Before starting, I'd like to say three things:

Now, the fun part:

I'm not a guy who watches movies and TV shows alone. I don't know why, but my guess is that not being able to share the fun makes the experience less engaging overall, and that's why I end up dropping whatever I was watching.

There are a few exceptions though. Shows that get me so hooked for some reason that I blast through them in no time. The most notable example (as seen in this webspace old starting sceens) is Serial Experiments Lain.

When I began watching this show last year, I wasn't in my best mental state. Things were more stressful than average at school, and my grades, that weren't that good already, began to sink. Seeing that girl in her way to school, visually unhappy, struggling to pay attention to classes and handle all the noise around her, was very relatable. At that point I haven't even met the philosophical themes and bizarre stuff that would happen later down the story, things that got me even more invested in this story and universe.

This post isn't about Lain though. Recently, I found something else to obsess for:

Hot Wheels Acceleracers (also World Race). This series of movies stuck in my nightmares since I was six. A month ago I decided to revisit it to see if the few flashes that remained of the movie were how my mind portrayed them. Oddly, my mind was quite precise. Oh, also, what a series. Mattel were sure inspired at that time.

The 2000s had something special. The teen spirit of the decade led to the creation of products that were either extremely goofy and dated, or plain cool, and in my view, this series fits the second group better.

The amount of personality the writers added to each of the settings, soundtracks, screenplay and car details is magic. Well crafted action scenes and unique characters in a darker story make for a cartoon that doesn't seem childish at all, even when it's clear that this was the target audience.

These movies radiate coolness. It's everything a fan of cartoons, toy cars and over the top, edgy teen 2000's design would ask for in a movie series. It also has a very fun community that keeps the legacy of the franchise (and makes a lot of stupid memes that I love).

Now, even if every character is unique, charming and full of personality, one called my attention from his introduction scene.

Shirako Takamoto. That kind of character that is just there to be cool for a feel scenes but ends up stealing the show whenever he appears. Story? Development? Dramatic arc? Who needs all that nonsense. He just appears, plays a loud banger and doesn't seen to know (or care) about what he's supposed to be fighting for. He isn't there to save the world, he's doing it for fun.

And that attitude makes me like him a lot. The carefree way he drives, and how even in the tense situation the characters were on, under pressure to win races so the bad guys don't get even sttonger, and having to solve their own internal and interpersonal conflicts, he's just there, headphones on, vibing to his electronic songs, and cheering his Teku friends in the process (to the anger of some Maniacs).

His style - and the overall style of the movies - impresses and influences me a lot. I recommend the series. It's available somewhere online. Try looking for it on youtube. Meanwhile, I'll pump up the bassline.