Anime and Society


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aquaspirit39

-san
Kouhai
First I would like to thank everyone who has responded to my other thread: Anime and Adult. Although I never reply but I have been constantly reading it and all the other thread too. I am more of lurker than a poster.

Today I am going to post another question that come to my mind after watching oreimo. Although I am vaguely aware, maybe fully aware but choose not to recognize it, of how society think of the anime otakus. Of course to be more general we could include the erogamers, manga readers, etc.

So I have been wondering why do society looks down on the anime otakus. I find that these people are no difference from people who like to watch K/J drama...It is just form of hobbies that do not bother anyone at all.

There is a point in my live where I think how great if I were to live in Japan since I got access to the animes and all the goods. However, if it means that I need to keep hiding my hobbies from people around me, it doesnt sound at all fun.

MOD Note: Fixed the gramar.
 
QUOTE
There is a point in my live where I think how great if I were to live in Japan since I got access to the animes and all the goods. However, if it means that I need to keep hiding my hobbies from people around me, it doesnt sound at all fun.

The definition of otaku in Japan is quite stronger than just 'fan of animes' (really).
So you shouldn't have any problem if it's just a hobby.
 
QUOTE (aquaspirit39 @ Oct 15 2010, 03:51 AM)So I have been wondering why do society looks down on the anime otakus. I find that these people are no difference from people who like to watch K/J drama...It is just form of hobbies that do not bother anyone at all.

There is a point in my live where I think how great if I were to live in Japan since I got access to the animes and all the goods. However, if it means that I need to keep hiding my hobbies from people around me, it doesn't sound at all fun.

MOD Note: Fixed the gramar.
I think people tend to look down on otaku like behaviour because it is deemed to be anti-social. People who take an obsessive interest in any subject matter tend to be seen as "otakus" and are generally ridiculed (this applies even if people are not familiar with otaku label). This can even occur when a person enjoys a more mainstream hobby (say football). Boys are often encouraged to like a sport by their peers however if they become obsessed and know every stat to the most obscure player then people will call them a football anorak which is the basic equivalent of a football otaku (just a different name is used). The term used maybe different but the result and most importantly the perception of the person is the same.

So the reason society sees otaku's in a negative light - at least to me - is because they are obsessive and place too much importance on trivial matters. And such behaviour is not mainstream and is often associated with behavioural disorders. In short they are anti-social. This stigma is more pronounced for anime otaku's because anime is a niche hobby to begin with (at least in the UK). A anime otaku is probably on the same level as a avid bird-watcher or compulsive train-spotter. Off course these perceptions do not apply to everyone I am just trying to explain why a significant number of people have negative concoctions when they think of anime otaku's.

Saying all that, as Dalriada alluded to, it is important to determine what a otaku is. The definition is relative; an otaku in American may just be a fan in Japan. But generally speaking the more obsessed you are the more likely you are to be labelled a otaku. Sure other factors such as poor hygiene, unemployment may reinforce this label but they are not necessary to being perceived as a otaku.

EDITED POST - ADDED FINAL PARAGRAPH
 
QUOTE (aquaspirit39 @ Oct 14 2010, 08:51 PM) So I have been wondering why do society looks down on the anime otakus.
Forgive me for picking apart your quote to one sentence, which I will address.

What is normal? Can you actually define it? The fact is, normal is dynamic. Normal is essentailly perceived to be the majority of a group manifested behaivior. Who defines the group?

Enough retechorical questions from me. My point is, others opinions should have such a strong influence on your recreational activities. If an individual perceives Otaku's to be, say unclean, you can demonstrate that this is not the case merely by being yourself. Thus you can enjoy your hobbie, and educate others to remove the sterotypical mis-conclusions.

Society is ever evolving, 10 years ago, when I first began delving into Anime culture, Anime was still a "cartoon" to most people, however after a carefully worded expination about plot continuity, people understood. Now however most people understand that Anime is fundamentally different, and is accepted into social culture. Look at Avatar, produced by Nickelodeon, appears to be heavily influenced by the east.

In conclusion, society may look down on the sterotypical Otaku, un-washed, un-shaven, jobless, and creepy. Because you do not display any of those traits, perception will change!
 
QUOTE (Anime-Addict @ Nov 30 2010, 09:24 AM)
Society is ever evolving, 10 years ago, when I first began delving into Anime culture, Anime was still a "cartoon" to most people, however after a carefully worded expination about plot continuity, people understood.
But but but...
Animes are cartoons !

