Is there a stigma around anime for you?

[Cy~]

Stigma

noun, plural stigmata [stig-muh-tuh, stig-mah-tuh, -mat-uh] (Show IPA), stigmas.

1. a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.

 

Do you ever feel really self-conscious about watching anime? Is there a person or group of people that you absolutely would NEVER want to know about your hobby? Don't worry, I promise that they will not read this topic.

 

I'll start. If I'm hanging out with friends or people around my age or younger, then I really don't care. Anime is disturbingly popular up here in the northwest of the USA, and I have never really felt a need to avoid mentioning it.

 

With *that* said, whenever I'm watching anime on the commuter train to home, I like to ensure that my back is up against the wall so no one can watch over my shoulder. The fact that there's so much fan service and shit in most anime make me extremely reluctant to be seen by someone that may just interpret things as, "OMG THERE IS A GROWN WOMAN WATCHING ANIMATED PORNO ON THE TRAIN."

 

Besides this, I tried introducing anime to my mom and completely made a mess of things due to some very, very bad choices on the part of myself and my sister. To make a long story short, my mother currently believes that anime is satanic and completely horrifying. And, with my mom, first impressions are everything - gg no re.

 

So, yeah... I guess my own situation is half and half. :'(

[existentiallylostdumbell]

I hid the fact that I watched it from everyone but my two best friends and a girl who watched it in high school, my class was full of geeks in college, but I was forcing myself to quit anime and tv at that time so I could get my work done. Did do for a year and a few months, first year and a half I hadn't quit it. Even so Is still found ways to procrastinate, mainly youtube, but I've graduated now, so I've made a rule that I'm allowed to watch it on Sundays. But to answer your question, generally, it's not something I talk about, and definitely something I'd hide from people in boxing lessons or the gym. Even though I have lethal power in my hooks.

[RepentantSky]

I have never been shy about it. My Mom isn't aware of a lot of anime, but she barely even flinched the first time she saw me watching adult swim, and someone's head got cut off during a fight. I may have been lucky though, I've always known someone was into it. I got a friend into anime one night when he was staying over and we watched it. I'd been made fun of before for mentioning it when I was still in high school but that was over a decade ago so I'm really not bothered by it.

[Kohloo]

I've never really had to hide that I watch it. My parents aren't interested in it, but they don't ridicule me for my tastes

[Orius]

It's not as bad in Singapore, partly because it's an Asian country. Watching anime is a lot more normal around here as opposed to America, where people constantly misused the term, "weeaboo" (it means non-Japanese who pretend to be Japanese, by the way, not people who watch anime; there's a difference). I do still feel a bit awkward around certain peers about bringing up the subject of anime since I know they're definitely not interested at all, going so far as to not consider them serious shows worth paying attention to by anyone above the age of 10. So yes, it gets a bit harder talking about anime to those kinds of people.

 

But like I said, I don't think it's as nasty around these parts, probably because anime fans here are less... disgusting. They're not the stereotypical kind dressed in anime wigs and walking around with some big-ass katana, so it might have lessened the stigma.

Edited June 1, 2017 by Guest

[Rali56]

Nope and that's because most people I know either watch anime or don't care enough about it nobody ridicules people except in a joking manner.

[Nutty]

It's not as bad in Singapore, partly because it's an Asian country. Watching anime is a lot more normal around here as opposed to America, where people constantly misused the term, "weeaboo" (it means non-Japanese who pretend to be Japanese, by the way, not people who watch anime; there's a difference). I do still feel a bit awkward around certain peers about bringing up the subject of anime since I know they're definitely not interested at all, going so far as to not consider them serious shows worth paying attention to by anyone above the age of 10. So yes, it gets a bit harder talking about anime to those kinds of people.

 

But like I said, I don't think it's as nasty around these parts, probably because anime fans here are less... disgusting. They're not the stereotypical kind dressed in anime wigs and walking around with some big-ass katana, so it might have lessened the stigma.

