Is Frowned Upon To Watch Anime And Read Manga In Japan? - Forums

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MyAnimeList.net YSRTM2026 Hide AdsLoginSign Up AllAnimeMangaCharactersPeopleCompaniesManga StoreNewsFeatured ArticlesForumClubsUsers View all results for ${ keyword } Forum SettingsForums Top > Forum > Anime Discussion > Is frowned upon to watch anime... RecentWatchedIgnoredSearch Forum Is frowned upon to watch anime and read manga in Japan? Copy link New May 12, 2020 4:24 PM#1RiceKnight59OfflineApr 2020446
This is something I've always wondered. It seems in most anime where being an Otaku is equivalent to being a NEET and those types of characters are scoffed at. However, since Japan is the birth place of anime, is it frowned upon there? Provided that the person is still a functioning member of society, it'll be seen as a guilty pleasure and therefore okay? Is watching anime in Japan essentially the same as Americans watching Disney? Most of my friends are aware that I watch anime and read manga. If people ask me about it, I usually say all Asians watch anime or have watched anime in the past and we all laugh it up and that's usually it. Anime had a small community in the US but is has been gaining popularity over the years. However, I still feel it's frowned upon in the US. Which leads to my question what society's view for anime and manga in Japan is.
New reply Reply Cancel How to use BBCode? May 12, 2020 4:26 PM#2Zawarudo0079OfflineAug 201870
If it was that frowned upon there wouldn't be that many shops about animes and mangas in japan.
Zawarudo0079May 12, 2020 4:31 PMMay 12, 2020 4:27 PM#3BallisticRiotOfflineSep 2018485
To my knowledge, it's very typical, and almost expected, to watch anime and read manga when you're younger as well as in high school. As you get older, apparently watching anime is considered "less acceptable" but a large portion of the population consumes manga into their mid-adulthood. This is all in reference to Japan btw.
BallisticRiotMay 12, 2020 7:22 PM
Blanks.
May 12, 2020 4:29 PM#4loenji_luzOfflineJul 20192700
I mean it's just culture difference. And I don't know if people in the US buy bodypillows of Disney characters that I know of
May 12, 2020 4:29 PM#5Adolf_SaxOfflineApr 2020344
It's frowned upon about as much as grown ass people wanting to fuck gems from Steven Universe in the west.
Adolf_SaxMay 12, 2020 4:47 PM
Go ahead, reply. I'm not going to read it.
May 12, 2020 4:30 PM#6Rinrinka♡( •ॢ◡-ॢ)✧˖° ♡OfflineDec 201421121
I dont think so, probably it's fine to be an anime fan there as long as you dont look like hardcore otaku.
(っ◔◡◔)っ 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓭𝓪𝔂 ♥
May 12, 2020 4:40 PM#7Klefki_of_AwsomePlaying Z-A!>v</OfflineJun 201710584
From reading manga and watching anime about bookstores and stuff, I can tell manga culture is pretty strong in Japan, but a lot of their clientele end up being foreigners, so I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly if it is or not frowned upon..:u
May 12, 2020 4:42 PM#8Daniel_NaumovOfflineApr 20164788
Japanese are a somewhat more developed species which holds Japanese animation mostly for what it is - art, a form of art. That is, not everything is considered "decent" or "normal" enough to be NOT frowned upon. A lot of their animated series are considered literary classics, as if they were Osamu Dazai's novels. Many of them deal with same themes and are as profound as many prominent books are. It is not true for the society on the whole. Many, mostly middle and higher class working people, will consider watching Japanese animation as a lesser hobby. The time is better spent elsewhere. And if someone shows signs of obsession with it, for example wearing half-naked girls painted over their shirt, they will definitely regret sharing the same genepool with the individual. Otherwise, it has a more positive (and less degenerated) general appeal in Japan than it has in the west. Westerners are, for regrettable reasons, more into the "outskirts" of Japanese animation. Something the Japanese themselves would be ashamed of mentioning during a dinner.
Re:formed
May 12, 2020 6:46 PM#9ChiibiOfflineNov 200810487
It really depends on the type of anime the person is watching. But as for manga, everyone reads it. However you wouldn't know this because lots of people use plain book covers to hide what they are reading...which I thought was really weird. So unless you are looking over their shoulder, you won't be able to see the content of the book.
