What's up with manga and anime in USA

SSJ2bardock · Post by **SSJ2bardock** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:26 pm

Raki wrote:In high school most of friends were anime viewers, so it wasn't an issue. We never got shit on due to the fact that most of us were well known and never had any issues around high school. But never did I wear that shit on my arm. The only way somebody knew if I was a anime fan was if I told them.

Same here, I don't have a problem with being a fan of anime and I'll admit to it if you ask me, but I'm not the type to go parading that shit around.

Forgotten Hero · Post by **Forgotten Hero** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:46 pm

I wear my DBZ gear almost everyday to high school. If people wanna knock it or me for it. Go for it. But I guarantee it is not an argument you will win against me. As a result, no one bothers me about my DBZ shirts. This year I've only gotten complements.

Super Sonic · Post by **Super Sonic** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:50 pm

Wasn't as big a deal for me. Then again, I was in high school from 1997-2001, and only really anime into at time was what was on tv. Though I admit I kinda didn't watch Cardcaptors because I was about to be a senior and dismissed it as a children's show, while at the same time I took sides in the Digi-Poke War.

ssgOverlord · Post by **ssgOverlord** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:32 pm

I'm currently a high-school junior...Like I care what people think. I mean, I take a good deal of participation in my school's anime club, so no reason to hide it. I can usually tell when the people far off are giving weird looks when I talk about it in class, or use it for a class assignment, but I just ignore it for the most part.

That said, I'm never playing Yu-Gi-Oh! ever again in a classroom after getting bombarded with dumb questions and whatnot today.

SSJ2bardock · Post by **SSJ2bardock** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:38 pm

ssgOverlord wrote:I'm currently a high-school junior...Like I care what people think. I mean, I take a good deal of participation in my school's anime club, so no reason to hide it. I can usually tell when the people far off are giving weird looks when I talk about it in class, or use it for a class assignment, but I just ignore it for the most part.

That said, I'm never playing Yu-Gi-Oh! ever again in a classroom after getting bombarded with dumb questions and whatnot today.

So that was you playing Yu-Gi-Oh! today in the cafeteria?

Just kidding, I played Yu-Gi-Oh too...

When I was like 12

Forgotten Hero · Post by **Forgotten Hero** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:12 am

Super Sonic wrote:Wasn't as big a deal for me. Then again, I was in high school from 1997-2001, and only really anime into at time was what was on tv. Though I admit I kinda didn't watch Cardcaptors because I was about to be a senior and dismissed it as a children's show, while at the same time I took sides in the Digi-Poke War.

I started out liking Pokemon, but as I got older I liked Digimon better. I found it more mature, my opinion.

ssgOverlord wrote: I'm currently a high-school junior...Like I care what people think. I mean, I take a good deal of participation in my school's anime club, so no reason to hide it. I can usually tell when the people far off are giving weird looks when I talk about it in class, or use it for a class assignment, but I just ignore it for the most part.

That said, I'm never playing Yu-Gi-Oh! ever again in a classroom after getting bombarded with dumb questions and whatnot today.

I'm the anime club president at my school!

I've actually used DBZ on my DWA, my school's district writing test. Naturally I passed.
Dragonball is easy for me to write about. I find it easy to convince people why, at least, it isn't a bad show. Most people knock for Goku dying all the time and that he always saves the day. Yes Goku dies, but only twice(We just fellow his story into the after life, so naturally one could get bored of it). Plus Gohan actually becomes superior at one point to his father and saves the universe.
A son takes over for his father's place. If that isn't a good story, then I guess I'm a pretty inept reader/fan...Which I'm not.

Big Momma · Post by **Big Momma** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:41 pm

Well, let's see, lets talk about my school/popularity in comparison to my love for anime.

In elementary school, Dragonball Z was the latest craze. All the boys would watch it and talk about it the next day. You were kind of uncool if you didn't watch it.

In middle school, that's where it died down. During those years, It really wasn't cool anymore. Basically because the stereotypical anime fan was the kind of kid who listened to heavy metal and/or slit their wrists and/or dyed their hair in a rainbow of colors. I kind of kept it hidden in these years. I wasn't ashamed so much, I was just more into the more "cool" things, like rap/sports/etc. I still loved to draw, though, and people knew it. No one gave me a hard time for liking to draw anime/etc. and most even praised my work( I don't know why, I sucked back then.) However, I didn't really show my artwork that much back then.

In 7th grade I really branched out and got into the "hip" things. My love for anime/manga began to slowly diminish, and I was becoming more and more involved with the things that were "cool". Because of this, I gained friends in all areas of the social ladder. My love for things cool gained me friends ranging from prep to jock and my semi-secret(Some people knew, but I never showed it) love for anime/manga got me friends from geek to goth. However, the summer before 8th grade, I watched Dragonball GT in Japanese(My first exposure to Japanese anime) and loved it. Mostly because of the theme song(Dan Dan). I began watching more and more anime, and my passion for it was rekindled. I drew more, and bought more merchandice. I also grew my hair out that summer, and because shy again.

