By Brice Colter
Staff Writer
Wingate rugby standout Christopher Harvey Jr. has loved action shows and cartoons since he was a young boy growing up in Dillon, S.C., but he says the anime boom of the 2010s changed his life.
His love for anime was not only about stunning animation or entertaining storylines, but he says the inspiration he drew from the series “Demon Slayer” left him with lifelong inspiration. His favorite character Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku’s death in the show left him with one of his all-time favorite quotes that reminded him to “set your heart ablaze” when facing adverse situations.
Harvey, a junior Management major, is no stranger to adversity. In August, he was faced with one of the toughest dilemmas of his life when he had to decide whether or not he wanted to continue his journey as a scholarship football player at Wingate. The 6-5, 240-pound defensive lineman was falling out of love with the sport he had spent years playing.
“I was just so emotionally frustrated,” Harvey said. “I had been teetering on both sides of this line for too long. I knew I had to make a choice.”
Following the Bulldogs’ fall camp, Harvey made his decision to put down the helmet and picked up a scrum cap, making the transition from football veteran to rugby rookie on Wingate’s newest men’s sports team.
Harvey made sure to soothe his mind by going back and rewatching his favorite anime. This time when he watched Demon Slayer he wasn’t expecting the episode to once again provide him with a new perspective. He found himself watching Kyojuro’s “set your heart ablaze” speech, which reassured him of his choice. “It was a sign for me to set my heart ablaze and commit to my heart,” Harvey recalled.
Harvey has applied this freshly set flame to every aspect of his life— including game days at Wingate’s home Jesse Helms Park, where he has shined all season for the Bulldogs. Despite being a newcomer to the sport, he has made an instant impact on the field, accounting for six tackles in two of Wingate’s matches this season.
He credits his passion for anime to his mother Kay, a doctor who first watched “Howl’s Moving Castle” with her son. Since then, Christopher has binged more than 50 anime shows from start to finish. Harvey’s father is a four-star lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army.
His current roommate and former Wingate football teammate, junior Bulldogs defensive lineman Jasiah Hill, said Harvey has turned him on to anime. “‘The Girl Who Jumped Through Time’ was the fourth movie he’s put me on, and I can’t say that he’s missed on any [of the recommendations],” Hill said. “I used to think I was an anime nerd before getting to college, but I could never keep up with the rate Harvey watches at.”
Harvey and his new Wingate teammates on the rugby team have “set their hearts ablaze” in their first season, surprisingly winning two of their six games so far. The Bulldogs hold wins over Tennessee (59-0) and Coastal Carolina (20-17) and will have their final home game Saturday, Nov. 8, against Lander at Jesse Helms Park.
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