How do I be older fan?

[nintendiehard]

Okay so I've been here trolling...browsing the forums for a bit now, and I've come to notice that the vast majority of fans here are under 18, many of them are under 16. 
Makes it kinda awkward, though not too bad.  So, how is it being an older anime fan?  Does it change things all that much?  Does it ever make it kinda hard/awkward at meetups or anything?

As you've probably guessed, this is a topic for the more...aged members here, but anyone is free to throw their 2 cents in on anything related to the topic.

[EveofAbyss]

Well, I'm hardly older, I suppose. I'm 21, so I'm much older than the general age of the common forumsters, I think. I do agree, meetups can be awkward because there is an entirely different code of what is "assumed to be acceptable" between the young and the matured. I'm only 21, but already I know what is not cool to do in public, what is obviously annoying/obnoxious/rude, etc. Many young people don't have a hold on this concept yet, so it can make meetups weird, which is why, overall, I don't branch out and try to meet lots of new people at events. I tend to just hang out with the people I already know (because I know they won't bother or annoy me, lol). I don't mean to speak out against the young like a crotchety old man or anything, but the obnoxious, loud, rambunctious little youngsters who "don't know how to act" so to speak, make lots of potentially fun things not fun. So, I do tend to stick with the older crowd. *shrug* That's how I am.

[nintendiehard]

Oh god...I hope I never become "Crotchety". 

But yeah, all that makes a lot of sense.  It almost seems like even though we're considerably less "mature" than others our age, we still have a bit of maturity goin for us, and that's probably why things are weird.
I kinda gotta wonder what parents (of the younger fans) think about us too.  Do they like us cos we're more responsible (supposedly) or are we thought of as those creepy guys you hear about on the Nightly News?

I guess in some ways, it's almost harder, being over 20 in these circles.  I just hope I can find some friends who aren't too young, and that I can get into all this as easily as I can, and finally have some fun with some like minded people (who are surprisingly hard to find, in my experience).

[nikkiolie]

I don't notice a difference much. We just had a meetup on Friday and I was not the oldest there but I was one of the older girls. I did notice that some of the younger tended to be a little more mature than the older. I have always liked getting attention when I am in groups so that could be why I don't notice a difference. Most younger con goes also like to get attention. I enjoy the meetups because I like to show off the work that I have spent hours doing, and its a good opportunity to get pictures.

And I am older but I am still a little immature if I am put into a large group. I wont do anything that is socially unacceptable but I still laugh at stupid things.

I personally want to meet new people just in case I get bored with the ones I came with then I have someone else to hang out with. It's an opportunity to make new friends that have the same interest as you, it doesn't matter what their age is. Unless they are horribly immature.

[dshwshr55]

I'm 26. It's a little older, but not to that point where I "shouldn't be watching cartoons" (I'll probably never reach that point). But I hate the thought that, if I just go to Kumoricon 4 more times, I'll be 30. It's like, that's just not fair ^^;;  The generation under me will probably be more accepted as cosplayers just because of their age.
Then again, I can say I've seen LILY Cat, Venus Wars, Robot City, Demon City Shinjuku, 8 Man After, etc. and everyone else will be "WTF is that?!"

[nikkiolie]

WTF is that?!

Lol....I really haven't heard of most of those x.x I'm young old.

[nintendiehard]

Well, I guess it's good to know that there are still fans out there older than I.

I say we should all gang up on them thar young whipper-snappers an teach dem a lessun bout respectin' dare elderss!
...after Columbo.
Hmm...maybe I'm gettin' off topic...

[EveofAbyss]

Well, I guess it's good to know that there are still fans out there older than I.

I say we should all gang up on them thar young whipper-snappers an teach dem a lessun bout respectin' dare elderss!
...after Columbo.
Hmm...maybe I'm gettin' off topic...

Haha, I'm right there with you. We must school the youngsters in the ways of old school classic anime, and other such awesome things!

Then again, I can say I've seen LILY Cat, Venus Wars, Robot City, Demon City Shinjuku, 8 Man After, etc. and everyone else will be "WTF is that?!"

And I totally dig those anime, so I know what you mean. Few and far between are the young otaku who know about these vintage anime. Out of the list, I think Demon City Shinjuku is my favorite; I actually found it not too long ago for like $4, so I've been watching it a lot lately. My other top anime that most youngsters tend to not know about is Galaxy Express 999. Ah, so awesome (in my book, of course).

[totemo_oishii]

I'm 18... I don't know how that makes me feel as a fan. I remember back when manga used to be $16 per volume, and the manga/anime sections were very small. Kids nowadays have it good! lol

[Washougal_Otaku]

Well, I'm 25, & although there are a lot of posters who are 16-18, there are many staffers who are older.  The way I see it, it's better to be an older fan, because you've seen more & know more.  Most of the forum goers have probably never heard of Project A-ko, or at the very least seen it.  It's becoming more common to have newer otaku that have never heard of Akira, one of the most well-known anime films ever!  We old fogeys have the honor of knowing these shows & showing them to the young whipper-snappers.

[Kahlan4]

yay other people who are in agreement about age etc ^.^ i'm with eve-boyfriend about the meet ups and such... there are some younger people who are more mature than others, but they seem to be few and far between, unfortunately. i'm ok seeing lots of younger people around if they aren't being obnoxious or anything, but i can't stand the glomp circles and huuuuuge yaoi/yuri fascination younger anime fans have. or the fact that it seems most of them only watch naruto. or bleach. i'm not the most up to date on anime, new or old... i tend to know what i've seen on tv in past years or have somehow randomly come across or what eve-boyfriend has shown me, so i'm not trying to say i'm well versed in anime, but at least i watch more than one show and am eager to see more. aaaaaaaanyway... young people... yeah... get out of the glomp circles and watch more anime >.<

[laurifer]

get out of the glomp circles and watch more anime >.<

Too true, Kahlan!

And I totally agree with Eve, too. Immaturity's not cool in my book. Know when to have fun, and know when to be serious...and for chrissakes know how to behave! Haha

[makichan]

I'm 19, which is kind of in between. 
Personally, I tend to hangout with the older-ish crowd because they're usually more mature, have seen more anime, and are generally better at cracking jokes. Better yet, I feel like I can relate to them a whole lot better. Of course, that's not to say that I haven't met any younger people that I'd like to make friends with... it's just... not as common...?
Regardless of whether you are young or old, if you only watch dubbed anime on t.v. you're missing out on a lot. Try hittin' up subtitled anime sometime and I'm sure that your horizons will be broadened.
The more you know, the easier it is to make friends at cons. I too find myself to be particularly annoyed with people who prefer things like 4-kids... uuuugh. That isn't anime, that's a joke! xD

[reppy]

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you.  Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

[Rathany]

Well, I am fairly ancient myself.  I comfort myself in knowing that manga is aimed at every age and social group in Japan, even if it's mostly the younger stuff that gets brought over.

According to an interview I read with a Del Rey editor, they are actively going after the older crowd who grew up with anime and manga.  So, there are lots of us fogeys out there ...

I think I am older than at least 90% of you.  *sigh*

[JeffT]

I'm also one of the "older" ones (or so it seems by statistics, even though I'm just 25...) My first Kumoricon was 2005 and it's difficult and not scientific at all to judge and remember well, but I think the average age at the con was a little older then.

I don't really feel uncomfortable or anything at meetings or meet-ups. On the contrary, I think of anime fandom as something that can more easily span age ranges, so I don't worry about age very much.

If you are feeling a bit old at the con, consider joining staff. You might find you're not so old then.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

Regardless of whether you are young or old, if you only watch dubbed anime on t.v. you're missing out on a lot. Try hittin' up subtitled anime sometime and I'm sure that your horizons will be broadened.

Oh boy, I would hope that older fans would appreciate the advances dubbing's made even in the past ten years. We have dubs now that are WONDERFUL.

Although I would agree that sources other than broadcast are good to find shows, herding people immediately to the subtitles without regard for how the dubbing may be is cutting out a lot of appeal. Sure there's bad ones, but there's bad subs too, and bad Japanese acting. Just because it's not in the original language doesn't make it bad in and of itself--it's all individual.



Anyway, dude, you people are young. I turn 28 on Friday. My first anime series was called Flying House, and that was like 25 years ago.

[GenkiIchigo]

I'm 25 and I don't really find that it makes too much of a difference as far as friends or conventions go. For me conventions and meetups are times to unwind and just have fun, regardless of age. I'm surprised at how much I have in common with many of the attendees younger and older alike. I like to believe that sometimes age doesn't make a difference. What really makes a difference to me is personality.

Being a little bit older than the average population of the convention though, I have to say that it's really been great watching anime progress over the years to what it is now. Like so many have said before me in this thread, it's great to be able to say 'hey, I remember when...'.

[makichan]

Regardless of whether you are young or old, if you only watch dubbed anime on t.v. you're missing out on a lot. Try hittin' up subtitled anime sometime and I'm sure that your horizons will be broadened.

Oh boy, I would hope that older fans would appreciate the advances dubbing's made even in the past ten years. We have dubs now that are WONDERFUL.

Although I would agree that sources other than broadcast are good to find shows, herding people immediately to the subtitles without regard for how the dubbing may be is cutting out a lot of appeal. Sure there's bad ones, but there's bad subs too, and bad Japanese acting. Just because it's not in the original language doesn't make it bad in and of itself--it's all individual.

LOL I don't mean to completely disregard dubs. In fact, I'm glad that they've made the progress that they've had. Heck, I've been known to watch a few myself.
What I meant was that there's A LOT out there to see that you won't find on your television screen or in stores.

[EveofAbyss]

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you.  Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

I used to watch Sci-Fi Saturday Anime all the time, could you describe the one you're thinking of?

[Mr_Phelps]

Hmmm,  I guess that makes Prinz Eugen and I...   ancient.        (I'm sure that gives us some sort of superpower or something....)

Just remember that there are more older otaku out there lurking than you might think.

[TomtheFanboy]

Yeah, I'm 29. I totally get how some people feel the age gap more than others. It's all about what you have to do in your everyday life and what kind of people you deal with on a regular basis.

I am not hit too hard by it but I do feel jealous that I didn't get to attend events like Kumoricon back when I was a teenager. I have stayed in social circles that are more geeky and fan-spastic over the years so I haven't really become one of those undercover fans that you find with a lot of the older otaku. You're not going to hear from them on the forum though, they don't mingle much outside the convention.

[nikkiolie]

I used to be one of those undercover fans. But once I went to a convention and meet people that were into the same stuff as me I kind of branched out and made my love known. Most of the people in my dorm wing know that I like anime and go to conventions (it isn't so bad since it's the engineering building, so it's filled with geeks). I don't think I would be like this with a little encouragement from young fans (my best friend got me to go to Kumoricon last year). It seems to me that younger people are become more outgoing, at least to the anime fans in my hall and the ones I hung out with before.

[nintendiehard]

Wow...my little thread here has grown a bit since last I visited.

First,

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you.  Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

I totally know what you mean.  Then you start wondering if you're secretly a pedophile or something.....okay maybe not.  Sorry, I just had a final question focusing on introspection, so I've got that rattling around in my brain.
But really, I know what you mean.  That was one of my first concerns, being as old as I am.

Next,

I used to watch Sci-Fi Saturday Anime all the time, could you describe the one you're thinking of?

  Ha!  You remember Anime Unleashed, back when it was Tech TV?  I miss the old...-ish days...that and cable.

And finally

I used to be one of those undercover fans. But once I went to a convention and meet people that were into the same stuff as me I kind of branched out and made my love known. Most of the people in my dorm wing know that I like anime and go to conventions (it isn't so bad since it's the engineering building, so it's filled with geeks). I don't think I would be like this with a little encouragement from young fans (my best friend got me to go to Kumoricon last year). It seems to me that younger people are become more outgoing, at least to the anime fans in my hall and the ones I hung out with before.

Sounds like me...but I never really had any friends who were all that into it.  I'm sure my UNiversity has an anime club or something, but I never had the time...and as such was never around people who could really help me get into this kinda thing.  Better late than never eh?

[nikkiolie]

Thats too bad. it is really popular in my floor. Most people openly watch it or watch it when others aren't looking. A large group of them even cosplay but I am the only one that is become obsessed with it. I just love to make the costumes. ^_^

I'm sure there are plenty of people there who like anime and maybe at this convention you will find some people that are from UO that you could hang out with.

[nintendiehard]

Tell me about it.  I know a few guys who are into it a bit.  Most of them know a lot more anime than I do, but I'm the only one who wants to get into the fandom aspect.  Great, I'm an oldie, and a noobie.

I hope so.  I started a quick topic on the general board, looking for others at the UO, but no one responded.  I'd hate to think I'm alone here. 

[nikkiolie]

I doubt that you are. There are so many anime fans and so many people who love or want to go to conventions. Over the weekend when we went to Portland and hug out with a big group so many people off the street were asking if there was an anime convention in town and wanted to know more about Kumoricon. I guess what would be the easiest thing to do would be to let people know that you are there and that you like anime and like conventions.

[nintendiehard]

Well...I do like walking up to perfect strangers and asking them about their interests...

[nikkiolie]

Well that's a start. On myspace I have been talking about a costume that I am working on and one of my friends from high school sent me a message saying "You cosplay?!" so they could be there you just might not know about them. 

[nintendiehard]

Heh, I dunno.  I've always really disliked the whole Myspace/Face Book deal.  It's more of a popularity contest than anything else.
"Liek, OMG, you are a person!  Be my friend so I can show everyone else how many more friends I have than them!"  Know what I mean?

[nikkiolie]

On myspace I only have a few friends (two from high school two who lived in my neighborhood and my sister, thats it) As for facebook I have friends from my dorm and friends from high school. If I don't know you and haven't talked to you I am not your friend.....except for Biran Boitano (yes the figure skater)  XD He kept adding me so I finally gave in

[nintendiehard]

...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eDwECOdMCQ&amp;feature=related

[nikkiolie]

lol. I love that movie

[JeffT]

I have stayed in social circles that are more geeky and fan-spastic over the years so I haven't really become one of those undercover fans that you find with a lot of the older otaku. You're not going to hear from them on the forum though, they don't mingle much outside the convention.

You can find them in other places like the Anime on DVD forum. Unfortunately this doesn't provide for local meetups most of the time, although you can usually meet people you know online at the larger conventions. I've met a couple AoDers by chance at Fanime, and several at a planned meet at Sakura-Con.

[nintendiehard]

Finding local people is one of the things that interests me more.  I've met a lotta great people online (including a girl I loved) but none of them ever live within 300 miles of me.

This whole thing is making it for a really cool experience...Though I still have yet to meet anyone I've met here.

[laurifer]

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you.  Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

Hey there's nothing wrong with a 6 year difference haha. It's just weird in this stage of life I guess XD

[Daxe]

Im only 21 and Ive been starting to feel a bit out of place. Largely because of all the 16-18 year olds around.
It makes me wonder if we exist in their space or if they have found a way into ours.
I know we all ask ourselves how long will it last? When will we be too old? I dont think I will ever be too old.
Im as young as I feel and so long as I can be honest with myself that I enjoy it then I dont see any reason
to feel odd about it. But then again the first otaku I met outside of my immediate circle of friends was at
Northern Oregon &Vancouver Anime (NOVA). Where they are all around 40 years old and still enjoying it.

[reppy]

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you.  Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

Hey there's nothing wrong with a 6 year difference haha. It's just weird in this stage of life I guess XD

Yeah see, 36 with 30 ain't so bad.. but 23 with 16-17? That's jail time! O_O

[nikkiolie]

Yeah that would be the only thing that I am uncomfortable about. The fact that if anything were to happen it is their word against mine x.x

[antibishie]

Whenever someone complains to me about "being old" I like to encourage them to start screaming things like "You kids stay off my lawn!" despite whether there might be a lawn nearby or not.  There is no real reason for this save that I find it entertaining to hear people saying that.

For as far as a relevant opinion goes, being 26 I now feel that I am a "mid-tier" fan.  It often feels like I'm young enough to still be watching new things, but old enough that I keep seeing things through the nostalgia glasses so that nothing seems to be as good as "when I was a kid!"....

[laurifer]

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you.  Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

Hey there's nothing wrong with a 6 year difference haha. It's just weird in this stage of life I guess XD

Yeah see, 36 with 30 ain't so bad.. but 23 with 16-17? That's jail time! O_O

That's why you wait until they're 18 haha

[DancingTofu]

I suppose I'm 17, but I hang out with the 19-30 age group most of them time.  I feel really comfortable with most of you dudes.  My dad, who's 42, has come to Kumoricon and even played DDR a few times.  I keep my NES there so that it will get more healthy use, and he personally introduced me into the world of video games with an Amiga500 computer.  I don't think that overage attendees are in any way unwelcome within our group; it's the underage that really can have an obvious negative effect.  The assumption made is that a person in their 20's coming to a convention like this is a Michael Jackson clone who's out to creep on children.  Granted, there are a few of those people, but for the most part, our older con population is at a very healthy maturity level.

Don't worry, old people!  We love you, we really do!  In a quite healthy and not unhealthy way!

[dshwshr55]

Don't blame the older guys! You've seen what girls are wearing these days some of the cosplay outfits look like these days.

[totemo_oishii]

Everyone ages! Who cares if you're young or old.

[Mister_manji]

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

describe it please! I used to love Saturday Anime on SciFi.

Me, as a 21YO, is nearing the beginning of the older crowd that attends cons, and nearing the edge of socially acceptable anime viewing.
I remember anime on tape, Gal Force and Iria: Zeiram on SciFi. Robotech on TV, in all its horribly dubbed glory. Or how about Orgus? There is definitely an age gap that can make things awkward, but you can just shun the immature ones until they grow up mentally. I like watching these kids who watch Bleach act like hot stuff. I still don't consider myself true hardcore though, because I never watched VHS fansubs.

[dshwshr55]

Everybody always complains about dubbing. Personally, I like male characters doing male voices and ninjas that don't sound like they're from some ParaPara hit song.
Don't get me wrong, though. There are a pretty many dubs that aren't exactly phenomenal, and more that I'd rather watch subbed. Still it takes just as much skill for an english dub as it does for Japanese dub.

[nikkiolie]

I still have a few animes on VHS, too bad I don't have anything in the house that will play them v.v

[laurifer]

I think the only anime I have on VHS is Pokemon lol. But now we're soooo off topic XD

[EveofAbyss]

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

describe it please! I used to love Saturday Anime on SciFi.

Me, as a 21YO, is nearing the beginning of the older crowd that attends cons, and nearing the edge of socially acceptable anime viewing.
I remember anime on tape, Gal Force and Iria: Zeiram on SciFi. Robotech on TV, in all its horribly dubbed glory. Or how about Orgus? There is definitely an age gap that can make things awkward, but you can just shun the immature ones until they grow up mentally. I like watching these kids who watch Bleach act like hot stuff. I still don't consider myself true hardcore though, because I never watched VHS fansubs.

I never watched vhs fansubs either, but I do have a collection of vhs's from the days before dvd. I feel somewhat "senior" in the sense that, as mentioned, I grew up with anime that kids today have never heard of (and that is really sad, I think). You mentioned Iria: Zeiram. I love that anime!! That was one of my firsts (that and Armitage III) and I spent so many years hunting it down until it was finally released in proper format on dvd. Great stuff! So, more than anything else, it is this division of gen-x and gen-z anime fans that makes me feel like part of the older crowd. I guess, for the most part, it is the youth's lack of desire to know about roots that can turn me away from wanting to socialize with any of them. (Immaturity aside ,of course.) All these hot shots flaunt their Inuyasha (which is finally going to END!!) and Naruto and Bleach, yet really (and this is a generalized statement I realize, so forgive me) most of the young fans know nothing about earlier stages of anime or want to see any of it, when most of it is really very good. So, their loss, right? It just adds to that obnoxious, unlearned, immature air that seems to follow them all about, is all.

Wow, was that a rant? Sorry about that....@_@

[Higuma]

I will be 28 on July 5th, I have 3 kids and will celebrate 10 years of marriage to my wife in october. So needless to say it does feel a little wierd some times when I go to cons or when people find out how much I Love Anime. My brother is two years younger than me and thinks watching "cartoons" is for kids. But I love anime and so does my wife and kids, and life is too short to not enjoy some thing you like because of what others may think. I will still go to conventions and cosplay every year even if I live to be 100.
Also we should set up a 18+ or 21+ meet up for us older otaku?

[dshwshr55]

Also we should set up a 18+ or 21+ meet up for us older otaku?

I'm there! Break out the old school!

[dakiro]

hey I'm 22 yay blah whatever =_=...
anyways.... yeah didn't get really into anime till senior year of high school so bleh...although i did watch some stuff before i realized what it was like dbz some sailor moon.... you know the stuff on tv although the one that really got me into it was cowboy bebop =D

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you. 

