anime

let me get this out first and foremost, so that everyone knows: not all japanese people are interested in anime!.


every anime lover i've met overseas in the united states asks me, "do you watch anime?" as if it's the question that will make or break the friendship. and i always have to say, "no... i'm not into anime..." and then i get answers like, "oh... that's too bad" or "what?! you don't watch anime and you call yourself japanese?! what is wrong with you??". oh, so since i am japanese, i am obligated to know about anime and must be able to recreate the plot and reiterate the storyline to any stranger. right. it's not happening.


this is not to say that there aren't any anime lovers in japan. needless to say, there are some people who are pretty hardcore about that kind of stuff; i just happen to be the japanese girl who doesn't follow anime trends. i recognize some anime titles and know a bit about the storyline, but i can honestly say i do not know enough to be recommending anime, that's for sure.


a lot of times, i see anime on tv in the states. there are anime shows in japan, too, but it's not like that's all that's on tv. as a matter of fact, in comparison to sports shows/games aired on japanese tv, anime amounts to only a fraction of the importance. in japan, we mostly read anime. that's what the shows sprout from anyway. and the comic books are much more fun.


there is nothing wrong with liking anime. there is nothing wrong with it at all. it's just a problem for me when i meet someone who assumes that i know everything there is to know about anime because i am japanese. not all japanese people are gurus at anime. anime is not the problem; the assumption that japanese people must know everything about anime is the problem.