The Self-Hating Anime Fan Club

[Roy Focker]

Was busy at work so here's some more.

He would then proceed to laugh anytime anything serious happened, (characters dying, climax of a series, that sort of thing).

This reminds me of my experience at anime expo. I found that the screening rooms that played anime 24/7 (or how ever long it was) was a good place to rest until an event you wanted would start. I take a seat. Some anime I never seen would be playing. Trying to make the best of my time I would watch it. How can I watch it when fans are laughing or acting awe struck at every little joke or fight, etc.

I'm not sure if this supposed to be a serious thread or a joke, either way I am quite amused. I personally find it funny that anyone who visits this board can even judge someone else's hobby and come off sounding serious liks some of the prior posts.

I mean seriously what is MW? its a place that people can get together and discuss an ANIME TV series from the early 80's, as well as all Toys and other merchandise. So the last time I checked "Toy" collecting wasn't a line to pick up chicks. Remember the line "People who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones." And guess what, I like Macross, I have a collection of Macross toys, and I am an Anime Fan. I don't need to justify it to anyone nor do I honestly value the opinions of people who mean nothing to me. But don't worry I'll try to find something "cool" to get into let me go ask Agent One he seems to be in the know.

It's a serious topic done in a light hearted tone hows that?

Man, from a mod that's uncool.

Like the topic said. This is short opinion piece.

Cosplay in general is silly, but saying caucasians can't pull it off and Asians can? Have you seen the cast of Macross lately? Not even Hikaru Ichijo or Misa Hayase look Japanese, I've yet to see an Asian pull off a good Roy Focker. Not many blond haired,blue eyed, 7' giants in the Asian world.

I think Japan pulls off higher quality cosplayers simply because they take it more seriously. And I single out Japan. I can't say I've noticed Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian etc. as showing some noticeably better cosplay than anything else outside of Japan. Cosplay is cheesy the world over, but I don't care if people want to have fun and embaress themselves a bit.

Yep, whatever happened to the old MW slogan, "We've learned to embrace our geekiness, have you?" Are we the land of the beautiful people now? This is all Agent One's fault...

I was saying most asians tend to be smaller in size. Anime character designs are drawn by Japanese. The designers are likely to base the size of the characters with sizes they are familiar with. If a female (or even male) character is petite in a western standard of sizes there is a greater chance that more asian cosplayers will fit the part then a western one. Few westerns select characters that they can pass for. Combine that with a crappy costume and you have a freak feast.

Nah I don't embrace my geekiness. I have geeky hobbies but I have never let my time spend with them take time away from looking beautiful Super saracasic mode switch on: Some people were just un lucky to be a natural born ugly fatso. Even if you fat or ugly you can still maintain a level or grooming. Some geeks seem to go for the slob look. If your average size and forget to groom you look scruffy but if your larger you look like a fat slob. If you look like a fat slob and your wearing an anime shirt standing in line for a theatrical release of some movie and talking out loud to your geeky friends about anime you look really sad.

[mikeszekely]

I'm in.

For example, I love Family Guy and South Park. I'm sure a number of you do as well. Would you, then, claim to be a fan of American cartoons in general? Of course not. Why, then, would you advertise yourself as a fan of Japanese cartoons, and try to consume as much of it as you can?

Likewise, is there a subculture in Japan that consider themselves to be "americom" (American sitcoms) fan? Are there Japanese people bittorrenting episodes of Night Court that were fansubbed into Japanese? I'm not ruling it out, but it strikes me as kind of absurd.

Bottom line, I take anime like any other show or movie. I'll watch some. Some of it I'll enjoy. Some of it I won't. And even though I like some... even though I'll admit to being a fan of Macross and Gundam... I would never consider myself to be a fan of anime.

[Isamu Atreides 86]

Well, I like Macross, some Gundam (08th MS) and GitS: SAC. Other than that, nothing, so i think i'm a shoe in for this club. I Also read comics, but do shower on a regular basis, so i am also a self hating comic fan. This a great movement you've started here Roy. we need to go mainstream with this.

[bandit29]

Sounds like some of you guys are in denial.

"I like X number of shows/OVAs/ movies but.... I'm not an anime fan. How dare you call me that..." Please

Belonging to a messageboard discussing a 20 year old plus anime franchise is anything but normal. I'd say that is more geeky than say talking about GITS SAC or Samurai Champloo. Not that I really care what is considered "normal". Normal is boring.

