Why take pride in anime?…

When you can take pride in Popeye?…

[...] The Anime Blog muses on how to share a deep, deep love for anime with the uninitiated. Invite them to watch with you? Wear a T-shirt to a party? Kidnap them and force them to watch the entire run of Cowboy Bebop at one sitting….? [...]

– Writing anime reviews and news on the TheAnimeBlog.com
– Reading and posting on anime-related sites
– Creating anime fan art
– Attending/covering anime cons (Anime Central, Anime Expo, etc.)
– Takings lots and lots of cosplay photos at cons
– Collecting figures from my favorite anime series (plural)
– Wearing my t-shirt for TheAnimeBlog.com (yes they do exist) or other anime-related t-shirt
– Talking to friends who are interested

I guess that’s a whole lotta anime love, lol.

In the US, I will often add anime to my list of interests (except in academic circles), but I’ve stopped lately because of the crazy otaku who like to get into the knowledge contests. And then insists on having a “I own more than you” contest. I hate to sound old, but way back when…people were just friendlier about these kinds of things. And I only started watching anime in 1998-2000? Gah.

I don’t think I do deceptive advertising with the Japanese pop culture approach, since I really do love Japanese pop culture. Being deceptive would be like saying, oh let’s see, that anime is a very popular art form in Japan (some guy in high school actually tried to convince me that Legend of the Overfiend was a Work of Art, swear ta god) That’s me. Like I said, yours is a unique situation and you need to do what you need to do to have a comfortable life over there.

(BTW, the arcane knowledge pissing contests really get my goat too)

I don’t feel like I should have to put a spin on my hobbies in order to get people to love them. That’s kind of like deceptive advertising or worse, hardcore missionaries that try to convert you. Regarding those same questions, I’ve gotten negative responses or I’ve stumbled into an otaku who then insists on having a raging battle of “Who’s the bigger fan” and I hate those because I don’t retain arcane knowledge.

I currently work in Japan. It would damage my reputation in the workplace. Mentioning that I did my undergrad study on hikikomori has already brought a lot of teasing. I don’t intend to make things worse for myself. Besides, I have a lot more “normal” interests in Japan that I don’t have to drift to pop culture when questioned. Overall, it just makes life easier.

@tj han, good point about communication being a two way street. I’ve known a few people in my lifetime who have little to no social skills when it comes to this. I’ve watched in embarrassed amazement as they babble on while their victim politely listens with that particular glazed expression.

I’ve actually done that with rocks and minerals. After a few times of victimizing a few friends, I joined a local rock club. I know why people do it, however, since I’ve done it myself; It’s to try and either A.) Share the love. B.) Convert more peeps so that there are more people to talk to about it.

@Rena, that’s sweet that you and your honey have a cross-pollination of interests. That’s a really good way to understand another person’s point of view, by actually being involved with their interests and hobbies.

@DS, sounds like you have the right approach to spreading the love.

@griever, If someone knows the word “otaku”, you’re probably talking to someone who already has a good grasp on what anime is, one might surmise ^^.

However, one would think that you could you use your love of anime to your advantage if you know how to spin it right: Who could resist getting to know someone who’s heavily involved in Japanese sub culture? I don’t think that would damage your rep in the workplace. Aren’t most people starting to delve deeper into Japanese culture because of the sushi craze and the Asian influence on interior design? That’s how I introduce the subject when people ask, “What kind of movies do you like?” or “What do you do in your free time?” I’ve gotten all positive response when I take an oblique introduction to the matter. After that, then it’s easy to talk about anime. Just some thoughts…

I don’t get people involved in anime or manga. Between Cartoon Network and Tokyopop, people can figure out if they want to see what’s available in the US market or get online and go to the fansubs.

That said, I do tend to wear anime cons shirts and listen to anime music, so people will sometimes ask and then I’ll try to explain. If they don’t know about anime I must sound odd to them, so I do keep it brief. Maybe I should try to enlighten them more!

[...] How do you Share the Love (of Anime?), The Anime Blog; If you’re an anime lover, this blogger would like to hear your opinion on this. [...]