The biggest annoyance is how degenerate and childish many of the online communities are when I'm searching for a recommendation.
This. There is certainly a component of "It's not the band: It's the fans" inherent in my dislike of anime as a medium, and I won't deny it. But it's also worth examining why it is that anime as a medium attracts so many childish degenerates, and why it has always done so even in the decades before those same degenerates became mainstream and made it their mission to subvert and co-opt every other medium of entertainment.
I've never enjoyed anime: It's always rubbed me the wrong way. Part of what I dislike about it is the animation style itself. Most of the male characters are drawn in a way that I can only interpret as deliberately androgynous, and often the animators dress them up accordingly. Many of the most popular animes and mangas also have a history of sexualizing characters who are portrayed as adolescents and children (Naruto and Sailor Moon are probably the most famous examples, but far from the only ones). Many of these particular properties are targeted at children, and so the intention behind it seems clear.
I would argue that this phenomenon has contributed to some of the most degenerate cultural trends that have popped up over the past decade. There is not only a clear and obvious anime-to-tranny pipeline, but also an anime-to-furry pipeline and several other similar trends.
As one of our resident weebs here I recommend you keep going in the fashion you described, seeking out what you like and avoiding what you don't.
Dag certainly has a point in that once the stuff hits western audiences, troons troon it up. But you are also correct in that most of the "goofy/ecchi" stuff originates from Japanese culture. It's not simply a product of western wokeness. This YT comment is a prime example - they're going for another GG style infiltration.
Edit: r/animesuggest is a cut above most places in terms of keeping it about recommendations rather than "ships," "waifus," erotic fanfics, etc...
It is worth noting that these are English speaking Western childish degenerates. In my experience anyways. Is this the same domestically in Japan?
There is a Western misperception, popularized by Western weaboos, that anime is mainstream in Japan. It's not. I've been to Japan. It is viewed as a medium for children and teenagers, but it's not really socially acceptable for adults to engage with it. Kids in schools are also discouraged from being too open about it. For example, they are expected to have conservative hairstyles and are often disciplined if they show up with "anime hair." A friend I made there told me a story about going to school once with his hair dyed blond: the teacher held him down and shaved his head (they probably couldn't get away with this now, but in the early 2000s there were no repercussions, even from his parents).
Most adults in the typical Japanese workplace would be outcasts for mentioning anime to their colleagues. You certainly would not be taken seriously as a salaryman. It is not a good idea to bring your manga to work, and those images you see online of anime-style murals in Tokyo train stations or lavatories are a rare exception, not the rule.
For the most part, the Japanese establishment has a tendency to view anime as a subculture, and any adult with a vocal interest in it would be considered weird at best. Even online, most Japanese people you'll see discussing it are teenagers or young adults.
I also noticed that there tends to be fairly consistent cultural and social lessons in most of the anime I watch. An example is the constant theme of maturing and taking responsibility in the form of finding a productive place in society.
I'll concede that I may have simply not watched enough anime to really notice any of the more wholesome messages if they're there. Again, I've often tried to, as there are many anime enthusiasts in the internet nerddoms I've inhabited who are always recommending their favorites, but trying to get into anime often feels like watching woke CW superhero shows: I always have to wade through hours of off-putting degeneracy in the search for any redeeming qualities.
In the end, it probably just comes down to taste. I stand by the assertions I've made about what I perceive to be anime's negative cultural impacts, but there are a lot of people whose opinions I respect who've told me that there is good anime out there too. I just can't seem to enjoy any of it.
I too avoided it for a while for the stigma and seeing the people who were the major fans in high school and college. You could see they repelled all women from a mile away, they were incredibly loud, and just kind of annoyed everyone around the public space they were occupying. There’s a couple of things I’ll watch/read, but I don’t really need to discuss that with anyone. At most it would be if the cashier at the store commented on it. I stick to older stuff too.
I do feel a little more guilty about my indulgence now.
That really wasn't my intention. If you enjoy it, and there are certain properties you can get into that really do steer clear of the sexualization, then go for it. Just because I believe its cultural impact has been mostly negative doesn't mean I think everyone who enjoys anime is a degenerate.
Considering the prime minister of Japan himself claimed to like anime (or demon slayer specifically) i find that hard to believe that you'd be considered an outcast for discussing it as adults.
The current prime minister, who is a globalist plant? Or one of the previous two Prime Ministers, who were effectively forced out because their political party has been co-opted by international moneyed interests which considered Abe's politics too traditional and nationalistic?
Lol, cat girls and the like aren't furries, furries don't like those. Beastars, on the other hand...
