You and your hobby, anime/manga/cosplay/conventions

[~boogiepop~]

Curiosity has gotten the best of of me so I thought I would pose some questions. These pertain to anime and anime related video games, manga, cosplay, and conventions.
How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
How do you feel about the fan base?
and what I'm really curious about...
Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?
Why or why not?  

Please, no flaming or calling anyone out in this. Civil, intelligent discussion here. Everyone has different opinions, so do not argue about them.

My opinion:

• About half of my friends are not interested in anime and manga, they joke around about me liking it but I can keep my friendships going because I have many interests that aren't related to it. My mother and sister have made a hard effort to understand my interests. Both have been active in my lifestyle attending conventions with me, helping me with costumes, watching shows with me, and my little sister has even developed an interest in cosplaying.
• Personally, I hate anime and manga fanbase. Then again, I hate all fan bases. More then half of any of them are going to be filled with people who are interested in what is popular and nothing else, arrogant people who think they know everything, people who are so socially awkward they can't hold a basic conversation, and delved so far into obsession that it's sick. It just seems that there are a little bit more of these people in the anime and manga community then anything else I am involved in which is why I usually try to pull myself away from it.
  But don't get me wrong, I met a lot of my great friends through anime and conventions, and continue to meet many awesome people through the forums and at meetups.
• I'm not open with the fact that these are my interests.
• Why now? I don't want people to immediately judge me on that fact. I know every one of you has had the problem of being shut out or secluded from people or a group of people because of this interest at least once in your life. I don't like the way society stereotypes people who are into anime. I've found that if I leave that out of conversation, people are able to see my personality before they go "Ew, it's an anime geek". It's sad that's the way the world works, but hey I'm not complaining. I have a few other things that I'm more interested in then anime and manga, so it's not like conversation is short.

I know it's a lot to write but I'd really love to hear peoples opinions on this.

[Trumby]

Interesting questions, Nikki. Let's see..

1: I honestly don't really have any non-nerdy friends so while some of them don't cosplay or like anime, they still don't really care either way that I do. Besides, the majority of my friends these days are people I actually met at a con. As for my family, I don't think any of them have a problem with it. My mom has helped me with costumes, my dad is going to help me make my AT's for my Air Gear cosplay, and my brother and sister seem to always like seeing the pictures from the cons.

2: I pretty much feel the exact same way as you do about this.

3: Yeah, pretty much everyone that knows me knows what I am into.

4: Because to me, if someone wants to judge me and think badly or look down on me for my hobbies I really don't want to even be around that person, let alone be friends with them. I mean it isn't like I'll go out of my way to tell someone I am into it, but if they ask what my hobbies are, yeah I will mention them. Everyone I work with knows that I'm into this sort of stuff and a lot of them think it is kind of cool (even the non-nerdy guys), especially the Star Wars costuming

[Romo]

1) The majority of my friends are also into the same types of things as I am, but there are a select few that just view anime/manga as uncool. At the same time those people aren't rude about me liking them, we just talk about things of other natures. As for my family, my mother has made an effort to understand and get involved with my interests. She watches anime with me from time to time and is my main source of transporation for cons, as well as helping me with most of my online purchases from my age. On the other hand my father really doesn't care for animation at all, but doesn't use my liking for anime against me in any form. He just chooses to ignore it as best as he can.

2) I hate most of the fan base. I won't lie, because more than two-third's of the people I've ever talked to about anime are completely OBSESSED with Naruto. And quite frankly, that makes them think that they're the coolest most epic anime fans to ever walk the earth. The minority that actually takes the time to look into shows with less episodes and popularity tend to be okay though. Except for the ones that think they're amazing since they watch shows nobody knows about. Other than that I basically agree with you.

3) No, I'm not.

4) Why not? Because I'm very low on the 'status quo' as it is and if I went around telling people I was into anime right off the bat they might tac a stereotype on me and not even bother getting to know me before rejecting our chance at a good friendship. This hasn't actually happened but I've seen situations where if I hadn't stretched the truth I would've gotten insulted for my interests. It's a sad world from the fact that stuff like this happens but I'm sure in the future I'll be able to openly express my interest in these things.

[Cassiopeia]

How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?

My family is pretty supportive of it. My mom doesn't have any real interest in anime and video games, but she's really good at costuming and helps me in that area. My dad doesn't watch any anime, but he comes to conventions with me because he likes the atmosphere and my younger brother has fun at them. My little brother plays video games whenever he can so my dad knows a bit about certain video games from being forced to play.