*reminds him of finding this cute Belldandy only to see her green badge and to find out she was only 16* o.o;

Don't worry, old people!  We love you, we really do!  In a quite healthy and not unhealthy way!

yay i'm loved XD

Also we should set up a 18+ or 21+ meet up for us older otaku?

I'm there! Break out the old school!

count me in too =D

[EveofAbyss]

Also we should set up a 18+ or 21+ meet up for us older otaku?

I'm there! Break out the old school!

count me in too =D

I'm down for that. ^_^

[TomtheFanboy]

OMG, is someone finally forming Sake club!? Someone tell Pi!

[laurifer]

Count me in if it's 18+

If it's 21+ then have fun lol

[nintendiehard]

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you. 

Is it wrong to go to a con to pick up chicks? 

[reppy]

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

describe it please! I used to love Saturday Anime on SciFi.

To be honest, I don't recall a whole lot about it.. I was probably around the age of 10 or so when I saw it. All I remember is a desert atmosphere and some over-the-top animated reactions from the characters. And I think there was guns and all that good stuff.

[EveofAbyss]

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

describe it please! I used to love Saturday Anime on SciFi.

To be honest, I don't recall a whole lot about it.. I was probably around the age of 10 or so when I saw it. All I remember is a desert atmosphere and some over-the-top animated reactions from the characters. And I think there was guns and all that good stuff.

Sounds like Venus Wars, but who knows, could have been something else.

[dshwshr55]

Of course, if you remember anything about Venus Wars, it's those one-wheeled motor bikes with the guns. For competitive racing.

[melchizedek]

when I went to the clackamas meetup, dakrum and I were the only ones there that were not in high school. 

Given that I am 28 I'm happy there were no jokes about it being pedobear approved. 

[uraharafreak]

Eh...I don't mind being considered "old" on here. Seriously I've almost always been the "youngest" in everything I did...work, school, and social groups...it's been refreshing not being that anymore. It's still a little weird, but whatev.

[dakiro]

when I went to the clackamas meetup, dakrum and I were the only ones there that were not in high school. 

Given that I am 28 I'm happy there were no jokes about it being pedobear approved. 

oi i remember that....(look in sig old name dakrum...) almost felt out of place if it wasnt for melchizedek i would have felt so awkward... XD

[pieisexactlythree]

Heh! I'm 31.  When I'm chatting with Meg, the subject always comes up: OMG this (what ever we're talking about) is older than Patrick, LOL!

[nintendiehard]

You know what I've found really helps?  Most of the younger members here, don't seem to mind that we're older. 
Even though it's never come up, I've always been worried about coming off as some sort of creepy older guy.  I'm glad don't treat us any different.

[reppy]

Well, eventually one day they'll be older fans too. I think a lot of younger fans were intrigued by DBZ, Naruto, etc, etc.. each wave brought a new influx of younger fans. Eventually they'll turn older fans and they'll complain about the new series everyone is watching, "Why, back in my day...!!"

[melchizedek]

You know what I've found really helps?  Most of the younger members here, don't seem to mind that we're older. 
Even though it's never come up, I've always been worried about coming off as some sort of creepy older guy.  I'm glad don't treat us any different.

Yeah, I think it bothers us > avg age con goers more than then those in their teens.  Deff right.

[laurifer]

We love you older people, so no worries

I tend to gravitate towards older people because older people tend to know better and are more mature. Usually. And I feel more comfortable too.

[DancingTofu]

I just came home from a DDR tournament (see sig; it looks like I did terribly but I actually did pretty well) with a bunch of older folks.  At 17, I was the youngest person there.

[megchan]

Eh. I'm 20, but I've been at con since I was 11, so even though I'm not that old, I FEEL REALLY FREAKING OLD at con.

I say things like "Harlock" or "Ranma" or "Kenshin" or "Future Boy Conan" and everyone gives me blank stares. I have to go in a corner, cry, and talk about the good old days of fansubs when you had to know somebody who knew somebody who knew someone else to get copies.

I appreciated that you're 21.

[TIMEcard]

I think the reason there isnt such a huge amount of older fans, is that the older you get, the more fans that are your age are weeded out because they arent true fans. I like the older con goers, they tend to be like sages of knowledge... or total d-bags who are like "I'm better than you."

[Oniyukai]

At San Diego comicon, I met a fifty-year-old Kaname (Full Metal Panic) cosplayer with gray hair... and she pulled it off...I hope whoever I'm married to looks like that at 50...oh yeah... I just turned 30...so yeah...I'm old...but whatever. I was the "dirty-old-man" at 18... didn't bother me then...doesn't bother me now...that and over the course of 10 years I've lost 70 pounds...so I think I look a lot-less-creepy at 30 then I did at 18.

Oh yeah...my first anime series was the G-Force/Speedracer double-feature  reruns (G-Force has since been corrected to Gotchamon: Battle of the Planets) on UHF channel 49 (1983).   
 

[Rathany]

Also keep in mind that people who are active on forums tend to be younger.  Way more than half the badges we are mailing out are adult badges.  And yes, some of that is parents and perhaps adults are just better at pre-registering, but there are plenty of 'older' fans at this con. 

And being olders means being able to go to the late night programming

I would be up for an 'older' meetup, if I could make it.  The days of my summer are filling up fast. 

[Mei Long]

Wow, this thread certainly has grown! Just shows how many adults really do hang out at the forums. =) Though I just turned 19 (which on average doesn't make me much of an adult age-wise) I've always found I gravitated, much like laurifer, to the "older crowd" for their maturity. Though my friends my age aren't immature (but know when to have fun, of course) I have met many 14-17 (and even up to 25) year olds who, frankly, needed a boot to the head. Dry-humping every "hot" person you see and making fun of every passerby who doesn't meet your approval is just a display of complete idiocy. Of course this doesn't apply to every person under 18, I'm just drawing this from a recent (and rather eye-opening) experience I had.

Though of course when it comes down to shows like LILY Cat, Venus Wars, Robot City, Demon City Shinjuku, 8 Man After, etc... I have no clue. Thaaat's when I feel like one of those "kids" ya'll are talkin' about. ^^;;;;

Personally, at an anime convention, I'd like to chill with some people who are mature enough to know not to do things that could bring police attention. =) Plus, fans older than myself are awesome because they give me hope that even when I'm older I can still be as much of an active anime fan as I am now. (Which was an honest fear when I was younger). Huzzah for older anime fans!!! =D

[Daxe]

HUZZAH!

[valliegirl]

I'm turning 28 in October.  *gasp!*  I need a coffin over here, stat!

I've been a fan of anime since I was 16, but loved animation in general for much longer than that.  I remember being a teenager and being told I was too old to still be watching cartoons.  I was living in Michigan at the time, the internet was in the process of becoming mainstream, and I was just very isolated.  I had a few friends that shared interests, but on the whole, I had a hard time finding a support system to geek out with.  Also, at the time, anime was impossible to find in Michigan.  What you got is what you could find on TV, which was badly edited Sailor Moon.  I found a store that sold bootleg video tapes straight from Japan.  Horrible quality and there's only like two episodes per tape, and they never had all the tapes you needed to have any clue of what was happening.

So, skip forward 16 years, I love Kumoricon for what it provides to fans of all ages.  We not only have this huge once a year event, but we have the mini event get togethers, the forums where people can chat openly, and fan held meet ups where you get 20 people in the area together to storm a movie theater on the opening night of the next big fandom movie.  I'm envious of people who discover this outlet when they're a teenager, because it's not just a convention, it's the support system I never had growing up.  I got involved because of friends, and I've made so many friends through the con, most of whom are around my own age, but there's a few teenagers I consider my friends as well.  People are people, no matter what age they are. 

So, when a teenager comes onto the forums and puts on a spaztasic OMG I NEVER KNEW THIS EXISTED!1! post, I just take a deep breath and remember back to when I was that age and know if I'd had this sort of a place to come to I probably would have been spazzy about it as well. 

As far as meetups are concerned, I don't think I've ever been to a meet up that's me and a bunch of teenagers.  And actually, most of the stuff I try to arrange it's people over 18 who show up, because teenagers don't have the freedom to just go where ever they want whenever they want.  And even if you are in the minority as far as your age group is concerned, you just hang out, listen, and have fun. 

If I meet someone who is older and has been a fan of anime longer than I've even known about it, I've got a huge amount of respect for that.  Because for the people who've been around, it's not a fad.  It's something they knew about way before it was mainstream, and they'll continue to watch anime long after the popular series of the year has been lost to obscurity.

[Prinz Eugen]

Wow, this thread has been lively...
Where to start...

I'm 26. It's a little older, but not to that point where I "shouldn't be watching cartoons" (I'll probably never reach that point).

I quit watching cartoons in the seventies. Now I watch ANIME.

I comfort myself in knowing that manga is aimed at every age and social group in Japan, even if it's mostly the younger stuff that gets brought over.

Runa and I were just watching one of the last eps of Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, (2nd season) and they talked about that. In Japan one unexpected marketing channel was discovered when pachinko machine makers came out with anime-themed machines. Same bunch o' ball bearings and forests of pins, but the background pictures are Asuka, Rei, ("oldies!") and some newer stuff such as Code Geass, and game chara too. We saw these all over the party-sections of Tokyo when we were there last fall. What this has done is to plonk images from games, recent anime, and manga in front of the 47 to 57 year-old set. Now these guys wander over to Shinjuku and Shibyua and Ikebukuro to look for the source materials. The younger crowd kinda gets creeped out: 'EEuuwww, whats a man with a comb-over doing amonst all this shoujo-manga...'

Oh boy, I would hope that older fans would appreciate the advances dubbing's made even in the past ten years. We have dubs now that are WONDERFUL.

My biggest obstacle to listening to dub is that English doesn't grammatically mark social class or refinement the way Japanese does. So when I listen to court-level Japanese in a jidaigekki show, I can only imagine that English would sound 'plain' or 'ordinary,' because there's no grammatical equivalent to the Japanese signals that 'this person is noble,' or classy. A few days ago I accidentally ripped a 'Last Exile' ep with its English audio, and Sophia's English voice grated like a snarly airline stewardess having a bad hair day. Sorry, Julie Ann Taylor. But Yamazaki Wakana was just so much more ... classy sounding.

Hmmm,  I guess that makes Prinz Eugen and I...   ancient

Oh why, thank you... And I can remember Peter Graves too, Mr. Phelps. OK, my older sisters remember when his hair was brown.

Hey there's nothing wrong with a 6 year difference haha. It's just weird in this stage of life I guess XD

It only gets better with time. My wife and I are 6yrs apart, and one set of her grandparents were also six or so years apart. We will be married for only a few weeks shy of 18yrs over Kumoricon this year.

[Prinz Eugen]

I met a fifty-year-old Kaname (Full Metal Panic) cosplayer with gray hair... and she pulled it off..

There was a Magno (Grandma) from Vandread a few years ago at Kumoricon and I happened to be cosplaying her opposite - (Grandpa - who is never really named although he is Prime Minister of the planet Taraku.)

The number of anime CHARACTERS who happen to be older people is small but growing. Miyazaki often has a few seniors, but other series include GITS, Toward the Terra, Samurai 7, and certainly Bakamastu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto. (Lots of historical characters there, so lots of adult guys to pick from.) But it's often hard to get recognized; who here would know Wanyuudou from Jigoku Shoujo?

If I meet someone who is older and has been a fan of anime longer than I've even known about it, I've got a huge amount of respect for that.  Because for the people who've been around, it's not a fad.  It's something they knew about way before it was mainstream, and they'll continue to watch anime

A few years ago at a world-con (SF convention in Tacoma, WA) I met some SF fans in their EIGHTIES. These guys had been going to fandom conventions - like - during World War II. They drove 2 weeks out to the con and two weeks back because the big interstates hadn't been built yet. I was agog at their stories. Very little media, mostly SF readers, so costuming was its own challenge: Do you go for the author's description in the book, or the cover art?

long after the popular series of the year has been lost to obscurity.

And then there are series only a few years old but we immediately want to become 'lost to obscurity.' :-D

One thing the spread of age ranges shows is that anime has a lot to offer people in many different
walks of life. Not to say that fans under 25 all like x, y, & z and fans 30-45 all like j,k, & l, but that if you ask 10 fans what each likes most about anime, you'll likely get 10 different answers...

[laurifer]

Hey there's nothing wrong with a 6 year difference haha. It's just weird in this stage of life I guess XD

It only gets better with time. My wife and I are 6yrs apart, and one set of her grandparents were also six or so years apart. We will be married for only a few weeks shy of 18yrs over Kumoricon this year.

18 years is a long time! Happy early anniversary!

[DancingTofu]

teenagers don't have the freedom to just go where ever they want whenever they want.

True that; story of my life.   My grandparents tend to freak out whenever they realise I'm hanging out with a bunch 20-30yo's (not just at cons; at 17, I was the youngest person at DSR Squared out of about 50 people, and the next youngest was my friend Wesley at 19 I think).  I think that the freedom achieved with such stages of life as turning 18, going to college, turning 21, graduating college, etc actually add a lot of youth to people, so I often find that people in their 20's are far more energetic and fresh than people my age.

[Prinz Eugen]

teenagers don't have the freedom to just go where ever they want whenever they want.

True that; story of my life. Tongue  My grandparents tend to freak out whenever they realise I'm hanging out with a bunch 20-30yo's (not just at cons; at 17, I was the youngest person at DSR Squared out of about 50 people, ...

Yeah that was like my first con I went to. A bunch of friends who were SF fans took me along. We rode the bus into Boston and back for the weekend. My mom said "Where were you?" and "You went alone!?!"
- "No Ma, I went with seven or eight friends" (from highschool.)
- "So who was with you? A teacher?"
- "No, but we were a group of about nine."
- "YOU WENT ALONE!!!"

Translation: Anywhere you went without an adult was ALONE.

Even if there are thirty of you.

[nintendiehard]

Oh wow.  I've missed a lot.

Heh, well I can understand that.  Without an adult, I was pretty much alone too, and so my High School years tended to be kinda boring.
Unfortunately, my little sister gets all sorts of extra privileges that I never got.  *grumbling jealously*

But I'm glad now that I'm in college, and I can go where I want (for the most part).  I guess that's why I actually get to go this year! (and last year, if it had worked out).
I guess being older has some other advantages too eh?

What else do you all think is especially advantageous about being older?

[Higuma]

What else do you all think is especially advantageous about being older?

Having kids. My children and I have Anime in common and we can relate to each other that way. I enjoy Anime conventions as much as they do. It is so much fun to dress up my kids in cosplay and watch them enjoy all the pictures and hugs they get. Conventions have become our family vacations.

[nintendiehard]

Oh wow.  How old are the lil' chibi's?

[dshwshr55]

What else do you all think is especially advantageous about being older?

Gaming experience, of course!!
October (November?) 1985. Nintendo's NES opening day at Toys-R-Us. $200. Don't remember how many games debuted though.

If you can beat Contra without the Konami code or any continues, you have my respect! Games today are pretty easy, In my opinion.

[Higuma]

Oh wow.  How old are the lil' chibi's?

9,6, and 5

[nintendiehard]

Congratulations my friend!  Which ones have they gotten really into? 

[Higuma]

Congratulations my friend!  Which ones have they gotten really into? 

Neon Genesis evangelion, Sgt. Frog, .hack//roots, POKEMON, all miyazaki films, naruto, bleach, D.Gray man, Lucky Star, Haruhi Suzumiya, Beck, Cowboy Bebop and many more.

[Washougal_Otaku]

Regardless of whether you are young or old, if you only watch dubbed anime on t.v. you're missing out on a lot. Try hittin' up subtitled anime sometime and I'm sure that your horizons will be broadened.

But don't forget, sometimes the English dubbing is done better than the original Japanese, in terms of the voices matching lip movement.  (One of the reasons for this is because sometimes, when anime is being created, the drawings & the acting are done at the same time, so the actors have nothing to go off of).

Also, sometimes when you're watching subtitles, you miss out on what's actually happening, because you're so busy reading words.  At times it's better, because the translations may be more accurate, but that can also sometimes be a curse.  Some jokes in Japan wouldn't make sense in America, so they'd be better off changed.

Just something that I've observed in my years of watching cartoons from other nationalities, including our own.

[nintendiehard]

Neon Genesis evangelion, Sgt. Frog, .hack//roots, POKEMON, all miyazaki films, naruto, bleach, D.Gray man, Lucky Star, Haruhi Suzumiya, Beck, Cowboy Bebop and many more.

Wow, and they are able to understand what's going on in them?  Miyazaki's work is really good for kids though, I'll agree, but like Cowboy Bebop?

Regardless of whether you are young or old, if you only watch dubbed anime on t.v. you're missing out on a lot. Try hittin' up subtitled anime sometime and I'm sure that your horizons will be broadened.

But don't forget, sometimes the English dubbing is done better than the original Japanese, in terms of the voices matching lip movement.  (One of the reasons for this is because sometimes, when anime is being created, the drawings & the acting are done at the same time, so the actors have nothing to go off of).

Also, sometimes when you're watching subtitles, you miss out on what's actually happening, because you're so busy reading words.  At times it's better, because the translations may be more accurate, but that can also sometimes be a curse.  Some jokes in Japan wouldn't make sense in America, so they'd be better off changed.

Just something that I've observed in my years of watching cartoons from other nationalities, including our own.

I agree 110% with you!  I've always prefered Dub to Sub, mostly cos reading the subs takes attention away from the show (and I've just taken a 400 level class on Perception and Attention, so I should know ).  But yeah, kudos Wash.  I also prefer subs because it really lets American Voice Actors the opportunity to get some work, and apply their craft.  (Yeah, I'm a big voice acting nut...wanna be one when I grow up...get a little older.)

[DancingTofu]

What else do you all think is especially advantageous about being older?

Gaming experience, of course!!
October (November?) 1985. Nintendo's NES opening day at Toys-R-Us. $200. Don't remember how many games debuted though.

If you can beat Contra without the Konami code or any continues, you have my respect! Games today are pretty easy, In my opinion.

Despite the fact that it was less popular, I prefer the diversity of the Amiga/C64 line to the moar gamez of the NES line.  I really enjoyed my Amiga500 (until it broke) due to the fact that I could play such a wide variety of games.  It could play console-style games, arcade-style games, and computer-style games.  The full keyboard, 4.5" floppy drive, mouse, variety of joysticks, and killer graphics (for the time) really set it above other 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th gen consoles.  All it didn't have a was good engine for 3D, but neither did the Atari 2600, its main competitor.

I agree about newer games being way too easy.  I only ever beat 2 large-scale games that you can beat on my Amiga: Warlords (the strategic war game) and Settlers: Life is Feudal.  I don't think I ever got even close to the end of Super Frog, Chaos Engine: Soldiers of Fortune, or any of the other progressive storyline games I played on it.  I've also never gotten further than 54 stages on Bubble Bobble on one credit, a game which I consider myself very good at.  And 54 beat my old record of 45 stages. 

Anyway, this is getting off topic; we can talk about games in the gaming forum.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

I quit watching cartoons in the seventies. Now I watch ANIME.

...you DO realize that they're exactly the same thing, don't you? Because that statement smacks of elitism and is part of the reason non-Japanese animation has such a "kiddie" reputation no matter how many mature shows get released.

[dshwshr55]

I quit watching cartoons in the seventies. Now I watch ANIME.

...you DO realize that they're exactly the same thing, don't you? Because that statement smacks of elitism and is part of the reason non-Japanese animation has such a "kiddie" reputation no matter how many mature shows get released.

Whoa, now! Being the same thing is personal taste and relative, not scientific fact! With that in mind, let's put it to a vote.
Personally, I think "cartoons" have the kiddie reputation, and 90% of the population can tell a the difference between a mature show's animation style, and "cartoons" such as Garfield or something.
SO....Anime and cartoons are NOT the same thing!

[Washougal_Otaku]

Well, here's the thing, anime is a type of cartoon.  It's like a square is a type of rectangle, but a rectangle isn't a type of square.  So, there is a difference, a category with a sub-category, which has many sub-categories of its own, which includes "kiddie" & "adult."  BTW - There are "adult" cartoons here in the States, too, that aren't anime.

[nintendiehard]

I quit watching cartoons in the seventies. Now I watch ANIME.

...you DO realize that they're exactly the same thing, don't you? Because that statement smacks of elitism and is part of the reason non-Japanese animation has such a "kiddie" reputation no matter how many mature shows get released.

I still watch both actually, but that's beside the point.  I can see how people can make the differentiation though.  It's all in the culture.  Carrtoons in the US used to be for adults (not cos they were adult, just cos they contained concepts that children wouldn't understand).  This changed, but still cartoons were (and for the most part are) geared toward children, up to 14 or so.  It was only recently that adult cartoons came back into being, thanks in no small part to the fine folks a Williams Street.

