Are you one of those people who already has a name for their child? When you were a kid, you already thought of naming your child Tiffany or Andrew after your parents? Even though you haven't given birth or waited to hear your future child's sex is, you still have a name for them?
If you are like me, I already have a name for my future child. Their name will be Sakura.
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You may be wondering how I got that name. Because it stands for "cherry blossom" in Japanese? You want your child to feel closer to your culture? Your heritage?
Nope, they'll be named after Sakura Kinomoto.
This is Sakura Kinomoto.
She is a protagonist in a Japanese anime called "Cardcaptor Sakura." "Cardcaptor Sakura" is about Sakura Kinomoto, a fourth grade athlete who has a vibrant personality and all-around happy girl, discovers an old book full of tarot cards in her family's basement. What Sakura doesn't know is the old book, Clow, and tarot cards (also known as Clow Cards), contain magical powers that can only be unlocked by a chosen wizard called cardcaptor. Without knowing, she accidentally unlocks Clow's powers and sends each Clow card to different places in Japan. She also awakens a chibi (small, cartoonish character) winged-lion named Kero who has slept in Clow for a hundred years. Together with her friends Tomoyo and Li -Syaoran and her magical powers, Sakura searches for Clow cards before they cause trouble in Tokyo.
There weren't many Asian or Asian Americans on TV when I was a kid. The only Asian representation on a TV screen were poorly English-dubbed anime, "Mulan," and "Jackie Chan Adventures." It was hard to find someone who was not only Asian like me, but also made me feel like I was not the only one. I was not the only person who has magical powers from my heart and mind. I was scared to share myself to a crowd with no faces similar to mine. During my childhood, I didn't know how to express myself towards my peers. My family was going through rocky arguments with each other. When I saw "Cardcaptor Sakura" for the first time, I instantly fell in love with its protagonist. Sakura was naive but compassionate towards her family and friends. She used her magic to catch Clow cards but also used them to create beautiful memories during her adventures. Most of all, she stays true to herself. Watching Sakura flying through clouds on a key-turned-staff with wings and smiling, I thought to myself, "If Sakura can do that, so can I."
I begged my mom to buy me anything with Sakura's face on it—art books, a lunchbox, dolls, trading cards, mangas, and toy-version of the Clow book with its Clow cards.
As I got older, I met more Asian heroes, such as Sailor Moon, Utena, Asaka, and another Sakura. However, Sakura Kinomoto holds a special place in me. She represented how my childhood and youthfulness was still magical despite sad moments. Sakura was the embodiment of my childhood.
I watched an interview with Robin Williams and his daughter about how she got the name Zelda. He gushed his memory of playing Zelda while his first wife was pregnant with their daughter. Instead of naming her after big-named authors or politicians, Robin named his daughter after a video game character. "I wanted to honor my childhood hero not just buying every merchandise," he said. So when I watched Robin's interview, I felt some type of confidence in me that screamed, "That's it!"
Whenever I say the name Sakura, I think of beautiful dreams and smiles as flower petals shower from the sky, welcoming me home. Hearing the name makes me excited and want to shout its name with pride. Sakura is the perfect name for my child.
I am naming a future child after an anime character.
I don't care whether my child will be a boy, girl, or gender fluid, they will be Sakura. When my child grows up to change the world, I will think about their name. Remembering how Sakura holds magical powers to make their loved ones feel special and loved.
Folks, this is my child, Sakura.
