Anyone else hide their Otaku?

[BaKaBaKaOtaKu]

I hide being an otaku as well. XD

I don't like being labeled as an anime-freak irl. XDD

[Zakoo]

Tyranuus : Indeed, I can understand that much.

[MisaoFan]

Although I don't hide my otaku anime passion, the only one thing I have to hide is an anime who have too much ecchi and/or gory elements like Yosuga no Sora, because my family don't want me to watch titles with extreme violence and strong nudity (since I'm 14) but none of my family members saw them.

[Cabrini6000]

Heres a question: Has anyone ever stopped being your friend BECAUSE you like anime? Or Have you ever converted someone into an anime fan?

[Ichuki]

I don't because it's pointless to hide what I am

[Zakoo]

Originally Posted by Cabrini6000

Or Have you ever converted someone into an anime fan?

So much people I stopped counting.

[SilverSyko]

Originally Posted by Cabrini6000

Heres a question: Has anyone ever stopped being your friend BECAUSE you like anime?

If they did this then they were never your friends in the first place.

[Jimi]

Originally Posted by IronWarrior

If you have to hide it, then you are only lying to yourself and pretending to be someone else and not yourself. In a way... it's a trust issue, how can anyone trust you if you hide things like that?

If people can't accept the things you like or who you are, then they are not worthly to be friends.

I don't hide who I am but am sure I must drive my Kendo mates on Facebook crazy on all the Anime videos, music and Anime figures that I spam my wall with.

LOL i heard ya...on the Facebook comment.

[Jimi]

Originally Posted by Zakoo

So much people I stopped counting.

hahA...nice!...whats your secret? none of my friends are interested in anime or manga =(

[Jimi]

I don't hide it, and i don't over do it ether, i have about 4 anime figures on my PC and Drawing desk, about posters on the wall i prefer some street art, mixed with a few Sexy pin up anime girls or my own drawings.

I don't have many friends who like anime and manga and sometimes it feels weird, but u know i always think, this is who i am and this is what i like and if i accept it they should accept it as well, and i have no problems at all.

Its even fun to sometimes go to the skatepark or out of town wearing an Anime or Gaming T-shirt, even reading a manga on the Bus.

One thing i do hide is my Hentai! LOL!

[Kyuu]

Originally Posted by Jimi

One thing i do hide is my Hentai! LOL!

Else, you'd violate public decency.

[Random32]

Originally Posted by Cabrini6000

Heres a question: Has anyone ever stopped being your friend BECAUSE you like anime? Or Have you ever converted someone into an anime fan?

Converted: Yes. It will eventually happen to everyone if you are really serious about hiding your liking of anime.
Defriended: No, I would easily see this though in more anti-Japan communities.

[solomon]

Really I think it just depends on how much you harp on it. And what type of people you hang out with. I hang out with nerds generally but can talk to non-nerds. I just can't talk to them about anime cause they aren't into it. Once you develop a fair range of hobbies and interests, it really is a minor issue.

If you constantly herald it as the greatest media of all time, brag about your dakimarua and figurines inject "WAAIII, KAWAAAIIIIIII" into your speech TO MOST PEOPLE, then well in the dog eat dog world of social order and appearences, you're going to get clowned on BIG TIME.

(fair or not just how it is)

If you mention it in passing and the friends know it about you, then really it should be no problem. They'll maybe bat an eye and be like "Pokemon?" but you can set em straight then.

If they give you shit about it (by shit I mean call you a looser when all they watch is the VH1 and Real Housewives), I basically take this mantra.

No matter what form of pop entertainment you ingest, anime, manga, celebrity gossip, trendy dramas, comedy shows, it's all ice cream and cookies. Just stuff to chill out with, entertainment to passively indulge in (if it's not strictly educational).

There's tons more fufiling and enriching stuff we ALL could be doing in stead of watching tv, listening to radio, reading comics and penny dreadfuls, but we like to veg out on entertainment. What you flavor you choose is on you, but Pistachio is no better for the teeth than Tooty Fruity.

[Zakoo]

Originally Posted by Jimi

hahA...nice!...whats your secret? none of my friends are interested in anime or manga =(

Well so far, I always began by giving Code Geass to watch, after that depending on whether the person is a shipper in soul, a drama lover or a plot seeker I give him something else.

Not like i'm against moe, but I believe if you want to persuade people to watch anime it's better to not begin with things without a plot, the watcher must be caught by something and non otaku people won't watch anime just for the slice of life.