Entering high school, I was a long-haired kid(With a curly mixed kid afro) who loved to draw and was into anime/manga. I had a few close friends, and they were into the same things as me. I was still friends with all the ones I made in Middle/Elementary school, but I didn't talk to them as much anymore. This continued until the summer before my junior year.

Thats when I joined the cross-country team. Being with them really brought me out of my shell. That summer I became sick of wearing my hair long and being a semi-outcast like the stereotypical anime/manga fan. I didn't shave it down, but I cut my mixed-kid afro down to a very nice size(12 inches to about 3-5 inches, I like it a lot more this way.It's easier to take care of.)
I'm currently in my senior year of high school, and have become much more outgoing, and I've gained back every friend I've had, kept the ones I had, and gained many more new ones. And I'm very, very open about my love for anime/manga/drawing. I have friends in every walk of life, and no one judges me at all for my hobbies. Some/most of my best friends are even in the crowd you might call "The most popular kids at school". I'm not sure if I'm in that category, but I don't really care.

And, also, in my speech class, I have decided to do my recent speech on the very history of Dragonball. I announced it in front of the whole class and nobody made fun of me at all. I got a few giggles because other people were doing more serious things, but they weren't insulting me by it. a lot of them are even interested in what will be in the speech!

Wow, I really got off topic there.

But basically, what I'm trying to say is this: Where I'm at, I am very open about my love for anime/mostly dragonball. No one gives me a hard time for it, and to be honest, my openness now and not caring what people think have actually gotten me more friends then I would have originally had if I were protective of it.

I don't know, maybe its just that God blessed me with a good environment and put me with peers who are generally accepting of what you like.

Bussani · Post by **Bussani** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:17 pm

The thing is, even in Japan you'd probably be made fun of if you read manga or watched anime in high school. You might think that it's more 'adult' than western comics and cartoons, but the fact is that it's still mostly aimed at younger viewers.

Of course, no matter where you live there are people of all ages that enjoy it and once you're out of the immature school yard most people won't criticize you for it. I have had people think I'm weird for liking both anime, cartoons, manga and comics, but it doesn't bother me. It's my business, it's not like I need permission from them.

SSJ2bardock · Post by **SSJ2bardock** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:27 pm

This is why we find people with similar interests as us. It's the sole purpose of the Daizex forum board: A place where Dragonball fans can come and talk about Dragonball with other Dragonball fans! And might I add this is probably the greatest thing Dragonball that's happened to me since discovering the series. It's really a great place to be.

Forgotten Hero · Post by **Forgotten Hero** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:18 am

Totally, I really don't talk about DBZ with my friends all too much. I try but they hate it.
So I come here and talk about it!

Raki · Post by **Raki** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:34 am

Bussani wrote:The thing is, even in Japan you'd probably be made fun of if you read manga or watched anime in high school. You might think that it's more 'adult' than western comics and cartoons, but the fact is that it's still mostly aimed at younger viewers.

Of course, no matter where you live there are people of all ages that enjoy it and once you're out of the immature school yard most people won't criticize you for it. I have had people think I'm weird for liking both anime, cartoons, manga and comics, but it doesn't bother me. It's my business, it's not like I need permission from them.

Don't people from just about every age group in Japan read manga?

Kunzait_83 · Post by **Kunzait_83** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:10 am

Super Ghost Kamikaze · Post by **Super Ghost Kamikaze** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:21 am

Kunzait_83 wrote:
Raki wrote:Don't people from just about every age group in Japan read manga?
Yeah... that's something I've heard all manner of conflicting stories regarding for years.

On the one hand, people keep insisting to me that even in Japan, past a certain young age a person is generally considered a “weirdo” for still reading manga… yet every time I see any sort of documentary or stock footage of a Japanese subway, I see everyone from kids, to teenagers, to middle aged business men, to little old ladies cracking manga of all stripes.

Hell look at Young Jump (the publication where some of my personal all time favorite manga in existence was serialized in, including the one where the badass mofo in my icon is from ); the manga in that magazine is generally targeted (by the magazine’s own admission) towards a readership of men ages 20 to 40.

So yeah… I dunno. I’d say that going off the above evidence, it seems to me like manga’s pretty widely accepted socially in Japan. Anyone who’s actually been there and spent a significant portion of time there care to refute or support my statement?

I've only spent a WEEK in Tokyo on vacation, so I couldn't offer much in terms of this.

I don't have much or anything to base this on, I think the stigma is probably more or less with the crazy "super fans" of anime and manga. While I was there, the "weirdness" always seemed to be quarantined in this or that district. Sure, you had the condom novelty store pretty much next door to a Shakey's Pizza.

There obviously is SOME stigma, the word "Otaku" seems to verify this. But Tokyo does have its weirdos, and its "weirdos are here" districts. I'm thinking the stigma is more against the flawless Claire and Misty(I don't know their Japanese names) cosplays outside of the theater on the first day of Pokemon Movie 10's showings.

Just a theory there.

Also, the Studio Ghibli museum seemed packed with children, though a lot of the exhibits were fascinating from a technical standpoint.

