What's up with manga and anime in USA

Super 17 · Post by **Super 17** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:30 am

Why is it that here in the United States a lot of people obviously not you guys, call each other geeks, losers or kids just because we read the manga and watch the anime. I have friends in Mexico, all over South America, Europe and from Japan, and they say its very popular that everyone watches it. I've been to Mexico since thats my country and no one says your not popular because they watch anime or read manga. It's like culture or something, I don't know. It's actually so popular that its a must go with it. But yeah there are a few quite here and there that call you geek and what not, but it's far more horrible in the US. Why is that?

Captain Awesome · Post by **Captain Awesome** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:35 am

I was a bit of a closet geek in high school, my friends knew I was into cartoons and comic books, but I didn't flaunt it, I never brought comics to school (mainly because I'm so anally retentive about the condition I keep my books in) though I did constantly draw stuff like Dragonball in class, but still no-one ever gave me a hard time about it.

I'm in my 20's now, in the real world, where no-one gives a shit what anyone else does, the only thing that frustrates me, as someone who grew up playing videogames and watching Transformers, the same people that were telling me on a regular basis that these things were "shit" are now buying Sonic and Transformers T-shirts, because "retro" gaming and cartoons are cool now.

Fuck those hipster douchebags.

Wojak · Post by **Wojak** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:15 am

Super 17 wrote:Why is it that here in the United States a lot of people obviously not you guys, call each other geeks, losers or kids just because we read the manga and watch the anime.

Because of that they can't read and are jealous.

Seriously, I have never hidden my interest in Manga or Anime, even though people think that you are a geek reading it in my country too.
It has mostly to do that my cool-ness compensates the geekiness. j/k
Just be confident about your hobbies/interests and you are untouchable.

But going by the subject, I think it has to do with that maybe (assumption) Mexico and Europe has had manga/anime longer than the US has?

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:20 am

I agree with Captain Awesome, things are the worst when you're in junior high and high school. When you're done with that, no one cares. You have a whole other sense of freedom and chance to truly develop into the true person you are. Don't mind the idiots that are your peers since when they get out into the real world, they'll learn *real* fast that it's no longer their little closed off one that they rule. No more "big fish in small pond" in other words.

Sun_Wukong · Post by **Sun_Wukong** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:36 am

Anime/Manga is a lot more socially accepted than it used to be, believe me. It was nowhere near as mainstream 10-12 years ago. I got into anime in 1998 and it was really obscure then. No manga sections in bookstores, and hardly any in Best buy/Suncoast.

NeptuneKai · Post by **NeptuneKai** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:31 am

I think manga/anime took the "videogame" path of popularity actually.

"What's this weird shit....hey neat"
"Oh this shit is all the rage!"
"Meh, it's getting boring now"
"You're still into manga/anime...psh nerd"
"Oh hey look at these new cool anime coming out I remember this from when I was a kid, maybe I'll check this out again!"

MagicBox · Post by **MagicBox** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:28 am

As others have said, it's really just in middle/high school, maybe early college, that people even care about these things at all. When you're done with that, nobody really judges you on something as tame as reading a certain kind of book or watching a certain kind of show.

With high school, though, it's basically because people, collectively, are... well, stupid. They usually go off of stereotypes when judging peers, so if you're seen with any sort of manga, no matter how "normal" or social you are, you're automatically the goth kid who dresses in all black, wears tons of black makeup, and just sits alone in the lunch room reading nothing but manga. Granted, we did have some people like that in my high school, which is where the stereotype comes from, but it all stems from the fact that while a person is generally open-minded and accepting, people aren't.

Plus, a lot of it also has to do with the fact that a lot of people don't really get what manga or anime really is. Yeah, they're just comic books and cartoons, but the general public tends to blow that out or proportion based on what they've "heard." One time when the subject of anime/manga came up between me and some of my friends, they seemed to all have this general opinion that those "gothic, pornographic" shows are just creepy, thinking that all anime/manga is chock-full of satanic messages and hentai. This seems to be the general consensus among people not "in the know." Now, I don't mean to generalize, because a lot of people that I've met, who aren't into anime/manga at all, are quite aware that they're just regular cartoons/comics, but a lot of high schoolers just seem to go off the stereotype. Now, with something like DragonBall, which is burned into the general public's mind enough for it to be recognized by everybody, then yeah, they'll know it's an action/adventure series. So yeah, you'll be free from dumb responces like that, but it'll also open the floodgates for the "that's only for kids" and "aren't you a little old for this crap?" comments.

