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?
the current prime minister is not the best, but if it were truly something that would make you an outcast as an adult to like anime he would not have said it. And there are politicians that also want to protect anime/manga freedoms from feminists that want to attack it in Japan.
Maybe he was trying to broaden his appeal with young people, or maybe the cultural stigma regarding anime has loosened in the years since I was there. All I can speak to is what I personally experienced.
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?
the current prime minister is not the best, but if it were truly something that would make you an outcast as an adult to like anime he would not have said it. And there are politicians that also want to protect anime/manga freedoms from feminists that want to attack it in Japan.
Maybe he was trying to broaden his appeal with young people, or maybe the cultural stigma regarding anime has loosened in the years since I was there. All I can speak to is what I personally experienced.