On the Merriam-Webster dictionary, animated cartoon is "a motion picture that is made from a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of inanimate objects (as puppets) and that simulates movement by slight progressive changes in each frame".
It fits perfectly with animes

Denying that animes are cartoons sounds a bit uppity and holier-than-thou.

It doesn't mean that cartoons are necessarily stupid or childish. You have some perfectly fine-for-young-adults cartoons in the West too.
 
QUOTE (Dalriada @ Dec 03 2010, 09:18 AM) On the Merriam-Webster dictionary, animated cartoon is "a motion picture that is made from a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of inanimate objects (as puppets) and that simulates movement by slight progressive changes in each frame".
It fits perfectly with animes
You are, of course, correct. But consider the case of a genericized trademark? Nearly all high-speed rotary tools are referred to as a "Dremel" although that is not the case.

What of Genres? Can Anime be considered a sub-type of "Cartoon"?

What of Vernacular? If the word enters into common parlance, and has the same connotation as it does now, then it is just a matter of the dictionary publishers and editors playing catch-up.


My deepest apologies for my short post.
 
QUOTE (Anime-Addict @ Dec 08 2010, 05:17 PM) You are, of course, correct. But consider the case of a genericized trademark? Nearly all high-speed rotary tools are referred to as a "Dremel" although that is not the case.

What of Genres? Can Anime be considered a sub-type of "Cartoon"?

What of Vernacular? If the word enters into common parlance, and has the same connotation as it does now, then it is just a matter of the dictionary publishers and editors playing catch-up.


My deepest apologies for my short post.

QUOTE
What of Genres? Can Anime be considered a sub-type of "Cartoon"?

A subset certainly, but anime is not a genre (or type) for me, it's more an indication of the far-eastern origin of the cartoon (and even that is tricky : a significant number of "so-called" japanese animes are animated mainly in South Korea. And so are the Simpsons, if I remember correctly).

But shonen can be considered as a sub-type.


QUOTE
What of Vernacular? If the word enters into common parlance, and has the same connotation as it does now, then it is just a matter of the dictionary publishers and editors playing catch-up.

It's true, but it hasn't entered in my common parlance.
tongue.gif
 
QUOTE (aquaspirit39 @ Oct 15 2010, 03:51 AM) First I would like to thank everyone who has responded to my other thread: Anime and Adult. Although I never reply but I have been constantly reading it and all the other thread too. I am more of lurker than a poster.

Today I am going to post another question that come to my mind after watching oreimo. Although I am vaguely aware, maybe fully aware but choose not to recognize it, of how society think of the anime otakus. Of course to be more general we could include the erogamers, manga readers, etc.

So I have been wondering why do society looks down on the anime otakus. I find that these people are no difference from people who like to watch K/J drama...It is just form of hobbies that do not bother anyone at all.

There is a point in my live where I think how great if I were to live in Japan since I got access to the animes and all the goods. However, if it means that I need to keep hiding my hobbies from people around me, it doesnt sound at all fun.

MOD Note: Fixed the gramar.
I believe that this is an interest similar to any other out there. Though it's not made its way through the surface yet. As every "indie" interest out there it will take a while before the rest of society gets used enough to it not to care anymore and just let it blend in with the rest of the world.
Just look at heavy metal. When it came it was the embodied core of Satan and the world was in chaos over this new satanic thing on the rising. Nowadays the extremest forms of metal aren't even considered more than "noisy".

I'd love for anime to be like sports are. That is; common, tolerated and accepted, and somewhat popular I guess. I remember how Pokémon was when it first came here. It was the greatest thing to happen since the pockets in the pitabröd! Every kid had the cards, the games, the movies, the other merchandise. But Pokémon wasn't just a mere toy. Pokémon was part of the larger forum called anime. It was merely a fragment of this great world of beautiful media. But still it was considered nothing more than a child's toy.

What if sports fell under the same prejudice? When you're 10 you discover a football. Everyone has one, everyone has the latest shoes, pads, and whatnot, but suddenly you get older and people start to consider football (and sports in general through that) as passed era now a mere memory.

It is the very same thing. It merely needs some time to get through people's minds.

As for myself I am just too shy to actually live out my interest in anime. ^__^
 
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