Most of the people in my high school were really nice, so I was never judged for my love of anime or manga (though, as Captain Awesome said, I wasn't exactly flaunting it. I'm not THAT into it.). I would just talk about it with my friends who were really into it, and sometimes, when walking by somebody reading a manga in class or in lunch, I'd stop to say "oh, that's really good." or "what's that about? it looks neat." without any abuse from anybody. I think it just depends on what school you go to and how many morons there are.

But, yeah, the main reason is that a lot of people are either uninformed or just judgemental like that. Just don't worry about it. Once you're out into the real world, you're free to like what you want and be who you are.

The Time Traveller · Post by **The Time Traveller** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:49 am

I was barely noticeable in school, big geek, not much else, one time someone pointed me out and said "Hey, you're not a goth..." I was never a goth, then every one else in my class was like "Holy crap, what the hell?" and looking at me all weird, I was so confused.

Anyway, I've known a few anime fans who are only in it for the trance music and character designs, they don't actually watch it, and they didn't believe that Dragon Ball Z was anime, since it looks nothing like it.

This is all in the UK though...

I knew a few girls who watched Yugioh, Dragon Ball Z, and Pokemon and a few fake ones, since there was no other anime in the UK, except for the hundreds of other ones on DVD and Late night Toonami at the time. she used the lingo and pronounced everything wrong of course "Aneemee" "Manja" "Kawei!" "Kanishiwa!" To be honest, Karati and Karioki still piss me off, people like pronouncing French and German words correctly but shit all over Japanese.

They thought shows like Love Hina were just collections of pictures and character descriptions, they had no idea the show existed! I felt like punching them.

I'm guessing that they too were hipster douche bags too.
There was another guy who pretended to like it because of his girlfriend.

Post by **Herms** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:56 pm

If everyone who reads manga is a Goth, is someone who ready mostly Viz's manga releases a Viz-a-Goth?

omegacwa · Post by **omegacwa** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:08 pm

Well, if it means anything, I practically wore only Dragon Ball T-shirts in High School, and I didn't get laid till I stopped.

Anyway, no one ever really made fun of me about it, mainly because I was into it before anime was even popular, so people just thought I liked regular cartoons.

The only time I can remember being made fun of because of something similar was one time in 7th grade, I drew a picture of Spawn, and some kid was like, "What are you drawing, some super hero?" and I was like "Yeah, it's Spawn, he is my favorite! Who is your favorite?" and he was like "Only Faggots like CARTOONS!"

That's the only time I can recall ever being made fun of, although I always felt nerdy when I would talk about Dragon Ball to anyone. Now I normally don't bring it up unless someone else does. I get enough DB discussion on here.

But yeah, as most people said, once you are in your twenties, like me and some other posters, nobody seems to care what you like anymore.

The Time Traveller · Post by **The Time Traveller** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:17 pm

Herms wrote:If everyone who reads manga is a Goth, is someone who ready mostly Viz's manga releases a Viz-a-Goth?

What?

I guess some people put 2 and 2 together... and make 3? Though another time I was called a fag for liking anime, I think they misunderstood some how. Like when I did bunny ears on friends and classmates in group photos, some of them would say "Ugh, that means you're gay if you do that!" when I thought it meant they're rabbits.

We used to have book days, and on the last two I bought graphic novels and for some reason kids used to say I was buying it for my boyfriend.

Fucking idiots.

Super 17 · Post by **Super 17** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:29 pm

I'm actually not getting made fun of watching the anime here because I don't really hang out in the US that much, only for like a year or two, so I don't have many American friends. My life is basically all in Mexico, which I enjoy very very much. Though I'm saying I'm witnessing Americans get made fun of and also some of my friends from other countries are confused because Anime is such a privilage and it dosen't get made fun of outside the US. I feel bad for you guys. If you lived in other countries you could get a hot girlfriend, have many friends, get laid and still read manga and watch anime. Apparently here you have to sacrifice those things.