I've been watching anime since I was 10(31 now). I still enjoy it. I don't go nuts over anime though. I don't get into to all the technical BS details. I try not not to get into heated discussions about anime. If someone needs an opinon of a show etc that I've seen, I'll give it. That's usually where it ends.

I like all kinds of animation. Family Guy rules all. SpongeBob makes me laugh.

I laugh at cosplayers. They all suck. And the fat virgins in the DBZ/InuYasha button down shirts...go take a shower..you smell.

[The Shade]

I don't think most of us qualify as anime fans. I would say that we are more quality entertainment fans. Sure we all like some anime, but we are always discussing any form of entertainment. I've found that the people's taste here are mostly like mine.

An example of an extreme anime fan I know: at my local comic shop, one of the clerks is always trying to get me to watch some crappy anime he's heard of or thinks that hentai is the best thing since sliced bread. Arrgghh!!

[JsARCLIGHT]

For those people constantly saying "But you belong to a message board about a 20 year old anime makes you an anime fan" I say you could be no more wrong.

I have acutally not posted anything even remotely related to macross in about a year yet I am still here. I came here to get info on macross, not talk about it at length and be a total dork. As it turns out I sick around because of the people I met here, not the subject matter. A true anime dork would stay because of the subject matter and not the people.

Heck, every internet message board I belong to I belong to because I like the people, not the subject matter. The subject matter was simply a bridge for me to meet new people who think somewhat close to how I do. If macrossworld magicly became pokemon world I bet I'd still be here as long as my friends on this board stayed... if they left I'd follow them (which I have sort of done already).

A membership on a message board about macross does not an anime dork make. If you saw hundreds of posts by me in the macross section going on and on on diatribes about how Hikaru eats spinich because of something I saw in the background of episode ten, frame 23453 upper left behind the bit of brick then you can call me a dork... but I spend most of my time cutting jokes about anime fans and badmouthing stuff. That makes me a jerk and not an anime fan.

[bsu legato]

See, I don't think there's anythign inherently "geeky" about liking 20 year old Macross, anime, or sci fi in general. If you put two movie fans in a room, one a fan of Blade Runner and one a fan of Casablanca, is the BR fan somehow the geek simply because its sci fi? No, watching anime in moderation is no different from watching anything else, TV or movies. Its the people Roy described in his post that make things difficult for the casual fan. The ones who take it too far and live for cospaly, or the ones who debate DYRL as if it were a real event and not some 20 year old film, and the ones who somehow think being a fan (or an "otaku" as they like to identify themselves) makes them somehow so Japanese that they eat nothing but ramen and ichiban, and use phrases like "konichiwa" and "soyanara" in everyday conversations.

These are the people who ruin it for the rest of us, and they need to be rounded up and isolated from society so that we can study them to find what nutrients they can provide us.

[EXO]

See, I don't think there's anythign inherently "geeky" about liking 20 year old Macross, anime, or sci fi in general. If you put two movie fans in a room, one a fan of Blade Runner and one a fan of Casablanca, is the BR fan somehow the geek simply because its sci fi? No, watching anime in moderation is no different from watching anything else, TV or movies. Its the people Roy described in his post that make things difficult for the casual fan. The ones who take it too far and live for cospaly, or the ones who debate DYRL as if it were a real event and not some 20 year old film, and the ones who somehow think being a fan (or an "otaku" as they like to identify themselves) makes them somehow so Japanese that they eat nothing but ramen and ichiban, and use phrases like "konichiwa" and "soyanara" in everyday conversations.

These are the people who ruin it for the rest of us, and they need to be rounded up and isolated from society so that we can study them to find what nutrients they can provide us.

325898[/snapback]

This wasn't really a hilarious post in tone, but I crack up when I think of the people it reminds of...

Sayonara!

[mikeszekely]

For those people constantly saying "But you belong to a message board about a 20 year old anime makes you an anime fan" I say you could be no more wrong.

I have acutally not posted anything even remotely related to macross in about a year yet I am still here. I came here to get info on macross, not talk about it at length and be a total dork. As it turns out I sick around because of the people I met here, not the subject matter. A true anime dork would stay because of the subject matter and not the people.

