I like Daria, dammit!

Looking back through my teenage years, there was one cartoon serial I really liked. And even though I watched it long since it first went on air, I pretty much think it’s still timeless. And that is Daria.

Daria Morgendorfer is rather a stranger name, and the character itself is not your average high school kid. She’s smart, but even she herself doesn’t think that’s extraordinary. She doesn’t smile or laugh when other people do, she’s cynical and sarcastic but that’s really her sense of humour. I have a feeling this cartoon was not meant to be loved but it has done the opposite to lots of other people who watched it.

The cast of Daria. She's the one with the green jacket, standing next to her best friend Jane Lane

 And that’s what’s probably unique about this thing. The sense of humour which some people don’t have. I find myself waking up around 1 am, it’s all dark and quiet out there and I’m laughing to myself at Daria’s jokes. It’s quite sad, but I tell you what, it’s obsessive. With the help of my techie uncle, I have just got my hands of 4 seasons of the series. And I have finished watching it all in just a week (a record for me)!

I think I like it so much because 1) unlike many other cartoons, it shows teen life in a comparatively balanced way, not too many judgements on any particular groups, 2) it gives me a little fresher perspective on life, and a stock of more witty thoughts to balance some the exclusively naive views I find around me...