Chrono Trigger · Post by **Chrono Trigger** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:31 pm

As far as High School went I was the kind of person who nobody would ever suspect to be into Video Games and Anime. The only way anyone would ever know is if they sat with my friends and I at lunch or if you went in my room and looked at my bookshelf. At my High School stuff like Dragon Ball was considered "kiddie" and for 8th graders. One day during my Senior year this kid came to school with a monkey tail hanging out the back of his pants and Volume 12 of Dragon Ball. It was all in Japanese and people in my English class laughed at him and started reminiscing about how they used to watch Dragon Ball Z on Cartoon Network. Then everyday after that they started referring to the guy as ''Kakarot!" The guy was really into Anime and he wore different shirts and had different Manga books with him all the time. People talked shit to him almost everyday and tormented him non-stop. To them he was just a "lame" who didn't talk much. I never laughed at him or talked about him once because I knew I'd be a total hypocrite and a coward. This guy had the guts to openly like what he was into while my love for Anime and Video Games was dirty little secret.

swordthekon · Post by **swordthekon** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:46 pm

I live in Canada, I'm 23 years old, I keep telling everyone at work that I still love Dragon Ball.

Kunzait_83 · Post by **Kunzait_83** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:07 pm

Super 17 · Post by **Super 17** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:29 pm

Damn that is a big life you faced, I respect that.

Raki · Post by **Raki** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:02 pm

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.

omegacwa · Post by **omegacwa** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:44 pm

Kunzait, if you don't mind me asking, where exactly are you from/where did you grow up? I am just interested.

All my friends in High School loved Hockey. I have no idea why. They just all loved it and would play street hockey every weekend. None of my friends liked DBZ or Anime for that matter. The Kid that introduced me to DB back in 96-97 wasn't even a close friend, he just lived down the street. He got into punk music and drugs, so I didn't really hang out with him past middle school. I honestly don't know how I got into the friend group I did, since all I liked was Pro Wrestling, Drawing, and DBZ.

Actually DBZ is what got me back into drawing. I was really into it when I was little, mainly because my mom use to draw a lot and her drawings were all over the house. But some time in the mid nineties I stopped. Then after being introduced to DBZ I started doodling again, mainly because I thought the characters in DBZ looked silly, so I would draw Vegeta with a giant forehead and what not. Then I actually drew some serious stuff and people thought my stuff was good, so I just kept on going. After a while I kind of got the reputation as the kid who drew anime, even though I really wouldn't consider my style "anime". A lot of people liked my art, and it was kind of cool being known for something.

I didn't get into weightlifting because of DBZ, but I would be lying if I said I didn't draw inspiration from Goku and Vegeta's training. I'm getting very close to a personal goal of benching 300lbs (which is just another step on a long road to my ultimate goal of 400lbs), and I have to say thinking about how hard Vegeta had to train, even though he is fictional, I still get inspired.

DB over all has had a very positive role in my life. It has never prevented me from doing anything, and it has only helped me during bad times. I'll probably be a fan till I die, and maybe if I have kids, I can get them into it as well.

Dayspring · Post by **Dayspring** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 4:52 pm

It's just social stigma regarding animation in North America. Manga and anime are viewed as "just comic books and cartoons," whereas comic books and cartoons are typically viewed as just for little kids.

Which I find terribly ironic since the most popular movies these days are adaptations of comics and graphic novels.

Super Saiyan Turlast x4 · Post by **Super Saiyan Turlast x4** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:13 pm

Some just like to put others down for whatever reason, but that just shows that they have nothin else better to do. Usually when I'm in school, I read my manga a certain way where no one could really notice that it's a manga. I shouldn't really care, but I just don't want anyone to focus on what I like, which is likely foolish, but just me.

In high school, none of my friends were aware that I was into anime, and I wasn't into comics in general back then. I just only talked to certain people about anime, since you can tell when someone is as much of a fan as you when it comes to anime. Some people just feel they're "too mature" to talk about comics or anime, which is okay, but ignorant when they make people out to be nerds because that's their interest.

I don't feel like anyone is too old for comics, and anyone who believes
that is ignorant, because many older people still read Marvel/DC comics. Dayspring also made a good point about the adaptation factor, which isn't much different, except it's a movie. Feh. There's no problem with being an anime/manga nerd.

Kanzenshuu

What's up with manga and anime in USA

What's up with manga and anime in USA

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