As for my friends... I have few friends from school who are into those things, so I can geek out with them about it occasionally. Most of my other friends aren't interested in it but don't particularly care if they know that I am. Everyone knows that I love to dress up though, even if it's not specific cosplay... I think they all find it amusing.

Some people just think I'm weird.


How do you feel about the fan base?

Sometimes I feel isolated within it. It can also be very competitive and not fun. And there are also, like you mentioned, the socially inept ones and the close-minded crazies that are really off-putting. That being said, I've met some great people through it, and everyone contributes to the.. specialness of it all. xD


Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?

If I'm asked about it, sure, but if there's no reason to bring it up then I don't mention it. It's just a part of my many interests.


Why or why not?

Most people aren't into anime/manga, plus there's some stigma associated with it. Either it's like "lol you're a nerd" or "lol you're a pervert" 'cause they think it's all pornography. =_= Even if they don't think that but they aren't interested in it at all, there's an immediate disconnect. With video games it's a little different, because that's more socially acceptable. But most people are just casual gamers, and if you go into anything deeper or mention slightly more obscure games there's still that disconnect. First impressions are important, and I don't need to risk ruining them. :]

[xxxchihiroxxx]

1.

my famileys not to big on it : / they have their own private reasons, its not just a hate with out a cause. a chunk of my friends like it a lot, granted not as much as I do but still like it. I also have plenty of friends who arent into it but we just talk about other things and they dont give me a hard time about it.

2.

thats a hard one xD it's iffy at times. I find a lot of people I really like, who turn out a lot like me. they enjoy the hobby in their free time, their not obsessed,m cosplay as well, and are just genearly nice people. There are also those who take anime to be their lives, they only have anime friends, they only talka bout anime, its anime this anime that. They also tend to spur their own soap operahs within the fanbase and that to me is a turn off as far as how i like the fan base goes. however for the most part, i do like most of the people ive met through this fanbase. I used to be on a more obsessive level of fan myself but ive drawn away from it and openly invite other activities in my life that bring me joy. to be honest, im fine with most narutards and death heads, theres a wise saying that goes "dont stop liking something just because it is not popular" and an equally wise saying off "I refuse to stop liking something because it is popular" theres a lot of people who are trend haters, and think it makes them cool to hate anything thats autmatically popular, in reality though it makes them just as bad as trend followers. So yeah I'm mixed about it but either way, i like the friends I associate with from the community now.

3. If asked i will say I will but otherwise no.

4. Why? It's not my obligation to introduce myself as "Hi I'm Jill the anime fan." yes theres sterotypes to being an anime fan but thats not it to me. Being an anime fan isnt my life, I am me, myself, and not just a "fan" what my hobbys are doesnt have to go into a first impressino. and generally I find its better to start with commen ground when meeting some one. You both go to the same school, talk about the school, if you met through writing community, talk about writing, if you met browsing anime at the library then by all means talk about anime (they know you like it now anyways)

xD darn you got me rambling now

[iluvshijimi]

1. My friends and family are pretty cool with anime and manga. Well, my parents wish I could be into something else lol, but they don't really mind. Peers my age though... When I meet someone new, usually it's a "normal" person who doesn't have the same interests as me TAT

2. I hate the American fan base. The younger people really annoy me at conventions especially.

3. I pretty much answered this in number one xD

[superjaz]

Curiosity has gotten the best of of me so I thought I would pose some questions. These pertain to anime and anime related video games, manga, cosplay, and conventions.
How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
How do you feel about the fan base?
and what I'm really curious about...
Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?
Why or why not?  


my mom and dad have always liked off beat stuff so they see my liking of anime as an extention of that
my friends and peers are almost all with in the anime comunity so nuff said
fan base, the bigger the better cuz then it is more likly to have merch i want to buy over here

Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?
Why or why not? 

I am so open to people about my likes and intersts, sure there is that 75% of the time you deal with people who are "pat pat on the head" and treat you like your an idiot cuz you like cartoons, they are just funny cuz they just dont understand that cartoons can be for adults
but it is worth it for that 25%

like today there was some people in my office from a differnt town and one was talking about a sex ed class to adults with disablities, and that lead to sensitive talk about sexual aids and i am giggling cuz i staff a con where they have sold yaoi yuri paddles and i explained what it was and the lady said she like asian horror movies and we dished on takashi miike, and ringu, and on a hunch i asked her if she watched true blood and she was like "every week"
awesome

[Namazzi]

• How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
  Well, my friends are the ones who initially introduced me to anime many many years ago before I even realized what anime was. xP Most of my friends love anime just as much as I do, and we attend Kumoricon together every year.
  My parents don't really understand it, but they tolerate it. I mean, they kind of have to since I'm an adult don't they? Not like they can ground me for it. *lol*
  My sister thinks it's completely childish, and doesn't understand it. But that's okay.
  And as for my brother, he too likes anime. Just not neeeaaaar as much as I do. He'll watch maybe one short series a year. He used to be more into it. But I also understand with his new baby on the way, he doesn't really have as much free time as he used to.
  