Heck, every internet message board I belong to I belong to because I like the people, not the subject matter. The subject matter was simply a bridge for me to meet new people who think somewhat close to how I do. If macrossworld magicly became pokemon world I bet I'd still be here as long as my friends on this board stayed... if they left I'd follow them (which I have sort of done already).

A membership on a message board about macross does not an anime dork make. If you saw hundreds of posts by me in the macross section going on and on on diatribes about how Hikaru eats spinich because of something I saw in the background of episode ten, frame 23453 upper left behind the bit of brick then you can call me a dork... but I spend most of my time cutting jokes about anime fans and badmouthing stuff. That makes me a jerk and not an anime fan. 

325895[/snapback]

Extremely well-said.

If you put two movie fans in a room, one a fan of Blade Runner and one a fan of Casablanca, is the BR fan somehow the geek simply because its sci fi? No, watching anime in moderation is no different from watching anything else, TV or movies. Its the people Roy described in his post that make things difficult for the casual fan. The ones who take it too far and live for cospaly, or the ones who debate DYRL as if it were a real event and not some 20 year old film, and the ones who somehow think being a fan (or an "otaku" as they like to identify themselves) makes them somehow so Japanese that they eat nothing but ramen and ichiban, and use phrases like "konichiwa" and "soyanara" in everyday conversations.

And is the Blade Runner fan expected to like Casablanca, or vice versa, simply because they are both movies? Is it right to stuff them both under the generic label "movie fans"? Why should anime be different? How can people decide that they are fans of anime in general? And should I be considered an anime fan because I like Gundam and Macross, even though I dislike shows like Tenchi Muyo?

BTW, any anime fan who uses Japanese expressions they picked up from anime in normal conversation, and/or takes Japanese language classes simply because of anime should be beaten with a stick.

[striderhiryu]

im in, BTW many of your stories reminded me some things i used to see here in my town, the saddest being a bunch of guys playing yu-gi-oh outside a local comic book store as early as 5:00 am. they were eventually banned from the place and yet keep going there until the manager actually called the police.

[Major Johnathan]

Well, now i really don't get this thread. You admit you like this anime or that anime, but you sure as hell don't like anime in general.

Seems like a lot people here are really touchy about being thought of as 'fans' of anything, lest they be found out by the cool people. :"What!? You like a twenty+ year old cartoon? Oh, grow up and get a life! loser." Who cares?

I fail to see the difference, for example, of someone who puts down Anime or Sci-Fi but is a dedicated sports fan or a motor head. Even the ladies out there, with closets full of designer clothes and shoes and cheesy-cute stuffed animals or porcelian statues or soap operas and chick flicks and 'heart throb' worshippers. It's all just hobbies and collecting. Everyone is a fan/otaku of something.

Roy's been working out with Agent One too much.

[bandit29]

For those people constantly saying "But you belong to a message board about a 20 year old anime makes you an anime fan" I say you could be no more wrong.

I have acutally not posted anything even remotely related to macross in about a year yet I am still here. I came here to get info on macross, not talk about it at length and be a total dork. As it turns out I sick around because of the people I met here, not the subject matter. A true anime dork would stay because of the subject matter and not the people.

Heck, every internet message board I belong to I belong to because I like the people, not the subject matter. The subject matter was simply a bridge for me to meet new people who think somewhat close to how I do. If macrossworld magicly became pokemon world I bet I'd still be here as long as my friends on this board stayed... if they left I'd follow them (which I have sort of done already).

A membership on a message board about macross does not an anime dork make. If you saw hundreds of posts by me in the macross section going on and on on diatribes about how Hikaru eats spinich because of something I saw in the background of episode ten, frame 23453 upper left behind the bit of brick then you can call me a dork... but I spend most of my time cutting jokes about anime fans and badmouthing stuff. That makes me a jerk and not an anime fan. 

325895[/snapback]

Like it or not you are/were a casual anime fan.

I hope you can live with yourself...

[haro genki]

I don't like many anime titles, but I'm not going to sit here and lie and say I'm no anime fan.

It was actually that medium that got me into most of my current hobbies, sci-fi in general, and modeling. So I think I owe it a little more than denying I like it.

Ugly, sick perverted freak? I think that's pushing it a little.

Like and let like, I say.