Kunzait_83 · Post by **Kunzait_83** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:34 am

Adamant · Post by **Adamant** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:59 am

Kunzait_83 wrote:I suppose the real difference that separates America’s outlook on comics and cartoons v.s. the Japanese’s outlook on manga and anime is that in the U.S. a person is generally considered a “freak” or “weirdo” for liking ANY comic or cartoon to ANY degree, no matter how casually, past childhood (though this dumb stigma does seem to be finally disappearing littler by little in recent years). Whereas in Japan, just being into them casually and within reason at any age level is considered perfectly normal.

At least that’s the take that I’m gathering from what I hear from others. Again anyone who can add more or correct me is more than welcome.

Having only lived in the US for a little over a year, I can definitly vouch for the fact that the country has some sort of bizarre "geekification" of "comic book culture". Not only do you have to track down specialty stores to find anything, more or less every single American comic book is of the continuity-heavy super hero kind where each tiny little plotline takes half a year to conclude. American comic book readers come up with all sorts of "reasons" for why the industry is "suffering", but the hard facts is that they brought it onto themselves by only focusing on this kind of non-casual-friendly material. American comics, the only type of comics your average American is familiar with, creates the entire "comics are for geeks" stigma by not putting out anything that's, well, NOT for geeks.

Norway has 5 million inhabitants in total, and we're still able to sell comic books in grocery stores, rather than in specialty stores. There's tons of titles in all kinds of genres, they're bought and read by all kind of people, and nobody recieves any odd looks for reading them in public.

The odd man out isn't Japan, it's the US. This "FAQ" on comics is a great source of humor to anyone not from that one single country.

And of course, there's the equally amusing idea that "manga" and "comics" are two completely different things.

WorldChampion · Post by **WorldChampion** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:11 am

I fit the "geek" stereotype in high school pretty much to a t. Half my shirts were Dragonball Z themed, and I spent my lunch hours playing Gameboy. Nobody ever said anything to me. This is closing in on 10 years ago now though, so I don't know, maybe things are different here now.

sailorspazz · Post by **sailorspazz** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:28 pm

Raki wrote:Don't people from just about every age group in Japan read manga?

I have spent time in Japan, and it does seem that there are manga targeted to every age group, and indeed you will see people of all ages reading manga on the subway (hell, I've even seen Japanese businessmen reading porn on the train

) I also work with many Japanese people at my job, and though I'm not sure about the older ones, it seems that the ones in their 20s and 30s still read manga, though they do think it weird that an American like me reads more manga than they do

So I would say it's normal for someone past their teens to read manga in Japan, but if they read nothing but manga it's considered abnormal.

Super Ghost Kamikaze · Post by **Super Ghost Kamikaze** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 4:21 pm

Okay, so I'm more or less right? The idea that "Manga and anime is all Japanese people read/watch/do" attitude of some anime fans in the US probably spawned some backlash by people with actual experience with the Japanese people, and they might have gone slightly overboard in saying that only weirdos over 10 read it?

And I'm guessing that people that like the comics and cartoons as much as we do would be considered weirdos in Japan. I mean, you go to an "anime" forum of any substantial size, and you'll see the people thinking that if they move to Japan then they can read manga and watch anime all day, talk with people in Japan about manga and anime randomly, and it will be perfectly acceptable to act like a huge dork in the middle of Tokyo. And that's obviously not the case. If you're an anime geek in Japan, you'd more or less have to confine your dorkiness to toy stores, arcades, and conventions like US super-fans. And maybe quietly read your comics on the train without bothering anybody else.

Am I right?

Super 17 · Post by **Super 17** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 3:22 am

I remember all my older cousins, who are in their mid 30's telling me that DragonBall become so popular on adults. Most of my older cousins watched DragonBall since it first aired in Mexico around 1994. They were all about 16 or 17. I was barely 5. Anyways around 1999 -2000, they had work and their wives would record the show every day, so when they come home they could watch it. Dragon Ball GT ended in Mexico around 2001. So they were in their mid 20's before they could finish all of the show. My cousins friends watched it too when they got back from work since they all were now adults.

So yeah that's how crazy popular it was even in Central/South America. In fact in Mexico they're still showing reruns. It's actually getting too old. It ended in 2001, and now where on 2009 almost. They show DBGT like 10 times, but DB and DBZ holy shit, honestly I'm gonna say about at least 30 times since they show it Monday through Fridays and sometimes one day gets between 1-3 episodes. Also to make things worse, they show it on local-Tv and on cable on Cartoon Network. So on one channel it could be the Androids saga and the other could be the Majin Buu saga.

theoriginalbilis · Post by **theoriginalbilis** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:52 am

It was kind of a problem in my middle/high school, mainly because they were sports-centric schools.

Until we met other kids who were into anime/manga too, then once that clique was formed, the kids who had something to say to us eventually went away. Those were the best days of my life. I wish I still kept in contact with half of my high school friends.

Kanzenshuu

What's up with manga and anime in USA

Who is online