I Am a Closet Anime Fan
We all enjoy anime to some degree or another, and some people are very open about it. They visit Anime Expos, cosplay, and proudly associate themselves with it without the fear of detest from others. Others, not so much. Where I live and go to school, anime is a foreign interest. Not too many people are familiar with it and frankly, it isn’t something that’s brought up as an everyday conversation piece. In fact, outside of my e-friends that I’ve gained since I first got on the internet, I only know two people out of a few decent size groups of friends that I’ve ever spoken to about anime. Even with those people, anime has never been brought up no more than a hand full of times. And If people do know what “anime” is, finding out that you’re into anime will make them get a bad impression of you because anime has a negative connotation. People think anime fans are socially awkward, nerdy, and someone they wouldn’t want to affiliate with. And as an Asian American male, I’m already associated with it by default! This may just be my own narrow experience, but I’m sure there are some people out there who can agree and relate.
So why is it that some people, me included, are closet anime fans? I’m sort of out I guess (I’ll explain in a bit), but I’ve never casually brought it up in a conversation with my friends or strangers unless I was specifically asked, or if they brought it up first. Even then, my apparent knowledge of anime is just what I know about the mainstream series and I brush it off. I guess you could say that I’m insecure with myself, or fear the rejection of not being “socially normal” or being too different, but can you really blame me? In this society, as a 22 year old nearing 23, I can’t be talking about why AonE stopped subbing Naruto, or if why everyone is learning bankai when it’s something rare and only developed after hundreds of years of training when I go to bars or clubs! It simply doesn’t work to get the girls’ attentions. If there are people who can prove me wrong, then please teach me your secrets. I’m more proud to have concealed my anime interest rather than to have expressed it openly.
But I am not a complete loser, as some of you may be judging by what you’ve read so far. I do have a significant other. And I do share my anime interest with her, but it took a while to come out with it. It took nearly eight months to build up the courage, comfort level and closeness to even let her know that before I met her, I used to spend a chunk of my free time reading manga about a guy who fights demons with a ridiculously large sword, and watching anime about high school teens who are involved in a secret international mech war. Exposing this side of me would totally derail things when we started the relationship, she had the impression that I was the atypical, opposite-of-the-stereotyped Asian American male. My room definitely has zero evidence of my liking of anime. I have no wall scrolls, figurines, DVDs, manga, or anything like that even hint the existence of it in my life. Before I told her about being an anime fan, I used to be the guy who quickly tries to exit out of the web browser because I would be browsing the GotWoot forums when my girlfriend would open the door to my room. Ugh, it was as if I was trying not to get caught masturbating by my parents. It’s embarrassing but funny at the same time.
So, I’ve come to the conclusion that interest in anime, at least in my environment and amongst the groups of people I know, isn’t very socially acceptable because it isn’t a norm. But I’ve been comfortable with hiding it, and my girlfriend accepts my interest in anime as just a part of who I am. There are a lot of things people hide and this is just one of mine. I think I subconsciously don’t share my interest a lot more now because I’ve lost the burning passion I once had for anime. I don’t spend hours dedicating myself to the newest Naruto release by DB (faggots), or checking for raws and spoiler pics for the latest chapter. Nowadays, I only browse the forums to post in non-anime related, off-topic forums, but I do catch up with anime occasionally and read some Shounen-Jump manga here and there. I don’t know if I will ever completely lose interest in anime and abandon it altogether, but I do know that if and when that day comes, my secrets will die with me…
I simply choose to not reveal myself as an anime geek. My social reputation is overwhelmingly more important than this. Is that so wrong?
is not embarrassing been an anime fan *peace*
Heh, awesome dude
I am not a closet anime fan. At times I do admit that I won’t go out into the open with my liking of anime. Being recently 21 and someone who has been frequenting the clubs for the past two years (I’m a Canadian, and if you didn’t know, we have a drinking age of 19, or 18 in Quebec). I grew up around many other kids, but I was always known as one of the more mature. Still, I enjoyed playing with action figures and watching cartoons. After moving to the USA I was introduced to Robotech and fully enveloped in Dragonball Z. Many people in my age category at the time were big fans of Cartoon Network’s anime.
Over the years I made friends at school and through sports. Most of the best of them have been anime fans. We would sit around and play Pokemon or Magic The Gathering or talk about the most recent episodes on Toonami. Now I check for specific manga and series updates on a regular basis. I even played at Yu-Gi-Oh nationals this year, a game that my first girlfriend got me interested in. The women I’ve been closest with, including my last two girlfriends, have been at the least part-time anime fans who weren’t affraid to talk about what series they enjoyed watching. My parents even became a little proud of me for making the national event.
