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Time of India
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Anime that makes you nostalgic for the early 2000s: Relive the golden era
Source: Crunchyroll Missing the charm of old-school animation, emotional OPs, and the sheer vibe of sitting cross-legged in front of the TV after school? Some anime hit you right in the feels, transporting you back to the early 2000s, the golden age of shounen, shoujo and Saturday morning lineups. Whether it was on Animax, Toonami, or a sketchy DVD from Palika Bazaar, these shows defined an entire generation of anime fans. Here's a roundup of anime that makes you nostalgic for the early 2000s, brace yourself, because the feels are real. Must-watch nostalgic anime for 2000s kids Naruto (2002) Source: Crunchyroll Ah yes, Naruto, the ultimate underdog story that taught us about friendship, ramen, and never giving up. The Chunin Exams arc alone is enough to unlock a memory vault of school lunch breaks spent doing the Naruto run. Why it's nostalgic: Classic 4:3 animation, unforgettable soundtracks (Blue Bird, anyone?), and characters that felt like friends. Found in: Japan, first aired in 2002. Global audiences got hooked via Cartoon Network, Animax, and fansubs. Inuyasha (2000) Source: Crunchyroll Kagome yelling 'Inuyasha!' and the half-demon leaping through time, Inuyasha was equal parts action, romance, and spiritual fantasy. It blended folklore with drama in a way only early 2000s anime could. Why it's nostalgic: The edgy art style, emo soundtrack by Do As Infinity, and intense shipping wars (Team Kagome vs. Team Kikyo). Found in: Japan; dubbed versions aired on Adult Swim and Animax across Asia. Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) Source: Crrunchyroll Not Brotherhood, we're talking OG Fullmetal Alchemist (2003). With darker tones, slower pacing, and that original ending, this version felt like a quiet tragedy dressed as shounen. Why it's nostalgic: The VHS-like colour grading, L'Arc-en-Ciel's intro song, and that haunting Nina episode (you know the one). Found in: Japan; popular worldwide via DVDs and late-night anime marathons. Yu Yu Hakusho (1992–1995, aired globally in 2002) Source: Crunchyroll Even though it debuted in the '90s, most 2000s kids saw Yu Yu Hakusho in reruns. Spirit Detective Yusuke, iconic tournament arcs, and '90s hair so sharp it could kill. Why it's nostalgic: The raw fight animation, over-the-top dub lines, and AMVs set to Linkin Park. Found in: Japan; dubbed version aired on Toonami and Animax in the early 2000s. Digimon Adventure (1999–2003) Source: Crunchyroll Digimon had lore. It had emotional death scenes. And unlike Pokémon, it wasn't afraid to make kids cry. From Tai's leadership to Angemon's sacrifice, Digimon hit deep. Why it's nostalgic: The bootleg techno opening, character arcs, and that bittersweet Digital World goodbye. Found in: Japan; dubbed versions aired globally from 2000 onward. Cardcaptor Sakura (1998–2000, aired till 2005) Source: Crunchyroll Before there were magical girls with dark pasts, there was Sakura Kinomoto collecting Clow Cards in pastel outfits. This was your gateway into wholesome anime that still had high stakes. Why it's nostalgic: Soft visuals, slice-of-life pacing, Tomoyo's fits, and the 'every card has feelings' trope. Found in: Japan; English dub aired on Toonami and Hungama in India. Bleach (2004) Source: Crunchyroll If you didn't pretend to be a Soul Reaper during school assemblies, were you even there? Bleach mixed goth aesthetics with shounen formula and made it feel fresh. Why it's nostalgic: Bleach's first few arcs (Rukia's rescue) were peak 2000s drama, and Aimer-tier OPs hit hard. Found in: Japan; broadcast globally and became a staple in anime collections. Ouran High School Host Club (2006) Source: Crunchyroll This one was the quirky comfort anime we didn't know we needed. With roses flying and characters breaking the fourth wall, it poked fun at anime tropes while giving us lovable chaos. Why it's nostalgic: Low-key queer-coded, sparkly filters, and everyone had a crush on Tamaki or Haruhi. Found in: Japan; globally streamed and dubbed by 2008. Tokyo Mew Mew (2002) Source: Crunchyroll Tokyo Mew Mew was peak Y2K magical girl energy. With animal DNA, glitter attacks, and adorable mascots, it was Sailor Moon meets Hello Kitty chaos. Why it's nostalgic: Glittery transformations, early 2000s fashion, and sugary theme songs. Found in: Japan; dubbed as Mew Mew Power in 2005. Final thoughts: Why early 2000s anime still hits different The anime from the early 2000s wasn't just entertainment, it was a whole vibe. From grainy animation and deep soundtracks to the way characters spoke, cried, or screamed their dreams, these series defined a generation. Whether you're looking to rewatch or discover what made this era magical, these nostalgic anime are the perfect escape back to simpler days (and CRT screens). Also read| Eiichiro Oda answers the biggest One Piece questions: Key revelations from the creator