But, in the end, it must change from where you live after all, anime and manga are something french people have since 1980 at least with card captor sakura and everything, everybody watched it when they were young so there's no shame in talking about it... Maybe it's different in other countries where anime don't air on "official TV"

[tyranuus]

Not like i'm against moe, but I believe if you want to persuade people to watch anime it's better to not begin with things without a plot, the watcher must be caught by something and non otaku people won't watch anime just for the slice of life

I'll agree with this; this was how I was 'caught' by my younger brother and one of my oldest mates; and is also seemingly how my youngest brother is being caught at the moment.

Moe/Slice-of-Life anime doesn't do anything to dispel the stereotypes or make you think 'wow, this isn't what I was expecting/that's completely different'; whereas something more provocative like some of the series with better stories, characters or perhaps themes that western shows rarely touch (case in point Elfen Lied is a real wakeup call for a lot of people) can definately open eyes.

All the UK has had memorably on mainstream TV really are the likes of Pokemon/Digimon (which are relatively childish); and having only seen content like that, it can take something pretty substantial for someone to look past possible embarassment, stigma/prejudice and doubts.

I'll touch anime nowadays I wouldn't have touched with a bargepole a year, year and a half ago, but that's simply because with time I've become more open and willing to check out more stuff; some of the stuff I'll now watch, I definately wouldn't show to someone who's just started watching; simply because it likely won't do thier view of the medium any real good, and my own personal preferences still heavily lean towards series with good stories, characters, pacing, music or some other facet I find drawing, rather than the lighter series that don't try to have any depth but definately have a fanbase.

[solomon]

What you say up there is interesting but can be subjective......

Still it is true. No matter how you really slice it, Moe is more of a Japanese thing in terms of character appeal. Some anime fans buy it but since not all do, you have even worse chance of converting anime virgins with it ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE DUDES.

Basically you just so em something that's not too far off from the movies, tv or books they like.

[Nina.Wolken]

Originally Posted by Zakoo

But, in the end, it must change from where you live after all, anime and manga are something french people have since 1980 at least with card captor sakura and everything, everybody watched it when they were young so there's no shame in talking about it... Maybe it's different in other countries where anime don't air on "official TV"

Certainly not everybody and among those who did a fair share haven't had a glance at Japanese anime since public channels stopped broadcasting them years and years ago. Sure you could talk about the good old times when DBZ and Sailor Moon were on TV and you all were 5 or so, but for most people it stop there. Childhood memories.
And if you were to let out that you keep watching anime nowadays, most people would stare at you in a not so flattering way. That is, of course, if you don't give it away by your appearance (yes, there is often a way to tell when you're speaking to an anime-fan or some other kind of nerd by their look only around here).

My point here is that I disagree with Zakoo when he pictures France as some kind of "otaku" paradise (using the western meaning of the word here). There may be a lot of young people who like anime around here, but most adults look down on all those "japaniseries", they expect you to grow out of it by the time you "enter the society" and start working.

Imo, it's nobody's business if I watch anime on my spare time and I like talking about it with friends who share mu enthusiasm, but it' also something I keep for myself in "public" because I know it could be poorly perceived by some.

[Annokano]

I don't call myself an otaku but I do tell others that I like anime.

I'm not ostracised for it, but at the same time other people don't show much interest in it. I probably wouldn't make a good salesperson.

[Zakoo]

Originally Posted by Nina.Wolken

...

I guess we have a difference of view because of our age gap and the people we talk to. Seems like you are already in the "adult world" - working and everything- while I'm by far younger and such I know it's growing into more and more people.

I never said it was a paradise though, but it was by far easier to talk of it than in country where it doesn't even air.

[Nina.Wolken]

Originally Posted by Zakoo

Seems like you are already in the "adult world" - working and everything- while I'm by far younger and such I know it's growing into more and more people.

Since you were previously mentioning people who watched anime on TV in the 80s, I thought you were of this generation too. My bad.

I agree with you that among young people some anime and manga seem to become more and more popular, especially in area like Paris where you get some huge conventions (suffice to looks around during said conventions).

But this is also a reason for veterans to "hide" their passion. Who would want to be associated with a crowd of 12-18 years old who only know of a few shounen (Bleach, Naruto, I'm staring at you) and who have in 90% of the case, close to no consideration to the industry (thus refusing to pay for anything). Well, I don't

Of course, all younger fans aren't like this but a lot of them feat this stereotype and give a pretty bad name to all the "otaku" out there.