I’m not one to run into a room and announce that I’m an anime fan. Nor am I a full-out geek. I love my laptop, I love my cards, and I love the series I take the time to get involved in, but I still go to school and spend time partying with all varieties of friends. I’ve found that simply by brining up that you enjoy watching anime can bring forward another person’s interest of even a long-past series. Just for an example my driving instructor (I’m way behind, public transit has been too easy for me) watched DBZ during his college years and was very open in discussing the series once I spoke up about my hobby.
After years of building my own confidence, I don’t find myself affraid to say “I watch anime”. Rather I choose when to speak up about this hobby. Your friends should always like you for what’s good in you to like. Even if you’ve got a “nerdy” closet or open hobby. I respect that you don’t wish to harm your social image, but maybe being a little more open will draw about the other people from their closet and allow you to make more friends with this common interest.
If you want to cast as wide a social net as possible then I would agree that being associated with anime is probably not going to help much. However if you are willing to focus your attentions you can find people that are also interested in anime and choose friends from among them. You won’t have as many people to choose from though so your network of friends will also be smaller, but you’ll be able to share the anime part of you with them without worrying.
Valuing social reputation over personal interests sounds like a recipe for success, but it seems duplicitous to purposefully avoid mentioning an interest you have in order to gain friendships but then springing it on people later once they like (you-some interest). I can see doing it for something like a fetish or something you know might alter their perception of you but I would hope anime would never be a wedge to drive two people apart. Also I a person was invested in you emotionally and it turned out there was a side you’d never shown them I would think they would feel out of the loop. But apparently it worked out fine in your case.
Anime. There is a reason anime fans are judged harshly by society. You and your ilk should consider dealing with those issues instead of trying to justify one of the most pathetic and cancerous subcultures I’ve seen in a very long time.
I understand what you are saying but since i grow up with anime and manga its never been a problem for me to talk about with friends since it was i who got them into watching it, we all watch different anime becosue theres anime style for anyone. I live in Sweden and here people are open to anime but not so open to cosplay and dressing up stuff. Maybe you should move here?
Agree with Armin, although I did not really grow up with it (I’m too old
) I never hesitate to tell people that I watch Anime (or other cartoons), if they think I’m childish so what.
Alec – if you want to be a successful troll you’ll have to be more subtle
The day people learn to become best friends with themselves and learn to like THEMSELVES for who they are, is the day that I won’t have to hear another word of this nonsense.
I’ve been an anime fan since I was 12 years old, still am, always will be and completely unashamed to admit it. My attitude is that if you can’t hack that then you’re not worth my time! I’d prefer to live my life being who I am and not something YOU want me to be. And trust me, anime isn’t popular in Brisbane, Australia either (I was once ridiculed by my own younger brothers until they found out how well I was doing in uni and my Japanese studies.)
It gets better. At the age of 22 I’m still not ashamed to admit that I love Pokemon, Digimon, Yu Gi Oh GX and all the ‘kids’ anime that many ANIME FANS would alienate you for.
Get over your insecurities and true friends will come knocking on your door rather than those who just want favors. (Your girlfriend is a great start.) HOWEVER, forcing anime (or anything) down people’s throats, isn’t going to win you any points either. Have respect for other people’s likes and dislikes too!
Have you ever wondered what’s lurking in your friends closets? I love anime and manga, and I don’t particularly care who knows. Friends should allow you the freedom to enjoy the things you like as long as their harmless. With all the dangerous pass times out there your friends should be happy that yours are safe and not judge you for them. Frankly I don’t consider myself nerdy or awkward or socially inept. I enjoy watching anime the same way I enjoy watching a good movie or a good documentary. Being so concerned about what people are thinking of you can kill the joy you can have about anything. With happiness fairly hard to find it seems sad to allow others to dictate what is allowed or acceptable when it’s not even illegal. You are who you are, which is the sum total of what you like or hate, believe in or don’t. The question I would have to ask is would you stop being someones friend just because they liked ice cream and you didn’t?
