The question has almost certainly struck your mind at least once no matter what sort of hobby we are talking about: ”Will I still like this as I grow older?”. It is not a particularly weird question to ask oneself, I for one have asked it over a million of times, but it still hurts a little on the inside when thinking about it.
I mean, is it not a bit sad to stop with something you once put all your heart into?
This has happened to me with football and reading books, both of which I had lost interest in around when I entered 7th grade. Yet, I would only label those two as merely a part of growing up and discovering what I really liked. Football was exciting, but after a while the spark was lost and I had no intention to become a pro. And reading, while fun in its own right, rarely appealed to me when I left the boundaries of titles aimed towards youth (and even then it was mostly specific series I followed, not “anything goes”).
To me, these two examples are only proof that I realized this was not what I wanted to do. It was not me. However enjoyable they might have been, they were not things I was completely absorbed in.
This is where anime comes into the picture. As of writing I am 20 years old and have watched anime for at least over three years. Before fall 2010 it was very sporadic, with perhaps a maximum of two titles per season (if any at all), but I still liked anime. It was only that manga was more my thing back then and I had not discovered the “anime sphere” so to say. Today I am watching more anime than ever, completing around 100 separate titles per year, and my fondness of the medium has only increased over time.
Together with video games, another rather time-consuming hobby, anime is what I spend my free time on. Anime is what I truly love. But this is also why I am afraid that I might one day stop. Parting from anime would be parting from myself and not a natural step of growing up. Instead it would be because of exterior factors or the medium itself.
With exterior factors I first mean the obvious one which is other things occupying your free time, such as work or studies. But most likely you will still be able to squeeze in some anime since you are not busy with these all the time.
That, however, is not the case with society. Now, this may be beating a dead horse, but anime still remains something that is considered a bit odd. “It is cartoons for kids!” and whatnot, you have undoubtedly heard it before. Maybe you have a friend or partner that is condescending over you watching anime, which leads you to either not being open about it or stopping completely.
Now perhaps you should not be so close if you look down on each other’s hobbies, but you never know what can happen. Or what if some douchebag at work or school learns about it and it becomes a hot topic that an adult person is watching cute girls doing cute things? While I am exaggerating a little, these sorts of things actually happen in all ages even if I hate to admit it.
But let us assume everything works fine and nobody cares. You should be able to watch anime for all eternity, right? Well… that may not be the case. What if the medium itself is a reason to quit? What if it changes in terms of genre (which we can already see today, with a shift towards more lighthearted slice of life series) or something else? Or, even more importantly, stays the same? What if you grow tired of seeing the same old titles every new anime season? Or imagine if you cannot relate to anime anymore because you are much older than the characters?
These are all reasons I am worried about my future with anime. While exterior factors are avoidable, the medium itself is not. It could end with me not being able to enjoy anime exactly because it is anime and not because I inherently dislike it. That is the scary part.
But before I reach that point I will continue to watch and have a great time with anime. And hopefully I will never stop.
Anime Viking 
This hobby honestly started for my when I was 22, so probably
Okay! How old are you now then? 😮
(did your comment get cut?)
24. No it didn’t. I spent all of college learning how to become a well-adjusted human being, and upon graduation, threw that all out the window.
Haha, I guess that’s also a possibility! Still in college myself, so who knows what’ll happen afterwards. Heck, perhaps my personality will change when I move from home!
although you’re 20 years old, take a look at crunchyroll and animenewsnetwork. they are in there 20s and 30s. animenewsnetwork has been going on for 15 years while crunchyroll is about 7 years maybe.
people say anime is for kids but its actually not to begin with. many people can’t tell the difference between cartoon and anime. though they are in the same ”medium” still are different. anime graphics/designs are more enhanced than the cartoons that people see on TV and anime is based on Japanese aspects.
I, for myself, have been watching anime since forever ago. you can look at my MAL. even if its not completed, because I just created one couple days ago, still the majority of it.
you might or might not give up on anime anyway. it all depends on you.
http://myanimelist.net/animelist/alexsaing
I guess? Anime is just Japanese cartoons, though. Yes, the style and stuff is different, but that is more of a cultural difference.
In a sense yes Anime is Japanese cartoons, however the difference is that after WW2 while the US focused on making Live Action movies and TV, the Japanese focused on making animation based entertainment because the production costs were so much cheaper. That is not to say that things have not changed but just pointing out some of the market forces that caused it to be what it is today.
Currently 25 1/2 and have no intention of retiring from any form of animation, Western or Eastern. As for whether I’ll continue being an animeniac at the age of 40 and over, it all depends on whether my future empress is also an animeniac and my heirs will continue the legacy. Predicting the future, while amusing, is premature. My plan is to continue watching anime as long as it exists, but whether I’ll stay true to my word is uncertain.