Now Japan, in their anime and manga industry have been geared to a wide variety of ages, the most popular of which seeming more adult.  So many people can think of anime as being less juvanile, but really it's all in a peoples' perceptions.

[Higuma]

I quit watching cartoons in the seventies. Now I watch ANIME.

...you DO realize that they're exactly the same thing, don't you? Because that statement smacks of elitism and is part of the reason non-Japanese animation has such a "kiddie" reputation no matter how many mature shows get released.

I still watch both actually, but that's beside the point.  I can see how people can make the differentiation though.  It's all in the culture.  Carrtoons in the US used to be for adults (not cos they were adult, just cos they contained concepts that children wouldn't understand).  This changed, but still cartoons were (and for the most part are) geared toward children, up to 14 or so.  It was only recently that adult cartoons came back into being, thanks in no small part to the fine folks a Williams Street.

Now Japan, in their anime and manga industry have been geared to a wide variety of ages, the most popular of which seeming more adult.  So many people can think of anime as being less juvanile, but really it's all in a peoples' perceptions.

Also in the US there are no serious adult cartoon series like in anime, all the adult cartoons I see are comedys with not continuity through out the season. Each episode is has its own topic. So far only anime as adult series that actually tell a story over many episodes. Also I have never seen a main character die in US cartoons.

[melchizedek]

That's not true, they made spawn into a cartoon, lots of characters die in that.

[nintendiehard]

Sadly, Spawn is one of the few exceptions.  The fact is, that too many ill-educated parents (or those who think their educated enough) want to spare their children, and all children, from such unpleasantness.  That's why you don't see it all that often in American Cartoons.  Now, American comics see this enough, but comics aren't as popular as they once were, and so they don't get the negative attention either.  Blessing/curse.

[Prinz Eugen]

I quit watching cartoons in the seventies. Now I watch ANIME.

...you DO realize that they're exactly the same thing, don't you? Because that statement smacks of elitism and is part of the reason non-Japanese animation has such a "kiddie" reputation no matter how many mature shows get released.

OF COURSE I REALIZE IT - I WAS BEING **SILLY!!**

But I *do* have my elitist hot-flashes now and then (see partway down below) - though I'm happy to admit they're just my own opinions and preferences.

But don't forget, sometimes the English dubbing is done better than the original Japanese, in terms of the voices matching lip movement.

US audiences care much more about lip-sync and timing than the Japanese. Also Japanese animators only use three generic mouth positions: full open, partway open, and closed. Maybe it's because of the 47 character syllabaries  they use, compared to the roughly 4,000 syllables in English. I remember hand animating a fourth mouth position for the long 'o' in "BLOWN UP SIR!!" in the Chibi Things vs. .50BMG AMV I made a few years ago. The Gundam animators never had their characters round their lips (like when you whistle.)

<SILLY ELITISM>

Also, sometimes when you're watching subtitles, you miss out on what's actually happening, because you're so busy reading words.  At times it's better, because the translations may be more accurate, but that can also sometimes be a curse.

What happens over time is that:
a) You become deadly with your media player's pause hot-key. Space-bar for me, it's the biggest target!
b) your reading speeds increase, especially when there's dialogue below and a cultural note which explains the joke above.
c) If you start learning Japanese by means of the subtitles, you find yourself understanding more and more of the language as it is sopken, and your eyes are only scanning the English subtitles to locate one or two words you don't get. This is like raising the training wheels on your child-size bike.
d) the glorious next step to that (and I'm not there yet) is to take the training wheels off completely - watch the RAWS! (and I'm almost there!)

Some jokes in Japan wouldn't make sense in America, so they'd be better off changed.

For me this is my chance to learn about Japanese culture so I can 'get' the joke in its original context. "NAN DE YA NEN!" (whack!) For example: learning WHY characters get hit with large wash basins from above/offscreen.
</SILLY ELITISM>

Just something that I've observed in my years of watching cartoons from other nationalities, including our own.

Cool! I've watched Asterix, and some particlularly cherished Swiss animation I still have on VHS: One is about life and growing up in Quebec, 1920s - 1980s, and the other is a beautiful, beautiful story about a man who plants acorns all over a dessicated section of southern France and reforests an entire region, even raising the water table so that long abandoned Gallo-Roman villages become reinhabited...
]http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'homme_qui_plantait_des_arbres]

Smurfs were originally German animation, weren't they?

What other countries' animation do people watch? (OK Wayyyy off topic by now...)

[Washougal_Otaku]

Also, sometimes when you're watching subtitles, you miss out on what's actually happening, because you're so busy reading words.  At times it's better, because the translations may be more accurate, but that can also sometimes be a curse.

What happens over time is that:
a) You become deadly with your media player's pause hot-key. Space-bar for me, it's the biggest target!
b) your reading speeds increase, especially when there's dialogue below and a cultural note which explains the joke above.
c) If you start learning Japanese by means of the subtitles, you find yourself understanding more and more of the language as it is sopken, and your eyes are only scanning the English subtitles to locate one or two words you don't get. This is like raising the training wheels on your child-size bike.
d) the glorious next step to that (and I'm not there yet) is to take the training wheels off completely - watch the RAWS! (and I'm almost there!)

Okay, you're taking on the assumption that, when everyone watches subbed anime, it's on their own computer.  For me, about 80% of my Japanese-dubbed anime is watched from someone else's system, so I have no control over it.

Some jokes in Japan wouldn't make sense in America, so they'd be better off changed.

For me this is my chance to learn about Japanese culture so I can 'get' the joke in its original context. "NAN DE YA NEN!" (whack!) For example: learning WHY characters get hit with large wash basins from above/offscreen.
</SILLY ELITISM>

Okay, I mean spoken jokes, not cases where someone gets smacked by something; I'm talking about puns or references to something that the average Japanese person would get, but not necessarily an American.

Just something that I've observed in my years of watching cartoons from other nationalities, including our own.

Cool! I've watched Asterix, and some particlularly cherished Swiss animation I still have on VHS: One is about life and growing up in Quebec, 1920s - 1980s, and the other is a beautiful, beautiful story about a man who plants acorns all over a dessicated section of southern France and reforests an entire region, even raising the water table so that long abandoned Gallo-Roman villages become reinhabited...
]http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'homme_qui_plantait_des_arbres]

Smurfs were originally German animation, weren't they?

What other countries' animation do people watch? (OK Wayyyy off topic by now...)

I've also watched British (that's some weird stuff!), Israeli, Mexican, Chinese, Korean, Australian, German, and Russian.  As for the Smurfs, I personally have no idea.

[Cassiopeia]

I've also watched British (that's some weird stuff!), Israeli, Mexican, Chinese, Korean, Australian, German, and Russian.  As for the Smurfs, I personally have no idea.

What Israeli shows? Just wondering if I know 'em.

[Higuma]

My daughter was tested this past year in school and found to be the fastest reader in her class(she was in 3rd grade). Both her and I think watching alot of subbed anime helped her with that. I personally found my self a few years ago pausing or rewinding to catch something I missed, but now when I watch subbed anime I dont need to any more. I dont miss anything by watching subbed anime, I have learned to see the phrase as a whole and not read it word for word. It took me a long time to learn to do that but makes it so easy to enjoy subbed anime better and not keep pausing or rewinding.

[laurifer]

My daughter was tested this past year in school and found to be the fastest reader in her class(she was in 3rd grade). Both her and I think watching alot of subbed anime helped her with that. I personally found my self a few years ago pausing or rewinding to catch something I missed, but now when I watch subbed anime I dont need to any more. I dont miss anything by watching subbed anime, I have learned to see the phrase as a whole and not read it word for word. It took me a long time to learn to do that but makes it so easy to enjoy subbed anime better and not keep pausing or rewinding.

I came to the same conclusion...also, it means people who are better at reading/vocab/etc are more likely to watch subbed anime than dubbed cos people who aren't good at reading usually don't want to read subtitles. I'm not stating as a fact; it's more of an observation.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

But what about dubs that are closed captioned? That's how I usually watch stuff and I'm the fastest reader I know.

[nintendiehard]

Hmmm...that's a pretty good idea actually.  Maybe I should start doing that.

[DancingTofu]

I quit watching cartoons in the seventies. Now I watch ANIME.

...you DO realize that they're exactly the same thing, don't you? Because that statement smacks of elitism and is part of the reason non-Japanese animation has such a "kiddie" reputation no matter how many mature shows get released.

Whoa, now! Being the same thing is personal taste and relative, not scientific fact! With that in mind, let's put it to a vote.
Personally, I think "cartoons" have the kiddie reputation, and 90% of the population can tell a the difference between a mature show's animation style, and "cartoons" such as Garfield or something.
SO....Anime and cartoons are NOT the same thing!

Cartoons, by definition, are simplified illustrations.  In old art, this meant reference drawings.  In more modern art, this includes most non-CGI animation, including Manga and Anime Manga.  The only difference is cultural.  Cartoon comes from old European languages, both Latin and Germanic, so it's usually associated only with Western illustrations.  Anime is also a European term adopted and modified by the Japanese when they started animating manga.  The proper term is Anime Manga (アニメ まんが), which, translated, means animated cartoon.

[XFD]

OOoooo I am so down for a geezer (21+) meet during the con. Plus we're going to be in down-town (more or less) so we'll have a good selection of places to socialize and debate who makes a better ninja.

As for being old:
- You have more choices in your cars
- You earn more money
- You can buy 4-5 box sets and not really notice.



Also, I came from an age where 4th gen VHS copies were the norm and people knew what Combustible Campus Gaurdress was.
....I wonder if we should borrow a room at the con and play our old dusty VHS tapes of stuff the noobies have never heard of.

[DancingTofu]

I've had my Totoro VHS since 1995 IIRC. :x

I didn't even know what a DVD was until 2003; VHS is so much more durable. (I need a VHS port for my computer lol)

[melchizedek]

OOoooo I am so down for a geezer (21+) meet during the con. Plus we're going to be in down-town (more or less) so we'll have a good selection of places to socialize and debate who makes a better ninja.

As for being old:
- You have more choices in your cars
- You earn more money
- You can buy 4-5 box sets and not really notice.



Also, I came from an age where 4th gen VHS copies were the norm and people knew what Combustible Campus Gaurdress was.
....I wonder if we should borrow a room at the con and play our old dusty VHS tapes of stuff the noobies have never heard of.

box sets?  They can cost over $100 each, I would really notice if I spent $500 on animes.

[uraharafreak]

I'm almost 22 and have yet to buy a box set because it will set me back big time....I like food 

[XFD]

Ok, I guess I'm awkward. But I'm also 26.

[nintendiehard]

Hmmm...
"Geezer" isn't bad, but if we're going to give our little group here a name, perhaps something different?
Maybe even something in Japanese?  (though I never really liked over-peppering Japanese in English).

[XFD]

Ok, then to be proper it should have something in it relating to booze or the action of drinking; something that indicates exclusivity to the 21+ crowd.

[dshwshr55]

but I'm 26 and I don't drink...

[BlackjackGabbiani]

28 and same.

Maybe it could have "grey" in it somewhere, like how the Grey Panthers do (notice, all I know about them is that they're a seniors organization. If there's some negative connotation in the comparasion I'm unaware).

[Runa]

gi-gi (old man) and baba (old woman) are the words for old people.  ... and how can people in their 20s POSSIBLY think they're OLD? Geeee, what does that make those of us over 40?? 

[XFD]

gi-gi (old man) and baba (old woman) are the words for old people.  ... and how can people in their 20s POSSIBLY think they're OLD? Geeee, what does that make those of us over 40?? 

Creatures of myth?

Hah, 21+ group: GreyFox

[Mecha Mecha Media]

What's the over 30 group?

[XFD]

Also GreyFox?

[Lin]

I can be silly but since most of my friends are younger than me I have always had to be more mature. Oh I'm only 20 by the by, but I feel old when surrounded by my crazy younger friends...

[melchizedek]

I can be silly but since most of my friends are younger than me I have always had to be more mature. Oh I'm only 20 by the by, but I feel old when surrounded by my crazy younger friends...

Act Chibi and you'll fit in

[pieisexactlythree]

Ok, then to be proper it should have something in it relating to booze or the action of drinking; something that indicates exclusivity to the 21+ crowd.

For this, I've come up with Sake Club, the "adult" alternative to Pocky Club!  I also found a really excellent sake bar on Alberta last week.  That might be a good place for a meetup.

[NightLotus]

I guess I'm one of the younger people here (which is rather annoying in its own ways)
But i find that when i'm hanging out with people my age, they are quite immature! I generally hang with the 17-25(ish) crowd which is a little weird. (i guess i'm just a little to old for my age)
As i get older I am gravitating more towards those of my own age group, which is a relief.

[XFD]

Downshifting to get this back on track, lets try thinking of a good place to enjoy ourselves and make a meet out of this. I'd like to suggest a cap of $20 spending per person (e.g. no stanfords or similar place that'll make us bleed. We're going to be hurting from the dealer's room anyway)

Can we get a general feel for what we do and don't like? Also, we've had enough <21 posters who sound like they'd like to hang out so as long as they're not creeped out, let's think about something that won't make them feel left out (they'll be getting plenty of that when the old timers start talking about Roario to Vampire is a crappy love-hina meets Uruseiyatsura knockoff, and in our days.....)

Crap I'm already getting senile.

[Mecha Mecha Media]

I wouldn't mind grabbing a beer with over 21 "mature" fans...

[Higuma]

That is a good idea, I also like the sake club idea

[Daxe]

I dont want to read the last 6 pages of cooing and cawing, whats this about a sake club?

[Mecha Mecha Media]

Ok, then to be proper it should have something in it relating to booze or the action of drinking; something that indicates exclusivity to the 21+ crowd.

For this, I've come up with Sake Club, the "adult" alternative to Pocky Club!  I also found a really excellent sake bar on Alberta last week.  That might be a good place for a meetup.

Here's your answer...

[TomtheFanboy]

I dont want to read the last 6 pages of cooing and cawing, whats this about a sake club?

Here's your answer...

Oooohhh, pulled from the same PAGE even!

[XFD]

I dont want to read the last 6 pages of cooing and cawing, whats this about a sake club?

1. We feel like a bunch of crusty old geezers, out of place amidst a sea of jailbait.
2. We still, for some dysfunctional reason, enjoy our animu.
3. Because of 1 & 2, we're thinking of having a geezer meet that excludes those who aren't able to buy their own booze.
4. Some 19-20 y/o's are feeling left out, adjusted consideration to some place that would cost a bit more to eat as a filter and allow said 19/20 yearolds join.

[Higuma]

I dont want to read the last 6 pages of cooing and cawing, whats this about a sake club?

1. We feel like a bunch of crusty old geezers, out of place amidst a sea of jailbait.
2. We still, for some dysfunctional reason, enjoy our animu.
3. Because of 1 & 2, we're thinking of having a geezer meet that excludes those who aren't able to buy their own booze.
4. Some 19-20 y/o's are feeling left out, adjusted consideration to some place that would cost a bit more to eat as a filter and allow said 19/20 yearolds join.

Yea, that about sums it up

[megchan]

(though I never really liked over-peppering Japanese in English).

Bless you for saying so!!

[XFD]

In reviewing the eateries near the Con, we have three near appropriate places: Stanfords, Kojis, and Applebees.

They all will break the $20 rule, but you can get away for $30. Thoughts?

[Arumi]

To be honest, I'm one of the younger people that go to conventions(This topic interested me, though. Read through the first page so I'm just putting my opinion in. :3 ) since I'm only 15 still, but I like being around some of the older congoers. As mentioned earlier, I actually also notice a lot of the younger kids that go to con(Around my age, sadly) can act a bit.. overhyped, I guess is what you can say. It annoys even me that some of them act as if they're nine year olds and run around just to be as annoying as possible. I suppose I just like the people a few years older at conventions at least because I can talk to them somewhat maturely about anime and stuff like that, instead of them acting like little kids. ><;; Maybe I'm just too mature for my age sometimes?

[ichigoxcupcakes]

I'm turning 19 soon, and I like to hang out with both sides.
Though immaturity gets on my nerves just a little. I just wish some people would had their ages, not show sizes, not to sound rude. I'm sorry.

Though I've noticed most teens are getting to be more mature than their ages, I know I was.
DX though people still think I'm in Junior High [sighhhhhhhh]

[valliegirl]

For this, I've come up with Sake Club, the "adult" alternative to Pocky Club!  I also found a really excellent sake bar on Alberta last week.  That might be a good place for a meetup.

I'm imagining "Sake Grams"...  wander up to someone, hand them a glass of sake, and then glomp them after they've finished drinking...

Only I figure the glomping would probably be a lot more "hands on" than in the pocky club version.

[XFD]

I don't think this is necessarily excluding <21 people because they act a certain way, it's more about being around like company where we're otherwise statistically insignificant

[Prinz Eugen]

Hey, remember when Rurouni Kenshin AMVs were all the rage?

[Mecha Mecha Media]

I don't think this is necessarily excluding <21 people because they act a certain way, it's more about being around like company where we're otherwise statistically insignificant

Right...instead of being the creepy older guy in a room some of teenagers, sometimes I want to be in a room full of other creepy old people.

[XFD]

I remember when Evangelion AMVs were all the rage, the Rammstein Engel/Asuka video was new, and when Anime on DVD was a pie-in-the-sky idea. Fansubs were VHS copies and IRC chatrooms were people pretending to be various characters and having add relationship pairs.

And Animeyhem.

[Prinz Eugen]

I remember when Evangelion AMVs were all the rage,

A few people are still making them, but the show is old enough by now that parodies (and a trailer or two) are the way to go.
Just about no one is making any of those angsty,  OMG-I'm-obsessed-with-Ayanami-Rei dramas anymore. (phew... now if only people can get over Final Fantasy and move on from that...)
Before Rei, Video Girl Ai was the otaku heart-throb,

So, who was 'it' before VG-Ai?
The Macross character Mylene Flare Jenius?
Who was the first - Yuki Mori (aka Nova Forrester) ?

the Rammstein Engel/Asuka video was new,

... and when adding two frames of all-white at every beat was an 'effect...'

How about people making AMVs with two VCRs, and editing by cutting magnetic tape and joining clips with Scotch tape!
(Insert the mandatory: "Kids these days have it easy" here. And get off my lawn!)

And then there was 'You say Yamato' - a fan parody made in in the mid-80s...

[melchizedek]

Eh, the scotch tape thing work?  You'd think it'd get jammed in the VCR

[XFD]

Arr the days of linear-editors

I'm an odd sort as I never really got into VGAI. I dug DNA^2 though.

Regardless, anyone have any opinions on the mentioned places to eat?

[JeffT]

Eh, the scotch tape thing work?  You'd think it'd get jammed in the VCR

Not Scotch tape, as it has gunk that can come off and destroy the heads, but it is safe to use special splicing tape if you are careful. You can also do that to repair a tape by cutting out a segment if it is damaged or wrinkled.

It is harder to splice video than audio tape, as video uses a helical scan instead of linear, so the several seconds before and after the splice will have a mixed picture between the two connected segments (at best--at worst it will just be a rolling picture).

[megchan]

Hey, remember when Rurouni Kenshin AMVs were all the rage?

YES. and to me, they're still all the rage. Same with Kenshin cosplays. Oh my gosh. <3 Be still my heart!

If I was a cosplay judge, any group that did a Kenshin skit would pretty much automatically get my vote for being number one.

[XFD]

Alright, let's have a roll-call of old geezers who would like to have a get-together during Kumoricon. Post your forum name + day you'd like to meet.

1. XFD - Any.

[Higuma]

Alright, let's have a roll-call of old geezers who would like to have a get-together during Kumoricon. Post your forum name + day you'd like to meet.

1. XFD - Any.

2. Higuma- Any.

[Kumi-chan]

3. Kumi-chan (24). Any, as long as it doesn't interfere with the Rumiko Takahashi meetup I'm organizing; we'd probably be later in the evening anyway?

Been watching stuff I assume was probably anime since the mid-90s--a couple of shows on Nickelodeon, one of which involved gnomes--but didn't get into it as Japanese animation until middle school. First series were Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Digimon when it first premiered here. Became seriously obsessed when introduced to Escaflowne, Ranma, and Magic Knight Rayearth via loaner VHS (MKR was definitely a multi-generation fansub); once I was into the community I made a conscious effort to look into older series. Favorites include Urusei Yatsura (anything by Miss Takahashi, older one-shot manga and Mermaid Saga especially), Dragonball, DNA^2, older incarnations of Gundam, Ghibli, Rurouni Kenshin (manga), Cardcaptor Sakura, and Escaflowne. I don't like Evangelion, but I do like Nadia. I'm not opposed to new series, rather enjoy them, but the fans do get to me at times. At least the ones who don't know much about their anime roots, and think that anything shiny, new, and digital trumps classic and hand-drawn. Personally, I prefer the look of cel animation. *shrugs* Small mistakes add to the charm, and the old coloring style is more appealing to me.