You don’t have to have wall scrolls, figurines, a massive manga/dvd collection, and go to expos, cosplay, and all that stuff to be an anime fan. I am a fan without having/doing all that. My friends know, but they have virtually zero interest in the subject, except for some extremely gory stuff. I don’t have the urge to share or talk about it with other people, except perhaps the flamefests and suggestions passed on anime-related IRC channels. The fact that I have a strong dislike for the stereotypical anime fan behaviour, like enjoying Jpop (ARRRRRGGH), singing along with karaokes, interjecting Japanese wherever is inappropriate, etc, probably helps in not destroying whatever reputation and/or respect I might have in society
.
LAWL. dude, seriously ur friends must be giant cocks if they would think your “weird” for liking anime, with my friends i was just like OI WATCH THIS ITS ACE, 3 months later there all addicted, yes im 18, fairly popular, had a g/f for 2 years, and im not spotty. i play rugby, i go out, whats wrong with telling people you like anime? im sure theyve spoken 2 you about something your not 2 into before and just nodded and listened, or tried to grasp that, yes i collect anime, i trade on the trade sites, i buy, i have figures/mags, and also my typing punctuation sucks -_- sorry :p, just do what you want about it, who cares if there not into it, talk 2 people who are, but you are still able to bring it up as much as you want.
sorry just replying to TGEN, i like jpop, i sang the naruto theme to the opposing team during a rugby match and scared the other team shitless, haha =]
You’re free to like whatever you want ofcourse (within limits set by ethics and morality ofcourse (yes, I specifically do not mention law
)).
Brooky, it has more to do with the fact that anime isn’t the type of conversation piece that will interest the opposite sex. My friends would be accept it, but there’s no real benefit to bringing it up. Saying that I’m a frontpage writer at GotWoot, an anime site, isn’t the best opener when I’m talking to a lady because that means nothing to them. Although I don’t try to attract girls since I’ve been in a relationship, but when I go to bars with friends, I still want to be interesting and entertaining. From my experience of my environment and its people, there is no charm or benefit in announcing that I enjoy anime, especially to the opposite sex. But of course our experiences with the different places we live and types of people we hang out are factors that determine all this.
Anime to the power!
hmmmm ive used anime to talk 2 girls before, its kinda funny :p, i mean when i talk 2 my girlfriend about anime, she complains and trys to run away but i still tell her about it
lol. you can use anything to talk 2 lasses, theyre interested in people been confident, and being funny at the same time, so u just gotta be like 
how cool is DMC? “whats DMC?”, oooooo u shud come watch it sometime then ull find out 
, hell knows if youll ever get round to watching it lol. i believe its more about how confident you are with it, ill talk 2 any 1 about anime, i dont rly care if theyre like “OMG U LIKE CARTOONS”, id be like wow u like 5yr old boys stfu. ty. lol, and mut, for u, id pretend to be a girl for you, 2 get that confidence up!!!!!
Society. A very…alienating group of people. For the people who are proud to be an otaku, I wholly agree with ya on that. I myself am in so deep that my friends make fun of me of all the anime I have (hentai included). And being someone at my age (not far behind you), I have disgusted a few people with how I’m into anime. But that hasn’t deterred me. I like being out of society. I don’t like how most ppl think anyway, soo….Well, either way, you seem to think that being socially popular is more important than being true to yourself, then go right on ahead and toss anime to the side. That is your choice. Just shows that you were never really interested in it, only thought of it as something to dabble in. It is his choice to make whether or not he wants to keep stuff secret, and I understand him. I’ve got quite a few things myself that I don’t want other people to know about. I just don’t approve of his choices. To me, staying true to oneself and being unique is what makes us human and interesting. If I wanted to blend in with society, I would have dropped anime a long time ago, as with many other things, but I won’t refuse what I truly like and whatnot. ‘Tis just a pity, though, that you had to choose society. But I feel ya on where they would judge ya and whatnot. I think it is stupid what most people think, but that is just me. Do well in whatever ya do. And that is all that you can do.
i dont see how people think liking anime labels them as outcasts lol, ur not emo’s and mass murderers, u have a hobby, u like it, go kill all the footballers and fans for liking football? i think not.
Hey, I’m definitely a closet anime fan. It’s not that I’m ashamed of of my fandom but rather because it either doesn’t come up or……
Alright, here’s the thing. I’m a young attractive lady and usually when I run into anime fans, they’re very BLATANTLY obvious anime fans (the sort with the tshirts and the trinkets etc). They’re also usually guys who kind of creep me out or the same kind of guys with a thing for asian women (yes I’m asian-american too).
