Why is Anime Still 'Hated'?
(Source: Baron News by Andrew Hsieh)
Whilst anime has slowly approached mainstream levels of attention, it still has not reached the Western media levels of social attention. Due to this those from outside looking into the anime fanbase simply see it as teenagers and grown adults watching childish foreign cartoons. This is not the case, growing up I spent my time watching Pokemon, Digimon, and One Piece not realising I had only scratched the surface of shows and the culture as a whole. It was during this time I began to observe that in Scotland specifically, there was very little communities of people who seemed to enjoy anime potentially due to being interested in a predominantly sports culture here leading to it being hard to admit to liking anime without being taunted or becoming a social punching bag. Anime has some of the most creative and enjoyable story telling I have ever viewed rivalling that of Western and Hollywood productions making it that little bit more frustrating that it is such a socially unacceptable form of entertainment.
A huge contributor to outlook on anime culture can be linked to what can be referred to as "weeb culture" or "weeaboos". It's true that the minority usually have the loudest voice, this stays true to the anime fanbase. The extreme and more toxic side of the fanbase act as a deterrent for individuals interested in becoming a member of the community. Every community has extreme individuals with an elitist approach to how they handle interactions with others and is such a shame as it further tarnishes an already judged community.
The animation itself perhaps contributes to a more socially unaccepted outlook, it's normal to view a piece of media that has been animated an subconsciously associate it with it being childish. This could not be further from the truth as there are different animation styles that cater to each person's needs should they seek it.
There we have it, a few reasons I believe anime is hated in the West.
What do you think deters or are reasons society hate anime?
I very much agree with you that the animation being seen as childish could deter people from watching it as they could believe people think they are immature for watching it
ReplyDeleteI think your perspective is really interesting and I completely agree that stong toxic anime culture is a strong deterrent for newcomers to the anime scene
ReplyDeleteI think that the language barrier can ba a huge deterrent for new people and the way you can't be shunned for watching "dubbed" anime you are almost forced to watch a foreign language under fear of ridicule
ReplyDeleteI agree. The toxic fans do look down on dubbed watchers which dampens the appeal to watch it as these hardcore fans deem it wrong.
DeleteA lot of people care too much about what others think I feel. There are many out there that would enjoy anime as there is many art styles and stories that can cater to anyone but they can’t watch as there are the few that like to judge. I also feel this has created a vicious cycle. Anime although cheesy at times (like 90% of western shows) is very much for adults from ones I’ve seen due to the violence and complex stories.
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