 

Agreed. I reside around that part of Asia too, so the culture from where I'm at is pretty similar.

 

Personally, I am very open about my love for anime, even going as far as to try and convince people in which never even gave anime a chance to check it out. As of late, I have even started to watch anime with my mom and dad (after much persuasion) and I think they are growing fond of it. With my friends and people I meet face-to-face, I would usually share my love of anime with them rather than hide it. And of course, I would not feel comfortable watching anime in front of total strangers since I wouldn't like to be misunderstood for someone who is only into "fanservice", "cartoons", and "cute girls."

 

If I am going to pour hours into something I am truly passionate about - I absolutely see no need to hide it

Edited June 1, 2017 by Guest

[SAO LILDOOP]

I don't really care if people know I watch anime, in fact I tell like everyone that I do. But I do feel uncomfortable if people see me watching anime when its going all fanservicey, y'know. Its awkward.

[ItsSammy]

Eh, nope.

I would tell everyone that I watch Anime just because I want others to be able to understand how great it is, I'll also debate anyone on Anime topics because I defend my favorite shows/characters to the death.

[Greeneyes]

mmm not really... Although I don't really openly talk about it all the time with people at school but its not a secret from people, both my parents know about me and anime... So I guess not....

[Nectar]

With *that* said, whenever I'm watching anime on the commuter train to home, I like to ensure that my back is up against the wall so no one can watch over my shoulder. The fact that there's so much fan service and s*** in most anime make me extremely reluctant to be seen by someone that may just interpret things as, "OMG THERE IS A GROWN WOMAN WATCHING ANIMATED PORNO ON THE TRAIN."

This is brilliant actually, since I love an anime marathon whilst on a train journey. I'll happily sit wherever on a train and watch anything. For me, I feel that the weirder the thing I'm watching, the less likely anybody is gonna want to talk to me to stop me

 

 

To answer the question, yes, a little. There are two very distinct halves of my family, my mum's and my dad's. My dad and his parents really don't like my interest in anime at all, they regularly ask me at family meals "Are you still watching those Japanese cartoons? Not grown up then yet I see." "Still learning Japanese? How do you say 'sushi'?"

 

However, my mother's side of the family really really apreciate anime. My stepdad, a collector of 20th century video games and anime, fully supports my taste in media, and we used to regularly watch series or movies together. My mum loves it too, especially since I showed off Kobayashi-san Chi no Maidoragon to her in February.

 

So yeah, occasionally it's something I try to keep to myself, but mostly I can be pretty outgoing, and a lot of people I see regularly (girlfriend, mother, other friends) really like what I'm into, and it's great.

[Cy~]

My stepdad, a collector of 20th century video games and anime, fully supports my taste in media, and we used to regularly watch series or movies together.

 

I'm just going to jump in here and say that your stepdad sounds like one of the coolest stepdads to have ever existed in the universe. It must be pretty legitimizing to have older family members that can give you a thumbs up on anime.

[Nectar]

I'm just going to jump in here and say that your stepdad sounds like one of the coolest stepdads to have ever existed in the universe. It must be pretty legitimizing to have older family members that can give you a thumbs up on anime.

Oh, absolutely, I agree 100 percent. He was the one who introduced me to anime, giving me a copy of Hiyao Miyazaki's Spirited Away about 5 years ago. The guy's a legend, his collection of C64, ZX Spectrum, and various Atari consoles and video games is.. astonishing.

Plus he was the lead guitarist in his punk band he once was a part of. The dude toured in Japan briefly, I believe, and at the age of 17 without his parents even knowing he went.. As you can tell, I'm super proud of him

Edited June 3, 2017 by Guest

[Orius]

Oh yeah, because this just came up in a video I'm watching... anime profile pictures, especially on YouTube. Avoid using them, period, if you don't want to be stigmatized. It's the biggest bait that will get people to mislabel you a weeaboo- Oh right, that's not the correct phrase... A filthy weeaboo. Ah, there we go. What an intelligently-constructed set of six syllables. Definitely only someone of an Oxford degree could come up with something as ingenious as such a statement.