So if I comment that I’m an anime fan, that’s like opening the doors to all the crazy otaku guys out there and honestly, NO woman in her right mind would allow herself to get swarmed by a hoard of strange men. That just doesn’t happen.
Hence, I have no problem with commenting lightly on anime with some of the gals but I have more reservation when it comes to the guys.
Besides, anime just doesn’t come up in regular conversations. I watch regular tv shows too but no one ever talks about them. No one in my age bracket sits around and chats about tv shows or movies so naturally even if I know people who watch anime, they probably wouldn’t be talking about it. Personally, I think anime is more fun when it’s being watched than when it’s being discussed.
-me
p.s.
No I don’t shun men who are into anime. I only shun men who are SOLELY Into anime. I’ve met nice guys who watch anime without the hobby ruling their life.
Haha, whatever.. there are always things you talk about and other things you don’t. I pretty much share TGEN’s opinion and I don’t think that there’s a need to hide it if you like anime but I don’t think there’s a need to openly express it, either. That goes for almost any other thing as well but that’s just my opinion :p
I guess that works but people really don’t care or stereotype as much as you think. I have a couple friends who are interested in anime but they aren’t diehard into it and neither am I.
Anime is, however, a social norm now. It’s all because of Adult Swim. When I went to college almost everybody had watched anime before and nobody I met cared at all that I enjoyed it. Some of my friends enjoyed it and others did not. I don’t really enjoy talking about it, I just watch it. I knew some people who were really into it and I have certainly watched a lot.
You think people will see you as nerdy about it because you feel nerdy about it. Anime was not just a casual interest but an important thing to yourself and you didn’t really want some of your friends bashing it. That’s not a good thing though. You must not be afraid to show who you really are or none of your friends will know who you really are. If they don’t know who you really are then do you really know them? Yes, trick question! However, that’s a whole side of yourself that you keep hidden and that’s probably why your interest in anime has dwindled so much. You need fuel to keep the fire alive. Chances are none of your friends will really give a shit about your anime obsession. They are friends with you because they enjoy spending time with you and that won’t change because you have one interest they do not, unless of course you just constantly talk about it and they don’t like anime.
To clear things up further, I’m not really ashamed of being an anime fan, but I do have some concern on how the person I tell will take it. I think it’s a natural way of thinking because people react differently to foreign and unfamiliar interest or subculture that generally carries a negative connotation. I personally don’t care if a stranger finds out that I like anime and he or she thinks I’m a social outcast, but I do strongly feel that bringing up anime as an interest doesn’t serve any good service that outweighs the possible negative feedback.
I too am a closet anime fan. There are very few people that know that I spend my time watching it. I have occasionally tried to introduce a girlfriend to something like Naruto but they are always a bit confused by it. They watch it with me but only because I watch their retarded Sex and the City show. Unfortunately, in certain places (in my case London, England) saying you like anime will guarantee that you dont get any pussy.
lol u chickens :p if you like it and you arnt like, going out dressed as naruto for example, just be confident and fine, i live in leeds, england, and all my friends know i like anime, just like i know what stuff there into and hobbies they have, every 1’s interested in different things so just be posative about it, its not like your a fan of AIDS, and no thats not a show, think about it
Even harder than being an anime fan is being both an anime fan and a Christian (gasp! I said a bad word!) Going to a christian college, people who have heard of anime associate it with very bad things, and they would probably burn me at the stake if they ever found out what goes on at anime conventions. But at the same time, even though I’m in the middle of the boring midwest, I’ve found several dozen people at my college who like anime, and we’re not afraid to express it! Although I do hang anime posters on my wall and carry around a binder full of my own fanart (as if thats not bad enough), I have to take great care in what I put up.
Though it also seems taht sometimes “anime fans” also refer to 14-year-old yaoi fangirls (no offense to any 14-year-olds), not just nerds who still live at home. People like all kinds of different things, whether anime or football or triple-expresso-latte’s. People’s interests are also always changing.
But to some degree everyone is a social chamelion, being what others want to see rather than being themselves. Being that way is just part of being human, I think.
*end ramble*
I feel you, I am exactly on the same page as the OP. It did take awhile, but all of my closes t friends know that I like to watch anime. I’ve had many gf that didnt really know how much I was into watching anime, however there was one that actually liked to watch anime with me, be she’s now in the past and I dont even bother mentioning it to my current one that I was into anime.