Subs and dubs...I do prefer to listen to series in Japanese. I'm a fast reader so subtitles don't detract from my watching experience. I like the exposure to Japanese culture even if I don't totally understand all the jokes (the more you watch the better understanding you have). If I watch something in English first, especially if it's something with a lot of "culture content", I get the feeling that I'm probably missing out on a lot of subtleties that contribute to the feeling of the series. I like to read up on other cultures, in this case partly to get a deeper understanding of the interesting stuff I keep seeing in different series. Some series make more sense to me storywise if I watch the less-localized version, because I get some of the cultural in-jokes or shorthand. The localized version will occasionally confuse me because the changes make the story less clear, especially if its setting is obviously Japanese or Japanese-inspired.

I don't dislike dubs at all. The most recent generation of them is of a pretty high quality. And they're very useful if I'm watching something and I need to work on sewing or cooking at the same time. It's rare I'll be so annoyed by a dub that I can't watch the series in English; even the bad ones, because they can be so obviously inaccurate at times that it's amusing. (I'm probably one of the few people who didn't totally despise the 4Kids "One Piece" dub, for this very reason. The new one's better, of course, especially if you want actual series content.)

And that's long enough, I think. I'm older(ish), I've got a lot to say.
I don't know if this is related, but I have issues with poor spelling and grammar online. Is that a maturity issue?

[veraca]

Kenshin cosplays really aren't all that old. It's like saying TRIGUN costumes are old. It's the kind of costume that, with the anime, never seems to die out. Naruto and Pokemon ones might severely plummet sooner or later to being less than a HUGE group of cosplayers at cons x_x

I'm that strange in between age too, 19. I've seen lots of old anime, and have gotten into ones lesser known, and then they become hits (Ouran Koko Host Club anyone?).

It's kinda weird because some of my anime friends are the <15 range and some are the 16> range. So with some of them I have to be mindful of them because I'm put in "charge" of making sure they don't get hurt, as an older con-goer of the group. And with others, it's just a point of being humorous with them. I can act pretty childish at times, because I like to have random fun, but there's certainly times when I like to talk about something that's not "hype" anime x_x
I remember cosplaying DeathNote at AX07 and getting killed by an L with a Death Note. Strange, but pretty funny.

LOL And as for grammer online, I'm lax when it comes to forum posts and stuff. I like to just say what I have to say as best I can without going all "uber english!" ^^; As a writer, I see lots of grammatical errors in my own writing and in other's, but it's just a forum. The use of 1337 and lots of spelling errors get under my skin very easily >>; Unless the person's from another country, then I don't mind it so much. (I have a friend from south USA who speaks mostly Spanish and hardly speaks English, so his typos and grammar errors are everywhere.)

[XFD]

3. Kumi-chan ........................
.............Urusei Yatsura .....

I want to be your new best friend

And yes, it would happen a little later in the evening.

[Kumi-chan]

I want to be your new best friend

And yes, it would happen a little later in the evening.

I'm always on the lookout for new friends. 

*scratches head casually* Did I mention I cosplay Lum? Couple different versions, actually, and not for the reasons a lot of girls do. I legitimately like her character. Girls who cosplay her just for the attention factor annoy the heck out of me. Lum's not a skank. Her heart belongs to Darling! And the rest of her too, if he'd just...stop...chasing anything in a skirt or bikini!
My boyfriend does Ataru; we're both quite fans of UY and Ranma 1/2, as you might be able to tell by my avatar. (If you recognize the outfits, you get a cookie. Or the Sake Club equivalant, whatever that might be. ^_~)

Benten's on my list, once I figure out how to do her top without danger of wardrobe malfunction. Space biker chicks rock.

[megchan]

 tell by my avatar. (If you recognize the outfits, you get a cookie. Or the Sake Club equivalant, whatever that might be. ^_~)

The Romeo and Juliet episode of Ranma is one of my absolute favorites!!

[XFD]

Benten's on my list, once I figure out how to do her top without danger of wardrobe malfunction. Space biker chicks rock.

My college nickname is Ataru. So gained because an old friend who got me into anime used the nickname "Ataru Moroboshi" on a BBS back in the day. Went onto IRC and took over the duty.

As for Benten, if you're talking about the mono-bra strap thing, I would actually suggest looking into making a carbon fiber mould (bit easier to work with for looks and epoxy) over some expendable bra and separate it into two parts at the back. You could then do some pretty simple rigid fixes for connecting it up. Most of such things you can buy at Tapp Plastics (they sell many kinds of fiber materials)

(Holy derail batman)

[Kumi-chan]

Actually, for Benten, it's more along the lines of "she's got no connecting strap between the cups in front!" It's gotta be the alien technology or something that keeps that thing in place. (In costume concept, it's likely a clear plastic strap or two is gonna get involved.)
Derailed, yes, but for Urusei Yatsura. Totally worth it!

*Gives megchan various alcoholic beverages and a big hug* Darling, you're wonderful. It's one of my absolute favorites too. I'm shocked, shocked, that I've never seen anyone else do those particular outfits. That episode contains the only canon Ranma/Akane kiss for the whole series! (Well, the only one in which neither of them is mentally a house cat at the time. ) Hey, weren't you hanging out in the Takahashi thread?

veraca: *shakes head* Kids. I remember seeing a thread on the SC boards where somebody complained there wasn't enough "up-to-date" (popular at the moment in Japan) cosplay at the convention. My response was that I don't see enough old-school stuff to suit my tastes. One of the others agreed with me: "There's not enough cosplay of classic series like Inuyasha or Cowboy Bebop!" Yes, because apparently if something came out over eight years ago, it qualifies as "classic". Inuyasha?! The anime's post-2000! I'm a fan, but a series needs to stand the test of time to attain that kind of status.

Here's a question for any of the under-26 set: do you ever feel like you don't really qualify as an "older" anime fan yet? I'm older than most of the cosplayers I know, true, but I've only really been into anime and manga for...well, about ten years now I guess. But I'm not part of the Star Blazers or Macross generation. I don't know, I just don't feel I'm quite qualified. I didn't even get into Sailor Moon as a kid like a lot girls I know, I got into it when I was about fifteen or sixteen. Some of them ran into it at the same time I did, but they're also younger than me.
(I am one of the only girls I know of my otaku generation who didn't see Gundam Wing when it aired on Cartoon Network. My gal pals tend to gasp in horror when I tell them this. They then proceed to gush over Heero and/or Duo. Not quite sure I see the attraction. Heero's an antisocial little bastard. I'll take MS Gundam or Stardust Memory over it any day.)

Anyway, I feel more like I've moved into Big Sister territory. Cool Big Sis, I hope. I'm no longer a newb and I've got stuff I can teach the kids, but I also feel like I've got lots more classic series to explore.

[veraca]

@ Kumi-Chan: Ooh oh I think I know your avatar. I wanna say Kuno & x_x oh that girl from the restuaraunt... Ukiyo?

[EveofAbyss]

Kumi-Chan: I'm only 21, but when placed in the same room or situation with some of the younger anime fans, I actually do feel pretty old-school. Granted, I started watching anime when I was six or seven and have been ever since, but still. I'm not saying that starting off with Sailor Moon when I was so young makes me learned in the ways of old school, but since then I have educated myself in the ways of the old school, lol. I didn't grow up with the older anime and films when they were at their peaks (like Record of Lodoss War, Barefoot Gen, Urusei Yatsura and so on), but I quickly adapted such films and anime into my collection and like some massive jellyfish, my interests grew sucking in more and more of the "old school". So, I guess the answer to your question is....not really. Compared to the majority of the younger crowd, I feel like I'm much more in touch with the older school, but then again, compared to most of the people talking in this thread, I feel like I still have quite a bit to learn (and I'm glad that there is still more I can encounter and enjoy ^_^ ). It's a good situation overall.....because however you look at it, at least I'm not a n00b, lol.

[Kumi-chan]

veraca: Nah, magchan had it right. It's my boyfriend and I as Ranma and Akane; the costumes are from the class play episode "Ranma and Juliet". They're probably our favorite characters to cosplay.
He has done Kuno, though (I did Nabiki to match). Ukyou's school uniform is on my list.

EveofAbyss: Yeah, I guess it depends on what crowd I'm hanging out with at the time. When it's a bunch of teenagers and they're all like, "What's Ranma?" I feel super-old-school and slightly irritated. When I'm listening to folks talk about watching Speed Racer or Star Blazers or Robotech as kids/teenagers/in college, I feel like a newb. I haven't been into it since before it was "cool", though I at least beat the Naruto explosion by a few years. It's a funny place to be. I'm not a kid anymore, but I'm not like "Cosplay-Mom" yet (despite what nicknames some of my friends have given me; has less to do with age and more with personality I think.) I like the idea of people my age and relative experience being a Big Sis, or Big Bro for the guys. You watch out for the kids, teach them what you know if they're willing to listen, but you're not entirely an adult yet.


And since I don't want to be accused (correctly or not XP) of yanking the thread off course, I vote Applebees. But only because I've never heard of the other places; I'm from north of Seattle and I haven't been in the Portland area for several years. I'll go wherever, as long as there's good food to counteract the alcohol, because I am a super-lightweight.

[megchan]

Kumi~ I was hanging out in the Takahashi thread!! Now that there's a month before Kumoricon (dear heavens) I've ACTUALLY started thinking about what to do for cosplay for sure! I'm kind of wishing someone would have blonde hair so I wouldn't have to get a wig @_@

And it's the same for me: I feel like people wouldn't think that I qualify as an "older anime fan" because I'm only 20 (almost 21. ALMOST). But the area of anime and manga that I grew up with is just SO DIFFERENT from now. My most popular story about finding anime to watch is that you had to get trade blank VHS tapes from some guy who knew some guy who knew someone else that knew somebody who could get fansubs!

Come on guys! Future Boy Conan!

[mellonemrys]

I'm nearly 20, though I was introduced to anime by my 24/25 year old cousin (who used to make AMVs the old fashioned way...with VHS!) back when there was only one partial shelf of manga at the bookstore and everyone else my age was just clinging on to the Pokemon boom. I'm kinda used to being the oldest in my group of friends (except for my con friends they're pretty much all older ^_^ yay!), so I'm used to 'babysitting'. I actually had a friend whose parents wouldn't let her go to certain things unless I was going...I guess they saw me as a responsible person, even at 15. I also have the fact that I went to one of my first cons with my mom, who goes to Orycon and Norwestcon. Having a mom that goes to cons and has been a panelist and 'cosplays' is honestly a lot of fun, especially when people think we're sisters (people don't believe that a 50 year old would still be going to cons and having fun).

However, back to the anime/manga world, the younger fans have their place as the fangirls/fanboys that squee and discover fanfiction for the first time and want their picture with EVERY SINGLE __________ COSPLAYER they see. Remember, you were once a similar fan, once upon a time in a galaxy far far away. So honestly I try not to be bothered by it all that much. Yes they can be obnoxious, yes they don't know when enough is enough. But they'll learn and then they'll be saying the same things we are now about the next generation.

The thing is, with the 'Japanimation' boom slowing down a little all we can do is hope that the next generation will be as big as this current one. So I try to reach out to some of the younger fans that I meet and tell them about cons or websites or stores where they can fuel their fan-needs and in turn share them with their fan friends or inspire new people to become fans.

I personally hang out with the Creation Station at con, which is mainly a group of older fan girls (I'm one of 4 that are 20, and we're the youngest) that like to talk about older fandoms and how the good old days were.

Basically, don't worry about being the odd one out. Avoid the fangirls/boys as much as you want. But don't scorn them just for being young. We want to still have conventions to go to when we're 30, 40, even 50, and without younger and younger fans the current conventions won't survive, let alone will new ones pop up.

[Bob]

I'm only 14 im gonna turn 15 right before the con and I know the lines. I actually tend to hang with the older crowd because most people my age  seem kinda er I don't quiet know the right words to use not to offend anyone but basically socially retarded. plus people look at me and think im anywhere in between 17 to 22. but yeah I understand both sides, most people my age are just at the con to have a ridiculous amount of fun and don't want anyone to hamper them.  thought I'd add my piece of mind to this.

[Radien]

My general attitude is "Hey.... move over."

I'm 29, and I'm fine with the fact that anime is still most popular among the teenage crowd. I was a teenager once, and it wasn't all bad. But not all anime is for teenagers, and not all anime fans need to act like teenagers in order to enjoy the convention, either. Likewise, I'm not just hanging around with the intent of staffing the con solely so other people can have the same fun I've had in the past. In short, I refuse to "pass the torch."

...I still have plenty of fires left to set with it.

[EveofAbyss]

My general attitude is "Hey.... move over."

I'm 29, and I'm fine with the fact that anime is still most popular among the teenage crowd. I was a teenager once, and it wasn't all bad. But not all anime is for teenagers, and not all anime fans need to act like teenagers in order to enjoy the convention, either. Likewise, I'm not just hanging around with the intent of staffing the con solely so other people can have the same fun I've had in the past. In short, I refuse to "pass the torch."

...I still have plenty of fires left to set with it.

Nice point. Getting older in no way means one should not be able to enjoy anime as they did when they were in their teens. I don't see the different anime-generations functioning on a "pass the torch" system, nor should they. For most, anime isn't something you give up, not even for the next generation to take and enjoy. It is more of a thing you get into and take with you to your grave, so to speak. The following generations of fans can get into it and involve themselves in the culture as much as they want, but there's enough room for everyone, you know? The previous generation does not need to fade away for the next generation to enjoy the culture and be active in it. At least, that's how I see it.

[Radien]

Nice point. Getting older in no way means one should not be able to enjoy anime as they did when they were in their teens. I don't see the different anime-generations functioning on a "pass the torch" system, nor should they. For most, anime isn't something you give up, not even for the next generation to take and enjoy. It is more of a thing you get into and take with you to your grave, so to speak. The following generations of fans can get into it and involve themselves in the culture as much as they want, but there's enough room for everyone, you know? The previous generation does not need to fade away for the next generation to enjoy the culture and be active in it. At least, that's how I see it.

Well... sort of. I agree with you, but when I say "pass the torch," I don't really mean giving anime conventions up as a hobby.

What I mean is that many people consider the "next step" of being an adult who attends conventions is to become really involved in running the convention. Once we get into high-skill jobs such as facilities liaison and operations director, most of their time is spent dealing with convention elements that don't specifically have much to do with our shared fan interests.

Eventually, some people will give a big exhale and tiredly say "I almost don't even watch anime anymore!!" ...This makes me sad. It means that the older, more capable people are spending so much time making it possible for the younger people to enjoy anime, that they aren't enjoying it themselves anymore. Of course, to a certain extent we need those kinds of specialists, but my view is that if you spend most of your time running a fan convention but you no longer consider yourself one of those fans, then something is screwy.



...And while I'm at it, there's another thing which bugs me. There's a popular stereotype that hardcore fans over a certain age -- be they comic book fans, sciffies, gamers, or otaku -- are lonely singles, usually male. Of course, people who really know about fan culture have realized that mature fans tend to pair off with other mature fans of the opposite gender, because there are actually plenty of desirable single fans out there. In fact, I can't name many otaku my age who AREN'T seeing somebody (or already married)...

[Kumi-chan]

That's the problem with the media portrayal of fantasy/sci fi fans in general. How many female nerds do you see in tv/movies/mainstream cartoons? How many attractive people? How many socially adept and gainfully employed adults?

As a young woman who has been interested in sci fi and fantasy since childhood, and involved in the publically nerdish aspects of it since high school--making and wearing my own costume to see the first Lord of the Rings film--I'm not generally the type of person who is represented by the Hollywood idea of the comic or cartoon nerd. Which despite the often negative portrayal of such people, I find a little irritating. I'm a giant geek too, and I've worked hard to become so.

Nerds can be girls...and women. Nerds can be attractive, even drop-dead gorgeous. Nerds often have full-time jobs or careers. They're often quite charming and well-aware of how to behave in public. Nerds can and will marry other nerds (or understanding non-nerds), and have little nerd children who will become the next generation of fantasy and sci fi fans.

Now if only more tv shows and movies would get the message, and more importantly (since I'm sure a lot of the people involved in creating such things are themselves nerds and should know better) actually show it.

[megchan]

I really can't stand how any nerdy WOMEN in the media that also happen to be attractive just cause some people to completely blow off their character :/

The best example of this I can think of is Sam Carter from Stargate SG-1. I've heard SO MANY Stargate fans whine and complain that she's "just a Mary Sue" because OBVIOUSLY no woman can be gorgeous AND a complete science nerd. HEAVEN FORBID!

[XFD]

As far as stereotypes go, the two I generally see portrayed are:

1. Socially awkward and inept male nerd
2. Horrifically attractive and "unobtainable" girl nerds.

[Kumi-chan]

I must be watching the wrong series. The only female nerds I've seen are all quiet, mousy, and small in stature or really lanky and awkward. The others, which you might be thinking of, are in the vein of "Hot Scientist/Doctor", where the woman's career literally revolves around nerdy interests. Not usually students or ordinary, attractive (nerdy) women who like Star Trek or D&D (or anime).

Of course, if you like fantasy and science fiction, you're never more than "plain but not horribly unattractive". If you don't look like a hobbit you're lucky.

And we're really off-topic again.

[XFD]

Oh I was referring to real life.

[Kumi-chan]

I think you need to spend more time with other nerds then, if you think we all fit one of two types. Real life isn't tv...there's a lot more variety out here.

Unless you're just being silly.

[XFD]

Erm stereotypes don't tend to reflect the truth, just a select few and often bad, examples.

[Kumi-chan]

I know what stereotypes are (it's hard to make this sound like I'm not being curt over the internet, because I'm not). I think your wording was a little confusing, though. "As far as stereotypes go..." followed by the post "I was referring to real life", which makes it sound like these are the two types you've encountered...as in, only socially awkward guys and gorgeous, unattainable women. And that's just not the case with us, especially if you're active in large fan gatherings like a convention.

It's hard to indicate you're gently kidding someone online, isn't it? Especially without relying on the use of smilies. I like to use childish words, like "silly" or "yucky" to indicate I'm not being 100% serious, but the message doesn't always get across.

[XFD]

Then I failed at picking up on it, my bad.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

back when there was only one partial shelf of manga at the bookstore and everyone else my age was just clinging on to the Pokemon boom.

I personally hang out with the Creation Station at con, which is mainly a group of older fan girls (I'm one of 4 that are 20, and we're the youngest) that like to talk about older fandoms and how the good old days were.

Except for me, who goes on *about* the Pokemon boom.


Also, Pokemon has a hot female nerd in Professor Ivy.  And then there's Digimon with Yolei Inoue...

[XFD]

Except for me, who goes on *about* the Pokemon boom.


Also, Pokemon has a hot female nerd in Professor Ivy.  And then there's Digimon with Yolei Inoue...

And so it begins

[BlackjackGabbiani]

...is it wrong I know where that specific image originated? Since it's the "no hairs" Psyduck and all...

[XFD]

...is it wrong I know where that specific image originated? Since it's the "no hairs" Psyduck and all...

No, infact I did that emot specifically because it was appropriate for the given discussion

[verdant hero]

Okay so I've been here trolling...browsing the forums for a bit now, and I've come to notice that the vast majority of fans here are under 18, many of them are under 16. 
Makes it kinda awkward, though not too bad.  So, how is it being an older anime fan?  Does it change things all that much?  Does it ever make it kinda hard/awkward at meetups or anything?

