April 14th, 2001 is when Doubutsu no Mori 64 came out and kicked off the series we would all eventually come to know as Animal Crossing.
Animal Crossing is so important to me. Even though I don’t play it much anymore, the franchise occupies a very special place in my heart. That said, and I know I’ve ranted about this before, I was never fond of the “Tom Nook loan shark” jokes. He’s not a loan shark. That would imply he hounds you. Tom Nook straight up gives you, someone he doesn’t know, a house and a job. Even when you’re done with the job, he straight up lets you pay it at your own pace. Tom Nook is a real pal!
You also learn, through what little continuity Animal Crossing has, that Nook suffered when he went to the city and it changed him into the compassionate man he is today. New Leaf sort of closes the book on that tale and resolved the few arcs Animal Crossing had like KK Slider going from busker to full time DJ, the Abel Sisters being reunited, Kicks going from a street vendor to having his own store, Nook becoming a real estate agent, and so on. It makes me wonder how the franchise can go from here.
Anyway, I’m rambling, but I’ll conclude with this: Animal Crossing means a lot to me and I hope the series continues making other people smile too. Also, I was digging out some old stuff and found this old Animal Crossing manga that I found included with a Japanese video game magazine.