I quite understand what you are going through, I too was confronted with some people who detest anything to do with Manga and Anime. Because I always come to talk about my interests and hobbies to other people I meet, so I tell them about my passion of Japan (mention that first), Anime and Manga. What I do with those people before we change the subject, is to say something close to : “What do you know about Manga and Anime ?”. If they reply with : “That Dragon Ball and Naruto crap” (or any other popular mainstream aseries like Bleach, etc… they might have come acrosse too) I would tell them that that’s absolutely NOT representative of the whole Anime Kingdom and that they have NO idea, they don’t know enough because they don’t have the desire to discover more. Another possible answer is that they don’t know any series, but know the loathe the style of drawing, I tell them it’s simply a matter of taste. So basically, I always manage to defend my passion. ^^
Now I have to say that the kind of people I am confronted too are more often not familiar with Manga/Anime, but have no opinion whatsoever, or have seen (and almost every time) loved one or another Miyazaki movie. So I try and talk to them about it without beeing too neardy and trying to make them understand. Amongst many different points, I tell them : – about some series or movies they don’t know of – there exist so many different styles of drawing in Manga/Anime (we don’t always have big eyes and small mouths) : from Kanon to Monster, from Abenobashi to Death Note, from Love Hina to Nana… – the subjects and problematics shown in Manga/Anime (M/A) are often very profound and very realistic (though sometimes idealised) – I talk about Anime movies like any other regular movie, and explain to them that now, movie critics do the same ! (FYI : I live in Switzerland, and the Swiss crtics, but even more the French critics, do that now ! ^^) – the Japanese have a certain approach of things and of life that fascinate me – the Japanese can create such wonderful things that are different, that are very artistic, that are very surprising, that can also be frightful and sick…
of course, I don’t start digging into things that could make them run away like hentai, goru, futanari, yaoi, etc…
but in the end, what I enjoy the most is when I find someone who doesn’t know much, but who what’s to listen and learn more ! or someone who very occasionally saw and read M/A, but with whom I can have a good conversation about it, because he/she knows more than I expected ! ^^
And lastly, I never care about what the others think about me when I tell them about my passion and they respond negitavely.
I feel the same way about not having anime my life. I don’t have it in my room and I don’t bring it up in any RL convos. because of the same reason, I don’t want my (somewhat) social life ruined cause I watch “cartoons” (anime)
The only time I bring up anime in a RL convo. is if someone else brings it up (like what you said.) I try not to laugh at the kind of dub crap they watch, but if they like it, the cool.
One thing thats been bugging me is that I have yet to meet anyone who downloads anime through torrents. I know I can’t be the only one in a 50 mile radius who dosin’t torrent there own anime.
I know there are a few people who are socialy popular that admit that they are into anime, but if I walk with them about (lets say) the new Devil May Cry anime, they will say something like “whoa, they made a Devil May Cry anime? I have been watching (insert a [adult swim] anime here)”
I do admit that comedy in anime may not make people laugh around here, but I burst out laughing whenever I see a kid that says “Believe it!”. (when hes refering to naruto)
Lol i like how you all treat anime as a “devil” subject, makes me laugh
its not taboo and doesnt make you a geek, yay we like anime, my friends dont rly care that i like it cause they watch a bit themselves and i dont really know it itll scare people, i dont go round acting like Luffy or Naruto etc. x
You and I seem very similar though I have had an entirely different experience. I have more than 5 friends that I see regularly that watch anime. I find that most people are receptive to the idea that cartoons are not necessarily for kids. Most americans of our age were exposed to anime when younger (dbz, robotech, etc) and I find that most had a positive impression. For those who were not they have certainly been exposed to CN’s Adult Swim. As to how I ended up watching anime with these people well, I just showed them an episode of something (Ichigo v Byakuya or Gaara v Lee work particularly well). I’ve done this with maybe 4 people and 3 have responded favorably. The fourth decided it wasn’t for him but its not like I was outcast for it. We still maintain a friendship based on other common interests. Honestly nobody should hold it against you that you watch anime, its a cartoon just the same as Family Guy, Futurama, and the Simpsons and guaranteed your friends associate with people who watch these shows.
well said nate :p family guy and futurama are ace btw :p haha xx
I used to hate anime, until I actually watched it (yeah I know I was one of those guys
). Now I have all eight manga volumes of Genshiken in my bookshelf and I’m gonna order Claymore soon. I’m kinda proud of watching anime and reading manga, taking part in another countrys (modern) culture. 
All my friends know I watch anime, my parents know, hell even my grandparents know.