Besides, what else is there, besides pro wrestling, late night talk shows, Chealsea Lately and The Soup, to watch on TV that doesn’t make me want to mutilate someone?
Agreed!
Let’s hope the heir to the animeniac throne will be a believer.
Speaking of “animeniac”, it makes me think of Animaniacs. Completely unrelated, but…
That’s a good question, honestly. The news? I don’t know. Long live the future of TV-streaming and being able to watch only the good stuff!
That’s pretty much where I got the idea for the term “animeniac”, from that legendary cartoon show.
I will do my best to guide my heir well when I conceive said child with a worthy empress.
The news (most of the time) is filled with silly and negative things to brainwash the masses. I prefer my local island’s news station. At least they cover the essentials rather than try to corrupt people like CNN and Fox News. I don’t even wanna know what International news shows are like. Anyway, you get my drift Warrior from Valhalla.
I get it.
American news are bad. I know that much from experience. 😉
(although Swedish news can be bad at times too)
Noted.
For now, all we can do is continue watching anime as long as we can.
We started watching anime around the same time. It was a few of my friends who got me into it. At the time, I categorised anime as “normal”, meaning it wasn’t much of a taboo to me as it was to society. Years passed and my hobbies changed, but only slightly. (I’ve always been into artsy stuff–it was visual arts then and photography and design now) and I still love anime.
Just the fact that a group of people can gather, whether it’s on the Internet or in person, and enjoy the same interests just makes me feel so warm inside. It makes me happy. I want to keep that happiness.
Well, technically I’ve been around anime since I was five years old or something. It’s just not until around three or so years ago I started to properly be aware of the anime as a thing. Before that it was: “Oh, animated manga!” 😛
You’re definitely right. It’s rather wonderful how easy it is for people to connect and share hobbies thanks to the Internet. Whenever I stop and think about it, or other everyday things, it makes me both excited and happy. Despite all the horrible things we’ve done and still do, humanity sure has come a long way.
Some random musings, sorry
It’s been nearly a year since I joined the blogosphere and it’s been several since I started watching anime. I decided to start blogging because I loved anime, but now I’m in a weird place. Suddenly other interests are popping as well. It isn’t that I’ve outgrown anime, or that I’ve begun dislike it, it’s just that other interests have begun to sprout out and overtake one of my biggest hobbies. Friends, girlfriends, parties, drinking etc. take precedence over the hobby. It’s unavoidable that my time going into the hobby has declined.
But luckily for me, one of those interests is the fans of anime. We chat in the godless hours of the night. We watch shows together. We talk about other interests. And we open up. I’ve always been popular and had plenty of friends, but anime friends who are also cute anime girls? That’s more than fantastic. It’s strange to think that the fans of your hobby have become more than the hobby itself, but that’s the way it worked out for me. In all my years of watching, there hasn’t been a year quite like this one.
There are more than enough nights when I go without watching anime. There are few when I don’t connect with the fans. The anime fandom is a bizarre place filled with geeks, cosplayers, figure collectors, closet poets and the everyman, like me. But so long as it’s there, I’ll keep watching.
Fans of anime, huh? Sadly there’s only one person I know who is somewhat interested in it, although she’s more into jdrama and kdrama nowadays. So I’ve never really had the chance to experience anime with others besides via Internet.
Glad to see you have fun and finding new interests 🙂
To me, asking myself if ill ever stop watching anime is like asking myself if ill ever stop watching movies, or any tv series; the answer is a clear no. It doesn’t matter whether it is live action, cg animated, or anime, if something grabs my attention and is able to tell a story, then consider me interested. Sure i love what anime is; I love the style, the quirkiness, and the overall look of it, but to me, its just another story-telling medium to me that is right on the same level as live action tv series or movies in terms of enjoyment, intrigue, imagination, and writing.
I just finished watching the third berserk movie and I got the same feeling watching that as i do a live-action movie (that movie is good by the way so people should check it out). To me, anime is not something you “grow out off”…you either like it or you dont, and if you happen to like it, you’re pulled into a world of infinite bliss. On a side note, ive been the kind of guy who just doesnt care what others think; hell, I could have guests over and ill be watching Highschool of the Dead; I DONT PLAY AROUND!!!!
That’s nice 🙂
Say, can I watch the Berserk movies without having seen the anime? I’ve heard they work as recaps, but will I miss anything important?
I’m not sure if I would go THAT far
When I grow up, I wanna be Grumpy Jii-san
Just make better Youtube clips, please.