[King Crimson]

Okay Im new to these boards obviously. But Im not new to the world of Anime. I am an Anime fan. And according to you Roy Focker this apparently makes me an ugly perverted freak. Well as a part of this websites staff you should be ashamed of yourself! putting down fellow members of the community. Just being a member here makes you a fan to some degree. Also being a fan of a certain anime and not anime in general still makes you an anime fan. So I welcome your sick ugly perverted self to the group!

[JsARCLIGHT]

Like it or not you are/were a casual anime fan.

I hope you can live with yourself...

325918[/snapback]

I can because I no longer watch anime that much as most if it sucks now. I also never dress up like anything, speak japanese, think japanese or do any of the other dorky things associated with "otaku" stuff. By your logic simply because I have watched a few episodes of Star Trek in my life that makes me a Trekkie. I know for a fact I've seen a lot of Dr. Who episodes so I guess that makes me a Whovian as well.

The point of this thread / group is that we are people who occasionaly like something only to have a thing we occasionally like make us feel totally ashamed thanks to the other uber hard core nutso fans who ruin it for everyone. I'm very familiar with this feeling being a gun owner. Thanks to all the yahoos out there who shoot up places and kill people everyone on the street thinks just because I'm a gun owner that I'll shoot them where they stand and dance on their body.

It's guilt by association. Against our wills we are associated with these dorks and tools that take everything too far. We do not want to be associated with these people and that is the gist.

[mikeszekely]

Well, now i really don't get this thread. You admit you like this anime or that anime, but you sure as hell don't like anime in general.

Sounds to me like you got it exactly right.

Seems like a lot people here are really touchy about being thought of as 'fans' of anything, lest they be found out by the cool people.

Ah, okay. See, that's where you're going wrong.

Let me clear a few things up. I am, by the definitions of many, a geek. I read Spider-Man comic books. If you look at my bookshelf, you'll find a handful of books on military aircraft, some Forgotten Realms books, and more than a few science books, especially astronomy. Robocop is one of my all-time favorite movies, and I have all the Star Wars movies on DVD. In my free time, I play videogames or tinker with my computer, but sports (aside from the occasional round of golf) do no interest me at all. I'm loathe to spend more than $10 on a shirt, but I dropped $2000 on my TV. And I am definately a fan of Macross, Gundam, South Park, Family Guy, Mitsubishi cars, Megaman, and Venom.

However, just because I like Robocop, doesn't mean that I liked Lord of the Rings. And while I pick up the occasional Spidey comic, I don't read Batman or X-Men. I just finished Turn A Gundam and thought it was an incredible story, but I think that One Piece is retarded. I'm praying that Mitsubishi re-launches the 3000GT, but I'm not really phased by GMC's decision to kill the Camaro. And, much as I like South Park (hell, I'll even admit to liking Xiaolin Showdown... Jack Spicer cracks me up), I sure as hell don't like the Winx Club.

In other words, I like some movies, but I wouldn't say I'm a fan of movies in general. I like Spider-Man, but not really comic books. Some cartoons are entertaining, but certainly not all of them. So why, then, should liking an occasional anime make me an anime fan... especially given that I actually DON'T like most anime?

I think it's normal to be a fan of some things. If you experience so movie, book, game, show, anime, etc, and you find it especially enjoyable, it's going to mean something to you. You might even want to talk to others about it.

What I don't really see as normal is someone who decides that they like anime in general, obsess over it, adopt any of the following words into their everyday English conversation: baka, chibi, arigatou, kawaii, tomodachi, gaijin, otaku, or neko, and then become intensely in modern Tokyo yet know nothing of Japan's history, the fact that the intense pressure of the Japanese school system rarely leaves time for the misadventures that occur to Japanese teens in anime, or even who the Japanese Prime Minister is. (That'd be Junichiro Koizumi, BTW.)

[Jemstone]

Like it or not you are/were a casual anime fan.

I hope you can live with yourself...

325918[/snapback]

I can because I no longer watch anime that much as most if it sucks now. I also never dress up like anything, speak japanese, think japanese or do any of the other dorky things associated with "otaku" stuff. By your logic simply because I have watched a few episodes of Star Trek in my life that makes me a Trekkie. I know for a fact I've seen a lot of Dr. Who episodes so I guess that makes me a Whovian as well.

