Life can be funny at times.
I was an anime fan from as long as I could remember, watching shows like Pokemon, Sailormoon, Dragonball Z, Cardcaptors, Hamtaro, and more while they aired on YTV.
I was also a huge fan of Yugioh and Beyblade and would spend breaks destroying guys in the playground with my blades and cards. “Let It Rip” and “It’s Time To Duel” were big phrases in my life back then.
In middle school, I found out my favourite shows were ‘animes’ and that they were from Japan, so I started to be curious about this little island across the world that had such a big impact on my childhood.
It wasn’t just anime either. I was a big fan of Nintendo as my family owned a NES and I later got my my own Gameboy SP. I loved origami and even borrowed books on it, and even brands like the family TV and keyboard were Japanese as well. I started to see Japan’s influence all around me.
Now, if you are a 90s kid like me, and if you were an anime fan like me, you’ll know that it was not considered cool at all. Some just saw it as childish cartoons, and others just considered it something nerdy or geeky, something that losers would be into.
I wasn’t ashamed of my interest. I was already used to standing out but I preferred it that way. I liked what I liked and I wasn’t going to pretend to like other stuff just to fit in or be cool. If anything, while I had the potential to be popular (outgoing, confident, involved), I connected more with the otakus, theatre nerds and musicians.
I even performed to some Japanese songs on stage at school with no shame. [It was only awkward when I had a group project with other otakus and decided to do the ‘I’ll take a chip and eat it’ Death Note reference in front of my class….no one laughed. Maybe just a chuckle from another fan. I definitely overestimated how popular it was ^^”””” CRINGEEEE LOLLL]
But I know others aren’t like me.
Many are shy and awkward and they become very easy targets for those looking to pick on someone. Maybe some were so excited to get that otaku Tshirt or put a kawaii button on their backpack, but then someone saw it, laughed and mocked them, and they never got over that embarrassment.
Even for me, while I was an anime fan, taking out manga from the school library was a hella awkward experience. Made worse by the fact that the walls around the library were glass and the manga section was in the middle of everything so EVERYONE could see you checking them out. I did the announcements which took place before lunch, so I’d rush there and sign them out before people got out.
But there’s certainly been a huge shift in the last few years. Anime, which was once considered a loser’s interest….is now….shall I say it? Popular?
It’s influence has certainly taken over the world at this point. More anime influencers are coming out, more Japanese/anime music is being played, more references are being made, and it’s like…what happened?
With the pandemic and streaming services becoming more common, a lot of people have come across an anime or two and they were mesmerized. They would then tell their friends or family to watch it which helped spread the word to a more general demographic.
Even my cousin who grew up with me and was pretty cool back in high school taught anime was just for kids. She would tease me, as my family always did regarding my Japanese obsession. But I guess her exes and husband were big fans and she came around, cause even she’s been watching more these days!
She was actually the one who introduced me to Attack on Titan back in 2014. She came across it on Netflix and when I passed by, she wanted to see my reaction to the first episode. I was hooked since! When I visited her one time during the pandemic, she was lying down and watching Kaichou wa Maid Sama. Like it’s crazy!
But now, of course many will assume you’re a new fan and ask what new anime brought you abroad and it’s like…some of us have been watching this since childhood. I can’t even tell you which one was ‘first’ because we watched so many classics at the same time!
We knew it was cool. We loved the music, the animation, the storyline, the characters…and there are some hella messed up animes out there, so we know it’s not for kids, but people didn’t give it a chance until it was trending.
And that goes for a lot of things in life.
So many things were unpopular before and so many bared through the bullying, teasing, and embarrassment because they saw something special in it….but years or decades later, suddenly public perception has changed.
Sometimes I watch social experiment videos, like those on Jubilee and Cut, and some make it clear they want a partner who is nerdy and such. It’s funny when some who are just light or casual fans try to act like they are nerdier than they are. Like it’s cool to be nerdy and everyone wants in XD
I recently watched the video below, where a sister is trying to find a date for her brother. at 3:05, she asks people if they’re nerdy because he is. The sister swiped <3 for all the girls in this round, even those who were just scientists or general readers.
The girl who said she ‘watches anime’ and ‘that Hunter X Hunter was her favourite’….yeaaah, she pronounced Gon’s name wrong….Gon is the main character and you hear his name at least 5 times throughout the 148 episodes so….I know cause I watched it for the first time a few months ago LOL
Some were only Harry Potter fans, though they seemed casual and new. They didn’t talk about their houses or buying merch or favourite book or anything like that like the hardcore Harry Potter fans do.
You can like a book or series without being ‘a nerd’, which is what I assume the sister was looking for. It just felt like they all wanted to prove they were nerdy. Which is still funny considering no one wanted to be classified as a nerd a decade ago. It was never ‘cool’ to be a nerd…until now!
I know in Japan, it is/was still frowned upon to be an Otaku (anime/gaming nerd), but guess what? Demon Slayer is the 3rd most watched series in the whole country, and over 19% of households are watching it! The movie became the highest grossing film in Japan’s box-office history, beating Spirited Away!
Anyways, I started this article just to put this out there: Don’t be ashamed of your interests and likes. You’ll find your community!
Let people tease and laugh! One day, they may feel awkward when everyone else falls in love with it and/or they want to jump on the bandwagon to fit in. Maybe they’ll eat their words and become a fan themselves!
People don’t become obsessive fans for no reason. It’s because we think it’s cool and special, and one day, other’s may see it too and you’ll get to brad that you were ahead of the trend 😛