May 12, 2020 7:20 PM#10codyOfflineJun 201513689
go to some of those porn conventions there it's weirdly alright
May 12, 2020 7:31 PM#11ChiibiOfflineNov 200810487
As4shi said:Chiibi said:lots of people use plain book covers to hide what they are reading...which I thought was really weird. Well, some mangas and novels have "weird" covers Like ecchi ones? Yes, but covers are offered no matter what book you buy. Like I bought shoujo manga with perfectly normal artwork; nothing offensive but they still offered covers to me...which I rejected.
May 12, 2020 7:37 PM#12deglagomOfflineJan 2009109404
manga is more accepted there in japan for sure like those weekly manga are only sold so cheap i heard that they are disposable and people read them while on the train or any public transport, maybe you can read more here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga anime meanwhile err im not sure last time i check otakus are still socially stigmatized there like read this https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2017-06-09/.117222
May 13, 2020 2:32 AM#13CrimsonMidnightOfflineJan 20106541
Ah, reminds me... I saw people reading books on the train, so, after I went doujinshi hunting, I decided to read one on the train, it was a SFW doujinshi, so no need to hide anything right? When I read it, I caught someone (I forgot if it's a man or woman, a bit older iirc) smiled at me. I was like huh???? Then I just bowed my head a bit and smiled. Weird. But then again maybe it's bcs it's a rare sight to see a foreigner reading a manga? Idk.
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May 13, 2020 5:12 AM#14RiceKnight59OfflineApr 2020446
Chiibi said:It really depends on the type of anime the person is watching. But as for manga, everyone reads it. However you wouldn't know this because lots of people use plain book covers to hide what they are reading...which I thought was really weird. So unless you are looking over their shoulder, you won't be able to see the content of the book. Wait really? This actually happens? deg said:manga is more accepted there in japan for sure like those weekly manga are only sold so cheap i heard that they are disposable and people read them while on the train or any public transport, maybe you can read more here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga anime meanwhile err im not sure last time i check otakus are still socially stigmatized there like read this https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2017-06-09/.117222 With regard to otakus, that's what I was thinking. I read that article prior to posting this but since it's from a few years ago, I was wondering if the attitude had changed. From what I gathered, I think it's a stigma mainly towards neets? Like it's acceptable to be a fan as long as it doesn't consume you to the point where you don't contribute to society. Since weekly manga is so cheap, is it equivalent to the size of a comic book that Western cultures read (Marvel and DC)? I'm trying to draw comparisons. Also, can it be said that Westerners are more open about their love for anime and manga in compared to Japanese? An example would be how some Westerners go to Japan to see scenes from their favorite shows. I think Evangelion was Hakone while Garden of Words was in Shinjuku Gyoen Park and Your Name is spread throughout Tokyo. Is this type of thing something foreigners only do?
May 13, 2020 8:08 AM#15umashikanekoOfflineSep 20131346
My(Japanese, early 30s)personal experience Manga has always been mainstream as far as I know. I mean mainstream as pretty much everyone read them regardless of popular kids who belong to sports team or nerdy ones. Anime for young adults has shifted from extremely niche hobby very few people outside fanbase were aware of(~2005) to pretty popular among nerdy young population but still had relatively strong stigma(2006~2011) to pretty popular among youth but still some people kind of look down on it level(2012~)
umashikanekoMay 13, 2020 8:32 AMMay 13, 2020 8:08 AM#16ChiibiOfflineNov 200810487
RiceKnight59 said: Wait really? This actually happens? It does. ._. I went to A LOT of bookstores and they all offer to wrap your books in paper covers. xD Also, can it be said that Westerners are more open about their love for anime and manga in compared to Japanese? Extremely. You'll pretty much never see a Japanese person walking around with an anime T-shirt on outside a convention. And cosplayers are only allowed to cosplay at the convention; you must attend in normal clothing and then you go to a dressing room to put the costume on. It's rather ridiculous because they charge you 500 yen ($5) to do so. =_= I'm not so sure what they are like with itabags because those are very popular with girls. I think they might be more relaxed with carrying those around.
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