The Star
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Taiwan-based Malaysian actor Hero Tai says wife's constant air-cond use led to RM2k electricity bill
Malaysian actor Hero Tai and his Ukrainian wife, model Tatiana Lin, recently aired their marital woes during an appearance on a Taiwanese variety show. The couple, who are currently based in Taiwan, revealed that clashing views on finances have been a huge source of tension in their relationship. 'I'm trying to save money, but she's busy spending it,' Tai, 38, said as quoted by Singaporean news outlet 8days. 'I manage the finances myself – from groceries to baby formula, diapers and baby food. However, she's unwilling to communicate about it.' Tai, known for his roles in Kepong Gangster and The Perfect Girl, had previously grumbled about Lin spending NT$10,000 (RM1,439) a month on coffee alone. Their latest budget battle? Air conditioning. According to Tai, there was no reason for Lin to keep the air conditioner running all day, which has resulted in a steep NT$16,000 (RM2,303) electricity bill. Defending her actions, Lin – who married Tai in 2023 and is currently expecting their second child – cited the punishing summer heat. 'What do you expect me to do? Not turn on the air conditioner? We have a child at home too!' she said. Lin called Tai's penny-pinching habits 'ridiculous', adding: 'He calculates everything – this diaper is NT$5 (72 sen) and that one NT$6 (86 sen). Why waste time? Just grab whatever. I'll buy whichever one I like.' Tai then argued that the diapers Lin chose cost NT$15 (RM2.16) each, while his pick came in at just over NT$5. However, Lin said her choice was justified, as the diapers she wanted were much gentler on a baby's sensitive skin. Although he remained unconvinced, Tai said he eventually relented and paid the bill.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Thai delegates explore trade & tourism ties in Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh: In a step towards bolstering bilateral ties, a high-level delegation from the Royal Thai Embassy held an important meeting with Dibrugarh's district administration, tourism officials, and trade authorities on Thursday evening. The 14-member team, led by minister Kiran Moongtin of Thailand's Department of South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African Affairs, focused on expanding trade and tourism cooperation with a spotlight on Dibrugarh's untapped potential. Held at the office of district commissioner Bikram Kairi, the meeting was attended by representatives from the industries & commerce department, tourism department, tourist guide association, tour operators association, and the eastern Assam chamber of commerce. DC Kairi welcomed the delegation with traditional wooden mementos featuring Assam's iconic one-horned rhinoceros. Officials from the directorate of tourism, Assam, also extended their hospitality. "Today marks a historic moment for Dibrugarh. Our shared cultural roots and economic potential make this partnership a promising opportunity," DC Kairi said. Minister Moongtin highlighted longstanding cultural ties, particularly referencing the Tai Phake community at Naharkatia in Dibrugarh. The Tai Phakes, descendants of the Tai race, settled in Assam in 1775 and practice the Hinayana sect of Buddhism — closely linked to traditions in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Sri Lanka. "Our deep-rooted cultural and historical connections open doors for greater cooperation. Dibrugarh offers vast opportunities for tourism and trade," Moongtin said. Tourism officials emphasised the region's appeal for Thai travellers interested in northeast India's cultural landscape. Commerce department representatives explored potential trade opportunities, while members of the tourist guide and tour operators associations shared insights on tourism infrastructure and proposed Thai-focused travel programmes. The eastern Assam chamber of commerce showcased investment possibilities. Both sides agreed to continue talks and work on joint initiatives, with follow-up meetings planned to develop actionable strategies.