The point of this thread / group is that we are people who occasionaly like something only to have a thing we occasionally like make us feel totally ashamed thanks to the other uber hard core nutso fans who ruin it for everyone. I'm very familiar with this feeling being a gun owner. Thanks to all the yahoos out there who shoot up places and kill people everyone on the street thinks just because I'm a gun owner that I'll shoot them where they stand and dance on their body.

It's guilt by association. Against our wills we are associated with these dorks and tools that take everything too far. We do not want to be associated with these people and that is the gist.

325934[/snapback]

Amen, brotha. Amen.

[Gunbuster]

I don’t get this thread too :: I know this is a bit off topic, but I’m trying to understand ::

Let say I really enjoyed Starwars, Star Gate TV series, FireFly, Blade Runner, and can’t wait for the Serenity movie, but I hated Star Trek Enterprise, Sea quest, FarScape, Hitch Hiker to the Galaxy (the movie)…..does that mean I’m not a Sci-fi fan?

Or

If I enjoyed Hero, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, Blood Sport, all the Bruce Lee films (especially fist of fury) and I hated the Karate kid, Mark for Death, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter Movie (the one with Van Danm)…does that mean I’m not a martial arts movie fan either?

And yes, my majority of entertainments I watch are anime, Sci-fi, and martial art films

[Jemstone]

I don’t get this thread too  ::  I know this is a bit off topic, but I’m trying to understand  ::

325945[/snapback]

It's not about being a fan. It's about being embarrassed of the "fanhood" thanks to the sheer stupidity of so called "uber fans/otaku".

[mikeszekely]

I don’t get this thread too  ::  I know this is a bit off topic, but I’m trying to understand  ::

Let say I really enjoyed Starwars, Star Gate TV series, FireFly, Blade Runner, and can’t wait for the Serenity movie, but I hated Star Trek Enterprise, Sea quest, FarScape, Hitch Hiker to the Galaxy (the movie)…..does that mean I’m not a Sci-fi fan?

Or

If I enjoyed Hero, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, Blood Sport, all the Bruce Lee films (especially fist of fury) and I hated the Karate kid, Mark for Death, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter Movie (the one with Van Danm)…does that mean I’m not a martial arts movie fan either?

And yes, my majority of entertainments I watch are anime, Sci-fi, and martial art films

325945[/snapback]

Do you feel comfortable saying that you're a sci-fi fan? Or a fan or martial arts movies? I feel comfortable calling myself a gamer, even though I can't stand DDR.

If you do consider yourself a fan of martial arts movies, at least (I assume) you're not using Chinese in daily conversation, or planning any trips to Xiaolin temple.

[Gunbuster]

325945[/snapback]

Do you feel comfortable saying that you're a sci-fi fan? Or a fan or martial arts movies? I feel comfortable calling myself a gamer, even though I can't stand DDR.

If you do consider yourself a fan of martial arts movies, at least (I assume) you're not using Chinese in daily conversation, or planning any trips to Xiaolin temple.

325949[/snapback]

Yes, I feel comfortable being an anime fan, sci-fi fan, and martial arts fan. like you I consider myself as a gamer too, but I hate MMO (that's another subject matter).

I don't use Chinese in my daily conversations, however I do use Japanese as I talk with my friends and penpals in Japan. I do plan on visiting one of those temples if I get a chance to visit China.

I do understand about the association with hardcore fan, but it's like any other hobbies out there, like sports, you get the crazed fan that would beat you up casue you cheer for the other team.

I just don't let it bother me and just flow with it.

[bandit29]

I don’t get this thread too  ::   I know this is a bit off topic, but I’m trying to understand   ::

325945[/snapback]

It's not about being a fan. It's about being embarrassed of the "fanhood" thanks to the sheer stupidity of so called "uber fans/otaku".

325948[/snapback]

Your always gonna have that in any fandom. Hell I can't even talk to other Dale Jr fans..they're morons.

[Major Johnathan]

Hmm, well I do occaisionally sprinkle a little Japanese in my blatherings, but it's not just anime, I'm a big time Imperial Japan history buff (WWII era), I don't see that as a sign of going overboard. (not that I'd use Japanese words around people who have no idea about any of it, that's just rude.)