Well, I think the Simpsons, Futurama and Famly Guy have a more adult sense of humour than most anime, which is typically targeted towards the shounen audience. Thus making them more acceptable…
tl;dr
well quite an interesting topic here.
i’ve been an anime fan since i was 10 or 11.
if you enter my room you will see instantly that im into anime, manga and gaming. still i hold up more common interests and have a nice friendbase. i recently got 2 of my “normal” friends into naruto… well i kinda got wallscrolls, posters and a shitload of manga in my room. i even hooked up a pc to my tv in the middle of the room to enjoy my hobby more… well i guess im a admitting anime fan :O
yay some 1 whoes hard :p, refering to NjiN, not really caring what people think about anime, he likes it and hes fine with showing it, HI 5. lol x
~_~, you are human trash.
Lmao mut be nice :p, where u from any way mut, tell us about what the a-holes who know nothing about anime, think about anime from where you are. im interested to see how different citys and stuff react to it :p x
You don’t really have to hide your hobbies, although it doesn’t mean you have to shout about them, either. It’s a part of self-respect to bee cool with what you like to do. If other people can’t accept that or at least get rid of their prejudices, they suck, and probably don’t deserve having you as a friend (or whatever you can be to them). I don’t see much benefit in trying to comply to others’ views on life unless you live in a totalitarian society where everyone have power over you.
Brooky, my comment to ~_~ because I think it’s absolutely pathetic to be so lazy that one can’t read more than four paragraphs. Not only that, posting the fact that one didn’t bother reading it sad.
Anyway, I’m from Calabasas, CA and I just graduated from UCSB. Just to make some more known references to the places I live and go to school, Calabasas is where Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey used to live. UCSB is in Santa Barbara, CA. Although Wikipedia may say contrary, but both of these places have a generally white, wealthy population in the smaller within-city neighbordhoods I’ve resided in. The reason why bring this up is because my experience tells me that the type of socioeconomic status I’ve been a part of isn’t generally familiar with anime, thus my situation.
lol a weathly white population, that made me laugh
. hmmm you shouldnt really care, its your hobby, im sure they have hobbys of there own, if they dont im sure there boring as hell and dont need to be called your friends any way! lol xx
you dont really need to be afraid of what you like, im not yet twenty but im on the way, and yet people know what i like, mostly anime, no one of them have laugh at me ever, i listen j-rock, and every time someone ask me and they laugh, i just let them listen a song and they actually ask me where did u got it, i dont have money for poster, miniatures or mangas, but i have almost 400 disks of anime and hentai, and im proud of it (could be bigger but im lazy.)
I’m in the same situation as you Mut. Its not socially acceptable at my age 25, and where I live, Canada. I walk into a anime shop in a mall, and all I get is weird looks….lol I do it anyways, I am not of the same race(whitest white boy you ever did see) but when anime is something of a Asian following, and 80% of the shops are owned and operated by Asians(where i live anyways)…..I get some weird looks….
I was planning on making a trip, I’ve always wanted to take to JAPAN! But after these odd experiences in random anime paraphernalia shops. I am to say, at the very least I am quit discouraged about the trip.
To get back to the subject, also have I had problems with the opposite sex when it come to finding out about my anime…..addiction as they so elegantly put it lol. They have always had problems, but I have never waited till recently not to share my skeleton in my closest until I knew it was safe to do so. Be it, new friend or current “mate”. I think you did the rite thing to wait and tell her after a while where she can focus on your pros instead of your cons. Be it you have any *wink* lol, I did the same thing with the current female I’m dating and she is totally fine with it. Though its not her thing shes cool with me “doing my thing”. So kudos and I hope everything works out for you in the future be it anime or female companionship.
Your friendly neighborhood Anime enthusiast.
I really didn’t thought so deeply about it…
I live in Croatia. Anime here is an totally unknown subject, on tv we only had few children anime that I whatched when I was little and that’s the reason for me liking anime now. I’m 18. I have 3 close friends and they watch anime too. In school I can see that no one knows about it. It doesn’t matter to me, that is why I don’t come to them yelling “I watch anime” because they wouldn’t even know what it is… and this is why u might say I’m a closet anime fan…
Also here u can’t buy any manga, anime dvd, anime game, anime poster, figure, or anything anime related…
Hmm, what else? I would like a bf one thay that likes anime, he doesn’t even have to watch it, just approve it so I could feel comfortable watching it then.
