Shit People Say to Anime Fans

I’m sure Anime fans know what I’m talking about. These seemingly innocent but terribly annoying comments that can come from almost anyone– Parents, Friends, Classmates, Cousins, or even your significant other. I can’t count how many times my friends and or family members have said things about Anime that made me want to somersault off the nearest 10 storey building. And so, here’s a pretty short list based on my personal experiences. This list is in no particular order. I just like numbering things!

1. Anime is for Kids!

Homura does not agree!

For the nth time, there are different types of Animes and not all of them are for kids! Do people know how narrow minded they sound when they spew this sentence from their mouths? Whenever someone flings this comment at me, I have to resist the urge to throttle them and shove their heads into a juicer. In this day and age, saying that ‘Anime is for Kids!‘ will just clue everyone in on the fact that you’ve been living under a rock since 2012.

In fact, just do us Anime fans a favour and stay there because dayum. Animated films have proven to the world that it can cater to both children and adults, so why can’t you think the same way in regards to Anime? Series like Attack on Titan, Psycho Pass, Madoka Magica, Kill La Kill are definitely not for young kids. When I was just a wee child, I wasn’t enjoying the deconstruction of the magical girl genre, admiring gratuitous fanservice or enjoying a good revenge story. No, I was wondering when the next meal was, and what cartoon I should sit down and watch next.

2. You watch Hentai?!

Shut your mouths, you pigs in human clothing!

I remember telling my friends how much I was enjoying D grayman, and they countered me by saying that I was watching hentai.

Hentai, is a basically subgenre of the Japanese genres of manga and anime, characterized by overtly sexualized characters and sexually explicit images and plots. In simple terms, it is animated porn. There are several reasons why I get annoyed when people jump the gun and accuse me of being a closet pervert who is constantly getting off on the Anime I watch.

No. Just no.

I simply don’t understand how people can think that Anime = Hentai. Every medium of entertainment has adult content, and categorizing Anime as ‘Porn’ just because of a few panty shots is the shallowest thing someone can do. People have to get it straight that while Anime can be overtly sexual at times, it is not hentai. I understand that this misconception might stem from the fact that some series have large amounts of fanservice (Highschool DxD, HOTD, Freezing Etc.) in the form of buttshots, boob shots or crotch shots, but c’mon. And also, you’re acting as if you haven’t watched porn before and act so ridiculously scandalized that it gets on my nerves.

Doesn’t regular media (TV, Advertising) have those things too? Why is it that Anime fans get blamed for enjoying fanservice while you’re enjoying the very same thing in the form of advertisements and the like? Are you going to say that the show ‘Bones‘ is a porno just because they show shots of naked men and women? The answer is: No.

3. But Anime isn’t real!

Now look here you little-

Ah. This sentence. The bane of my existence. This sentence is met with eyerolls and long suffering groans. I believe that the sole purpose of this sentence is to give one an aneurysm. Firstly, let us determine what ‘real’ is actually supposed to mean. In most cases, the people who’ve said this are likely referring to the fact that Anime does not have real humans who are acting out stories like in Korean dramas and American dramas for example. I sometimes wonder how someone can say something this inane.

What are you trying to convey by saying that ‘Anime isn’t real’? Real people work to make it happen. Do you mean that Anime series just magically appear out of thin air?

People work to make it happen. Animators, voice actors etc. Just because you don’t see real humans acting out a script on screen, doesn’t mean that it’s not real. That very sentence doesn’t even make any sense. Now, many people have defended this statement by saying that movies and television shows are ‘real’ because they’re acted out by real people. Are you seriously telling me that you’re judging an entertainment medium based on that fact? And for goodness sakes, these sorts of things are all scripted – they’re not as ‘real’ as you think they are.

4. So you Cosplay?

I’ll execute you!

This is one of the less annoying questions, but I have to confess that it doesn’t get any less irritating over time. I understand the misconception, since many cosplayers do draw their inspiration from Anime characters. Nearly everyone I have told that I liked Anime (bar the fans themselves, though some of them have asked such questions on occasion) have asked me this question. I have nothing against cosplayers, but the fact that some people assume that I cosplay just because I like Anime is ridiculous. So don’t do it!

Overall, these are just some of the shit that I’ve heard as an Anime fan. Some of the people I know do complain time to time about this as well. In the end, it’s just something one has to live with (unfortunately).