How often do we Americans sprinkle in some Spanish,Italian,Yiddish,ebonics,German or French words into our daily conversations? Why not a little Japanese?

I really don't see a crisis of fat,white,smelly Otaku/Geeks, but I do live in a Rural area. Maybe it's really bad in L.A. for example... Frankly, I'm happy to run into a fellow anime or Sci-Fi fan, usually.

[bandit29]

Like it or not you are/were a casual anime fan.

I hope you can live with yourself...

325918[/snapback]

.By your logic simply because I have watched a few episodes of Star Trek in my life that makes me a Trekkie.

Awfully defensive. I'm sure you've watched more anime than just Macross. I said you were a casual anime fan. You even said something similar about yourself on the first page. Please correct me if I am wrong.

What I get a kick out of(and my original point) is some members here who think that discussing a 20 year old forgotten about franchise is less geekier & more normal than discussing new shows & franchises. Got news for ya'all: you're(myself included) actually considered bigger geeks. Keep in mind that I don't care about what is considered "normal". I like old shows as much as I like the new stuff. I don't get into that "older is better BS". All relative.

And I wouldn't call you a Trekkie....that's low...even for me. IMO, 1 Trekkie is worse than 50 otakus playing Yugi-oh eating Pocky.

Edited September 5, 2005 by dejr8bud

[EXO]

I'm pretty much in trouble if I say I'm not an anime fan... cuz one look into my shelves and all you see are giant robots... but I just don't like people asking me what I thought of .hack or Witch Hunter Robin... then they give me the look, what do you mean you haven't seen it? Or aside from the four or five hot chicks in cosplay uniforms in a con, I really just want to punch out every cosplayer just standing there trying to look cool so someone will ask to have their picture taken.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Awfully defensive. I'm sure you've watched more anime than just Macross. I said you were a casual anime fan. You even said something similar about yourself on the first page.  Please correct me if I am wrong.

What I get a kick out of(and my original point) is some members here who think that discussing a 20 year old forgotten about franchise is less geekier & more normal than discussing new shows & franchises. Got news for ya'all: you're(myself included) actually considered bigger geeks. Keep in mind that I don't care about what is considered "normal". I like old shows as much as I like the new stuff. I don't get into that "older is better BS". All relative.

And I wouldn't call you a Trekkie....that's low...even for me. IMO, 1 Trekkie is worse than 50 otakus playing Yugi-oh eating Pocky.

325957[/snapback]

I'm not being defensive, I'm just clarifying. I refuse to be put in the same category as those retards dressing up like cartoon characters, living in mom's basement, speaking in half japanese half english mush phrases they hear watching their shows to each other. The sad truth of my story is that I used to be an anime fan... back in the '80s when anime was so underground you had to dig past China to find it. All this talk of "20 year old" shows... I watched all this junk when it came out the first time 20 years ago. I saw it new and I saw it old. I watched anime go from some bizzare oddity torn apart for american release to the underground craze to the mainstream monster it is today. I would have been with it the whole way but that was until other anime fanatics ruined it all for me. I only liked a few things but the few things I liked, I liked. Until I made the mistake of talking to the crazies and going to anime conventions. Wall to wall freaks and dorks. You have no idea how stupid you feel in the same room as someone dressed up like Ranma or a Klingon or some other nonsense... Fools like that drag the whole thing down... they make YOU feel bad for THEM. It's the same effect as me going to a gun show and seeing some fatass clod dressed head to toe in fatigues pretending he's an "army guy" or some dumbass pissed off white idiot selling nazi stuff thinking he's an arian.

Every niche, every hobby and every sport in life has the regulars and then the freaking hard core republican guard SS people. I can handle the regulars... the hardcore nuts need a good head shrinker and a few doses of reality.

Edit: and it's also funny you keep harping on MW as a point of contention. I myself have learned to hate anime all over again thanks to this place and some of the members here. Scrolling through endless fights and pointless debates on this site over even the most nuanced things gives me a headache most of the time.

I think another condition to add to the "otaku dork" playbook is their inability to let people have opposite opinions. The hardcore fanboy will fight to the bitter end to prove his opinion is the only one and the right one and you should have it to. Be it about the color of captain kirk' tie in episode 55 or the exact line spoken by han solo in scene 6 of ESB or even if Macross 7 is "teh ghey" or not. If all it takes to get you frothing mad is for someone to say something like "kryton sucks" then you are a crazy.