Anime for me is just for fun, and I also don’t have any urges to discuss it with other people, with my friends I just recomend stuff, or talk about clamp manga (favourite subject ^__^)…
Heh, I’ll take everything back I’ve ever said about you. You are in fact capable of writing an impressive piece, even though it gives us an odd view into your inner world, compared to your outer one
Well, that’s the same for all of us I guess.
I myself..well.. I’m Dutch, we say everything and we care less about other peoples opinions. If they don’t like it, well..why be friends ? accept me for who I am, not who you think I am.
As for me, I AM anime fan and i like being different from other people. And if you watch anime, you’re not a freak. There are a lot of people who do mad things, but how can you say that anime fans are mad? These are people with their own thoughts, their own inner world and so on.
Even if all my friends have nothing to do with anime, some of them even have their own opinion on this subject (they think that anime is hentai and only hentai), but it doesn’t mean much for me. But they’re my friends and this means that they accept me for who I am.
So, don’t be afraid to show that you’re anime fan, it is hobby and it has nothing to do with a real world.
Sorry for my English, I’m russian ^_^. But it has nothing to do with it, hasn’t it? >_^
I’m pretty open with my anime loving-ness. The people around me kinda accept it as a joke when I suddenly stand up in class and point across the room at a fellow class mate saying “KOI!! BAAAAAAAAANKAI!!” and throwing a paper clip at them
I really think it’s the kind of people you hang out with. Loving anime is nothing like being a geek (Unless you slober over anime pr0n and drool over Matsumoto *Bleach* or Vandread-chicks :O)
It really depends what kind of reality you live in though. Chill-out man
you can be open with it. But being TOO open is what you REALLY want to avoid.
You don’t pick up chicks by saying, “… Actually… Watas…. Bo-… Boku wa………….. I’m a shinigami.” That chick will prolly go shi-ban-zan-kai on you (The “Final most final form” my friends came up with.)
I’m not a geek. I just take my anime life as a way to make people laugh. (Atleast the people around me
)
It’s unfortunate for you Mut, but I can completely understand why you have become a closet anime fan. It’s totally because of demographics and circumstance, where your from it’s almost inevitable since majority of your peers are more into more popular forms of entertainment distributed on TV or BT ie; Heroes, the OC etc, hollywood movies. It’s ironic that majority of those forms of entertainment has similarities or associated with anime some way or another. Where I’m from(Toronto, Canada), our community is a much more multi-cultural environment and people from all ethnic backgrounds come together in work, education, and casual public environments and it’s much more laxed simply we’re all very different from one another. Of course there is cultural grouping for people with more things in common, but your not seen as weird to like Anime simply because all people are individuals with differences.
I can relate in a way, due to the fact that most of my circle of friends are into anime, con-going and cosplay and have been for the better part of our lives. In a larger social circle though, I’d much rather be proud of anime fandom (particularly those releases that haven’t aired in most English-speaking countries) than to buy into the partyboy mentality of ‘cool’ equaling a penchant for copious alcohol consumption and drunken sexual conquests. Sure, the partying is fun, but if it is what really defines you in a social circle, then leave the liver failure to the ‘cool’ people. I’ll simply drink, dance, and interact with whoever comes my way without fear of their reaction to my likes. Pardon the profane wording, but if they don’t wanna know you for you, then fuck em.
Last I checked, unless you’re really disturbed, anime never killed anyone, so why hide your fondness of it. If video-gaming can be a social ice-breaker when its origins lie in the same subculture (aka nerd) strata than anime fandom lies in, then so be it with anime as well. If people want to dismiss you due to a hobby they don’t know about, they’re not worth the time or effort to get to know.
Actually i think anime is getting bigger and bigger these days and unlike cartoons a majority of anime are actually made for adult viewers (as is manga) really there is nothing to be embarassed about especially when your asian, correct me if i’m wrong but i think almost every asian like mangas and anime includin girls, so u being asian i’m sure you have a load of asian friends to discuss your anime interests with. I’m asian and almost all my asian friends know what naruto or bleach is aside from that i know non asian people who watch anime on a regular basis (not crappy dub anime) Of cors you don’t go of to friends or random people shouting out random anime phrases like ‘BANKAI’ thats jus stupid no 1 shud do that. Plus if you think about it people of almost any age likes to see cartoons like Simpsons and Family Guy (i’m pretty sure i saw people of ages 7-50 watch the simpsons movie) why should you be embarrassed about watching anime. If your still not satisfied with that then move to Japan or Hong Kong cos your a loser if you don’t watch anime or mangas, every1 watches anime and read mangas there….when i said every1 i meant EVERYONE!!!
