Ask John: Is Anime Fandom Becoming Too Diluted?

Question:
What is you feeling on newbies (people new to anime)? Anime is becoming more popular everyday, and thus more and more fans emerge. The older fans of anime may feel like they’re moving in on our teritory, as if otaku-ism has been almost a secret society with few select members until now. I mean we have been intrested in anime for years and now because its on TV suddenly everyone says they’re Otaku because they have seen a few episodes of Inuyasha and DBZ? Do you feel anime will lose it’s charm if too many people claim to like it? Do you think Otakus will lose their almost brotherhood-like connection if there are too many people claiming to be otakus around?

Answer:
Traditionally part of the appeal of anime among Western fans is the fact that it was obscure. As long as anime was an underground, difficult to acquire rarity, it had greater value because of its scarcity, and those that knew of it were part of a small, elite group. But veteran, old-school anime fans always strove toward increasing awareness and recognition and accessibility of anime in the West. For better or worse, that goal has largely now been achieved, or more accurately is now in the process of being achieved.

The attitude of especially American anime fandom is heavily influenced by carry-over remnants of the anime fandom of earlier generations of anime fans. Especially within recent years it’s become trendy to be an “otaku” or know more about anime or have more anime or have watched more anime than anyone else. Large segments of the contemporary fan community have adopted the old fondness of anime as a private treasure but not adopted the traditionally associated goal of broadening respect for anime. Nowadays especially, fans that have been enmeshed in the hobby for some time want to be perceived as seniors and novice fans want to feel like part of the community by representing themselves as “otaku” experts. Unfortunately, in the midst of all this posing and class struggle, much of the concentration on anime itself has been overlooked.

For anime fans that have been devoted fans for years or even decades, anime has already lost the novelty charm of its early scarcity. And for newer fans who see still more new fans entering the hobby all the time, the easily defined borders of anime fandom continue to expand and diminish at an alarmingly rapid pace. But all of this atmosphere and charm that’s being lost is primarily that of the American anime fan community, not that of anime itself. As anime fans, we need to always be mindful of that fact. Although its technical prowess has evolved, for the most part, anime itself hasn’t changed from when it was a rare sight to Americans in the 1980s to now, when anime is easily available. The beauty and originality and artistry of anime itself is still there. In the 1970s and 1980s, when anime fandom was first developing outside of Japan, anime was exciting and unique and distinctive. Now, thirty years later when anime is relatively common in America, anime is still exciting and unique and distinctive. Anime itself hasn’t changed. Reactions to anime and about anime in the minds of Western fans have changed.

One of the reasons why early American anime fans so loved anime is irrevocably gone. Anime is no longer the cultish, obscure imported collectable in America that it once was. In America, anime is now a highly profitable commercial product that gets packaged in multiple special edition boxes, and draws the attention of mainstream American companies like Hasbro and General Mills and Radio Shack, and gets co-opted as a marketing buzz word to describe Korean and American comics that have no relationship with Japan or Japanese artists or the art of Japanese animation. But there’s no reason why American anime fandom needs to become fragmented and antagonistic.

American anime fans that are afraid of anime becoming too mainstream or afraid of themselves loosing their own place and individuality within the ranks of anime fandom only need to consider why they became anime fans in the first place. Anyone concerned enough about anime and anime fandom to worry about either is probably someone that was, at some time, fascinated enough by the creativity and beauty of anime to become a devoted anime fan. So rather than worry about other fans, worry about anime itself and everything will fall into place. Cherishing a respect for the cultural and artistic beauty and integrity of anime results in a respect for anime, its creators, and like minded fellow fans. Instead of being concerned with whether or not you qualify as an “otaku,” or whether some other person is or isn’t an “otaku,” focus your attention on watching and appreciating more anime and developing a greater understanding of and respect for this contemporary Japanese art form. Doing so naturally cultivates a genuine “otaku” status that is earned instead of being self-defined. Such a concentration on anime itself also results another supporter of unedited, unaltered Japanese animation the way its Japanese creators meant it to be seen. The camaraderie of anime fandom is based on shared respect for anime. If fans stop worry about who is or isn’t an “otaku,” and stop trying to categorize themselves as otaku or better fans than others and instead concentrate all of their attention and effort into just appreciating anime, everyone will recognize the charm of anime itself, and the “brotherhood” of anime fans will be solidified like never before from the unity of a single purpose and priority.