Forum - View topicYour feelings about anime being "niche"...
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Mainichi Daydreams
 Posts: 1 |
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This was sort of something that I was thinking about after reading some of the posts in the "Showing off your affections..." topic. Perhaps this question can somehow relate to the sentiments being expressed there:
Are any of you bothered about being a fan of something as relatively small and niche such as anime? Even though there are some hit anime shows being broadcast on television that have a large following of fans, anime as a whole is something that not many people outside of the fanbase really knows about or takes seriously. And for somebody who's dedicated as an anime fan (including myself), it really difficult to get the word out without feeling like you're the only one in the area who's a fan. Maybe my last point depends on where you are on the map, but it's still definitely something that I think is an issue for some people looking for a community outside of the Internet. |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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It doesn't bother me in the least. I can't make people like anime, and if the general viewpoint out there amongst your average Joe is that anime sucks, then so be it, that is their call to make.
I've never seen a reason to get the word out as people are capable of making up their own mind on what they enjoy and what they don't. We could argue that they're just not giving it a chance, but odds are we're all guilty of that same thing in some regard, and I'd wager anyone who says they aren't is not thinking it through or lying; it's simple human nature. Trying to get the word out just makes one seem preachy and/or elitist to others, and will often have the opposite effect of what the person is trying to achieve. I guess the main reason it doesn't bother me much is that I've never needed or required a community that adapts perfectly with a hobby to enjoy it. Anime is just a hobby to me, and as I am a pretty open person, it joins a pretty diverse list of other hobbies. Sometimes I would even say that certain groups within the anime fandom bother me more than people outside the anime fandom. |
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DFBTG
Posts: 385 Location: Hell |
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It doesn't necessarily bother me that it's a niche, but what does irritate me is when others look down upon me for watching it. Yes, maybe that's justifiable for some series I've watched (Popotan, Miyuki-chan, Mnemosyne, and Shuffle! just to name a few) because I don't know what on this God given earth allowed me to finish them. Although I didn't think Shuffle! was that bad...However, for the same reason I don't feel the need to 'spread the word' it doesn't bother me too much: it's none of my concern. I dare say a good amount of people bash it without trying it, but as Keonyn said I'm pretty sure that at some point in time everybody's done the same for something or another. Although I wouldn't mind knowing someone who was into anime. At one point there was two seniors at my school that I know of; however one was creepy and the other was overly preppy. The former wasn't bad, but the latter...
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ShadowTrader
 Posts: 231 Location: NJ |
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Like I'm saying now that Keonyn is a bother to me with that comment. In my quest to "get the word out" about my selfish need for more mature anime I have tried desperately to unite the community behind better rating practices so as to petition creators/animators for constantly better shows. This kind of quality improvement would hopefully make anime a mainstream medium thus resulting in a wider audience and achieving my ultimate greedy goal of getting more mature anime on the market. However anime being a "niche" medium presents a problem because fans often like it that way, most people will tell you that they like it being a "niche" hobby and would hate it if it became as popular and big as Hollywood movies or such. Hence the dilemma, if you strive to make it mainstream and convince more people to like it, it could become something completely different and alienate a lot of fans or it could be completely reinvented and become so much more spectacular that maybe it could dominate every other medium. I prefer the latter but I'm living in fantasy land and everybody else will say that it could never happen. I live on hope but if miracles happen in anime why can't they in real life, right? And to answer your original question, I'm not really bothered by it, otherwise I wouldn't really be a fan, would I? |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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No, I'm not bothered by it being a niche hobby though sometimes it is bit of a bother to locate older titles on DVD sometimes when I want to check out a really old title (my current dilema: Maison Ikkoku). They tend to go out of print faster than domestic DVDs. Not to mention it's an expensive habit to begin with due to the medium's status here as specialty items.
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Xanas
Posts: 2058 |
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I don't dislike it from the perspective of needing everyone to like it in order to enjoy it, but on the other hand I prefer watching movies/etc as a social thing (I'm not super social, video games and media is how I do socialize) so I do always like finding people who are into it. There is a reason of course I come here, after all. I'd prefer some more real life fans to exist nearby, but this is true for the other things I like as well.
