Survival Guide: Lodging

Figuring out where to live may seem like the simplest
of problems for a budding anime character, but given the difficulties of
anime communications, economics, and relationships, it’s actually a trying
process for those just starting out. Here are some basic guidelines
to setting up a homestead, catalogued by current personal status.

General Housing – Modern Cities and Towns

The first step in finding a place to live is to forget
about anything you may know about real estate. Your best bet if
you’re a student with little money (which you most certainly are) is to
look for a decent boarding house. Choose one that seems well-kept
and cheery and full of mildly eccentric tenents.
If you have access to a dormitory, try it out for a
while, but know that eventually you’ll end up breaking some obscure rule
through no fault of your own, which will get you promptly evicted.

Military Service

For the most part, anime characters currently serving
military terms have it pretty good as far as housing goes. They get
to enjoy life in state-of-the-art military complexes and aboard some of
the most technologically advanced spacecraft in the universe, provided
they don’t mind having their homes blown to dust every two weeks.

Barring alien invasion, however, an aspiring cadet
can carve out a handy little life for him- or herself in a military
installation. And since anime rules and regulations don’t
necessarily call for hard-nosed military professionalism, even the most
rebellious individual can do well, even stealing a prototype aircraft or
two.

Where to Live

Feudal Japan

If you’re particularly good at ninja skills, check
out feudal Japan, where the Shogun and the clan patriarchs always have
some demons or something for you to do battle with. Living quarters
are rather paltry, especially if you’re not royalty, but you get to carve
up bad guys on a daily basis in a generally cool manner. For more
info on being a full-time ninja, see “Economics.”

Lodoss

Called the “Cursed Island” by some narrators,
Lodoss is actually a rather enjoyable place to live if you’re into the
being-a-hero business. You’ll meet elves and dwarves and, assuming
you can find a nice little hamlet to settle down in, find some rather
pleasant country natives. Be warned though, that mystical forces are
always balancing the course of history on Lodoss, so wars break out there
with little or no warning or reason.

Macross City

Has a tendency to get teleported to other areas of
space on short notice, but generally a good choice. If you get in
early, you may find yourself part of a spectacular space adventure (again,
those VF flight lessons pay off), and if you settle there after the war,
you’ll get to see one of the coolest city-scapes in history.

Marmo – Island south of Lodoss

Generally a bad idea, unless you enjoy land so
corrupted by evil that dead things come back to life. It is a good
place to ressurect Goddesses of Destruction, however, so if that’s your
particular career choice, you’re in luck. On the whole though, very
messy.

Mega Tokyo

One of many futuristic incarnations of Tokyo.
Not a bad place to live, but if you spot a bunch of women in high-heeled
armored suits battling a guy who turns into a giant robot, get the hell
out of the way. And if you’re looking for a job in either Genom
or the Knight Sabres, your safest bet is probably janitor.

Neo Tokyo

If you’re looking for a good place to settle down,
build a family, and live a long and pleasant life in, this is definitely
NOT the place. Besides the dinginess, vast govermental police power,
and roving motorcycle gangs, Neo Tokyo is always about to explode.
Long-term real estate is not suggested.

Planet Eden

It ain’t named after paradise for nothing.
Seriously, this is one of your best options. Rife with idyllic
forest scenery, long, glistening beaches, and some truly exotic fauna,
Planet Eden is probably one of the nicest places to live in anime.
It also has one of the greatest concert halls known to mankind, and really
spectactular nightlife all over the planet.

Tokyo

Marginally better than Neo Tokyo. While not
technically about to explode within the forseeable future, it could go up
at unexpected moments, and is usually the first city to get hit by large
scale warfare and/or monsters. On the upside, depending on when you
visit, you may have access to all sorts of neat cybernetic enhancements,
cool weapons, and things that go BOOM when you touch them.