Anime Anime Stereotypes

[silpheedpilot]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="SlateGray"]Holy crap,you anime nerds make me sick! You have no lives, you like a stupid fad from the Moon, and your cartoons all have the same plot! Ahhhh!

I'm kidding.

Anime is to some people what football (or better yet, videogames) is to others; a lifestyle.

Sooooo you own a alot of anime stuff and your favorite quotes come from anime TV shows. You like the dress like your favorite anime characters, and maybe even try and be like them. Awesome, great. More power to you.

It's the same thing as the kid who plays football after school, wears football jerseys out in public and dreams of someday being a high payed football athlete.

The only difference is that America as a whole considers the football kid to be normal, and the anime nerd to be an outcast, or a child.

Gotta kinda take it all in stride, I guess. I'd rather hang out with the anime nerd over the football doucher any day.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Magus]

[quote name='silpheedpilot'][SIZE="1"][COLOR="SlateGray"]Gotta kinda take it all in stride, I guess. I'd rather hang out with the anime nerd over the football doucher any day.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]
[FONT="Times New Roman"]I don't know. Anime/videogame fans can be even more ridiculous than football fans. Then again, this is from what I've seen online. Football fans tends to be more reasonable than both anime and videogame fans. All the bitten heads people get just for not liking a certain anime or game....

I don't want to derail the thread too much since I can see the comparison could lead to other stuff, so I'm gonna leave it alone now lol.[/FONT]

[Tallgeese-]

Hiding it from people is hiding your personality, out of all the friends I have few watch anime. So your theory is incorrect. If you hide it, it's because you are ashamed and that's what makes people not like you, the fact that you are putting up an act. The don't ask don't tell is respectable though.

[session]

I wouldn't consider myself stereotypical, and until recently I didn't even know I was that into Anime and Manga. (Lol, I found out because there were like 5 people on Yahoo Answers with fanart asking where it was from and I knew =P)

For me, it's just stuff I do, like making music and writing and drawing. I like all kinds of things, I try to spread my interests so that no matter who I'm with I can have something in common with them!

I think there are enough degrees of interest in anime that you can avoid stereotypes easily. Unless you fan the stereotype. I try to distance myself from stereotypical people, because that's not who I want to be, but that's just preference. I watch anime at my house, if I had someone else who watched anime I might watch with them, but jumping right into an anime club is kind of awkward, because yeah, we all like anime, but they might not like other things I like.

That's the thing, it's not like we Just like anime, we like a bunch of things, that's human nature. Maybe you like anime and FPS games and Hollister. Maybe you like anime and you draw fanart on deviant art and listen to Disturbed while you work. I would bet that just liking anime isn't enough to put a guy who idolizes School Rumble in the same club as a guy who wants to talk about the philosophy behind Ghost in the Shell or a guy looking for people to buy Doujinshi with him.

And that's cool, that there are so many types of anime and manga that you could have entire different subcultures of the otaku subculture, that are all completely different, both in members and nature.

Then you have the total stereotypical people. Guys that cosplay as female characters and stand in line for new doujinshi (wbt internet lol). That's usually what mundanes think when they think Anime-Guy. And while there isn't anything wrong with all the Anime-Guys in the world, I prefer to distance myself from that stereotype.

Not because I'm hiding my love of anime and the like, but because that guy isn't me. And that's why I don't think I'd say that we are stereotyped. Because unless you are trying to stand out, there's really nothing different from anime lovers and other people. It's not like everyone who watches Lost has no concept of what a "Plot" looks like. Or everyone who watches prison break is totally satisfied with the fact that the show is no longer about "Breaking" out of "Prison".

but I mean

<-- lolnewguy

[Tallgeese-]

[quote name='Magus']And here I thought it was because people (some people) just don't want folks to know they like anime. So what type of personality is being hid in the first place? You say that as if watching anime defines a persons personality. You might want to reword that.

[size=1][spoiler]"Pictures a gang banger who watches anime"[/size][/spoiler] "Coughs" [/randomness][/QUOTE]

You completely missed the point.

As I said in my 1st post, I never hide the fact I watch anime and no one is yet to say anything to me and again, partly because they don't got the cajones to.

[Tallgeese-]

Yea you definitely missed it then. Watching anime is part of who you are, if you hide it from people i.e. someone asks you if you watch anime and you deny it you're putting up a front because you are ashamed. I don't know about where you are from but I don't know too many people that like fake people so.........whatever, do what you gotta do to be cool.

