Comments on: I Am a Closet Anime Fan

By: ElCangrinage

ElCangrinage — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:05:52 +0000

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.

By: ~sl4yer~

~sl4yer~ — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:56:16 +0000

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.

By: Kareem

Kareem — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 23:10:59 +0000

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

By: lengJai

lengJai — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:23:33 +0000

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

By: Mut

Mut — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:21:53 +0000

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.

By: lengJai

lengJai — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:35:24 +0000

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!!!

By: Wark

Wark — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:25:49 +0000

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.

By: d3xion

d3xion — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:21:55 +0000

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.

By: Kurasawa

Kurasawa — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:30:06 +0000

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 )

By: Negi

Negi — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:50:20 +0000

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? >_^