As you've probably guessed, this is a topic for the more...aged members here, but anyone is free to throw their 2 cents in on anything related to the topic.

okay im kinda intrested in this thread and i just wanted to throw my two cents into this wishing fountain of otaku enlightenment.

im going to be 23 on the 6th, i will hav been a con goer for ... 6 year ... dear god, "the years go fast but the days go so slow" (modest mouse)

anyways, i've noticed something, there really seems to be somewhat of an age based cast system... kinda like india had/has/idk... it seems to be 4 sections, for give the sterotyping, but some generalizing i think is nesesary for general comprehension, from base comprehension comes the ability to discuss, debate or agree. this is just a single persons experience used as a reference point.

ages 0-17

"darn kids!!" is what i find myself saying more and more every con! the running, the screaming, the fun, the drama, the young love, and the awesome memory making. IM JELOUS! and i'll admit it. i think everyone has had that tottaly awesome con experience that they never forget and keeps bringing them back... and before you know it you're 23 and b****ing on the kumori con boards about how all the rugrats have all the fun.

ages 18-20

this is the really awesome point, cause you seem to know exactly how to have a good time or you're figuring it out and having a blast. kinda like the time you learn how to do a backflip on a trampoline, so you do it 55 billion times cause its fun! but you're still too young to hit the bars. with all the big kids who are way cooler than you and have cars.

age 21-???

screw all the bigger cooler kids and their cars! you've got a job, money and you can hit the bars! (hey that rhymes!) i think i was 21 when i attended my first green room party at kumori con. i met all the staff with out their profesional demenor masks, sort of. met plastered guests, and went back to my hotel room at the end of the night with a bottle of 'ginjo' sake. (all because i tricked a staff member into hitting on a guy. that person shall remain nameless and he/she can remain nameless and non-gender specific. lol)

age - till you die

i dont know... im not there yet. but i sense that the real trick here is the buddhist practice of non-attachment to experiences. each year i've gon to a con or two i've been someone different, from a wide eyed kid who spent all of sakura con playing ddr and didnt get a hotel room (im sorry i didnt wear deoderant... otaku body odor is all my fault. lol and anyone remember that year that sakura con was at the hilton and they stopped putting drapes over the tables in the main convention area? yeah my friends were sleeping under the tables, one of whom decided he was going to try and scare me as i walked by and tried to grab my leg... but instead grabbed john khrals leg, i think he was director of security back then... funny as hell... i thought he was going to get kicked out... but john was cool. so cool... i always kinda looked up to that guy, though i didnt really know him at all... and now look at me, director of security for another convention)

so off topic rant there... but adapttation to getting older is what im atlking about here. you can really only do the silly goofy con goer thing like 2-4 times before you're too old for it (well, for guys anyways... the ladies seem to have special social rules that alow them to be kids forever) ... (i mean really, if you're like 22, and you're still in the glomp cirlce... wtf, society would not hesitate at all to lable you a pedo... i mean, look at that guy joe from the ol' bakazoku, everyones like "that guy is a pedo, he's always surrounded by little girls that no one else would touch")

but maybe im wrong, like really? does anyone think im just being too critical? (cause the glomp circle was really fun )

but i guess i've found a replacement, i'm always trying to meet new people, or groups of people... i've actualy built up a nice little social network of people who are at least moderatly charismatic like myself. a few girls and few guys and a few sexualy questionables, and by our powers combined WE CAN MEET JUST ABOUT ANYONE!! lol, now i just need to grow and emerald mulit and cosplay as captain planet...

but you know i'd like to hear from some of the younger people (no doubt i will) and perferably some of the older folks who have no doubt questioned themselves on this matter. (i mean, really like the thought of paying a huge fine for underage drinking hasnt crossed you mind for one reason or another)

so do the 21+ crowd do like i do and avoid youngins' like the plauge? or has anyone found a non-socialy awkward way to interact with person not of legal drinking age?

(and before anyone starts - drinking isnt the big deal hear its having that annoying 'adult' lable placed on you that makes you have responsible for any dumb crap that goes down in your presence, or even worse yet at your house... cause then you can't slink away into the night.)



DISCUSS!!

[dshwshr55]

Kids today don't appreciate anime anymore; they're completely obsessed with its concept. I understand the term 'otaku', but I don't think it means disregarding your real life to pretend you're japanese. People so over the top about anything japanese, yet can't even say the words that they have no idea as to what it means (for one simple example), whether 10 or 60 years old, are in that immature area. I'll get smacked for this, but how do you be an older fan? Don't be 'otaku' in today's terms.

[melchizedek]

Really, drinking or no isn't that big a deal in social networks.  I don't spent all my time going to bars and am fine hanging out in some other venue if younger people are present. 

That is not to say that there are some behaviors that younger folk tend to do (not exclusively) that can make me go "those darn kids"

1.)  No volume control, talking is always super loud

2.)  Can't listen, folks that are so caught up in themselves...

3.)  Pre judging. 

Frankly, none of these are completely age specific, really lack of maturity is the issue I think rather than age.  I'm sure we all know people in their teens that are more mature than the 21+ crowd. 

As for the pedo issue, um just respect people's boundaries.  I think I heard in the yojimbo training sexual harassment is repeated unwanted advancement or something like that.  If maid girl gets freaked out when glomped, leave her alone.

[Kumi-chan]

Better yet, ask if you can hug her first; even if she says yes, check her body language. Does she seem a bit hesistant or uncomfortable? Don't push it, ever.

For me, I'm not that big physically. I'm really not keen on the idea of glomps, especially from a guy who's got several inches, not to mention poundage, on me. Especially if he's a little overenthusiastic. Regardless of his intentions, it makes me nervous. Guys over six feet are especially intimidating for me (bad experiences with past boyfriends). If you look like you could overpower me, I'm probably going to shy away from you even if you are the sweetest guy on earth. At least until I get to know you a little. Glomps in general are a bad idea (unless you're friends and you warn the other person). That's why a lot of cons are saying "no more".

Related to teen/adult behavior and friendships between different ages: I actually do hang out with a group on a regular basis that comprises a decent age range. I'm the organizer of a monthly Seattle-area cosplay/social meetup (GasuKan). Our regular attendees range from young teenagers to thirty-somethings. It's a really good group of people, and we all get along pretty well (surprisingly little drama for a group of 100+ cosplayers). I'm often amazed at the maturity of some of my younger friends. Not that they don't have "moments", but that's true of pretty much everyone in the group. It can be hard to tell who's on the older end of the spectrum sometimes, and not just because some of us don't look our ages.
It could be because our gatherings are more low-key than the convention atmosphere, that there's such a high level of "adult" behavior. We're there purely to hang out and cosplay a little, and since we meet once a month, there's not the same level of anticipation that builds up for a once-a-year con.

[Radien]

That's the problem with the media portrayal of fantasy/sci fi fans in general. How many female nerds do you see in tv/movies/mainstream cartoons? How many attractive people? How many socially adept and gainfully employed adults?

As a young woman who has been interested in sci fi and fantasy since childhood, and involved in the publically nerdish aspects of it since high school--making and wearing my own costume to see the first Lord of the Rings film--I'm not generally the type of person who is represented by the Hollywood idea of the comic or cartoon nerd. Which despite the often negative portrayal of such people, I find a little irritating. I'm a giant geek too, and I've worked hard to become so.

Nerds can be girls...and women. Nerds can be attractive, even drop-dead gorgeous. Nerds often have full-time jobs or careers. They're often quite charming and well-aware of how to behave in public. Nerds can and will marry other nerds (or understanding non-nerds), and have little nerd children who will become the next generation of fantasy and sci fi fans.

Now if only more tv shows and movies would get the message, and more importantly (since I'm sure a lot of the people involved in creating such things are themselves nerds and should know better) actually show it.

<3 ...As my friends on another board might say: quoted for truth.

(The above heart is completely platonic, mind you)

I think the definition and image of "nerds" (or their more recent buzzword, "geeks") is changing... not so much in the minds of the people you mentioned who hold those stereotypes, though. It's just that the geeks and nerds of our generation are getting older.  They're becoming parents, and suddenly it's more acceptable for kids to show interest in anime and play video games, because their parents approve of it, and might even join in. It's a lot like rock 'n' roll, in fact. The next media craze always gets burned at the stake at first, and then one day it becomes nearly universal.

Eventually some of those parents will become retirees. That's when we'll hear people talking about Donkey Kong in the retirement homes. Then Evangelion... and then Final Fantasy... and then *gulp* Naruto.

What worries me is to think that I might end up being as closed-minded about some other thing in that time. Neuro-transmitters, perhaps? A trendy new TV show about blowing up puppies? Music about alien sex? It's hard to predict what new form of media will arise that will get people up-in-arms, but it will probably happen again.  And with it, a new subcultural social class will also arise that the older generation will most likely shun.  I think the most recent one to pop up was "emo."


You know, this really is a fascinating subject now that it's gotten rolling... it makes me think that it'd be great to have a discussion panel about it. Do we already have a panel like that?  If not, someone should try it next year.

age 21-???

screw all the bigger cooler kids and their cars! you've got a job, money and you can hit the bars! (hey that rhymes!) i think i was 21 when i attended my first green room party at kumori con. i met all the staff with out their profesional demenor masks, sort of. met plastered guests, and went back to my hotel room at the end of the night with a bottle of 'ginjo' sake. (all because i tricked a staff member into hitting on a guy. that person shall remain nameless and he/she can remain nameless and non-gender specific. lol)

Okay, first of all, your age categories begin to hit the "undefined" marked somewhere after age 21?!...  Dang, girl, you need to meet more people! The convention is the best place to find mature otaku, even past age 30 or 40... and I mean mentally mature as well as having years behind them.  Of course, some still have those "OMG squee" moments now and then, but you'll find many older fans who have toned down the need to party, outgrown the impulse to create spectacles in the hallways, and yet still recognize how much they want to remain part of the fandom.

As for me, though I do drink when I feel it's a good idea, I actually almost never drink at cons. Drinking can sometimes be a catch-all form of enjoyment, but I find it takes away from my ability to enjoy things that can only be done at the con. It's not a "drinking is bad" thing... it's just that I find the con to be a different environment.

so do the 21+ crowd do like i do and avoid youngins' like the plauge? or has anyone found a non-socialy awkward way to interact with person not of legal drinking age?

(and before anyone starts - drinking isnt the big deal hear its having that annoying 'adult' lable placed on you that makes you have responsible for any dumb crap that goes down in your presence, or even worse yet at your house... cause then you can't slink away into the night.)

Well, Mr. Mustache is just over 18, but he gets along great with my friends ranging from 22 to 30, as does his girlfriend. They still act younger than us, to a certain extent, but it's in a way that is accessible to the 20-somethings. For instance, I get a kick out listening to his enthusiastic discourses on Rubik's Cubes while he madly manipulates one as a visual aid. If they spent all their time obsessing about social norms, on the other hand, it'd get old fast.

My sister, a teacher, also made friends online with a teenager who is the ringleader of her high school's anime club (or was...she might've graduated already). There's a definite age gap, but my sister is fascinated to hear how much anime interest has popped up in high schools since we were that age.

Anyway, in short, it helps if the younger fan in question is intelligent and socially perceptive. Maturity helps, but it's not always strictly necessary. (If it was necessary, how would I ever play Super Smash Brothers Brawl with my nephew?)

[BlackjackGabbiani]

Music about alien sex?

Oh, you mean like in the 1980s?

[verdant hero]

well, i guess this is a good start for a thread revival. i've always thought that cons would be greatly improved if the attendees became a bit more... ethical. perhaps not the correct word, but i refer to a magical something that would cause mass amounts of people to think a bit more of those around them and how their actions effect others.

i have to give con goers props though, being security for a paying company (you know like going to work 9-5, or 12-7 am in my case as opposed to volunteering at a con) has given me crazy experiences in keeping the peace. (like working in a drug rehab center. lol, oh those super crack powered druggies) and in comparison to concerts, bars, and other places you expect people to get out of hand, anime convention take 2nd place for the most peaceful. (first place is held by a microsoft convention i worked at. now those guys were boring as hell)

im also glad i was able to stir up a little bit of controversy, im new to the boards (sort of, i joined a long time ago i just never visit) and wanted to see what the minds of the people here were like.

anyways i hope the op is lurking and reading this, good information here i think, or at least concepts to consider.

now, for responses (why do i always make such long posts... im so longwinded)

Kids today don't appreciate anime anymore; they're completely obsessed with its concept. I understand the term 'otaku', but I don't think it means disregarding your real life to pretend you're japanese. People so over the top about anything japanese, yet can't even say the words that they have no idea as to what it means (for one simple example), whether 10 or 60 years old, are in that immature area. I'll get smacked for this, but how do you be an older fan? Don't be 'otaku' in today's terms.

dang man, you might just be more critical than me! i think in some context you're rather correct however... to think back that some of the executives (as well as some of our parents) we're the same otaku who had to really struggle for their anime! i remember when i began to kind of respect old school anime fans for the fact that the only anime they had were vhs that were mysticly recorded (posibly in the holy land of nippon) and brought back to the humble states, from which gangs of vicious warring otaku would gather in basements and other secretive hideouts to bring together their own vcrs and one after another they would record the anime that was barely available to them. although their efforts were valiant, it was their sad fate that with each copy made the video quality dropped considerably. lives were lost of re-re-re-re coppied episodes of retro anime like macross and whatever there was before macross.

okay, so it may not have beenthat epic, but im pretty sure it smelled bad and there definately we'rent any women volunteering to wear colorful and reavealing clothing involved!! that i belive we take for granted. kids can get the latest anime and manga, online, days after it comes out in japan, and they dont even have to download it!!

even i remember before i knew anything of anime, and i woke up at 6 am everyday to watch dragon ball. (not that that really compaires in anyway)

and i wonder if the fandom is going down too? like remember a few years back when it seemed like there was really only like 4 animes to cosplay from? okay so that not true, but a few years back it seemed like fandom was a lot more... unified. everyone loved ff7, ff8, and maybe inu yasha

meh, never mind on the above, im sure i was just to uninformed to know what everyone was cosplaying as... but either way it seems like everyone got the jokes back then... now it seems like i walk through the halls of a con and im like... who are these ppl in light blue colored blazers? (okay, some im actualy just not up on my anime... yeah thats definately the problem) but anime definatly has become more available and diverse!

i also wonder if people getting into anime these days are still making deep emotional connections with the anime they watch. like (warrning sob story coming here) i was raised without a father, and thus no real male influence, and being raised by my mother i wondered and reflected on what exactly a man is. no real life men seemed to be doing anything amazing or even really important... (now here comes the real, and slightly scarry bit of otaku in me) but cloud from ff7 not only fought against the world most powerful organization, shinra and their best warrior, sephiroth, but he also resolved his own internal and mental conflict of thinking he was someone else entirely! and realizing his own inner potential and saved the frikkin world!! (actualy i remember in like 7th or 8th grade i was sooooo socialy awkward that i began to mimic the really bad gesturing and body language of that game. i did say otaku didnt i? i think i earned the title) ...and ff8 taught me that it was okay to love, xenogears sparked my intrest in the religions of the world, and final fantasy tactics got me slightly intrested in politics...

and i know im not the only person who has anime a fundamental part of their childhood development, i once dated a girl who on top of being very clumsy, had a lot of family problems and more. and then she found sailor moon, who not only aided in her self acceptance of being clumsy but also gave her a place for her head when the pressures of her life became too much...

lastly a friend of mine tottaly comforted a sobing girl with a line from tengen toppa guren lagan "if you dont have the strength to belive in yourself, then belive in ME WHO BELIVES IN YOU" witnessing this, i almost died laughing, litteraly, i almost fell off a third story balcony. it was that funny...

i need a moment on that one, like this guy... IS the live acton of largo from megatokyo. hair and all. to hear him say that, with a straight face... hahaha!!

oh man... what we talking about?
oh, right! um... *reads quote over again*

yeah! those dang kids got it too easy!

lets move on to this dont be an otaku in todays society thing.

HAS ANYONE HERE SEEN SLC PUNK? IF NOT I DEMAND YOU GET ON YOUR COMPUTER AND WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!

nobody stays punk forever, maybe this is just me... yeah i'll say its just me... but if you somehow stay punk forever you're dumb and you are stagnating. life is development, one way or the other. so you'll either grow into like, a higher form of otaku, or you'll rot and turn into something creepy and objectionable. (see the end of slc punk, and you'll understand why you have cons to go to... sort of)

luckily, even if you think you've grown out of anime (like i did once) it will suck you back in, you never forget how to geek out on an anime for a week straight, or your favorite controler onfiguration... never.


okay... let me try to stay on topic... im really sleepy and i've had a long day of car dealerships and bus commuting and photoshoping.

so this whole japanese obsesion thing... i think everyone typicly likes cultures that are forein and they dont have to commit to... and once you get into it, its really easy to go too far and look like a moron...

its my theory that the way japanese culture is makes it not only very admirable, but really easy to get into. martial arts aside theres not complicated dances, the food is quite easy to adapt to, and the language its self is a sinch! (like, i could not grasp spanish or french... but japanese and i? we must have been lovers in a past life, cause i caught on to japanese so quick, it was like the culture was already a part of who i am... which creeped a lot of people of my race out... i figure any race would be wierded out by a person of their type who just suddenly switches their way of life)

but i doubt i am the kind of person dshwshr was refering to. because i know wtf im talking about, i can converse in japanese almost flawlessly even while drunk. i've comprehended zen and most eastern philisophical teachings (including yogic metaphysics) i've studied martial arts since i was 7. and one of my hobies is sumi-e... most people just dont emerse themselves into japanese culture as much as i did.

and i think its kind of important to understand that the kind of people who dshwshr is talking about probably haven't had the oprotunity that i've had, to become some really extreme otaku like me. no doubt if the oprotunity was there, i think most would... its pretty fun.

alright... seriously falling asleep at the keyboard here...
(which means i can almost type in my sleep... almost)

Really, drinking or no isn't that big a deal in social networks.  I don't spent all my time going to bars and am fine hanging out in some other venue if younger people are present.  

That is not to say that there are some behaviors that younger folk tend to do (not exclusively) that can make me go "those darn kids"

1.)  No volume control, talking is always super loud

2.)  Can't listen, folks that are so caught up in themselves...

3.)  Pre judging.  

Frankly, none of these are completely age specific, really lack of maturity is the issue I think rather than age.  I'm sure we all know people in their teens that are more mature than the 21+ crowd.  

As for the pedo issue, um just respect people's boundaries.  I think I heard in the yojimbo training sexual harassment is repeated unwanted advancement or something like that.  If maid girl gets freaked out when glomped, leave her alone.

mmm... good point made here. to start off, i just dont like drink with kids around... or anyone iunder the age of 21... i cant quite relax, cause you know if a cop shows up for whatever reason, and that one person is drinking, everyone over the age of 21 is getting some huge several thousand dollar fine.

so yeah, typicly, no -21 yr olds at my parties. cause thats just bs.


but generaly hanging out, no risky business. thats cool with the younger folk around. well except when they dont know how to handle themselves... like what you mentioned. like really why are kids always yelling and loud... not that i have room to talk... nvm, im just talking out my ass at this point. i gotta say you're right on the non age specific thing, i've seen and heard about som older people doing some really dumb things, especialy after getting intoxed.

lets move on, im tired

Better yet, ask if you can hug her first; even if she says yes, check her body language. Does she seem a bit hesistant or uncomfortable? Don't push it, ever.

For me, I'm not that big physically. I'm really not keen on the idea of glomps, especially from a guy who's got several inches, not to mention poundage, on me. Especially if he's a little overenthusiastic. Regardless of his intentions, it makes me nervous. Guys over six feet are especially intimidating for me (bad experiences with past boyfriends). If you look like you could overpower me, I'm probably going to shy away from you even if you are the sweetest guy on earth. At least until I get to know you a little. Glomps in general are a bad idea (unless you're friends and you warn the other person). That's why a lot of cons are saying "no more".

Related to teen/adult behavior and friendships between different ages: I actually do hang out with a group on a regular basis that comprises a decent age range. I'm the organizer of a monthly Seattle-area cosplay/social meetup (GasuKan). Our regular attendees range from young teenagers to thirty-somethings. It's a really good group of people, and we all get along pretty well (surprisingly little drama for a group of 100+ cosplayers). I'm often amazed at the maturity of some of my younger friends. Not that they don't have "moments", but that's true of pretty much everyone in the group. It can be hard to tell who's on the older end of the spectrum sometimes, and not just because some of us don't look our ages.
It could be because our gatherings are more low-key than the convention atmosphere, that there's such a high level of "adult" behavior. We're there purely to hang out and cosplay a little, and since we meet once a month, there's not the same level of anticipation that builds up for a once-a-year con.

oh dear go, the glomp issue. funny story...

im not fond of glomping, its good if you ask, cause once i had a girl try to do a rear omni-superman glomp on me. she came running full speed, not just trying to dive at me, she flat out super maned that glomp attempt. and she cried out what she was doing to... it scared the crap out of me too... so in the middle of my high schools loose brick floored courtyard i dodged that glomp.

that poor girl... she face planted, bounced, and rolled. i laughed so hard! until i saw her face was covered in blood.

moral of the story: PPL!! STOP DOING DUMB THINGS!! if you're going to glomp someone make sure they know you're going to glomp them.

no i do gotta wonder, whats with people getting asked something they are obviously want to object to, but then deciding to say 'yes'... like in your ordeal with body language in relation to glomping... why dont you just say 'no'... its your right... and if the person doesnt comply, take defensive mesures...

maybe i just dont understand being small... but even small people can excell at martial arts... im really constantly sickened by the high amount of of women raped in this country, its like one in 6 or something crazy like that! dear god, its recorded in chinese history that women far excel the skills of men in both armed and unarmed combat. stupid peace obsesed country... like im a security guard and legaly when im gaurding something if someone want to come in a take what im guarding they pretty much can do so, cause if were to even tap that person and say "excuse me sir" i can be charged with asault... friggin retarded.

but i guess the next best thing is the buddy system... of course, this is why i say cons would be a bit better with a bit of ethics... or if big people considered that they kind of scare the really small people. lol. i guess theres things both sides can do...