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][quote name='Tallgeese-']Yea you definitely missed it then. Watching anime is part of who you are, if you hide it from people i.e. someone asks you if you watch anime and you deny it you're putting up a front because you are ashamed. I don't know about where you are from but I don't know too many people that like fake people so.........whatever, do what you gotta do to be cool.[/quote]I didn't miss it, but I wouldn't say it means you're ashamed to not tell others, when asked, if you do certain things. lolz The very nature of diplomacy in [I]any[/I] relationship is knowing what to reveal and what not to talk about. Everyone hides something, whether they want to admit it or not. It might be anime, it might be the fact that they like a girly color like pink. The possibilities are endless.

Everyone, without fail, puts up some form of a front. The question is whether or not it really affects the relationship/friendship. It doesn't make you fake if you see no point in telling someone who thinks anime is dumb that you watch it. Blunt honesty, when it creates unnecessary strife, is actually less cool than just keeping your mouth shut.

That being said, anime is not one of the things I bother to hide from anyone. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Udon]

[quote name='Tallgeese-']Yea you definitely missed it then. Watching anime is part of who you are, if you hide it from people i.e. someone asks you if you watch anime and you deny it you're putting up a front because you are ashamed. I don't know about where you are from but I don't know too many people that like fake people so.........whatever, do what you gotta do to be cool.[/QUOTE]

I can see what you mean by your perspective and i respect it.

But I think its more of a fear when I hide the fact that I like anime. I don't want to be stereotyped like how I see otakus get stereotyped. So I don't hide it because I'm ashamed of it.

If someone does talk about anime or if someone that likes anime does talk to me, i do talk to them about the subject. So its not like I'm super shut in about anime anyways. I share my interests if someone brings it up and when they don't there's really no point to talk about it.

[iMeLlamoKraz]

Meh. I have some deep underlying issues, so I do appear to act like some of the stereotypical anime fans. However, I've stopped caring what other people think, so I don't really see what they think of me, and since I went to boarding school, I found more accepting people.

Now, I don't bite people's heads off because they don't like what I like, I can hold a decent anime conversation. It's just that I don't have a lot of friends (not because of anime), and I do spend the majority of the time in my room. I do go out and do stuff once in a while, but anime is not the reason I dont. I'm gonna have some really homework piling classes next term, so I don't have the time to do stuff, not even watching anime.

As for telling people that I like anime, I just wait for either someone else saying that he/she likes anime too, seeing their room full of anime paraphenalia, or if they ask a question relating to my interests. Other than that, I'm either quiet in a group, or I talk about something else.

[Aaryanna]

[FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DarkGreen"]I think stereotypes happen because people don't bother to get informed on the topic and because unfortunately, there are people who actually do fit the stereotype. Around here, some people assume all anime is porn, so if you read or watch it, they automatically assume you are a pervert.

It doesn't make it true of course but there's just no point in bothering to talk to idiots like that. It was almost a year and a half ago, but I went with my sister to get one of the Harry Potter books the night it was released.

They ran everyone in a line through the store and that included going past the manga section. There was some woman in front of us who when we got there, proceeded, in a very loud and obnoxious voice, to whine and complain about them selling pornographic crap.

I was more surprised that she didn't know you can't sell porn on the shelves at a bookstore in Utah than over her reaction. I know my sister and I weren't the only one to pull back and give her lots of space, everyone was looking at her like she had grown horns or something. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[Jax Rhapsody]

I think some of them depend on age and lifestyle. When I was younger I had a crush on Ryoko and Andriod 18. up untill about probably 3 or 4 months ago my otaku page was unchanged cause I forgot about it.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=#9933ff][size=4][font=monotype corsiva] I've two friends exactly my age (twenty-seven going on twenty-eight in August) who are even more into anime and manga than I am. Although I've gotten back into most of it now. We're a bit out there at times. We've even decided on naming our inner fangirls (Fanisa, Fangie and Fanabeth respectfully) because they seem a part of us. However I don't think we fit the stereotype of a typical anime and manga otaku. One of my friends is been in the same relationship with the same guy for about seven years and works at our state capitol. My other friend is single by choice and works over nights at her local Walmart. I'm a resident associate in a two year relationship with a daughter. We all go to anime stores, comic stores and watch what we can and get fangirl-ish when we watch [B]Ouran High School Host Club [/B] and think no one can lay claims on such and such and pick on eachother. But then we get back to real life. And the fact that my one friend's cousin keeps trying to make herself into a fan girl. I don't feel though that anyone would view us as stereotypical or text book otaku.