  
• How do you feel about the fan base?
  I'm about 50 - 50 on it. Some of the fan base I can't stand, while the other half I love. I guess it all depends really. =P
  
  
• Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?
  Not really. I don't blurt out right away that I watch anime. And some people I've known for a long time still don't know that I do. If it comes up, I'll say it, but if not, then it's not really worth mentioning. xD
  
  
• Why or why not?
  Just for the fact while I watch anime, I have maaaany other interests as well. I'm not completely involved with anime and nothing else. So if it doesn't come up in conversation, then I just don't mention it. Some people might think 'anime? Childish, and that's all she does?" So.. yeah. haha. I like to at least let the person get to know me first before saying so if at all possible. But like I said before, if it comes up I'll mention it, other wise I wont.
  
  

[StarryShay]

How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
Hehe, as far as my friends go, I think only a few of them like anime, and the rest probably don't even understand what it is. As far as cosplay goes though, alot of my friends outside of the cosplay world, think I'm a dork for spending so much time/money on it, but then the others are envious of it. I have a friend who's wanted to cosplay for some time, but she doesn't really have the resources to do it. As for my family, my sister is happy about anime, manga, and cosplaying, because she likes it all too, and my dad and mom just think that it's funny, or 'cute'. xD (Heh heh, my step-dad won't let me watch anime in the living room if he's out there too though, because he can't stand all the high-voices. x333)
How do you feel about the fan base?
The fan base..? Oh, oh, like other fans who are into this stuff? Hm, well I can't say I love the entire fan base, because some people out there can be a little wierd or, dare I say, scary, when it comes to these subjects. For instance, it's not okay to starve your family in order to buy more manga from your favorite series. xD Umm, as for the other fans, I either love them, or admire them most likely. x3 (Ohh, and I'm not really crazy about big hairy guys wearing school girl uniforms. xP)
Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?
Well, I don't think it's something I really talk about at all to strangers. That would be wierd..
Me: "Hello Stranger.~"
Stranger: "Hello, what's your name?"
Me: "My name is Shay, and I cosplay and watch anime."
Stranger: ". . . . . ."
x333
If anyone asked though, I would totally admit too it.~~
Why or why not? 
Well, like Namazzi pointed out, it's not really the main thing in my life. I don't want people to think that I'm some wierdo who sits at her computer for days and watched hours of anime daily. x3 I mean, I read books too, and I like to run and do many other things, so I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression of me when I first meet them.

[Mentally Hilarious]

I'll try to keep mine fairly breif.
How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
A friend of mine kinda pushed and shoved me into it. Later I thought it was cool. My mom shows some interest. She thinks some characters from Naruto are pretty neat yet sad at the same time. Quite a few of my friends like anime and manga and such and talk about some of my favorites quite a bit.
I have only one friend who is somewhat into it but only because when we talk about it she hates not knowing who the characters are. But she really doesnt care for anime and manga. She likes the kingdom hearts video games and such but she doesnt obsess over it like some of my friends do.

How do you feel about the fan base?
Scares the living hell out of me and I generally dont like to associate with the hardcore no-life-beyond-their-fandom type people. They scare me. I can't imagine having just anime and manga as an interest. Especially fangirls (they make me wanna kick a puppy!). Yeah i like naruto but not because its popular but that it keeps my attention.

Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?
Somewhat.

Why or why not?  
If they ask about I dont deny it but I aint gonna say "I love Naruto" just randomly. I dont like to be automatically tagged as a 'needy loser Narutard'. Its sad that people are very judgemental but then again that is human nature.

[The_Geek]

1. I've got one friend who likes anime and manga. The rest either don't like it, or haven't watched much. Doesn't really matter there since I'm transferring to a school where I know... No one....
My family's ok with it though. My Mom is relatively supportive. My Dad just wants me off the computer. They both see how committed I am to cosplaying though, so, they see it as a chance to let me do something...(With spirit...In a community.... I really don't know...)

2. In general, they suck. I honestly hate all fanbases. That's the "from the bottom of my heart" opinion. (Oh, look, it picked up sludge while it was down there.)  