NOW AS FOR GASUKAN - thats sooooo different! like you're in a administrative position there... you have no choice than to interact with everyone there.

i've actualy really been wanting to go to gasukan.... but my costume, that i havent started, wont be done for a while...

but yeah some people act really mature when they want to impress, but that never makes up for actual life experinece...


so yeah, i have no real point here and now... im half asleep (and my emulator of final fantasy tactics is pretty much the only thing im awake for... im an addict, some one pointed out to me that i've been playing this game since it came out... 10 years ago.)

[verdant hero]

That's the problem with the media portrayal of fantasy/sci fi fans in general. How many female nerds do you see in tv/movies/mainstream cartoons? How many attractive people? How many socially adept and gainfully employed adults?

As a young woman who has been interested in sci fi and fantasy since childhood, and involved in the publically nerdish aspects of it since high school--making and wearing my own costume to see the first Lord of the Rings film--I'm not generally the type of person who is represented by the Hollywood idea of the comic or cartoon nerd. Which despite the often negative portrayal of such people, I find a little irritating. I'm a giant geek too, and I've worked hard to become so.

Nerds can be girls...and women. Nerds can be attractive, even drop-dead gorgeous. Nerds often have full-time jobs or careers. They're often quite charming and well-aware of how to behave in public. Nerds can and will marry other nerds (or understanding non-nerds), and have little nerd children who will become the next generation of fantasy and sci fi fans.

Now if only more tv shows and movies would get the message, and more importantly (since I'm sure a lot of the people involved in creating such things are themselves nerds and should know better) actually show it.

<3 ...As my friends on another board might say: quoted for truth.

(The above heart is completely platonic, mind you)

I think the definition and image of "nerds" (or their more recent buzzword, "geeks") is changing... not so much in the minds of the people you mentioned who hold those stereotypes, though. It's just that the geeks and nerds of our generation are getting older.  They're becoming parents, and suddenly it's more acceptable for kids to show interest in anime and play video games, because their parents approve of it, and might even join in. It's a lot like rock 'n' roll, in fact. The next media craze always gets burned at the stake at first, and then one day it becomes nearly universal.

Eventually some of those parents will become retirees. That's when we'll hear people talking about Donkey Kong in the retirement homes. Then Evangelion... and then Final Fantasy... and then *gulp* Naruto.

What worries me is to think that I might end up being as closed-minded about some other thing in that time. Neuro-transmitters, perhaps? A trendy new TV show about blowing up puppies? Music about alien sex? It's hard to predict what new form of media will arise that will get people up-in-arms, but it will probably happen again.  And with it, a new subcultural social class will also arise that the older generation will most likely shun.  I think the most recent one to pop up was "emo."


You know, this really is a fascinating subject now that it's gotten rolling... it makes me think that it'd be great to have a discussion panel about it. Do we already have a panel like that?  If not, someone should try it next year.

age 21-???

screw all the bigger cooler kids and their cars! you've got a job, money and you can hit the bars! (hey that rhymes!) i think i was 21 when i attended my first green room party at kumori con. i met all the staff with out their profesional demenor masks, sort of. met plastered guests, and went back to my hotel room at the end of the night with a bottle of 'ginjo' sake. (all because i tricked a staff member into hitting on a guy. that person shall remain nameless and he/she can remain nameless and non-gender specific. lol)

Okay, first of all, your age categories begin to hit the "undefined" marked somewhere after age 21?!...  Dang, girl, you need to meet more people! The convention is the best place to find mature otaku, even past age 30 or 40... and I mean mentally mature as well as having years behind them.  Of course, some still have those "OMG squee" moments now and then, but you'll find many older fans who have toned down the need to party, outgrown the impulse to create spectacles in the hallways, and yet still recognize how much they want to remain part of the fandom.

As for me, though I do drink when I feel it's a good idea, I actually almost never drink at cons. Drinking can sometimes be a catch-all form of enjoyment, but I find it takes away from my ability to enjoy things that can only be done at the con. It's not a "drinking is bad" thing... it's just that I find the con to be a different environment.

so do the 21+ crowd do like i do and avoid youngins' like the plauge? or has anyone found a non-socialy awkward way to interact with person not of legal drinking age?

(and before anyone starts - drinking isnt the big deal hear its having that annoying 'adult' lable placed on you that makes you have responsible for any dumb crap that goes down in your presence, or even worse yet at your house... cause then you can't slink away into the night.)

Well, Mr. Mustache is just over 18, but he gets along great with my friends ranging from 22 to 30, as does his girlfriend. They still act younger than us, to a certain extent, but it's in a way that is accessible to the 20-somethings. For instance, I get a kick out listening to his enthusiastic discourses on Rubik's Cubes while he madly manipulates one as a visual aid. If they spent all their time obsessing about social norms, on the other hand, it'd get old fast.

My sister, a teacher, also made friends online with a teenager who is the ringleader of her high school's anime club (or was...she might've graduated already). There's a definite age gap, but my sister is fascinated to hear how much anime interest has popped up in high schools since we were that age.

Anyway, in short, it helps if the younger fan in question is intelligent and socially perceptive. Maturity helps, but it's not always strictly necessary. (If it was necessary, how would I ever play Super Smash Brothers Brawl with my nephew?)

so... you're saying im wrong right? cause im kinda hoping you are...

wait, before we go any further... nah i'll bring that up later...

the odd thing i run into is something i had a problem with when i was like 7-12 yrs old... i used to only hang out with kids who were at least a year younger than me. that way they pretty much always look up to you. but overtime its a a cruch you gotta get rid of... so i kind go out of my way to hang out with people my own age...

but yeah, so i notice this mr. mustash guy seems kinda popluar on the net here... but what about hanging out with like 2 or more ppl who are 18... i think that'd be kinda wierd or annoying.

well, im too tired to continue thinking, but before i go...
i just wanted to point out...
i mentioned that i'd save this for later...
and i was thinking it'd be funny to save for like... a few years
but.. i'm tired and impatient and i want my lulz right now
I'M NOT A GIRL!!!!
wtf made you think i was female!?


wait, maybe it was that avatar i have up... BUT THATS A PICTURE OF ALANIS MORISSETE!!

i think i should leave it though and see how many ppl think im a girl... then i should show up to some mini con or something in a strawberry loli outfit...


well, i think it'd be funny, if only for a second...

[verdant hero]

I really can't stand how any nerdy WOMEN in the media that also happen to be attractive just cause some people to completely blow off their character :/

The best example of this I can think of is Sam Carter from Stargate SG-1. I've heard SO MANY Stargate fans whine and complain that she's "just a Mary Sue" because OBVIOUSLY no woman can be gorgeous AND a complete science nerd. HEAVEN FORBID!

i have to go with number 2... mmm, why did god make us to long for things we cant have? sigh...

sad fact: video game girls who dont exist are the only examples of girls that are coming to mind right now... now wait, more are on the way... theres always that super hot librarian at the community college i used to go to... along with all the chicks who were really into something i was tottaly not intrested in... like girls in band...

edit----

okay hold on... how did i just triple post? the site told me there was a post in between my posts... wtf

[dshwshr55]

daaaaaammmnn

[TomtheFanboy]

daaaaaammmnn

You took the woooooorrrrd right out of my mouth.
Wow, I think I'm going to put some Lawrence Welk on so you fogies settle down.

[Kumi-chan]

What's with all the novellas popping up on the thread? I thought I was long-winded, but I think verdant hero takes that title.

i have to go with number 2... mmm, why did god make us to long for things we cant have? sigh...

sad fact: video game girls who dont exist are the only examples of girls that are coming to mind right now... now wait, more are on the way... theres always that super hot librarian at the community college i used to go to... along with all the chicks who were really into something i was tottaly not intrested in... like girls in band...

edit----

okay hold on... how did i just triple post? the site told me there was a post in between my posts... wtf

I'm afraid I don't understand you, sir. Are you trying to list examples of women with nerdy interests, perhaps those you found unattainable?
I'm afraid I also have a hard time understanding why you believe you can't "have" women you find attractive (I dislike putting it that way, but...). If you've approached a number of them and they've turned you down, that's one thing, but I know a big problem faced by some of my male nerd friends is they never try in the first place. A lot of my female friends are the same way, so it's not specific to gender. It's a confidence issue. While there are those of us with a lot of self confidence (I like to believe I'm one of them, and it tends to get better as you get older), there are also a lot of shy folks in our community.

Rejection's never a sure thing, especially if you approach the person you like with the right attitude.

[HatakeGirlX]

Wait, I just saw one of the three things you say that younger folks do is prejudging....

Pardon me but arn't most of you prejudging when you avoid younger people because you have decided we are all noisey little things and it is socially unacceptable to be around us.

At a con there are plenty of times when its acceptable I mean its not even reserved for only older women to be around younger people and not be "pedos"
That is one of the reasons I continue to attend cons, everyone is accepting now matter what!
We are all anime geeks and we all have our own personal issues, but thats why we are all so close ^^
That in my mind is what the glomp circle is really about also, you spin the bottle and whoever it lands on, you dont judge you just run up and hug them! (unless your a fangirl of who is lands on then there is some squee's and tackles lol)
Even in everyday society I take the time to chat with my elders (yea now im making you feel older ;P )
and I listen and learn really cool things and they learn from me.

So don't avoid us like were cursed! Stop and get to know us!
No matter the age group there will be people you love, and people you want to kill in their sleep.
This world has its
Lovable
love and peace!

and the always annoying...
believe it!

So at the con no matter age or gender, just go have fun ^^ at the glomp cirlce or w/e!!!!!!

[XFD]

Holyheateddiscussion batman.

I don't think the subject is as ... extreme as a few of you are making it out to be.

[verdant hero]

hmm... i gotta say im really pleased with this thread, it seems theres good handfull of people with a good head on their shoulders...

im still going to debate, for the sake of debating. i wanna see how many people i can suck into this thread.

i have to go with number 2... mmm, why did god make us to long for things we cant have? sigh...

sad fact: video game girls who dont exist are the only examples of girls that are coming to mind right now... now wait, more are on the way... theres always that super hot librarian at the community college i used to go to... along with all the chicks who were really into something i was tottaly not intrested in... like girls in band...

so, a long long time ago, i was a completely quite lil' loner kid who hung out in the forest, all alone... its really some sort of miracle that i've become so outgoing that i regularly get mistaken for the big guy who cosplays as guy sensei...

so with that said, i do talk to all sorts of girls, nerdy girls especialy (its good to have some way that you can connect with the person) but i pretty much always run into problems with a few diferent girls. band/music, girls who read a ton of books, and other really far off things that i dont concern myself with.... and for the most part these girls are kinda like you said, they'll usualy talk, just either not very much, or they're conversations end up curving back to their main intrest... which get really annoying when you havent read the books, or know how b sharp doesnt exist... or some random thing...

but stuff like that always happens, thus why i have my 'gang' together we're diverse enough to deal with anyone positively.

but the roadblocks to talking to girls isnt the topic of this thread...

Wait, I just saw one of the three things you say that younger folks do is prejudging....

Pardon me but arn't most of you prejudging when you avoid younger people because you have decided we are all noisey little things and it is socially unacceptable to be around us.

At a con there are plenty of times when its acceptable I mean its not even reserved for only older women to be around younger people and not be "pedos"
That is one of the reasons I continue to attend cons, everyone is accepting now matter what!
We are all anime geeks and we all have our own personal issues, but thats why we are all so close ^^
That in my mind is what the glomp circle is really about also, you spin the bottle and whoever it lands on, you dont judge you just run up and hug them! (unless your a fangirl of who is lands on then there is some squee's and tackles lol)
Even in everyday society I take the time to chat with my elders (yea now im making you feel older ;P )
and I listen and learn really cool things and they learn from me.

So don't avoid us like were cursed! Stop and get to know us!
No matter the age group there will be people you love, and people you want to kill in their sleep.
This world has its
Lovable
love and peace!

and the always annoying...
believe it!

So at the con no matter age or gender, just go have fun ^^ at the glomp cirlce or w/e!!!!!!

so yeah, prejudging is what people do, its the only semi valid reason sterotypes exist besides a persons utter ignorance. (lol, i argued with my old english teacher for weeks about why sterotypes should'nt exist, and how people should just let them go. oddly enough she taught me to have empathy for those who actualy need things like sterotypes... its sad really) without some amount of prejudging we humans wouldnt be able to choose things that are good for us, or desern whats bad for us. we'd eat the moldy things in our fridge without thought!

this post has me smiling though, it's kind of reviving the magic that my first sakura con had. that being the belife that we are all connected by the love of anime and that love is capable of briding our differences...

i also like that you just expressed one of the higher teachings of taoism through anime...

 i can't pass up the oprotunity to expound on this...

so as ding ming dao might put it i have the mentality of the famous 'south goose beach taoist' his level of attainment was expressed in his poem here, its quite easily applied to con going:

"court gowns of red and purple are not attractive.
instead, i love white clouds embracing emerald mountaintops,
so i sit in solitude, forgetting the year or month
while in the mundane world below, lifetimes an generations pass."

but what hatakegirlX has just expressed is the understanding of the much superior elder taoist known as 'danger evader':

"like a raft adrift on the ocean
it does not matter where i float or stop.
reaching the tao is a matter of continuous motion.
true nature is born from profound splendor."

its true, this poem holds out exact what is fun about cons, one has no real need for preferences, for it does'nt really matter where one floats or stops. one can pretty much entrust themselves the con (or the tao) and no distincions need to be made. one place/person is not all that different from another, so why make a fuss?

you win hatekgirlx!! i dont know if you really understand the depth of what you posted, but it definately changes how i'll be looking at things when im walking through the con!

[TomtheFanboy]

Wait, I just saw one of the three things you say that younger folks do is prejudging....

Pardon me but arn't most of you prejudging when you avoid younger people because you have decided we are all noisey little things and it is socially unacceptable to be around us.

No they are not prejudging. Remember, they are old, and thus have already seen what kids are like. 

[Kimiski]

I find maturity more in people than in ages. Some people know what is exceptable in public and how to act and what not, like I was when I was 16. My teachers always thought I was a senior every year cause "you don't act young" lol they would tell me.

I really don't notice age differences and when I talk to people and they tell me how old they are I usally end up saying, "You're only 14! Wow!" or something like that. I don't have a problem hanging out with people older either, 20;s, 30's whatever, it's all good fun to me at an anime convention.

Being 18 I think you got the best of both the older and younger age groups as well.

[dshwshr55]

I find maturity more in people than in ages. Some people know what is exceptable in public and how to act and what not, like I was when I was 16. My teachers always thought I was a senior every year cause "you don't act young" lol they would tell me.

"Exceptable in public" is kind of a relative term. YOU might see a bunch of cosplayers cosplaying when there's no con, which might be acceptable (spelled correctly) in your eyes, but I see another group of people that look just as funny as those workers at Hot Dog On A Stick in the mall. Difference is the people in the bright, stripey beanies act reasonable.
And for the sake of arguement, a glomp circle isn't exactly in the "you don't act young" category. Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm just a little anti-social.

[Soubi]

I'm not really an older fan, but I must comment on the sense of "awkward" one does get when you realize someone's age. (I only managed to make it through page 1. XD)
SakuraCon, for example. I met this fairly nice girl, and wound up doing a couple fanservice photos for our group.
And.
She tells me recently.
She's 27.
xD Lmao. She's. 10 years older than me.
It was possibly the most awkward thing ever.

/scampers off.

[Radien]

well, im too tired to continue thinking, but before i go...
i just wanted to point out...
i mentioned that i'd save this for later...
and i was thinking it'd be funny to save for like... a few years
but.. i'm tired and impatient and i want my lulz right now
I'M NOT A GIRL!!!!
wtf made you think i was female!?

Umm, I'd say that having a photo of a girl for your avatar is enough, really. At 65x65 pixels, it's pretty hard to tell that it's Alanis Morrisette.

Besides, even considering your forum name, there are literally hundreds of girls who crossplay at Kumori Con. Many of them will take on a male-ish sounding nickname. In cases like that, photos are much a more reliable clue.

Anyway, this thread has hit critical mass, so I don't have time for a full reply to anything else tonight.

[verdant hero]

well, im too tired to continue thinking, but before i go...
i just wanted to point out...
i mentioned that i'd save this for later...
and i was thinking it'd be funny to save for like... a few years
but.. i'm tired and impatient and i want my lulz right now
I'M NOT A GIRL!!!!
wtf made you think i was female!?

Umm, I'd say that having a photo of a girl for your avatar is enough, really. At 65x65 pixels, it's pretty hard to tell that it's Alanis Morrisette.

Besides, even considering your forum name, there are literally hundreds of girls who crossplay at Kumori Con. Many of them will take on a male-ish sounding nickname. In cases like that, photos are much a more reliable clue.

Anyway, this thread has hit critical mass, so I don't have time for a full reply to anything else tonight.

so what? are you saying my handle isnt manly enough? do i have to challenge you to mortal combat?!?

lol... it'd be nice if i were a girl... well not entirely... but i'd like to be more atractinve... ....


.... i'd share a secret with you all but i dont think now is the time ... ....

perhaps more posting in the sober state of tommarow around noon...

oh! guess what guys.. its now 2.5 hours into 8/6/08... so its now my birthday!!!!

being in the state im in right now, i dont really want much more than sleep, but later ppl can give me cooler things... perhaps like meeting more people at con... that'd make an awesome gift.

[HatakeGirlX]

Wait, I just saw one of the three things you say that younger folks do is prejudging....

Pardon me but arn't most of you prejudging when you avoid younger people because you have decided we are all noisey little things and it is socially unacceptable to be around us.

No they are not prejudging. Remember, they are old, and thus have already seen what kids are like. 

But in their years did they not relize how people even in their generation are not all the same?

Everyone younger and older than me is not the same because we change everyday and our personalities build by the others we encounter......So how can you label only the young ones to have an average of how we are like

I am only 15 and at the con I may scream and run around at times but that is only because it is the mood of the con

At my first con I was really quiet due to shock of there being a world like that around me.
But with how excited I have become and since I became such a full on supporter of the con you may see me squeel and run around but only due to joy...So even though you all feel this joy or did at one point

what is so profound about being "mature" enough to not endulge in an enviroment that was made for that endulging?
I may be young but even I know that my life isnt going to last long enough for me not to enjoy those few amazing times where all of my problems can be forgotten and I can just love to be somewhere and be unbelievabley happy!

Look back at your very first con or your favorite con...do you remember how happy you were...? and now look at your worse con...wich con did you yell and run at? which con did you just show everyone how happy you were at?

We arn't all the same...and neither is every con...but if you just let the joy and love for anime guide you...Happiness and freedom will be something that will link all of them

Age is simply a number ^^ Right?

[Kumi-chan]

I don't think most of us older folks think all young fans are the same. The immature ones are just the loudest and most annoying, and a lot of them tend to look rather youthful. It's a stereotype, of course, that all teenagers are obnoxious Narutards without social skills. Of course, some actually are like that. That's why the stereotype exists in the first place.
(If anybody accuses me of being prejudiced against Naruto fans and/or teenagers, they're not paying attention to what I'm actually saying. Simmer down, kids.)

I think the separation between mental and physical maturity needs to be made here. The two aren't necessarily related. As I've said, I know lots of mentally and socially mature teenagers. I also know a few physical adults who act like social morons. It's just that in a con setting, the number of socially immature minors is always rather high, and they will make the bigger impression on the attendees who are older and calmer. That's just how it works. Someone who's running around screaming their lungs out and bumping into everyone is going to be a lot more noticeable than someone who's polite, friendly, and well-behaved.

You can enjoy yourself at con and not, pardon my language, act like a total idiot. I don't care if it's your first con or your twentieth (plus). Screaming and invading others' personal boundaries is not a necessary part of the experience. It shouldn't be used as an excuse to throw out what you know about manners and socially acceptable behavior (despite what some people seem to think to the contrary): it's a public setting, one with thousands of people in a small space. If anything, good behavior should be more important than ever.

And if you still don't like it...
Once you've hit a certain age, you're allowed to complain about "them darn kids" all you want. Let the fogies vent a little, and you youngsters can complain about how all adults are stuffy and sticks-in-the-mud and obviously don't remember what it was like to be a kid once. Trust me, we remember. It doesn't mean we don't get annoyed or wish that the current generation could be more uniformly adult in their conduct. Those who aren't equally guilty (and what's their excuse?)

[HatakeGirlX]

I was not trying to state that people should run and scream and in the halls and get in peoples way, I mean being loud and having fun yet holding back enough for it to be fun yet not over the top.

You took what I was saying and made me sound like I was trying to get everyone to be too loud and too over the top.

