops. But it’s portrayed in a way to make you feel like the Beyblader is in the battle. In some cases, this is actually true. This can get violent. The Beyblades get hurt often. They have living beasts inside them, and when they get damaged it hurts these spirits! But the frightening part is when the Beyblader actually gets injured during battle! Some Beybladers go to extreme measures to win, creating really dangerous Beyblades! They aren’t afraid to slice up their opponent with their blades! Some characters die or nearly die in the process. 
Dark Side This anime can get surprisingly dark. There are underground organizations torturing children and turning them into Beyblade killing machines! If the child soldiers don’t obey their orders, they are taken away and locked in dungeons! Children are experimented on to the point that they are almost no longer human, all for the sake of dominating the world through conquering the sport of Beyblading! And this is all just in the first season! Backstories Each character has their own unique backstory, which makes them feel very real. They've all had very different experiences that shaped who they are, why they Beybattle, and how they interact with others. Their roots and upbringings are all so diverse. The one thing that bonds all of these different characters together is their common interest in Beyblading. Like real people, some of them have led pretty carefree lives, while others have past trauma that really took a toll on them. Despite being a generally light hearted show, the characters' pasts can get rather depressing. A lot of the characters’ pasts involve either death of or separation from a parental figure. In the case of some characters, it involves being trapped in one of the Beyblade dungeons mentioned above. Some characters suffer from abandonment issues, loneliness, and a fear of loss or rejection. Also, the characters' stories leave room for interpretation and headcanons. Dynamic characters There is so much to these characters! They're very dimensional to the point that they feel like real people. Once you think you know a character, you'll learn something new about them that makes you view them in an entirely different light. The characters change drastically from the beginning to the end of the story. Characters who were thought to be bad guys were really just misguided. Characters switch sides at the flip of a dime, so it's hard to tell who is going to be an enemy and who will be a friend. The characters were so well thought out that I ended up loving all the characters that I hated in the beginning. With so many great characters, you are bound to find someone you can relate to. Romance If you look for romance in an anime as I often do, you won’t be disappointed. Although most isn't explicitly stated, there is certainly room for shipping in this series. The strong relationships lend well for imagining more. There is at least one canonical couple. The others are mostly up to interpretation. Often a character will say or do something that points to a possible romantic interest in another character. The vagueness of the relationships make it fun to try to figure out who likes who. A lot of characters have strong bonds that could be viewed in many different ways. Mythology The Beyblades are not spinning tops. They contain living spirits of ancient beasts! These beasts are from real Asian mythology going back centuries and were not made up specifically for this show. The four main Bitbeasts are Dragoon, Dranzer, Driger, and Draciel. These are a dragon, Phoenix, white tiger, and turtle-chimera. These creatures are from ancient mythology, symbolizing the four cardinal directions. More information here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Symbols_(China) Other characters have beasts that are based on mythology from other parts of the world, for instance Greek mythology and medieval European mythology. There are a lot of supernatural events in this series. So don't be surprised if a Beyblade blasts the roof off of a stadium or if someone is transported to another dimension. There's also sci-fi stuff like robots and androids. Music The music in this anime is amazing! Both the English and Japanese soundtracks are great! I listen to them again and again! If the less than perfect animation ever gets too rough on your eyes, or if you don’t feel like watching the Beyblades spinning during a battle, I encourage you to close your eyes and listen to the music. The dub’s 90s rock music is so fun and catchy! And the Japanese songs are very pretty! The music is made specifically for the anime, with Beyblade-related lyrics! Motivational After speaking to other fans of Beyblade, I have to emphasize that this series is extremely motivational and inspirational. The characters have to push through so many struggles to follow their dreams to become great Beybladers. Perseverance is a big theme of the series. It emphasizes the importance of sticking to your beliefs and aspirations and never giving up. Seeing the characters get pushed down so many times to see them get back up and fight with even more confidence is really encouraging. The story emphasizes to have confidence in your own ability. A lot of advice from the series can be taken out of context to be applicable to real life. It shows that you can find friends in unlikely places, and that friends can help you overcome the toughest of times. Strength in this series comes not from physical ability, but from the heart. The Beybladers learn over and over that if they have the right mindset and believe in themselves, they can accomplish their goals. Another theme is that it's possible to change for the better. Throughout the series, Tyson/Takao helps people find the good in their own hearts. The characters who were going down the wrong path learn that they can change if they just believe in their own abilities. After talking to many Beyblade fans, I've learned that this series changes lives to the point that people wouldn't be who they are today if it wasn't for Beyblade. Refreshing So if for no other reason, I encourage you to watch this show simply because it’s a nice breathe of fresh air. It’s different from most other anime out there these days. If you want something with a lot of depth that leaves you with a cheerful and uplifting feeling, this anime is highly recommended.