Why I HATE Anime Culture Now

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#Anime #Waifu #rant

[gmoney]

People have been getting progressively more vocal and shameless. I’ve watched 100+ anime and have read One Piece weekly since 2013, but I cringe inside out when I see how people in the community act. You can enjoy anime while behaving like a normal human being…

[sticks]

We went from Anime = Nerd
to Anime = Cool
to Anime = Degenerate

[samuelpopovich]

I totally agree. I’ve recently watched a few studio Ghibli movies, and I was shocked at how not only were they completely family friendly but also very story first

[Luiginxer]

I think the biggest problem with modern anime is that, in the past, you had great stories with some female characters that were considered waifus simply because of how well they were designed, but nowadays I just see more and more animes where the waifus themselves are the main/only focal point, and those are simply designed to pander to the average lonely otaku. There's still some really good animes out there, but there's been an increase of waifu/fanservice anime, and a lot of people relate the medium as a whole to that, and the worst thing of all is that a LOT of people like it.

[eanderson]

Also I really like these style of videos. It’s just Zero speaking his opinion cause he felt like talking about something that’s been on his mind

[EganCraft]

One nice thing about modern anime is that when an anime tells a truly great story, they stand out more than ever

[jSplat]

You took the words out of my mouth man. I hate to say it but, when it's labeled "romance" it usually means fan service. Clueless main characters getting into accidental sexual awkward situations revealing hidden feelings.

[VegitoBlackityBlack]

I literally just watch what I want and don't get into the fan base conversations. I'm on S6 of MHA and heard people say the fan base is toxic but I wouldn't know cause I watch it and that's it.

[Thecomedian]

Funny enough I was telling this to my friend literally the other day. I have barely gotten back into anime recently because I just did not like the whole fan service direction get bigger and bigger. It’s always been there, don’t get me wrong, but like you said it’s only gotten bigger as the business grows.

[phantum]

i love that zero turned into a very based discussion channel, very sick stuff AND you love to see that growth

[hahayay]

As an anime fan i do think a lot of anime stuff is really pretty embarrassing (but not my friends they’re the exception because they make me happy)

[ScottAchie]

Omg, this is so true, especially about the bullying part. When I was little, my older brother loved anime. He played baseball, was athletic, decently popular, but NEVER told anyone, because he knew he’d be made fun of. I started watching early on with him and I never said anything about anime either (and when I say early on, I mean started in about 2011 or around there, and my brother started earlier). Now, it’s so popular and everyone loves it. And, I don’t mean to gatekeeper the anime community. I am glad people can share their love of anime now, and not be looked at like they’re crazy, but now that everyone loves it, the anime community has gotten worse. I mean, just look at anything anime related. Tons of anime are falling victim to “cancel culture, ” anime conventions are hell now, because everyone cuts the lines and doesn’t respect rules, and like Zero is saying, it’s not about the quality anymore, it’s about what sells, and that is fan service, Isekais and shounen. Now, I don’t have a problem with those things, but when it’s so blatant obvious, and you can see 99 out of 100 anime fitting into this category a season, it kinda ruins my expectations for what gets an anime.

[WidgetWagyu]

It’s become more shameless and degenerate. I honestly hate it, when I was 15-16 I didn’t mind the fan service now it just feels forced and cringe, Also not to mention a lot of fanbases just lewd the characters.

[thelivingdripunal]

Old anime: Painstakingly handdrawn flawless animation, depth, meaning, good plot and characters
New anime: Pantsu

[jzu]

This is the issue when things become mainstream, companies will make every decision to try to appeal to the majority and in the process lose a lot of creative space and nothing ever stands out as a result. This has definitely happened to me with gaming, everything just feels the same and boring and rarely do we ever get gems.
Or maybe I'm just a doomer

[chvita]

It's sad to see how hard anime has fallen from grace. I see arguements of people saying that anime has always had sexualization and that it's not new so therefore it's ok. Yes, sexualization of women has always been around in anime, however, recently anime has really pushed the sexualization of women. It's now constantly shoved down our throats. That's not to say all animes are like this now, but a huge majority are and it's sad to see.

[justsomeguy]

And then there's me watching Bocchi because it's exactly what you described; A show about compelling characters with fun dynamics with one another, and a wonderful message about not allowing our personal social anxiety to shackle us from trying new things or pursuing something we love doing, with little to no sexualization of the characters within it as well. I haven't watched anime in YEARS for these very reasons you're talking about, ZeRo but Bocchi was my first time watching anime in so long, and it was so refreshing to experience an anime series that just felt so ... Grounded and not just constantly trying to remind you how attractive its characters are.