I am simply trying to express that I think the adults who have a problem with being around us youngsters and as Verdant Hero states "Avoid youngsters like the plauge" need to stop and give people a chance.
Walk up, take some pictures with people no matter the age and just talk and go play in the glomp circle and just show your love of the Otaku spirit through being a kid again ^^

[XFD]

Everyone younger and older than me is not the same because we change everyday and our personalities build by the others we encounter......So how can you label only the young ones to have an average of how we are like

Individuals may exhibit uniqueness, but a group will often exhibit common traits. For example at large scales, compare western & eastern cultures, food variances from France to India, etc. From one sample to another you will find differences, but at the macroscopic level there are many common attributes which you can use to group large numbers of samples. If that doesn't cover your point, I couldn't understand your message's structure.

I am only 15 and at the con I may scream and run around at times but that is only because it is the mood of the con

I don't think anyone has said this is explicitly bad, but doing so "shows your age." There is a definite energy level difference between a teen and the typical adult.

At my first con I was really quiet due to shock of there being a world like that around me.
But with how excited I have become and since I became such a full on supporter of the con you may see me squeel and run around but only due to joy...So even though you all feel this joy or did at one point

what is so profound about being "mature" enough to not endulge in an enviroment that was made for that endulging?
I may be young but even I know that my life isnt going to last long enough for me not to enjoy those few amazing times where all of my problems can be forgotten and I can just love to be somewhere and be unbelievabley happy!

There is a difference between eating a slice of cake and eating the whole cake. The same goes for alcohol, hobbies and many other things that give us emotional returns. Maturity includes the knowledge of how much indulgence is acceptable and how much is excessive.

Look back at your very first con or your favorite con...do you remember how happy you were...? and now look at your worse con...wich con did you yell and run at? which con did you just show everyone how happy you were at?

We arn't all the same...and neither is every con...but if you just let the joy and love for anime guide you...Happiness and freedom will be something that will link all of them

Age is simply a number ^^ Right?

My first con was Sakuracon 2000 which is probably tied with Sakuracon 2007 for my favorite. In either case no 'squee'-ing was involved. My worst was AnimeExpo er LineCon... I mean FailCon2007 where the organizers of AX did such a terrible job most people spent the weekend waiting in lines. In 00' the excitement came from all the new fansubs to go get and discussing with friends what they saw and enjoyed. In 07' it was getting Sakuracon's premier music guest to sign the wing to my car (click for huge) (and you won't get it if you're not an InitialD nerd-fan). So with your reasoning because I didn't zip through the cons like Chibi-usa on a sugar high, I musn't have been happy. It isn't really true, of course.

I think if you have to put it into binary form, there is either the group with boundless energy who tries to absorb as much as they can as quickly as they can and the groups who see a few things they have interest in and enjoy it slowly. Many times the later group just can't keep up with the former group. The loud, obnoxious kids tend to be more than the viscous older types can handle and they complain as a vent for the frustration. How many 6-year olds can you keep up with before going nuts?

[HatakeGirlX]

7....

7...6 year olds... lol j/k j/k ^^

I know I have been preaching but its just I have been treated like a child so often which drives me crazy since I was raised around nothing but adult friends who treated me as an equal.
So when your so used to be spoken to and not judged by age it catches me so off guard when outside of my typical enviroment the whole world is full of people who talk down to me or call me an "obnoxious" kid as you all have stated.

In my mind I think at a con we should all at least try to drop what society thinks of adults and children hanging out and just have fun. Do what you think is right, and if you dont have any dark intentions in a glomp cirlce, then dont sweat it.
Not once have a looked at an adult at a con who was surrounded by kids and think, wow that dude is a creeper. lol thats all I am trying to say ^^

[XFD]

7....

7...6 year olds... lol j/k j/k ^^

Is it sad I was hoping for a Count joke here?

I know I have been preaching but its just I have been treated like a child so often which drives me crazy since I was raised around nothing but adult friends who treated me as an equal.
So when your so used to be spoken to and not judged by age it catches me so off guard when outside of my typical enviroment the whole world is full of people who talk down to me or call me an "obnoxious" kid as you all have stated.

In my mind I think at a con we should all at least try to drop what society thinks of adults and children hanging out and just have fun. Do what you think is right, and if you dont have any dark intentions in a glomp cirlce, then dont sweat it.
Not once have a looked at an adult at a con who was surrounded by kids and think, wow that dude is a creeper. lol thats all I am trying to say ^^

Well then hang out with a few of us during the con.

[HatakeGirlX]

Well, if ya see a Kurenai wandering around please say hello to me ;P

[Kumi-chan]

I was not trying to state that people should run and scream and in the halls and get in peoples way, I mean being loud and having fun yet holding back enough for it to be fun yet not over the top.

You took what I was saying and made me sound like I was trying to get everyone to be too loud and too over the top.

I think you've missed the point of what we're trying to say. It's not whether or not you're intending to get other people to be rowdy. It's that the person who is being loud is disrupting my con experience. And an unfortunate side effect of one person (regardless of age) acting in a rowdy manner is that other people will join in, because they'll think, "Oh, that's the kind of behavior that's acceptable in this situation".

I am simply trying to express that I think the adults who have a problem with being around us youngsters and as Verdant Hero states "Avoid youngsters like the plauge" need to stop and give people a chance.
Walk up, take some pictures with people no matter the age and just talk and go play in the glomp circle and just show your love of the Otaku spirit through being a kid again ^^

I'm more likely to give someone a chance if they'd stop screaming and running around. If that's what they're doing, I'll probably dismiss them as immature. Sorry, but that's what that kind of behavior says about them. And it's kind of embarrassing for the people who share their hobby but are behaving more reasonably.
I spend the majority of my time at conventions socializing with others regardless of age, taking pictures, posing for them, and talking about shows I like. Glomps (the non-running variety, which I like to call "hugs"; Big Chris is the only one I know who can handle the tackle variety) are something I reserve for my friends. I enjoy my love of anime and the surrounding culture as myself, the person I am on a daily basis. I just talk more about my interests when I'm surrounded by people who share them.

[verdant hero]

so... middle ground between hatakegirlx and xfd

i think both of you would agree that with age aside, there are still differeing and variable types of congoers... some like the quiet discussion of fansubs and releases like xfd mentioned, just a hunch, but typicly these people have the reserve to enjoy a conversation on their fandom with someone who shares the same intrest.

on the opposite side of the coin, you have the fans who LIVE their fandom. this is the difference of largo and piro from megatokyo... for example... the danger here comes in the offensiveness of putting down one side or another. especialy since most of the more exuberant peps have the ability to be very mature as hatakegirlx has made valiant attemps to explain...

heres what im noticing here... just about every person on this thread who gives off that younger vibe is defending themselves saying that the convention is one of the few times where they can really cut loose. then on the other hand you have the obviously older people doing a bit of verbal 'fist shaking' with things amounting to 'you're not old enough to get it yet'. and while that goes a ways for some issues, i think most just dont want to 'get it' yet. they dont feel that is what the con is for...

this is one of the things that make conventions intresting, to put it in taoist terms, its like putting "fire and water into the same caldron" the magic of the convention is that a balance is reached... the fire is not extinguished and the water does'nt evaporate.

well maybe you dont see it as such magic as i do, perhaps one might think that such differing people just simply avoid each other... but watching people i notice most dont 'differ' as much as they 'vary' with this i mean to point out the fact that opposites atract when aplied to magnents and often times people too...

one of the magic things i like to see hapen at cons is a person blooming forth with the things they normal keep hidden from the people around them everyday. watching a girl who seems a bookworm, change into a social butterfly who neither knows how or why the change occured but is finding that the very thing she thought too strange to share with people can make her into the coolest person ever in the eyes of those around her... i call that validation, its something like acceptance and having such makes you relax at a very deep level, a level that can actualy change your life, if you let it...

protip for anyone intrested in taoism or buddhism: this validation process is the very thing neccesary for cultivating enlightenment. the difference is that in the end you you wont have/need anyone to validate you. you must validate and come to accept yourself. then go from there...

so lets tie this back into the topic eh? (i should try to avoid going on philosophy rants on an anime forum)

with people who 'differ' and those who 'vary' in such close quarters it seems neccessary that for everyone to have a good time everyone should attempt to come to an ethical balance. one that doesnt comprimise the conventions rules, and still leaves people able to enjoy themselves in which ever respect they choose...

figuring this out i think would require maturity from all in some form, can it be done?

[HatakeGirlX]

I have full hope that if everyone who has looked at this thread (since a lot have) have all shown intelect enough to at least atempt to find their balance in this situation and with all of these people doing so, others in the con will follow suite :3

[verdant hero]

< is on the same wavelength as hatakegirlX

[Kumi-chan]

Are we done with that topic? Because I'm getting grouchy and tired of arguing discussing things rationally, and I'd like to know when and where we're planning on holding the meetup.

(Spelling, plz. And no more super-long posts. It's too muggy to stay focused long enough to read them right now.)

[dshwshr55]

Opposites or not, I think certain groups of people will be attracted to the same people, even if they are older. I agree with the statement that age doesn't matter.

"How do I be older fan?"

Older generically means 20+, but that's not the true meaning OR question of the topic. The question is about the term "fan". You can't tell ANYONE what an "older fan" is because everyone has their OWN opinion about being an anime fan.
I'm a fan of the anime style of drawing, but I've watched less than a dozen all the way through. I don't cosplay either, but I still study the practice of anime constantly. I've won multiple art contests throughout Kcon and Sak. That dedication is my version of being a fan. (http://dshwshr55.deviantart.com by the way ~_^)
Acting out a cosplay might seem silly and even immature to an older crowd, leaving the little kids to do it, but there are 20+ fans that still love cosplaying, too. These older fans are still nevertheless fans of anime, and they ultimately show other older fans what fandom truely is.
Alternatively, many older fans of anime prefer talking about anime in their day and how kids today just eat up the next big thing. They're the real fans in their own eyes because they've seen a range of shows and have experience, rather than the tunnel vision of cartoon network.

The second point relates back to the thread title. "How do I be older fan?"

It doesn't specify a fan of anime. "Anime conventions" have become "anime/game conventions", and a fantasy/sci-fi genre is also merging now. I'm more a fan of video games than anime, and even art. These fans, like myself, enter the tournaments after years of practicing and they show what a dominant fan of gaming really is. Go have a talk with dancingtofu, enough said.
Still, the "older fans" of gaming are in the TTRPG room playing old school D&D and other dice rollers. Now THEY can spot younger distractions like cosplayers with a 6th sense (that's a very generic assumption, of course.)

So whether you cosplay and glomp or just like to buy manga and anime, whether you're a die hard tournament competitor or casual gamer, any of those can be considered a "fan". Can you ask someone how to be an "older fan"? Sure, but everyone will have a different view and answer for it.

Heh, it's long, but not super-long, so I'm safe. Hopefully this will be the last post on this subject.

[verdant hero]

Are we done with that topic? Because I'm getting grouchy and tired of arguing discussing things rationally, and I'd like to know when and where we're planning on holding the meetup.

(Spelling, plz. And no more super-long posts. It's too muggy to stay focused long enough to read them right now.)

okay im sorry my spelling sucks! japanese is my native language... so i kind of have to flip everything around and english is just a poorly made language anyways...

heh heh, well i had fun, it was kinda intresting seeing what people thought on this. hopefully nobody took this too personaly. its not really a personal issue, its very... what is that word... hypothetical? yeah, thats it. a lot of people just potentialy fall into one side or the other, and neither side is really able to be right or wrong 100% so its kinda funny to see people struggle for an absolute sollution to a hypothetical problem with tons of variables.

i mean really i was just trying to kill time while playing my final fantasy tactics, and perhaps get to know some people. lol.

*hands kumi-chan a popsicle*

[Kumi-chan]

*pounces on popsicle*

It's not just you. The internet's full of crappy spellers, many of whom claim English as their first language. Me, I've always been a bookworm and a nerd, so I do my best to write correctly even in text messages. Poor spelling and grammar irritate me, but I try to avoid mentioning it most of the time. Usually because people get defensive and respond, "its the internet, spelling doesn't count!" My opinion: yes it does. It always does.

Chatspeak's a bad habit to get into because it reinforces poor writing. If English isn't your native tongue, then you're got an excuse of course. I can't write or read Japanese very well; minimal recognition skills, really, though I understand a bit more of the spoken language. Same thing with Chinese, Spanish, French...I only know a little bit, usually what I've picked up through reading novels or watching tv. I know some Mandarin from studying it in high school, but mostly what I got out of that was greater ease recognizing certain kanji characters. I wholly respect bilingualism, and the fact that you're as fluent as you are is pretty amazing.

I don't take anything on the internet personally. ^^ The discussion just seemed to be going off on its own tangent, and I really am curious about the meetup during the con. I want to hang out with other people of legal drinking age and trade "back in my day" stories in person. Maybe meet with folks who got into anime on the same series I did. Talk to anyone else who appreciates how awesome series like Maison Ikkoku and DNA^2 were.

[HatakeGirlX]

My spelling has been terrible in these posts because I was simply trying to get my point across and when typing on things like this I tend to type faster when I do not bother with double checking spelling and typos ^^

[XFD]

I'm leaning towards Applebee's. Standfords has been bought out and their new menu is awful. Applebee's will also offer a wider variety of eats.

[Kumi-chan]

I like Applebee's.

[Radien]

Despite my one novel-length post, I've been having a hard time keeping up with the length of the responses since I made that post. However, I heard word of a con meetup, and my ears perked up, even without the benefit of latex elf ears. ^^

I would much like to join in. Perhaps we can have equally interesting discussions, without the "you write a book, then I will" format.

I'm not sure whether I will drink, but it's a possibility. In the middle of the con, I try to avoid alcohol as it tends to wipe me out (or at least make me sleepy) when my goal is to stay awake and well-rested.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

So what if English is your native language and you think spelling *does* matter...but you're just really bad at it? It took me till I was 25 to learn how to spell "business" and I still can't spell "resteraunt" (see what I mean?).

Anyway, when is this supposed meetup anyway? I think I missed something.

[EveofAbyss]

Well, the whole point of this thread originally was for mature/over 21 anime fans to get together, I think. Or it quickly became about that, and then reverted back to mature/immature age differentiations and discussions. Anyway, I don't know if a time has been picked yet, but depending on if it is before or after con, I may attend. I'd like the change in company.

[melchizedek]

I'm down with getting together during the con one night and hitting a bar with some fellow 21+ cosplayers... sense con is downtown though I'd suggest a local place close to the con.

[reppy]

While we're at it, lets all goto a strip club in cosplay!






Just kidding.





I think it might be cool to have an over 21 hangout, or over 18. I don't drink at all though, so if you all were hitting up a bar I'd probably have to decline. ^_^

[EveofAbyss]

While we're at it, lets all goto a strip club in cosplay!






Just kidding.





I think it might be cool to have an over 21 hangout, or over 18. I don't drink at all though, so if you all were hitting up a bar I'd probably have to decline. ^_^

lol, I think under those circumstances we'd get more attention than the people that worked there. 

[verdant hero]

So what if English is your native language and you think spelling *does* matter...but you're just really bad at it? It took me till I was 25 to learn how to spell "business" and I still can't spell "resteraunt" (see what I mean?).

Anyway, when is this supposed meetup anyway? I think I missed something.

i was saying that japanese is my native language... i started learning both at the same time, japanese is way easier than english... that and i tend to spell english words with japanese syntax... probably not the right word to use there... but for example id' spell things like restorant... well, just like that.

lets share a popsicle *pops one of the double sticked ones apart and hands over half*

but a more mature meeting could be possible... i dont know my way around downtown vancouver/portland/...or whatever place we're going to be... but i figure we should think of a landmark in the convention, pick one, and a time to meet (maybe like 8 or 9pm? at the fountain? if theres a fountain, idk) then we should go snag a bite, if intrest is still high we could hit a bar or head to a hotel room... i happen to know someone whos keeping an oldschool open door policy

While we're at it, lets all goto a strip club in cosplay!
Just kidding.
I think it might be cool to have an over 21 hangout, or over 18. I don't drink at all though, so if you all were hitting up a bar I'd probably have to decline. ^_^

hey, thats what i'd say about strip clubs (the whole having to decline thing) their so... eeww. at least at a bar theres a point in talking to people. although it would make a pretty awesome photoshoot...

but yeah, lets get a ball and make it roll. anyone agree with meeting at 8 or 9pm? does anyone know if that conflicts with any major events?

oh and reppy! or anyone else, would you be willing to take some pictures? it'd be cool to have some photos to remember this night by.

[XFD]

The idea for the meet would be a late get together. It would depend on what time Applebee's closes.

We started doing a roll call but every time it comes up it gets derailed.

[melchizedek]

The applebees near where I work closes at midnight, however that one is downtown so they might have longer hours.

[Kimiski]

I find maturity more in people than in ages. Some people know what is exceptable in public and how to act and what not, like I was when I was 16. My teachers always thought I was a senior every year cause "you don't act young" lol they would tell me.

"Exceptable in public" is kind of a relative term. YOU might see a bunch of cosplayers cosplaying when there's no con, which might be acceptable (spelled correctly) in your eyes, but I see another group of people that look just as funny as those workers at Hot Dog On A Stick in the mall. Difference is the people in the bright, stripey beanies act reasonable.
And for the sake of arguement, a glomp circle isn't exactly in the "you don't act young" category. Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm just a little anti-social.

k...

[DancingTofu]

Go to Ground Kontrol; they sponsor us and close to minors (under 21) at 5pm now.  They're also a fairly clean, friendly place with plenty to do.

[melchizedek]

Ground Kontrol isn't really walking distance from the con though.

[XFD]

Ground Kontrol isn't really walking distance from the con though.

Bingo.

Maybe a meet isn't such a good idea afterall.

[verdant hero]

Ground Kontrol isn't really walking distance from the con though.

Bingo.

Maybe a meet isn't such a good idea afterall.

*uppercuts XFD post into the atmosphere*

no, it is a good idea, that why we'll just find something else instead of giving up!

so, what else is near the con? surely theres bars, but i dont feel any specific need to go somewhere and be enertained, im willing to bet we could have an awesome time just out in the adjacent park. we are the enertainment for each other.

[melchizedek]

There are plenty of bars and other places we can check out.  It is a holiday weekend so some places might be closed.  I'm willing to meet up that includes some nice drinks with the rest of the older fans

No need to scratch idea.

[Radien]

Screw it, I'm here for role call! I don't care where we go; if we have a big enough group then it doesn't really matter where it goes from there!

Don't anyone dare say a meetup is a "bad idea." If you don't think it'll be fun, don't go. You don't have to discourage everybody else.

In fact, I like the idea of a bunch of meandering adults with no set plan or purpose. We did that last year after the dance, and it was the most fun I had that evening.

[DancingTofu]

Ground Kontrol is in fareless square.  5-6 minutes max time (get off at Old Town Chinatown westbound), 8-15 minutes walking (just walk west on Couch).  It shouldn't be a problem unless you're planning on being out late. (like, after 1am and before 5am)

[dshwshr55]

I've met people down there before who wouldn't walk 5 blocks if their life depended on it. I walk more than an hour to get to work, so that doesn't look like too far a stroll.

[laurifer]

Well if it's in Fareless square I may hit it up sometime, considering I'll be at PSU. Woot!

[DancingTofu]

Dude, GK's right on the other side of the tracks from PSU lol.  You wouldn't even have a chance to go one stop before you'd need to get off.

I'm actually considering going to PSU largely because of this ideal location it has.

[laurifer]

Fair enough. I may have to go with buddies sometime

[verdant hero]

okay guys, short on time here. so let see a count of how many people are intrested in doing this. lurkers nao is the time to speak up, i'd like to count you guys in too.

also lets put it to a vote: 21+ or 18+? i think i know the answer, but con is in how many days? so i wanna get things moving!

----8/15/08 edit

i'd just like to announce this for anyone still posting about being 21+

this thread is hijacked and is now about planning something to do for the 21+ during the evening @ kumori con, and or somewhere in the area!

[TanisNikana]

Being my age, I try to keep to myself, raising concerns with the younger con-goers, but everyone says I'm paranoid, knock it off, we love you Tanis, stuff like that.

[melchizedek]

MCMENAMINS ON BROADWAY is one of the food places tom has pointed out for us,  I looked it up and it is open until 1am I do believe it is 21+ after 10pm though but I'm a big fan of their house wines and craft brews.

[verdant hero]

MCMENAMINS ON BROADWAY is one of the food places tom has pointed out for us,  I looked it up and it is open until 1am I do believe it is 21+ after 10pm though but I'm a big fan of their house wines and craft brews.

tom, for a second i checked to make sure i wasnt on myspace. lol.

i think i've heard of this place, is it walking distance from the con? i figure a good food and drink place will do as long as we can simply walk there, carpooling would suck especially if we had to make 2 trips.

but it sounds like this place will do, we should do something fun outside first, build up a bit of an apitite first, then head over there. from there we can plot other things...