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springsilence
Posts: 8 |
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It doesn't bother me in the least that I'm in love with something that's not the most popular medium in the world . I just want people to respect my choice and not pass it off as ' just cartoons ' or soething silly . Most of them don't understand that sensibilities and sensitivities associated with anime.....but to each his own .
It's always nice to come across people who shares your interest.....it allows for great conversation and it's an absolute joy . |
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robotaholic
 Posts: 11 |
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It's okay for me but I certainly wish anime is popular (as in' Top-rated show on TV'-kind of popular) so I can find tons people in IRL with this particular interest. I do have another interests outside anime but it's always nice to have this feeling of excitement when you're making a conversation with a person who's sitting next to you in a waiting room; "Hey, did you watch last night's Ultimate Mopper Daisuke?" without any fear of awkward stare.
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Labbes
 Posts: 890 |
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I am bothered by hentai-comments from people who haven't even seen one anime, who say that "Hentai is sooo disgusting" or something around those lines. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I particularly like hentai, but it's no worse than usual porn. In such moments, I really feel it would be nice if anime was less niche and more socially accepted in Germany. I mean, people watch DSDS (Germany's Idol) and talk shows and crap like that and nobody looks down on them, but anime is teh shit. Sure thing.
And yeah, I probably would be happier if my hobby was football instead of anime, but in a Fahrenheit 451-kind of way. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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Since becoming a "fan" I've more or less revelled in the fact I now have a niche interest aside /d/ material.. I've pretty much gone off cinema, television, music and video games; by liking something (relatively) few other people around me fully appreciate I feel I have something to identify myself by. Saying this sort of thing most probably makes me a legitimate fanboy, but I don't mind being labelled. |
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Alestal
 Posts: 605 Location: Dallas, Texas |
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Everyone has there own hobbies and tastes, I see no reason to throw mine in thier faces. I don't understand how you can be bothered by liking something you enjoy... |
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TheTheory
 Posts: 1029 Location: Central PA |
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A lot of my interests are fairly niche. Doesn't bother me at all. When your interest in niche, encountering other people who enjoy your niche is really exciting. I would take those few, interesting people in a heartbeat over a non-niche fan, because you have a higher chance of a non-niche fan just being someone who follows trends. They're not passionate about the item, they're just interested because they could buy the shirt at Hot Topic and because all their schoolmates are into it.
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rinmackie
 Posts: 1040 Location: in a van! down by the river! |
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Actually, I agree with ShadowTrader 100%. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an in-your-face fan and I don't think anime will ever be as popular or mainstream as say, videogames. But it could stand to be a bit more popular and it's actually now more popular than it's ever been. Or at least it seems to be, but it could definitely use another boost. Of course most people will say that anime just can't be mainstream due to it's nature and I'll admit that's probably partially true. But the other part of it is that a lot of the hardcore fans want it that way and that really ticks me off. Course, I wouldn't want anime to become so popular that it becomes diluted but I don't necessarily think that would happen since I think there is a limit on how popular it can become. Even if it did become diluted, it would primarily be in this country, but as long as Japan keeps churning out the real deal, it will never disappear.
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ShadowTrader
Posts: 231 Location: NJ |
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Yea it looks like you aren't going to get many complaints on this forum, after all it is an anime FAN forum. I can just imagine someone saying, "OMG I feel so oppressed, how did you know? Anime being the niche hobby that it is has completely ruined my social life. I'm a total outcast and I can't go out in public without being looked down on. I feel so helpless, my addiction to moe and my craving for mecha has ruined my life! Damn this nicheness, if only it way mainstream..."
Thats hard to believe since a lot more Western culture is exported than Asian. If it becomes diluted I would think it would have to start at the core and work its way outward, unless a second anime production capital emerges in the west, but that is highly unlikely. |
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Urd
 Posts: 317 Location: Paris, France |
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Anime being the niche hobby that it is has completely ruined my social life. I'm a total outcast and I can't go out in public without being looked down on. My addiction to moe and my craving for mecha has ruined my life! But I don't care.
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