Edited September 5, 2005 by JsARCLIGHT

[Flaming Guantlet]

An example of an extreme anime fan I know:  at my local comic shop, one of the clerks is always trying to get me to watch some crappy anime he's heard of or thinks that hentai is the best thing since sliced bread.  Arrgghh!!

325891[/snapback]

Hentai is the best thing since sliced bread foo! Just kidding.

I don’t get this thread too  ::  I know this is a bit off topic, but I’m trying to understand  ::

325945[/snapback]

It's not about being a fan. It's about being embarrassed of the "fanhood" thanks to the sheer stupidity of so called "uber fans/otaku".

325948[/snapback]

Your always gonna have that in any fandom. Hell I can't even talk to other Dale Jr fans..they're morons.

325952[/snapback]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

As for me,I am indeed an anime fan. But does that mean I should follow every new show or trend that comes along? No because I'm too picky. Does that mean that I should read all of the new popular manga coming out to bookstores and scantilation groups? Nope. Does that mean I should try to write bad fan-fiction? Nah. Does that mean I should try to be japanese (like cosplay and speaking it)? NO WAY BUB (seriously I know some people that really do want to be japanese cuz they love anime THAT much)! Why? Because I'm the casual type. I not vieing for the title of "Alpha Otaku" of "Alpha Nerd". I just enjoy what I like and I happen to like anime. I guess I'm a member too.

Yet a few of these traits I described applies to my two bests friends I know. First one lets call her "Jen". She is the kind of person doesn't follow every new show (because she sticks to those male/male kind of shows with the non-sexually threatening female lead) but follows the manga scene very closely. She likes to cosplay male characters, writes yaoi fan-fiction and collects yaoi doujins *YACK!*. Yet why am I not repeled by her? Because she's polite, level-headed, non-imposing of her tastes and very respectful of other peoples taste in anime. In short she is not an outright otaku. That and she likes Macross Zero .

Now lets talk about my other friend which well call "Lou". He's not much of an anime fan now but back the he would follow every new monster/trainer anime out there. Once he start following it, there was no turning back. First it would start with the video games, then lastly it would acummulate into entire decks of monster cards (I.E. Yugi-Oh). From time to time he would compete against younger adversaries(my kid brother thank you very much)to full blown tournaments with other little kids at card shops(in fact, thats all he ever really dueled against, little kids). Nothing stands out more than seeing a 23yr old prince look-a-like dueling it out with a 10yr old in a Yugi-Oh Duel (he still duals today mind you). Plus he thought Macross Plus was like Gundam Wing *shudders*... Also he is still hoping for another Gundam Wing sequel despite the fact that it was intended for female audiences (which he doesn't believe) . So who repluses me more? I think you know the answer.

As for those "uber otakus", I seen my fair share. Just today I went to a comics show here in Sacramento. Mind you I go there because unlike many of you here I don't have the luxury of buying Macross/gundam items off the the internet. That and sometimes its nice just to go. As I was in line I overheard some people discussing there fan-fiction*groans* and how they created a character that looked like Kagome for Inuyasha but with a kick-ass personality which I can care less about and I couldn't help but feel dumb AND embarrassed in their presence. It's not like I hate them but yeesh way to make the next guy feel embarrassed about himself! I also talked to this guy I met one time when he discoverd anime back in '01. Since then he has been playing anime only video games. As a proud gamer I told him he was only limiting himself from the broader range games out there. As you know the world of anime licensed video-games is spotty at best. Thankfully he was a nice guy and listed to what I said and hopfully he'll heed my words. Of course there are the other kinds of otaku/nerds but I think we pretty much covered that thoughout the entire discussion.

Sorry for the lengthy post but I want to share my 0.02 cents in full. Now if you excuse me, Im gonna go tell "Jen" what a good friend she has been to me.

*Edit for minor corrections.

Edited September 5, 2005 by Flaming Guantlet

[Guest Bromgrev]

So, would a hentai collector be a "self-loving anime fan"?

[bandit29]

You have no idea how stupid you feel in the same room as someone dressed up like Ranma or a Klingon or some other nonsense... Fools like that drag the whole thing down... they make YOU feel bad for THEM.