d3xion pretty much nailed it. That’s basically how things are here. lengJai, comparing Family Guy with an anime series, say Naruto, is completely different. Family Guy is actually a very popular mainstream television show aired on basic cable (FOX) during prime time, while Naruto is a show intended for 10 year olds that air on a network that isn’t as widely viewed. Also, just because I am Asian, that doesn’t mean I have “a load of Asian friends”. In fact, I only have small handful of them. Either I don’t share the typical Asian commonalities or I just don’t attract them? Who knows. But the demographics in my environment made a huge impact on who I can hang out with.
Mut i wasn’t talking about naruto on some dumb crappy TV channel in America i’m talking about in Japan where it is aimed more on adults. Its crappy in US because its aimed at children and they cut of a lot of the blood and swearing etc. So in my eyes its right for me to compare with family guy.If you check dattebayo polls and downloads you will see how popular naruto and bleach is.(this is just from dattebayo alone) So this doesn’t really change the fact that you shouldn’t be embarassed about watching anime if people watches cartoons like simpsons and family guy.
Well i’m just assuming that every asian person has a couple of asian people they are friends with, mainly because all the asian people i meet seem to have a handful of asian friends. And still u can share anime interest with none asians, i showed some of my non oriental friends some anime and they liked it, this includes indian and black friends, you guys just need to forget about what other people think and just do what ever.
and like i said before if your still unhappy moe to Japan or Hong Kong
You don’t bring up niche subjects like anime out of no where. You don’t just randomly announce to people that you’re into anime and then start talking about the latest episode of your favorite show. People tend to talk about the local sports team or that show on TV or how their job is going or the latest big movie release. GENERAL STUFF Y’KNOW! Just about anything that you can bet that person might’ve heard of. You get into niche subjects with people you know better. It’s all standard procedure.
If you can’t be comfortable with who you are amongst friends… then I seriously doubt if they are friends rather than good acquaintances. Either that or you’re really insecure. Or both. Honestly, I can’t really speak from your position. I would never be friends with people who would reject me for things I like. Do you really want to be friends with someone that is like that? Honestly, I think you have a better chance of growing out maintaining an acceptable image than you are to stop loving anime. I can understand at that age popularity is uber important to you, but sooner or later you’ll grow out of it, because then you’re an old fogie and no one likes you anyway. :p
I’m from philly and ive been a fan of anime since i was 12 or 13 and i have always been open to talking to ppl about anime. In fact i met a lot of friends from talking about anime where im from no one gives two craps about what u like or dont only time they care is if it affects them in some way.
Ok listen up, I’m from NJ and over in this area there are so many cultures and races its not even funny. But most of all everyone here has their own trend, likes and hobbies. Also there are plenty of clicks here, like the jocks, meat-heads, rockers, surfers, reggaetoneros, wanna be gangstas, and so on and so forth. Well I grew up with a bunch of guys that since children never cared about culture, race or likes, we were just ourselves. After growing up we grew our separate ways but remained friends and we have one of each category now. One is a pretty boy, the other a gansta, the other a meat head. Myself, I am a US Marine veteran and an Undercover Investigator now. One of my friends is a district manager New York Sports Club, the other a cop, another a stock broker. And the one thing we have in common is that we were always anime/manga fans. You see just because you like anime or anything else in this life, you have to be branded and categorized. If you follow that road that everyone else follows just because you want to be like everyone else, then you will be monotonous. you will never be happy with yourself because you will never be yourself. Following that road that everyone else follows just keeps you from opening up and being happy.
For example, who wrote on stone that skinny is beautiful and over weight is ugly. Or that a man that has multiple partners is a man’s man but a woman with multiple partners is nothing but trash. ect. You see if you let peoples thoughts towards you make who you are, then you aren’t any different from them. So how about you just break from that road and read manga or watch anime regularly, and if someone looks at you funny because they find out, then dont be afraid to introde them to anime. Who knows they all might love it and you will be the one with the most experience to show them all what it is about. Then you will have people looking for you for info and you wont feel so intimidated. Oh and I forgot, you dont have to be asian to like anime. I’m Puertorican and I love it. Bro, if my advise doesn’t help, then come to New York for a month the least, and by the time you go back, you wont be caring about what anyone thinks, and that will help you suceed.