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Huge 80s star stages astonishing comeback after shock realisation about world'
The godfather of alternative comedy Alexei Sayle has lost none of his Marxist zeal or rage against the establishment – and says his firebrand act is needed more than ever to resist what he calls an 'assault on free speech and comedy'. After over 30 years delivering acidly funny rants at the state of the nation, the 72-year-old veteran of The Comic Strip and The Young Ones is more troubled than ever about the widening gap between the rich and poor – and there's no chance of him getting off his soapbox. 'I would like to retire – but the world keeps getting worse,' he says with a chuckle. 'So what am I supposed to do?' Politics has always been his schtick, and even now, he takes his alternative comedian job spec seriously. He believes comedy is one of the first casualties of an authoritarian society. 'They don't like a laugh,' says Alexei. 'But healthy ones encourage criticism. Comedy is a pressure valve – it's a way to let off steam about the injustice of the world. And comics should also point out injustice.' We meet in a park near his house in Bloomsbury, the literary quarter of central London, where he lives with his wife Linda and their beloved 18-year-old Maine Coon cat, Wilf. The bald, bovver-booted tight-suit wearing bouncer look has gone and been replaced by a slightly avuncular look. Completely white haired and with a beard trimmed into a Lenin point (his barber's idea), he's also wearing a Panama which gives him the air of a professor on his holidays, especially as he's waving a wooden stick. 'It's my martial arts staff – I do Tai chi,' he says, twirling it around expertly. Apparently it's not a peaceful hobby at all. 'No, it's a way of killing people very slowly,' he deadpans. It's been a while since Alexei has been on the stand-up comedy circuit after his comeback tour in 2022 was rudely interrupted by the pandemic. But his delightful travels around the UK with his Strangers On A Train series last year on Radio 4 has found him a whole new audience. He also hosts a monthly podcast with co-host Talal Karkouti, and has even gone viral with the youngsters with his TikTok videos where he explains Marxist theory through interpretative dance. Bringing his surreal side to a brand new medium, Alexei demonstrates the 'bourgeoiose boogie' followed by 'cornered beast' while teaching about how capitalists steal the profits of workers' hard work. 'I mean they're proper viral – we're up to about seven million views,' he says. 'We're going to do more of those, more internet stuff, hopefully another series of Imaginary Sandwich Bar, and maybe some live gigs.' And, Alexei reveals, he's waiting for 'Jeremy to get the new party together'. Always a committed Corbynist, there's no love lost between the comic and the current Labour line-up. 'When Jeremy has finally talked to everybody in the country, and the new party, people's popular front emerges, then I will also throw myself into that until they stop me.' He twirls his Tai chi staff ominously – then accidentally drops it. 'I've also written a poem for the Prime Minister – it's called I Hate Keir Starmer,' he announces, and starts discussing whether he should read it out to the audience when he appears on the Voices of Solidarity stage at the Troxy Theatre in East London on Saturday. Performing on the night alongside Alexei will be comedian and former heart surgeon, Bassem Youssef, singer Paloma Faith, actress Juliet Stephenson and host Jen Brister to raise desperately needed funds for health workers under siege in Gaza. Since October 2023, more than 1,580 health workers have been killed in Gaza and all proceeds from the night will go to Health Workers 4 Palestine. 'It's gonna be a great evening of music and comedy and people will be doing good by coming to see it,' he promises. There will also be a silent auction with expensive items donated by Cate Blanchett and Gary Lineker – while Alexei, naturally, is offering a pint. As a Jewish man, Alexei feels it's important to attend and 'bear witness' to what is happening on the central London protest marches over Gaza. He's spent so many years supporting the march, it's practically his social life these days. But he feels compelled to fight what he calls the creeping authoritarianism in this country. 'You know, if I say I support Palestine Action, I can go to prison for 14 years?' he casually mentions. 'I feel sympathy with younger artists who are caught in a bind about whether to speak out or not,' he adds. 'I can understand why they don't and I really admire the ones who do, like Kneecap, Paloma Faith and Dua Lipa.' Despite his view that the BBC 'has allowed itself to be intimidated' over the Kneecap incident, the veteran comic concedes the broadcaster has always been supportive. 'Radio 4 is a kind of natural home for me,' he says. He's been commissioned for a sixth series of Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar, which he says is the work he's most proud of over his entire career. 'There's a budget put aside for next year,' he confirms. 'It takes me like two years to write it. So we'll see whether I'm in prison or not!' Unlike younger artists, Alexei says he's free to speak his mind because, 'I've made my mark in my career,' but he also made his career out of ranty monologues when he was young in the 1980s. 