Trust me I know the feeling. Been to enough anime shows or Chicago Comicons in my life. When you see 30-35 year old men dressed as Xena & Gabriel it wants to make you run out the door and question yourself "What the F am I doing here?"

Edit: I also saw Sailor Bubba in person. Google it if you dare lol

Edit: and it's also funny you keep harping on MW as a point of contention. I myself have learned to hate anime all over again thanks to this place and some of the members here. Scrolling through endless fights and pointless debates on this site over even the most nuanced things gives me a headache most of the time.

I only bring up MW because thats where we are at. Most of the nonsense here I ignore. Hell I've hardly been here in two months. Not sure why I came back...

Edited September 5, 2005 by dejr8bud

[CF18]

Yawn... Show me a hobby or show that don't have a band of dorky or idiot fans.

[Mechmaster]

I guess I am probably a member though I'm not sure I'm sufficiently motivated to actually hate anyone. I don't have much to do with other people, to me they are just obstacles to avoid when walking down the street, their beliefs/opinions/obsessions are not my problem.

Some things in this world I like, some I don't but I really can't be bothered to categorize them in order to give myself a label. I don't understand people who are obsessive about anything, sooner or later we will all be dead and gone and then what will it matter?

[LORD KUNGFU]

which makes me very curious as to how well the live version of evangelion will be pulled off, ive yet to see a good looking giant robot in a live movie, the closest thing so far has been the power loader from aliens, and ED-209 from robocop, everythign else has been either bad cg, bad animatronics, or bad man-in-suit (power rangers)

325492[/snapback]

wha, you dont like power ranger special effects. How dare you. (((Smacking right fist into left palm))).

[Radd]

This thread is certainly full of hate, and I'd have to say appropriately named if some people's opinions are any indication.

I can understand disliking the obnoxious anime fans who tout thier shows as the best, and will shove craploads of BS arguments towards anyone holding a dissenting opinion, or the hygiene-impaired fans who believe that bathing is always optional and are usually lacking any and all social graces (the usual stereotype is a fat, balding, 30+ years old man who still lives in his parents' basement). As others have pointed out, such "uber fans" are not at all limited to anime.

However, much beyond that and it seems to me someone has a bit of an insecurity issue, and it's not the 200lb biker who's confident enough to dress like Sailor Moon for a few laughs.

[Roy Focker]

Sounds like some of you guys are in denial.

"I like X number of shows/OVAs/ movies but.... I'm not an anime fan. How dare you call me that..." Please

I think maybe you are confused. There nothing in denial. I know that some of my hobbies like liking a few anime shows and discussing one of them here is dorky. I don't care that I have a few dorky hobbies cause I like them. However when I see an anime fan I see either two groups of people, the young teens who appear to like any crap that is marketed to them and the adult fans who look like they have jumped out of the anime fan's closet. If the above two groups are the anime fans that I encounter and most non anime fans think of. I'm a fan but I don't want to be seen as one of them so thus I'm a self hating anime fan.

Okay Im new to these boards obviously. But Im not new to the world of Anime. I am an Anime fan. And according to you Roy Focker this apparently makes me an ugly perverted freak.

No your just an ugly freak. You'd only be a perverted one if you exposed your little smoky or donut hole.

Well as a part of this websites staff you should be ashamed of yourself! putting down fellow members of the community. Just being a member here makes you a fan to some degree. Also being a fan of a certain anime and not anime in general still makes you an anime fan. So I welcome your sick ugly perverted self to the group!

What part of "Opinion Piece" do you not understand. I'm sick of fricken idiots who think staff members have to have no opinions what so ever. Have I in this thread stated this is the offical MW stance? Sure I'll put down members of the anime community down if I think they look like a disgrace.

It's not about being a fan. It's about being embarrassed of the "fanhood" thanks to the sheer stupidity of so called "uber fans/otaku".

Exactly.

Yawn... Show me a hobby or show that don't have a band of dorky or idiot fans.

That's true but anime is a hobby in which has a large number of dorky idiots who don't mind parading their fanhood.

[Father Jack]

That's true but anime is a hobby in which has a large number of dorky idiots who don't mind parading their fanhood.

326012[/snapback]

Damn straight.

I mean some of these people that I've seen would make satan himself weep.

Edited September 5, 2005 by Father Jack