These types of anime still exist, we just gotta look for them in the right places.

[BknMoonStudios]

Anime and manga has *_always_* had fan service (sexual and of other kinds).
The difference is that back then it was mostly aimed at hardcore otaku and made little money compared to other ventures, therefore it tended to go unnoticed.
If a company wanted something to become popular, they *_had_* to rely on their artwork, music and narratives.

*_EDIT:_* I want to add another very important point.
Media distribution channels were more strict and sanitized in the past than they are now, and the internet was either non-existent or only used by tech geeks.
Sex sells and everyone knows it, but companies literally couldn't take advantage of this because there were no platforms to monetize it. (Passing VHS tapes with friends made almost no money, surprise.)
When the internet was fully adopted and TV channels became okay with showing gore and nudity, it gave an opportunity for writers and directors to add sexuality into stories that couldn't have it before, even if they wanted.
There's a reason why Elfen Lied become so incredibly popular in the mid-2000s despite having a very meh narrative: It was the first exposure for many children and teenagers to gore and nudity, therefor leaving a strong impression on them.
The less strict a system is, the more likely some people will find a way to exploit it and ruin it for others.

*_EDIT 2:_* Think about the timeline of how anime became popular in the west:
*_50s to 90s:_* Most anime shown on T.V. was either for children or teenagers. They may have blood and cursing, but in very minor quantities. Adult anime would mostly be shared through VHS tapes that were passed around in clubs and through friends. The internet wasn't a thing back then.
*_Early 2000s:_* Internet started to gain momentum, opening a platform for media that would have NEVER been accepted on a T.V. station or magazine.
*_Mid to Late 2000s:_* Some companies took notice of the huge amounts of people watching these shows online, and decided to open "blocks" with a handful of select shows for a more mature audience, usually airing late at night. This encompasses things like Toonami, Animax and many more.
*_Early 2010s:_* With the arrival of official streaming platforms like Crunchyroll and the massive success of shows like Sword Art Online, Fate/Zero and Attack on Titan, companies realized in shock how much money there was on the table, and quickly decided to open up restrictions on the content that could be shown. Also, social media and forums became MASSIVE around this time, giving a place for people who were seen as "weirdos" and "social outcasts" to be open about their interests and make friends. This is the period of time where the word "waifu" stopped being used ironically and people started to use it seriously.
*_Mid to Late 2010s:_* Anime profits skyrocketed with the success of shows like My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer, and anime movies like Your Name and A Silent Voice became critical and comercial successes. Also, the MCU had a very large impact on nerd culture in society. This is the time period where liking comics and anime stopped being mocked, and even "normies" started to openly display their love for these stories.
*_Early 2020s:_* With the global pandemic, more people spend time online than IRL, and it has caused people to start integrating their online persona into their real persona. For some people, how they act IRL mimics how they act in the internet.

And all of this takes us back to the 50s to 90s period: If companies could've profited from putting sex and violence in their shows back then, they 100% would have done it. But they literally couldn't.
And now that they can, they are running with it.

[arcanathehermit]

Personally for me, I feel that companies showing sexual content through anime girls has always been prominent. Almost every anime I have watched whether it was done in the 90s or early 2000s showed some form of sexual content (hell there was even a show called "To Love-Ru" where it was pretty much borderline porn). This is purely a conjecture and an opinion based on my own experiences but I think the reason it seems more ubiquitous than ever before is because people are becoming more aware of what the anime companies have been doing due its popularity and social media. Look I'm a lonely guy who wishes for companionship, so I enjoy the occassional fanservice. But I have to agree that I also do not like how companies really try to sell waifus and sex rather than actual impactful stories. However, I personally feel that this has always been prominent. Instead I feel that more great stories (past and present) are being recognized and being animated. In the end there will be gems that will always shine through for many to enjoy and to be talked about. All I ask is that you don't have to come to like the sexual content of anime, but don't come to hate the entire anime culture because of this aspect of it. I think there are still so many incredible stories left to be told through the medium of anime and so many talents to witness in its art, music, or the voices.

[simonfisher]

Ecchi/sexualization has existed forever with anime/manga. It's not a new thing at all. If you actually look back you can see it in old anime too, including in dragon ball. Only major difference is that there is just more anime/merch being made because it's a bigger industry.