'Yes but the situation has become more critical,' he explains. 'You see how the Labour government has reacted to Just Stop Oil for instance, closing down the space for protest. 'And that ultimately is to do with the growing gap between rich and poor. It's inequality. It's a manifestation of that really. Gaza and fossil fuel protests. It's all part of the same thing.' All that marching has clearly kept the comic fit. 'I'll be 73 in a few weeks and I'm in good shape physically.' Born in 1952 in Liverpool to fully paid-up members of the Communist Party of Great Britain, Molly and Joseph Sayle, he doesn't get back home so often these days. 'Not since my mum died,' he says. Being brought up in a Communist household by a mother who swapped her 'extreme Orthodox Jewish religion for another' certainly set him apart from his Anfield neighbours. At Christmas she even told him Lenin came down the chimney with presents. 'I embraced the difference, really,' he shrugs. 'It was like growing up in any cult. You think you've got the answers to the world's problems.' He briefly considered becoming a teacher, but his entry into the hallowed halls of stand-up is the stuff of comedy legend. He answered an advert in Private Eye in 1979 and became a compere of The Comedy Store on a tiny little stage in a Soho strip club where acts like Rik Mayall and French & Saunders started their careers. The comedy industry has changed beyond recognition since those ground-breaking days. 'It's a massive industry now, and like any industry, it's become homogenised.' Instead of coming up the hard way and being heckled on stage, many comics now start their careers on social media. In this 'old dog learns new tricks' phase of his career, Alexei could certainly teach the kids a few things. 'I've seen the odd comic who is great on social media, but if you go and see them live, it's painful,' he says, looking pained. 'Friends that I still have in the industry say that is a problem. They look great in an edited clip on YouTube, but they can't sustain anything and act really.' Beyond the stand-up and theatre work, Alexei's also a seasoned character actor and has appeared in everything from Gorky Park and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade to Carry On Columbus. But it's his time with his old Comic Strip friends when alternative comedy took over BBC Television Centre that he recalls with the most fondness. 'The Young Ones was an extraordinary time,' he says. 'It was tremendously exciting and we were all friends. 'At one point I was making my own series, and Jennifer was making the first series of ABFAB, and Nigel was working on something. It was like we almost had the run of the BBC. He adds, 'I still see Nigel and Peter a lot these days.' Still mourning the loss of Rik Mayall who died of a heart attack aged 56 in 2014, he met up with his old comedy crew at Robbie Coltrane's memorial last year. The Scottish actor, who died in 2022, was a regular on the 1980s TV show The Comic Strip Presents along with Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Richardson and Alexei. 'Rik's death was a real shock. Terrible,' Alexei shakes his head sadly. 'I remember speaking to Dawn at Robbie memorial and saying it was a real feeling of family. I think she felt that even if we don't see each other, we've all been through something profound together.' He's never really been away, but it's great to have Alexei back where he's needed – showing us the alternative view to the mainstream. • The UK's largest cultural fundraiser for Palestine, Voices of Solidarity, which will take place at London's Troxy Saturday July 19, 2025 (7pm). Tickets from
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Drone attack on Ulfa a setback to China-Pak's plan to give new life to insurgency in Northeast
New Delhi: Army's drone attack on United Liberation Front of Asom 's eastern headquarters in Myanmar is a setback to China and Pakistan's plan to revive its activities and other insurgent groups in Bangladesh and Myanmar eyeing to resuscitate insurgency in the northeastern states. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina government in Dhaka, the Pakistan Army and ISI, with tacit support from China, has been plotting to revive insurgency in NE by reactivating insurgent groups, according to persons familiar with the matter. In March, China allegedly facilitated the movement of self-exiled Ulfa supremo Paresh Baruah from Ruili (close to Arunachal Pradesh-Myanmar border) to Xishuangbanna Dai region of Yunnan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Biegiem do IKEA na wyprzedaż! IKEA Kliknij tutaj Undo ET had recently reported that Baruah is enthusiastic of Beijing's proposed 60,000 MW Hydroelectric Dam Project on Yarlung Tsangpo River that flows as the Brahmaputra in Assam. Xishaungbanna Dai Autonomous Area in Yunnan Province houses a large number of Tai/Dai people who have ethnic connections with Ahoms. There are reports that Baruah could have access to Mong la in Myanmar, which is tightly controlled by China by its proxy group NDAA (a group in Myanmar's Shan region). Live Events It is learnt that northeastern rebels are still based in hideouts in the mountains north of Singkaling Hkamti in Myanmar's Sagaing region.