That said I've also a male friend a few years younger than me who is obsessed with DDR, Japanese culture, Asian girls (he's scared the crap out of a mutual friend of ours who's Asian) and video games. He once got so into (okay is still into) [B]Be 4 U [/B]that he'd managed to work it into every conversation. In his defense he does have apsgers (can't spell it) which makes social situations difficult for him, but that doesn't make it less annoying. He's also short, nearly twenty-two and has never had a real girlfriend. It's quite sad at times. At others it's obnoxious. [/color][/font][/size]

[dizzyNatsume]

Well personaly i think the problem is that people nowadays a very closed minded (well mainly in my school -.-) Ok i also agree with the 'dont ask dont say' theory but sometimes they do ask, this is when it becomes aquward....Once a bunch of girls asked me if i was into fashion and what type, i said no (yeah the only girl youll every meet thats not a fashion adic in my school o.0) but i did say i used to be a goth but i stopped because, well i just did o.0. They automaticaly though i was a complete weirdo >.> but i still had my new rocks in my cupbourd and i showed them to a friend and her opinion automaticly changed from eww gothic clothes to 'omg sweet clothes!'. Also another time (i think i mentioned this but) i was reading a manga book in class for individual reading and the girl new to me though i was a freak and kept sniggering to everyone about it afterwards which wasnt half irritating >< but i showed a friend my (either naruto or death note book, cant remember) book and she instantly changed her mind and though it was cool. They also think im closed minded when i said i listend to japanese music and english music, they were like 'zomg u listen to english music too :o!', well yes i am english -.- but i do listen to more japanese then eng but it doesnt mean i hate it...

Anyways sry for long naggy post but, i think people are just so closed minded and as soon as something new comes into their area they automatically stereotype it and in this case they stereotype anime as either porn or just something a weirdo would read or watch (probably more read than watch) but as soon as i mady show them the anime or manga they change their mind, it isnt half anoying when people do this to stuff they havent even tried before, it a bit like going into a resaraunt and going through all the food u dont know and automatically saying its disgusting when you havent even tried it, and you end up ordering some u always have (get my drift? ^^)

[Tsubomi Rei]

Ugh. Truly something I hate in this world, why must I be prosecuted by being different? You like watching Family Guy, I like watching Gintama. You like watching The Sopranos, I like watching Reborn. What it all comes down to, is why do people give a damn watches or reads and how can it be considered Wierd? This society needs to learn, 'I like what I like, you what you like. Theres nothing wrong with that.'

Speaking from an Anime obssessie...

[Rosencavalier]

No one likes to be stereotyped but in earnest we know that these depictions of particular groups carry with them some form of the truth, otherwise they would not have been labelled in the first instance. If you don't want to become a stereotype you should take into account that your habits and hobbies are a part of you, not you a part of them - if you allow such things to dominate your lifestyle you become less in touch with yourself and your own identity, and soon enough other people - in that instance I think it only right a third party should step in to help you redeem yourself.

[deathysshadow]

Yeah, most people see me as a nerd because i watch anime a lot. As i see it, isn't it just the same as watching tv. i mean i watch more anime then tv. (i watch anime ON tv, by means of online streaming on my ps3)
some of my friends watch like 4 hours of TV a day, and they make fun of me for watching anime everyday (i try)

maybe it is a little nerdy to cosplay at conventions like i do.
But just cause you do something nerdy doesn't make you a nerd

[kondou♥michiyo]

well, the term "otaku" has a negative connotation in japan.
it doesnt just mean "anime fan", it's a general term for anyome absolutely addicted to anything to the point of almost not having a social life.
it's like being told you're a nerd/geek.
but in other countries, it simply means an anime fan.

[goldenboy]

what if i have lots of friends, but all the ones i hang out with the most also like anime? i don't have a lot of "normal" friends to gauge myself off of. i don't see myself as a nerd at all really. i only started liking anime, like, a year ago. my brother is one of those haters who thinks its stupid and refuse to even try to like anime.

i will admit, though, that i do tend to get obsessed about something when i first watch it. like with bleach, my first anime, i watched the first two seasons at a friends house in one weekend. it was all i could think about for a few weeks. is that normal? i think that just happens with anything you immerse yourself in too much.

ill also admit that i do sometimes compare my life to anime. its really boring, but im still mostly happy. some people get really disconnected from reality and become unsatisfied with their lives, and i think thats the stereotype most people think of, someone who always lives in fantasy. and i dont think thats just with anime, it can happen with any escapist entertainment.

[CaNz]

I actually dont mind being steriotyped. I dont know about places outside california, but I have lived on every edge of the state and I never had a problem making friends because i was a nerd. I had gigantic glasses up until I was 14 and I am still not the best looking guy in the world by far, but the people I consider friends liked all the "nerdy" things I did. and the people who may have been put off about it, i didnt want to talk to anyways.

all i am saying is, are you really that upset that jerks dont talk to you? I sure wish more of them would leave me alone.

[Kikyouchanx]

The only thing I really dislike about people who live here is that they think you are a nerd because you watch anime. Doesn't matter if your a guy or girl. :/

That's one thing that is a stereotype

[Myxomatosis]

I have friends who enjoy anime (even a lot) and friends who live anime. I must confess a few of my friends pluck my last nerve from time to time.