 

Of course, that's just YouTube being YouTube, so it's not really surprising. Still, it does show what people are comfortable saying on a highly anonymous, non-moderated platform like YouTube. It's not the same as saying it on a forum where you'll be banned and especially not in your face, so that tells you what people really feel behind the cowardly wall of anonymity.

 

Then again, there are trolls who do it for the lulz, whatever childish sentiment that means in the braindead world of keyboard warriors.

 

On the other hand, seeing as this just came up on a YouTube video by someone showing his face, openly mocking people with anime profile pics, anonymity might not be an attributing factor here, and the stigma might not be as absent as we want to think.

Edited June 5, 2017 by Guest

[brycec]

In real life, I do not talk about anime with people too much, but I do talk about it sometimes when I find something interesting.

 

I get most uncomfortable watching anime around my family, because they cannot be quiet and let me enjoy the show or movie, and they do not seem to see how engaging the stories can be, which helps me come up with story ideas, tell what makes a great story, so I can do more in depth reviews on my blog, and even let's me understand human beings better than I could by talking to people, especially because of the masks we put on.

 

I have been a bit more open about my interest in anime recently than I have been in the past though.

[Frost]

To be honest, when I was younger, absolutely. I suppose when I was younger there was kind of this stigma around anime. Kids my age thought it was "nerdy" or weird to watch cartoons from another country, or to listen to music I "couldn't even understand."

 

I think it's fair to say that at some point, when you're a certain age, fitting in or blending in can be of some importance. Maybe this is more applicable to the time period I grew up in, I'm not sure. I got into anime when I was around 12-13. Or, I guess I should say that I became aware of anime during that period of time. It was something that my friends or peers did not really understand, and so it was the general consensus that it was something wrong or lame to watch.

 

I got teased a lot when I was around that age. And so I generally kept my interests to myself. It is the main reason why I sought out places much like this. Being a child with extreme social anxiety, having anyone think anything about me gave me rashes or set me into panic episodes. So I did the best I could to hide anything about myself so I would not seek judgement from others.

 

As I got older, high school maybe, I realized that there are others who enjoy it. And that is when I opened up a bit more about it all.

 

I can honestly say that in this moment, I hold no shame in it. But I'm also a different person now than I was then.

 

 

Also, interesting topic choice @Cy~ Thank you for sharing.

[RyePotatoes]

During free hours at school I watch anime whenever I can cause I have this habit of downloading many anime episodes as I possibly can during the day since my Mom usually turns off the Wifi by 12 (this is getting out of the topic lol) Anyways, I actually feel free to watch anime with my friends. They don't care as long as I reply to them whenever they say something like about their crushes and everything. (Too girly stuffs )

 

Although there was like this one time when I actually fell asleep watching Shokugeki No Soma. My dad was soooooooop furious the next day cause he heard this moaning due to some parts of the anime. It was really awkward since it was my dad but everything was explained and I think they pretty much know now that their daughter is really in to 2D stuffs. After all it was my Mum who introduced (indirectly) me to anime.

[Cy~]

the stigma might not be as absent as we want to think

 

This is a thing in some online communities, tbh. I once made the extremely ill-advised decision to convert a forum from a particularly insular fandom into an anime forum. This was ill-advised because it turned out that a lot of people really, really hate anime and can't stop ranting about "filthy weaboos". Frankly speaking, I think that they're all silly, but eh - it is a weird prejudice that exists for some reason. Generally among people that couldn't appreciate what's good about anime even if it popped them in the face.

 

My dad was soooooooop furious the next day cause he heard this moaning due to some parts of the anime

 

Can I just say that the thought of this is hilarious to me? What did he think was going on?! Hahahah.

 

Also, interesting topic choice @Cy~ Thank you for sharing.