3. It's not something I bring up first thing. I let people figure out what kind of things I like themselves. Though, it isn't that hard.

4. I just don't feel like taking the trouble to explain that, no, I don't consider myself a pervert, geek, or any other degrading term that labels me.

[Auricle]

How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?

Well, both of my siblings are completely into it, even to the point of cosplaying. We're still pretty new to cosplaying though. My mom and dad don't really care as long as it's not bothering them. They're not real big on helping me with my cosplays, though my dad does occasionally provide transportation if I can't get somewhere on trimet or I have to get home after dark. Most of my friends I've met through cons, cosplay, and my school's sci-fi/fantasy club. XD My school is based online, so I don't actually meet any other students randomly.

How do you feel about the fan base?

Well, I don't really mind it much. I'm pretty much a lurker for some online fandom-related stuffs, but I never participate. It's not like I would become completely obsessed, or force anything on others. I haven't met any of the scary peoples, but I guess I keep myself out of those kinds of places anyways.

Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?

Well, kind of.

Why or why not?

I never think that anyone will be interested, so I don't bring it up. If I know they're interested, then it's a pretty good topic for conversation I guess. ='D

[Man of the Public]

How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
My brothers are fans, my mother couldn't care less as long as I'm having fun, and my dad doesn't get it.
How do you feel about the fan base?
I have a saying "I hate people, but Persons are ok"

Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?
It's common knowledge that I'm a big fan of anime at my school, since I'm the president of the anime club. But I try not to make it the defining characteristic about myself
Why or why not? 
I see no reason to hide it.

[Wuntvor]

Curiosity has gotten the best of of me so I thought I would pose some questions. These pertain to anime and anime related video games, manga, cosplay, and conventions.

How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
I don't have a lot of friends.  When you are 45, married, and un-employed you find that there really aren't a lot of people you can call a friend.  The few aquaintances I do have like anime.  My Mom likes some anime and even saw Witchblade before I did.  She is a fan of mysteries and the supernatural.  My Dad will watch an animated feature, but really isn't into the series.  Most of my peers are "computer geeks" and are more interested in WOW than anything else.  Some have at least heard of anime, but usually as it relates to games (Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts) or popular TV shows (Naruto, Bleach, Transformers).

How do you feel about the fan base?
Hmm..  Hard one.  I come from a "furry" background and sort of migrated over to anime.  I find that both tend to attract a certain type of people.  Like most things there are those individuals who are "over the top" so to speak.  Sometimes they can be scary, sometimes annoying, sometimes gross.  Almost, always obvious.  I tend to migrate towards the panel rooms and mingle with people over 20.  I find the Raves and game rooms to be loud, noisy, and in some cases, so loosely based on anime that I ask myself why is this here?  I suppose it all comes down to, if they don't bother me, or shove themselves in my face, I'm OK with it.

and what I'm really curious about...

Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone? Why or why not?
I almost always wear an anime themed T-shirt.  If someone asks me about it, then I will tell them about the anime depicted on the shirt.  If they are still there after that I may ask them what their favorite genre of show is, and ask them if they watch any anime.  If they still show interest I will notify them of Anime Friday at my place every Friday at 7:00pm.  

[Dubaby]

How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
My parents are really cool about my interest in anime/games/and japanese culture in general, they might poke fun at me for it, but they aren't serious and when it came to my first con they were the ones who drove me and my friends the 2 hours to the con and stuck around town all day. I've been cosplaying for a little over a year now and my brother still doesn't know, it's not that he'd have a problem with it, but he's super protective and might not like the idea of me going to hang out with "strangers in costumes" for a weekend, but whatever. My close friends know that I watch anime, but only a select few of them know that I cosplay or are interested in anime themselves.

How do you feel about the fan base?
The anime fanbase is no different than any other fan group in my opinion. You'll always have the fans that are just a tad too hardcore, and then the fans who are kind of loud and obnoxious, but in the end there are just as many fun and interesting people as their are fans who I might not be on the same level with. In the end it's just like real life, you like some people, you don't necessarily get along with others, in the end though it's all good. =]

Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone? Why or why not?
I am absolutely NOT open with my interests upon first meeting someone... in fact many of my close friends are still unaware of my amazing weekend con trips. If someone asks me straight up if I like anime I'll be honest, but unless it's someone I am very close with and I feel is open-minded I'll skip over the cosplay/con part if asked. I've had people tell me that I'm not a TRUE fan because of it, but in all honesty it's just easier to not have to deal with people questioning my interests and jumping to conclusions because of the anime fan stereotypes that are out there.

