Praise Kappa that I'm much more mature than your average fan of anime/manga. I know, I rip on fans of Japanese pop culture constantly, but I am not alone.
I have pointed a link to animenewsnetwork.com before. It's where I learn about anime and manga. Although I disagree with a lot of their reviews, (Trinity Blood is a lot better than what they say it is, for example.) the site itself is a great read. My favorite section is Hey Answerman! Wherein someone of the ANN staff answers questions regarding anime and such. They also have Hey Answerfans! Wherein people sound off on anime issues.
The one for today caught my eye. What is it about modern anime fans that annoys you? Well, I don't know, anime fans are tied with Final Fantasy fans and fans of superhero comics when it comes to being the most annoying nerds I know. "Hey, wait, aren't you a fan of anime, FF, and superhero comics?" Yes, yes, and no. For a guy who likes comics, I surprisingly never got into stuff like X-Men. There are reasons for that, but that's a rant for another day.
Getting back to anime, I realize from today, as well as from an earlier Hey Answerfans segment, that anime fans who are also 'normal people' are few and far between. I'll prove it, using today's material as my script, if you will.
I don't draw fanart. Well, that's probably because I can't draw worth shit. I don't think Japanese animation is the greatest entertainment in the world. I don't ignore everything else. I mean, I saw Star Wars Episode IV again recently. And, while I do have non-sexual, non-romantic crushes on a few anime/manga girls, I don't claim to be married to them, I don't have sexual fantasies about them, and I don't get jealous if someone else likes them like I do. It's okay, you can also like Yukari-chan if you want. Share the love.
I don't think being an anime fan, in itself, is a cool thing. Yes, I do believe you can have 'nerd cred' and still be cool, but it's nothing to brag about. I do know what kawaii, baka, neko, and watashi mean, but I don't use them in my daily speech. Well, then again, most people don't know Japanese where I live. I don't hate people who hate anime. Hey, I can sympathize. I used to hate all anime myself, and it's perfectly okay to favor The Boondocks over Inuyasha. I am not a dub hater, nor do I intend to become one. Okay, I admit, the English dub for Eva sucks compared to the Japanese original, but not all shows and movies sound horrible in English. And no, I don't watch hentai. And I'm not into yaoi or yuri either. If you are, though, I won't stop you.
So you see, I'm actually pretty normal. The title of the thread is an allusion to something anime-related, though. The (blank) of xm0123, what does that sound like? That sounds like the Boredom of (blank). Or The Vanishment of (blank). Or, okay, it's an allusion to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I have been watching some of the episodes again, and it's still a laugh riot. It really is the only anime comedy series I've seen that can rival the best American cartoon comedies. I don't think they'll ever be a series that can top Futurama, or The Simpsons and Family Guy when they were in their primes, but Haruhi sure comes close. Some of the episodes are actually funnier the second time around, when you know more about the series. The one episode where we learn the truth about Ryoko Asakura is funnier the second time around. Also, I noticed her English voice is provided by Bridget Hoffman, and her voice is just so lovely! It suits Ryoko perfectly!
So yeah, like I said in one of my first posts, I'm a normal fan, not an idiot fan, nor an elitist fan. More people should be like me, and anime wouldn't be so looked down upon. No, not all anime is pornographic. And there's more anime besides Spirited Away, Bleach, and Yu-Gi-Oh in the world. And, while I claimed that anime is not the best entertainment in the world, it can rival the best in live-action film, American animation, and so forth. Before I go, let me just reiterate that I am fortunate to have watched Castle in the Sky sometime in my lifetime. Also, I am lucky to have seen Motherfucking Death Note in its entirety.