[melchizedek]

It's 0.55 miles from the con according to mapquest, if we want to include people under 21 then we should have the meetup before 10pm

As for the day, I'd suggest sunday because likely friday and saturday are going to be busy with the normal locals, unless we want to go when they are busy for shock value (I'm planing on cosplaying the whole con)

[XFD]

Provided you cut through Lloyd Center, it probably isn't even that far.

[Radien]

That's so friggin' close! I vote we do it.

McMenamin's has good food and liquor, and some pretty tasty dessert drinks in particular. It's not "cheap" per se, but hey, its prices are comparable for a pub. You won't find much better after 11pm.

[verdant hero]

closeness is prefered! incase one needs to leave suddenly, or we stay out late (1am to 5 am. lol @tofu) i'd like to still beable to get back to the con on foot.

[kagekara]

Okay so I've been here trolling...browsing the forums for a bit now, and I've come to notice that the vast majority of fans here are under 18, many of them are under 16... So, how is it being an older anime fan?  Does it change things all that much?  Does it ever make it kinda hard/awkward at meetups or anything?

There are plenty of anime fans of all ages, perhaps not indulging in forums. I may be the oldest female anime freak/collector at KCon. I have never felt uncomfortable and I have as much fun as anyone else. But then, age has never meant anything to me; it was a shock when other people started to notice I was the older one. If the gathering's about anime, we're cool. I even get into animated anime discussions with any age on the bus. I also worked with anime clubs on two campuses last year, and we showed tons of fine anime. I attend four different clubs in the area from time to time!

Meetups, if they are really social gatherings seeking dates, may be more problematic. I'm into making stuff happen that promotes people's awareness of how awesome and wide-ranging anime really is... Share the love!

[Architechnik]

I feel like an old fogey occasionally, but I don't act like it in the least.  I was the anime club pres a couple years back at the community college and most of the people there were four years younger.  The good side was that I was able to organize things, while the youngens had no clue what to do... the club disbanded when I transferred.

Still up for the roll call on the old folks night out?  I'm up for a drink or two... which night were you guys thinking about?

[Kumi-chan]

Haven't been to McMenamin's in years (wasn't overly impressed with the location they had near my house), but I'm up for it.
I'm also interested in what day, and how many people will be cosplaying. Also how many of those cosplayers might be doing classic series cosplay, early '90s and further back.

[verdant hero]

i'm still really interested in the date and time!
so lets pick one!

also i figure its safe to say the following:

time: TBA
day: TBA
where: McMenamin's (address needed)
who: the geezers lol
what: - i guess thats the fun part!!

so what do people think of say Saturday at midnight? too late? to... early? or would a different day be better?

[melchizedek]

That could work, do we want to meet perhaps in park and go together or just meet at location?

[Architechnik]

I guess it depends on what's going on at the con at that time... lemme check the schedules and see if there is anything that I might want to see 

Ok.... I thought I saw that they had a preliminary schedule of events in PDF, but now I can't find it

[nikkiolie]

Ok at the begining of this topic I stated that hanging out with younger con goers isn't that bad.....I change my mind. Some of the younger kids are a lot of fun and very mature, however, some aren't and hard to deal with. I have planed a bunch of meetups and sometime I wish I could do a privet thread just for some people to read and not others.

[verdant hero]

Ok at the begining of this topic I stated that hanging out with younger con goers isn't that bad.....I change my mind. Some of the younger kids are a lot of fun and very mature, however, some aren't and hard to deal with. I have planed a bunch of meetups and sometime I wish I could do a privet thread just for some people to read and not others.

lol wut? private thread?

lets get back off topic again!

whats really going on at midnight really? i doubt thers going to be a 4chan panel, the dance? or any other realy intresting thing at midnight... we should also pick a meeting point for heading over to mckinghalans or where ever we're going. is'nt there something cool and central nearby? like... a fountain or something?

[TheInsanePuck]

honestly if you want a place thats good I would say hop on the max and get off at skidmore fountain thats where I use to work as a bouncer and alot of bars are down there... from dantes to ohm to barracuda to dukes or Dixie tavern (although going to dixie tavern in cosplay I do not think would fly very far) but yeah Mcmenamins will rape you on drinks...(not much in the drink for one mostly all filler... and I mean come on $6.25 for a rum and coke...JEEBUS)

but yeah honestly I am down for whatever a older meet up is fine by me I will follow to a bar and what not

[valliegirl]

I totally will want to join in on this!  Just tell me when and where once it's decided.

[nikkiolie]

I'll go too if I haven't made plans yet. This is going to be during the con right?

[TheInsanePuck]

should be o.o

[nikkiolie]

good to know. I don't have much going on at nights so I should be good.

[TheInsanePuck]

all memeber over 21 should join in on the festivites... drinking while in cosplay COME ON

[nikkiolie]

>_> *isn't 21 yet* v.v

[TheInsanePuck]

but you shall be by the con right if you will be then you are fine if not... you will be razzed and called a youngin...except not really...

[nikkiolie]

no I wont be 21 till June. I just turned 20. So i guess I can handle being called a youngin.

[TheInsanePuck]

lol it yeah I remember being 20 like it was last year.... cause it was... and yet people who are 18 call me old man -.-

[nikkiolie]

Well I don't look or act like I am 20.......ok so I kinda act like it, but I don't really look 20.

[TheInsanePuck]

well the older anime fans need to find something...

and yeah I know what its like looking older (was a bouncer while being 17 but looked like 25)

[nikkiolie]

people are always shocked to hear that I am going into my third year of collage.

[TheInsanePuck]

yeah I would be surprised... kind of but I started college back when I was 16 and everything... never finished though

[verdant hero]

QUESTION FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THIS PLACE WE ARE GOING TO!

is it a restaurant? or a bar? it'd be cool if we were going to a place that can accommodate those under 21.

[Radien]

WHAT'S THAT? WE'RE MEETING MIDNIGHT ON SATURDAY AT THE MCMENAMIN'S ON NE 15TH AND BROADWAY?

WHY ,THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME. YES, I WOULD LOVE TO COME.


(Now. Everybody repeat exactly what I said above, and we'll be good.)

[valliegirl]

Most Mcmenamins won't let under 21 people (or people without id) in past a certain time.

Sorry to you not legal folks.

[nikkiolie]

damn it >_<

Oh well I don't think I would have been able to go. I have people staying at my house and i am one of the few rides.

[TheInsanePuck]

yeah sides you have to be 21 to be in the bar area anyways and I think the macmenamins that we are going to is the school one right and yeah thats nothing but a bar...

[Higuma]

I shall try to be there. Thanks For the Invite.

[verdant hero]

WHAT'S THAT? WE'RE MEETING MIDNIGHT ON SATURDAY AT THE MCMENAMIN'S ON NE 15TH AND BROADWAY?

WHY ,THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME. YES, I WOULD LOVE TO COME.


(Now. Everybody repeat exactly what I said above, and we'll be good.)

WHAT'S THAT? WE'RE MEETING MIDNIGHT ON SATURDAY AT THE MCMENAMIN'S ON NE 15TH AND BROADWAY?

WHY ,THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME. YES, I WOULD LOVE TO COME.[/size]


(Now. Everybody repeat exactly what I said above, and we'll be good.)



now that thats out of the way i'd like to point out a funny little irony... this thread went through a lot of debate to eventualy bring the 21- and the 21+ to see somewhat eye to eye, and at the climax of the thread we 21+ decide to exclude the 21-, effectivly wasting the overall efforts of this thread...

regaurdless im looking forward to a good night

[valliegirl]

yeah.  maybe this needs to be two separate threads.  heh.

I has not mod powers though.

[Radien]

now that thats out of the way i'd like to point out a funny little irony... this thread went through a lot of debate to eventualy bring the 21- and the 21+ to see somewhat eye to eye, and at the climax of the thread we 21+ decide to exclude the 21-, effectivly wasting the overall efforts of this thread...

regaurdless im looking forward to a good night

Honestly, I don't care what we decide to do as long as we actually decide something. That's why I went back and figured out the closest thing we had to a consensus and attempted to take the reigns. Pretty much all of the meetup threads I've posted in have deteriorated into indecision.

Anyway, if there are a bunch of 18-20 year olds who want to come along, we can go earlier when McMenamins is still open to minors, but if so, they should speak up now.  Otherwise let's stick with midnight.

[nikkiolie]

I wouldn't mind going, but I am not sure if I'll be able to go v.v

[XFD]

Honestly, I don't care what we decide to do as long as we actually decide something. That's why I went back and figured out the closest thing we had to a consensus and attempted to take the reigns. Pretty much all of the meetup threads I've posted in have deteriorated into indecision.

Which is why I more or less gave up when I tried getting something going in the first place.

Too much ADHD.

[2otaku]

Off topic? Well, it's gone now.

[verdant hero]

not to be mean, but you win the off topic award...

[Radien]

not to be mean, but you win the off topic award...

No, he's just replying to earlier posts. It's a 19-page thread.



Any objections to the Midnight on Saturday plan?


Edit: By the way, I should mention.... let's meet up inside the hotel before heading off to McMenamin's.  I suggest the Info Booth as a good meeting place (it's a good spot to intercept misinformation).

[Architechnik]

Alright, I think we should meet somewhere, not necesarily the final destination, and then decide which place.  We might pick up additional people at the con that aren't on these boards that would get an invite to the meet-up and they might know some really good places...

Otherwise, yeah, I'm down with midnight at Mc-whoozy-whatsit.

[XFD]

My advice is not to wait around for a specific group of people to show up and then mob to a target desitation. When I arranged some meets for AnimeExpoFailCon2007, we told everyone the place we're going to meet at, a starting time and an indicator of the table for the party. (In this case it was a big obnoxious sign for ADTRW). So set a time, a place and define something to identify your table/group.

Then people can show up. Open ended.

[Higuma]

I like that Idea.

[Radien]

The point of meeting before leaving is to make it easier to navigate there.  People can show up at McMenamin's later, if they want. If you show up at the info booth around 11:50 and no one is there, it doesn't mean no one is going, it probably just means you should go directly to the restaurant.

But on that note, yes, I do not see any reason whatsoever to procrastinate a decision until the day-of. I decree our purpose to be meeting at McMenamin's!  If you want to do something else, at this point I'd recommend making other arrangements to avoid spoiling the current outing.  People can always go to both.

[sushiglomper]

Im 22 now, and have also noticed that I am not the 15 year old con attendee I once was.  However, I hope that I will still be able to meet lots of rad con attendees.

[XFD]

Do up a poster and see if the infobooth would mind you leaving it there. "How to get to the old geezer meet: ..." and give some directions.

[pinkrandomattack]

so is this older folk meetup at the kenedy school? (at midnight on saturday)

[valliegirl]

Do up a poster and see if the infobooth would mind you leaving it there. "How to get to the old geezer meet: ..." and give some directions.

As the official info desk person, I'm going to say that we're not going to be able to advertise the meet up as it's not an official con function.  However, if you ask me I can talk to you about it.

[verdant hero]

Im 22 now, and have also noticed that I am not the 15 year old con attendee I once was.  However, I hope that I will still be able to meet lots of rad con attendees.

holy crap, sushiglomper is still alive?

so is this older folk meetup at the kenedy school? (at midnight on saturday)

k e n e d y  s c h o o l??
wtf. like, was kenedy mentioned anywhere in this thread?
also moar info plz, and by that i mean just bring them to our gathering so as to make it bigger.


anyways, that all sounds good so far, meet at info booth, then go to the mc'y-mc-mc place.

[valliegirl]

so is this older folk meetup at the kenedy school? (at midnight on saturday)

We're talking about the McMenamins on Broadway pub  1504 N.E. Broadway

btw they're only open til 1

[Architechnik]

Only 1:00?!  Well, I guess it'll limit the meet to one hour.

[Radien]

As the official info desk person, I'm going to say that we're not going to be able to advertise the meet up as it's not an official con function.  However, if you ask me I can talk to you about it.

Sure, no advertising. But if we leave them with information, they can pass it on, right? Giving people info on request isn't advertising, after all.

We're talking about the McMenamins on Broadway pub  1504 N.E. Broadway

btw they're only open til 1

Crap, only 1? One hour isn't enough time for a proper social meeting. We'd better leave by 11pm.

Okay, I'm going to do the big text thing again.

Saturday at 11:00pm.


How are people with that time?  We'd stay past midnight, so latecomers wouldn't be left out.

[valliegirl]

I'm cool with 11 pm.

I suppose if you give me flier type info if someone asks I can hand it off. 

[pinkrandomattack]

so is this older folk meetup at the kenedy school? (at midnight on saturday)

k e n e d y  s c h o o l??
wtf. like, was kenedy mentioned anywhere in this thread?
also moar info plz, and by that i mean just bring them to our gathering so as to make it bigger.


anyways, that all sounds good so far, meet at info booth, then go to the mc'y-mc-mc place.

the kenedy school is another macminnamins pub, it used to be an elementary school, and someone mentioned a school.

[Prinz Eugen]

Shameless plug for the 2008 AMV contest:
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=161860

(You need to be a member of www.animemusicvideos.org to d/l, but it's free.)

Anyways, dial back in time to the Tom Baker days...

[Wuntvor]

GAH!  I think I read most of this post.  I am not even sure what the topic is at times.  Guess I will just state some general opinions about the different things I read.

First off I am 44, will be 45 in September.  That probably puts me in the top 10 for age on these posts.

I mainly got into anime through my daughter.  She is still a major fan, and I took her to all of the KumoriCons, including the first one here in Eugene, OR.  I attended the TUNAC anime viewings at U of O.  Got interested in downloading all of the subbed shows that we were watching, (I couldn't wait a week to watch the next one  )  I watched all of FMA and Scrapped Princess.  Got into Stellvia, and PeaceMaker Kuragane.  Found out about Saber Marionette J and VanDread.  Started going to Emerald City Comics, and renting DVD's.  Then started buying them myself.  I now have over 2 terabytes of downloaded subs, and I keep downloading more all the time.

This is where I put in the plug for my Friday Night Anime.  Every Friday night at my home starting at 7:00pm  See you there.

I guess I have always been fascinated with animation.  My wife is a graphic artist, so I have been watching her doodle cute critters, and characters for years.  (That means since the 70's for you young'uns.  GET OFF MY LAWN, AND QUIT PLAYING IN THE FOUNTAIN!)  When I graduated from High School I wanted to be a multiplane camera operator for Disney. (I can't draw worth beans).  I ended up getting an AS in TV Broadcasting & Visual Design, and another in Microcomputer Programming.  Still haven't found any courses available locally that would help me be an animator.

cartoons vs anime  -  Well the word anime is Japanese for animation.  I prefer it to Japanimation which is the heading it used to be under in the video stores.  As far as I'm concerned cartoons and anime are the same thing.  It is just that anime implies Japanese in origin, because you are using the Japanese word for it.  If I say, do you want to watch toons at my place?  I suppose I don't mean just anime.  That statment would usually mean anything animated.  Rock & Rule, Cats Don't Dance, Iron Giant, Avatar, etc. are all considered not anime because they didn't originate in Japan.  I guess that makes them toons, but they are still all on my list of most watched animated films.

As far as feeling seperated from the younger crowd.  I thing getting married has a lot more to do with it than age.  No married guy feels comfortable being glomped by a 18 yr old (or younger) girl.  In my case my daughter is older than that!  Being in a crowd with her and her friends,  You definitely feel the role 'chaperone' being placed on you.  Watching my daughter being a contestant on the anime dating game.  That is very hard to describe.  Running around in cosplay as Lt. Cmdr. Andrei Sergeivich Kalinin from FMP (Borscht anyone?).  I was dissapointed that not very many knew who I was.  Also age doesn't seem to matter when describing current anime either.  It is more a matter of access to the most recent torrent files.  I get empty stares mentioning Lucky Star, Wolf and Spice, and Moribito (Just aired last night on CN Adult Swim),  All these shows are less than a year old!  Just not available in the US yet.

McMenamin's @ midnight on Saturday - I may be able to attend.  Still trying to get some idea of what the con schedule is.  LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY AND THEY STILL DON'T HAVE IT POSTED!!   Did Nintendiehard (sp) even reply to this part of the post?  It is his thread after all. 

[pinkrandomattack]

cartoons vs anime  -  Well the word anime is Japanese for animation.  I prefer it to Japanimation which is the heading it used to be under in the video stores.  As far as I'm concerned cartoons and anime are the same thing.  It is just that anime implies Japanese in origin, because you are using the Japanese word for it.  If I say, do you want to watch toons at my place?  I suppose I don't mean just anime.  That statment would usually mean anything animated.  Rock & Rule, Cats Don't Dance, Iron Giant, Avatar, etc. are all considered not anime because they didn't originate in Japan.  I guess that makes them toons, but they are still all on my list of most watched animated films.

i think its nice to have a verbal indication of the origin of a piece.  the line between American and Japanese animation has blurred and sharpened back and forth since WWII.  at times the definition was more or less different.  Early anime drew alot from early Disney and other contemporary American animations, and then American animators started stealing character designs and story arcs from successful anime flicks. recently  American animated series like avatar, and teen titans have been blurring the line even more...mostly with super deform expressions poping up regularly in episodes. words like americame and chiname help define a genre even further, which is amusing considering anime is one of those japanese katakana words, an abbreviated and accented form of animation (or perhaps anime which is the french word for animation, needs an accent mark on the e but i cant figure out how to do that, most of the adopted words are english but not all). 

but im going all anth major nerdy.

[Radien]

I'm cool with 11 pm.

I suppose if you give me flier type info if someone asks I can hand it off. 

Okay, I think I'm going to try to plug an 11pm start time. If people are late, it won't be the end of the world, but let's consider it officially changed (insomuch as anything is official in here).

I hadn't even thought of making fliers, but if it helps get things moving, I'll see about it... Hmmm, maybe I should pilfer copies from the xerox at work. >:]

[fuzzyfurrydragon]

I'm 26. It's a little older, but not to that point where I "shouldn't be watching cartoons" (I'll probably never reach that point). But I hate the thought that, if I just go to Kumoricon 4 more times, I'll be 30. It's like, that's just not fair ^^;;  The generation under me will probably be more accepted as cosplayers just because of their age.
Then again, I can say I've seen LILY Cat, Venus Wars, Robot City, Demon City Shinjuku, 8 Man After, etc. and everyone else will be "WTF is that?!"

Pfft. Do you know who grumpy old ojii-san is?

..

Youtube him. You've got a looong way to go. >w<

[melchizedek]

I'm cool with 11 pm.

I suppose if you give me flier type info if someone asks I can hand it off. 

Okay, I think I'm going to try to plug an 11pm start time. If people are late, it won't be the end of the world, but let's consider it officially changed (insomuch as anything is official in here).

I hadn't even thought of making fliers, but if it helps get things moving, I'll see about it... Hmmm, maybe I should pilfer copies from the xerox at work. >:]

Has anyone made fliers?  I'm kinda lazy to take charge of this

But I'll plan on meeting up with the everyone at 11pm sat at the info booth

[Wuntvor]

Pfft. Do you know who grumpy old ojii-san is?

..

Youtube him. You've got a looong way to go. >w<

Took your advice.  Good stuff!  I actually found a couple of anime reviews for shows I hadn't seen yet.

[Radien]

I'm cool with 11 pm.

I suppose if you give me flier type info if someone asks I can hand it off. 

Okay, I think I'm going to try to plug an 11pm start time. If people are late, it won't be the end of the world, but let's consider it officially changed (insomuch as anything is official in here).

I hadn't even thought of making fliers, but if it helps get things moving, I'll see about it... Hmmm, maybe I should pilfer copies from the xerox at work. >:]

Has anyone made fliers?  I'm kinda lazy to take charge of this

But I'll plan on meeting up with the everyone at 11pm sat at the info booth

I probably won't have enough time to print fliers, to tell the truth. If someone else out there wants to make a Kinko's run, fine by me.

[acton]

I am 47 years old. This is my First Anime Convention.  I know how you are feeling; I have to deal with the same question.  Foremost of all I am a part of the Furry fandom as I walked down the halls this weekend I see much of the same under 24 demographic at Kumoricon as I would se at any furry convention. It is nice for me so see some older fans and families.  I kept to my self this weekend for the same reason. I am part of a Portland Furry group and I am the oldest. We do have our own meet ups and yes I feel I am the odd man out. My view to the age issue is to act my age but still be approachable. 
I do not know not of meet ups in the Anime fandom but Greymuzzles (furry fans over 30) are not unheard of.

My interest in Anime is a branch off of my interest in Science Fiction so I am attracted to Science Fiction and Space Opera them in Anime but they some exceptions. .

Please not I do suffer from a life long writing disability so please forgive me if my grammar seems to be clumsy.
PS if you do seem me with my con badge "Acton" and perhaps my fox tail do say hello.