[nikkiolie]

1. My parents are kinda mixed about it. They love that I have a hobby and it is something that I care a lot about but they don't like me spending a lot of money on it. My friends don't really care too much. Most of them play video games and or watch anime but don't cosplay. I even got a few of my friends into cosplay

2. The fan base is a little weird....there are a lot of cool people but there also a lot of really creepy people that I don't even like thinking that they are seeing that much skin of mine *shudders*

3. I'm not too open to it telling others at all unless I met them at a con. A lot of people look down of stuff like that and despite what everyone says most people care about what others think and say about you.

[Mister_manji]

How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
I guess they dont really mind. Its kinda a "at least he's hasn't started doing drugs or knocked anybody up" sorta thing. I watched anime growing up, and my dad has managed to sit thru most of Evangelion with me. They both love Ghibli flicks. They also like the quirky Japanese movies i bring home from the library. My mother, however, still thinks, in the back of her mind, that it is at least a little bit childish. But she hides it very well most of the time. I still remember my dad referring to DBZ as "the angry man show"

How do you feel about the fan base?
The fanbase scares the crap outa me sometimes. several trends in fandom are personal rage-inducing catalysts

1. show popularity: there are two kinds of people who piss me off when it comes to this: the people who think that only mainstream, high-viewership shows are worth watching, and the people who think they are cool because nobody watches the shows they do. Both are equally dumb: the mainstreamer because they miss out on some of the best the field has to offer, and the underground fan, because they are a stuck up elitist who no-one wants to talk to.
2. Yaoi:uggh. it has nothing to do with the homosexual content. It has to do with everything else about it. Especially pairings. Don't even get me started on canon
3.kids: a good 90 percent of the people i run into at cons have never seen any of the titles i consider good. It is, in fact, rare for me to meet someone who has seen anything pre- Ghost in the Shell. These people have no idea who Iria is, what Gall Force is about, or even know what Lin Minmay does for a living. Many even consider hand-draw animation to be old-fashioned and not as pretty as CG. I applaud the kids out there who do seek out and watch/read the awesome stuff that is responsible for building anime in America. Without the popularity and business success of stuff like Macross and Devil Hunter Yohko, you would not be watching Naruto on cartoon network.

Other things that drive me insane: use of the word "Otaku", fandom's sense of fashion, the fandom's idea of humor and what is cool, lack of personal hygiene, complete lack of normal social skills (though I can sometimes be guilty of this myself), all-around creepiness, obsession with hentai, furries, yaoi fangirls, yuri fanboys, lolicons, Kingdom Hearts (there, i said it!), Naruto headbands on non-cosplaying persons, a lack of discretion in costume choice. There are thousands, and more pop up every. single. day.


and what I'm really curious about...
Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?
It depends: is this person a non-geeky girl? Lol, but seriously, if the person doesn't admit to liking anything remotely geeky, i dont really bring it up. I wont lie to them though, because i think that's BS. If they admit to geeky-ness themselves, i bring it up, and i tell them exactly what I am: a geek. I play WoW, I watch anime, and i read manga. I even staff conventions for it. But im honest: I don't watch that mutch anime anymore, I prefer manga, and I work at cons because its fun as hell, in addition to looking good on a resume
Why or why not?  
A lot of people are, to put it very mildly, mean and judgmental. To be honest, there are much more apt words to describe exactly what these people are, but I'm not allowed to use them here

I prefer to ease my friends into the fandom, and I've found that (now at least) most of my friends are now members of this or a similar fandom. its just easier that way

[Higuma]

How do your friends/family/peers feel about your interest in the above items?
My wife and my kids love anime as much as I do and we go to Kumoricon every year as a family. My Brother thinks its stupid to watch cartoons as an adult but his friends watch it and our other siblings do too.

How do you feel about the fan base?
The fan base can get too serious about anime especially if you dont like what they like. Or like others have said before people who only watch one kind of anime (popular or underground). I am willing to give any anime a try reguardless if it is new, old, popular or underground. I have found so many hidden gems so to speak because I am willing to give any series a try. Most of the fan base is ok but some can get carried away and they are the ones who further the stereotypes of an anime fan.

and what I'm really curious about...
Are you open about these interests when first meeting someone?
I am more than an anime fan and I have more interests than anime, but if it comes up that I am an anime fan then of course I will tell anyone I love anime.

Why or why not?
Why not tell? Life is too short to pretend to be someone you are not or to care what others think. If someone can judge you only by your intrests than they are close minded and who cares what they think anyway.