I have one friend who constantly talks in supposed Japanese (she got really upset when another friend who is actually majoring in Japanese pointed out that much of what she said was not correct) She comes into the room like a grammatically incorrect Japanese-speaking hurricane, and enters any conversation by releasing her verbal floodgate of latest anime/yaoi news. I could be talking about my cat dying and she would enter the room and find a way to incorperate Naruto into the conversation, while spewing all the commonly used words in Fanfiction in Japanese (Ex, kawaii). She only listens to music if it is Japanese, and shuns anything from another nationality. She plays DDR at the mall arcade, hogging the game mercilessly and ticking off everyone waiting, even though she is horrible at it. She also writes stories all day about every anime charactor ever being gay whether or not they actually are and does this instead of anything constructive in school. It wouldn't bother me if she didn't talk about it ALL THE TIME, because to each thier own, untill I have to hear about it.

Honestly she is usually really hard to be around. I have a couple other friends that are like her on a much lower level. And around here I see a lot of people like her at conventions.

Two of my other friends are dating, and they have no job, don't do school, and live with eachother with one of the girl's parents. They can talk about other things besides anime, just barely, but all they do together is write yaoi fanfiction all day. ALL DAY. Before they dated their love was like a highschool manga, they both had a crush on eachother but totally couldn't just tell eachother, so they both told me, all day every day.

I enjoy anime, I read fanfiction, and if wallet permits, I go to conventions. I don't really consider myself an otaku per se, but I like a fair amount of anime (though I can be picky). My first "crush" was on an anime charactor. A lot of people at my college are really into anime (I am in the anime club with many of them), but they're people beyond that -- you could hate anime and still be friends with them. But a few of my friends are human embodiements of anime, they seriously live it, to the point to where you can't even really talk to them unless it somehow relates to anime or at the very least Japan.

My point is, the annoying friends I listed, are the kind of people that make the rest of us who love anime look terrible. As someone else in this thread said, people NOTICE the girl running around dressed like Saske screaming at the top of her lungs about "Naruto and Saske making out being so KAWAII!", people don't notice the rest of -- the majority of -- us anime fans who are social, productive, and active in various ways. Thus people associate anime watching with people like that. It's normal when you don't know about/understand something to associate it with extreme stereotypes, however irritating it is.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=#9933ff][font=monotype corsiva][size=4]Myxomatosis, I think your female friend needs to meet up with my male friend. The guy is obsessed with Japanese, DDR, and Asian women. The main reason he failed his first semester at OSU was because he was majoring in Japanese and the characters were hard for him.

Seriously the only things he can talk about are calculus, Asian girls on the bus he takes to school who he thinks have a crush on him and anime. He was once dating a friend of ours and she broke up with him because he kept compairing her to another one of our friends who's Vietnamese. :animesigh

Now me, I still watch anime (I found my Sailor Moon DVDs a few weeks ago Wee!) but not as much as I used to. I also have friends who watch anime and read manga. Actually I've gotten my fiance a little more into it) but we also have regular jobs or are in college and we have lives outside of anime and manga. I still am interested in Japanese culture, but I do realize that the cost of living in Japan is even higher than the cost of living in Canada. Plus foreign languages are fun, but if I had to learn an Asian language I'd choose Vietnamese over Japanese because it looks easier. I'm having a heck of a time learning French anyway.[/color][/font][/size]

[Myxomatosis]

Yeah, they sound like a match made in heaven -- only she is not Asian -- but I'm sure she would like to be compared to an anime charactor or something.

I have this other "friend" who is also Asperger's, and similar (though obsessed with a different culture). He is really obsessed with Scandinavian metal, dungeons and dragons, and elves. He likes to compare himself to an Ork and seeks out skinny, shapeless, pale girls and stalks them mercilessly, usually bellowing about how they are his "fair elven goddess'" and stuff. They reject him, and he doesn't stop. It's really wierd, and he's scared the crap out of every girl he set his sight on. He also rejects every girl who likes him (which are very few) who has boobs, any weight, or a general shape. His future plans are to be a Metal guitarist in Norway, and own a music store/"mead hall", but sofar after several years of playing guitar he can only strum a few chords. He also lives with his parents. Lol.

But I have a couple of other friends who are Aspergers' (what can I say, I went to an alternative high school, lol) who are totally functional and in touch with reality. They are a bit socially akward, and at times obsessed with things, but generally liked and still have relationships/jobs/college, etc.

[rotlung]

wow you guys have some nutballs for friends lol...

There is a point where u just need to tone it down and they have definatly crossed that line, jumped the fence and found grandma's house.

[Recaldy]

I thought I was crazy untill reading the above posts. @_@