 

Hahaha, my pleasure! Though, I think that I maybe overstated my own shyness about anime. I don't actually have too much of a stigma around it in my day-to-day life, but that doesn't mean that I show up to my job and wave a banner... Errr... Actually, I did that once... You know what, I'm excusing myself from this topic now.

[Bernkastel]

I tend to not openly show my interest in anime. Even my more mainstream interests get an indifferent reaction from those I know, one of "I don't care about/understand it, but I'm not hostile to you enjoying it" so I tend to be wary of showing something that might get a worse reaction. I don't actively try to hide it, but I'll never try to bring it up or mention my interest in it to others.

[RepentantSky]

I tend to not openly show my interest in anime. Even my more mainstream interests get an indifferent reaction from those I know, one of "I don't care about/understand it, but I'm not hostile to you enjoying it" so I tend to be wary of showing something that might get a worse reaction. I don't actively try to hide it, but I'll never try to bring it up or mention my interest in it to others.

 

I guess that's what these forums are good for right? No one's going to judge you for liking anime here.

[The Bunk]

Yeah I never feel comfortable watching anime around my parents. I never know if those really kinky scenes will show that will fill the room with awkwardness, so I avoid watching it around them just for caution.

 

It's cool when I'm with friends and family who are in my age group tho since it's something we can all enjoy together

[Optic]

Unfortunately, other than with closer friends and colleagues, anime is not something I would readily discuss at work. In that sense, I mean I'm not going to be leaving wallpapers of it on my workstation. As mentioned above, many titles have fan service and sexualised imagery which could completely be taken out of context by a passerby or anyone not familiar with anime. Talking about it too much with older work colleagues does raise eyebrows.

 

To give you more context, I once worked with two Japanese teachers.

• One was older and very traditionalist.
  
• The other was younger but still took his work seriously.
  

When I said to both of them on separate occasions that I really love Japanese animation, the older one replied "Oh is that so?" and that was the end of it. Whereas the younger one was more interested and we discussed several titles, as well as him trying to implement parts of it in his teaching lessons for fun.

 

So yes I think there is still a general stigma - which is unfortunate as anime covers so many different themes and stories. Thankfully it is definitely less than what it used to be as more and more anime movies are being shown in cinemas.

[AniMeFReaK]

I'm never embarrassed of watching anime!:D(you know I'm a HUGE liar right?)

...

I'm embarrassed of watching anime in front of my brother. My parents don't know that I watch anime. In fact, even if there's a bit romantic scene in a family-friendly movie, I get REALLY embarrassed of watching it in front of people. Friends? I don't mind. But your FAMILY? Um, HELL NAW!! That being said, I'm even more embarrassed now. So I bought a movie called Sausage Party. It was animated, so I thought it was family-friendly. What happened next? DUN DUN DUN!! Sausage Party is R rated. My family KNOWS that I bought Sausage Party. Now I'm hiding it. But if ANYONE (other than my brother, of course) finds it, I'm dead. Sausage Party is SO worse than even Highschool DxD!:?

Hope that was informative! ^_^

Edited July 8, 2017 by Guest

[The Bunk]

So I bought a movie called Sausage Party. It was animated, so I thought\ it was family-friendly. What happened next? DUN DUN DUN!! Sausage Party is R rated. My family KNOWS that I bought Sausage Party. Now I'm hiding it. But if ANYONE (other han my brother, of course) finds it, I'm dead. Sausage Party is SO worse than even Highschool DxD!:?

Hope that was informative! ^_^

 

Lmaoooo anytime you see names like Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, and James Franco in a movie, chances are it ain't family friendly.

 

(Reminds me that I gotta check it out sometime)

[Bernkastel]

I guess that's what these forums are good for right? No one's going to judge you for liking anime here.

 

Yeah. Even on the internet, it can be hard to find good communities for discussing certain topics on. Offline, at least for me, it's impossible. So, I'm very glad I found this place.