Edit: Also, if you ask furries what got them into that, they'll often mention innocuous shit like the Lion King, Disney's Robin Hood, Tony the Tiger, Thundercats, fucking My little pony, etc.
This. There is certainly a component of "It's not the band: It's the fans" inherent in my dislike of anime as a medium, and I won't deny it. But it's also worth examining why it is that anime as a medium attracts so many childish degenerates, and why it has always done so even in the decades before those same degenerates became mainstream and made it their mission to subvert and co-opt every other medium of entertainment.
I've never enjoyed anime: It's always rubbed me the wrong way. Part of what I dislike about it is the animation style itself. Most of the male characters are drawn in a way that I can only interpret as deliberately androgynous, and often the animators dress them up accordingly. Many of the most popular animes and mangas also have a history of sexualizing characters who are portrayed as adolescents and children (Naruto and Sailor Moon are probably the most famous examples, but far from the only ones). Many of these particular properties are targeted at children, and so the intention behind it seems clear.
I would argue that this phenomenon has contributed to some of the most degenerate cultural trends that have popped up over the past decade. There is not only a clear and obvious anime-to-tranny pipeline, but also an anime-to-furry pipeline and several other similar trends.
As one of our resident weebs here I recommend you keep going in the fashion you described, seeking out what you like and avoiding what you don't.
Dag certainly has a point in that once the stuff hits western audiences, troons troon it up. But you are also correct in that most of the "goofy/ecchi" stuff originates from Japanese culture. It's not simply a product of western wokeness. This YT comment is a prime example - they're going for another GG style infiltration.
Edit: r/animesuggest is a cut above most places in terms of keeping it about recommendations rather than "ships," "waifus," erotic fanfics, etc...
There is a Western misperception, popularized by Western weaboos, that anime is mainstream in Japan. It's not. I've been to Japan. It is viewed as a medium for children and teenagers, but it's not really socially acceptable for adults to engage with it. Kids in schools are also discouraged from being too open about it. For example, they are expected to have conservative hairstyles and are often disciplined if they show up with "anime hair." A friend I made there told me a story about going to school once with his hair dyed blond: the teacher held him down and shaved his head (they probably couldn't get away with this now, but in the early 2000s there were no repercussions, even from his parents).
Most adults in the typical Japanese workplace would be outcasts for mentioning anime to their colleagues. You certainly would not be taken seriously as a salaryman. It is not a good idea to bring your manga to work, and those images you see online of anime-style murals in Tokyo train stations or lavatories are a rare exception, not the rule.
For the most part, the Japanese establishment has a tendency to view anime as a subculture, and any adult with a vocal interest in it would be considered weird at best. Even online, most Japanese people you'll see discussing it are teenagers or young adults.
I'll concede that I may have simply not watched enough anime to really notice any of the more wholesome messages if they're there. Again, I've often tried to, as there are many anime enthusiasts in the internet nerddoms I've inhabited who are always recommending their favorites, but trying to get into anime often feels like watching woke CW superhero shows: I always have to wade through hours of off-putting degeneracy in the search for any redeeming qualities.
In the end, it probably just comes down to taste. I stand by the assertions I've made about what I perceive to be anime's negative cultural impacts, but there are a lot of people whose opinions I respect who've told me that there is good anime out there too. I just can't seem to enjoy any of it.
I too avoided it for a while for the stigma and seeing the people who were the major fans in high school and college. You could see they repelled all women from a mile away, they were incredibly loud, and just kind of annoyed everyone around the public space they were occupying. There’s a couple of things I’ll watch/read, but I don’t really need to discuss that with anyone. At most it would be if the cashier at the store commented on it. I stick to older stuff too.
That really wasn't my intention. If you enjoy it, and there are certain properties you can get into that really do steer clear of the sexualization, then go for it. Just because I believe its cultural impact has been mostly negative doesn't mean I think everyone who enjoys anime is a degenerate.
Considering the prime minister of Japan himself claimed to like anime (or demon slayer specifically) i find that hard to believe that you'd be considered an outcast for discussing it as adults.
The current prime minister, who is a globalist plant? Or one of the previous two Prime Ministers, who were effectively forced out because their political party has been co-opted by international moneyed interests which considered Abe's politics too traditional and nationalistic?
Lol, cat girls and the like aren't furries, furries don't like those. Beastars, on the other hand...
Edit: Also, if you ask furries what got them into that, they'll often mention innocuous shit like the Lion King, Disney's Robin Hood, Tony the Tiger, Thundercats, fucking My little pony, etc.
Is more of a chicken or egg thing IMO
As a long time anime fan, i dont think you're missing the big picture, dagthegnome seems a bit biased.