I’ve been enjoying anime for almost 27 years now Marow. And to be honest, as I grow older I’ve come to love it even more. There is hope! ^^
27 years?! That’s a crazy long time. I feel so young now…
Cool that you like it even more now 😀
As long as there’s an Uchouten Kazoku, Chihayafuru, Space Brothers, etc, I’ll enjoy anime. I’ve been watching it since I was a kid, and being in my thirties, I’ve found it makes a great medium to discuss on many levels. It’s likely that my tastes will continue to change, but I’ve been able to keep watching even the most childish of anime with only an occasional rant here and there to keep me sane.
Hopefully there will always be at least one “quirky” title in each anime season like today. 🙂
And rants are good! As you said, it keeps you sane. Just don’t rant too much~
I’m 20 as well, and although I can’t say for sure, I’m pretty positive I’ll still be watching anime as I grow older. I’ve have a lot of hobbies and interests, but like you, none of them really absorbed me as much as anime. Yeah, when I get busy I may not watch as much anime as I normally do, but my interest in it has never once dropped.
*I’ve had
Let’s do our best to keep loving anime! 😀
I’ve had an anime slump myself, but that was a long time ago.
I’m fairly sure I will. Anime isn’t my only interest, but it’s fun in so many different ways. In particular, I love the experience of having 30 new shows, many of them highly polished, airing at once over a two-week period every three months. There’s always something new to look forward to, and always something old and great I haven’t seen yet.
It’s pretty insane when you think of how many anime that’s actually created! I love how there’s usually a title or two that sticks out and is all weird (even if it may not be a good series). Always something new, as you said 🙂
Its unavoidable going through the motions and discovering new and fun activities. I only watched few anime on tv back in the day as a child, DBZ, Digimon, Pokémon and the likes. But I also had other hobbies as a teenager. Hobbies less centered on media, more on activities such as sports and what not. As an adult, looking for something more slow paced that would fit in the busy schedule. Only when a friend introduced me to other anime, I wanted to look for more. Its only natural, and I don’t think there’s a big market for “making a living out of watching anime”. Its different from making a career out of making music or the love for graphic design. So many things we want do, but not enough time to do it all.
My hobbies haven’t changed much since I started 7th grade, honestly. Video games and anime, that’s it. And writing and surfing the Internet, although I’m not sure if those counts. A bit weird, perhaps?
Making a living out of watching anime, huh? I guess you need to be super popular, have a Youtube channel and whatnot. Or perhaps having the luxory to join an anime website such as Crunchyroll or Anime News Network. Would be fun, but it’s nearly impossible to “make a career out of watching anime”.
Yup, yup, yup, still do and will, it’s unavoidable like anything when you share a hobby with people that have the same interests, but I’m dedicating less and less free time to anime, and eventually I’ll cut it off for fixing a sports car or some such middle age nonsense. Does that mean that I’ll change my wallpaper from the scantily clad anime girl on my home/work/family computer? No. I have some standards at least.
Good one.
“Does that mean that I’ll change my wallpaper from the scantily clad anime girl on my home/work/family computer? No. I have some standards at least” That was great! And if someone at work says something about “adult person watching cute girls doing cute things”, what can they suggest, that watching porn with girls who are not cute doing things that are not cute is more cool? No, thanks. I have some standards at least.
I can’t honestly see myself stopping any time in the near future. I’m as old as you. It’s just way too much fun, even though sometimes for the wrong reasons. Maybe it has to do with my father, who actually got me to watch Anime. He’s 51 years old now and he still shows no sign of stopping. Maybe it’s the genes.
what kind of anime does your dad like?
What may these wrong reasons be? 😉
Your father watches anime? That’s neat! Just as Lucis 7 I’m also curious: what kind of anime does he like?
there’s always a variety- even if the titles that are different are few, they still exist.
as for the society, you try giving them to watch a ‘GiTS’ or sth similar and if they’re not convinced, you give the middle finger.
as for the partner, you better change him/her. anyone who can’t accept you and tolerate certain parts of you, they better not be with you, especially when we talk about things we like and are important to us and not bad behaviors (which we should try to change ourselves)
don’t live with the fear. just experience the ride. even if one door closes, another opens, right?
These are some true words… little me needs to relax more and just take things as they come. >_<'
I started watching anime seriously when I was a teenager and am now in my early thirties so I have to say, yes I did and do. Admittedly the kind of anime that tickles my fancy has changed and old favourites are more an exercise in nostalgia as opposed to appreciating them solely on their merits. My tolerance for some cliches and tropes in anime also dropped. I can still stomache *some* shounen. One Piece’s silliness and Fairy Tail’s bludgeoning you with FRIENDSHIP are still tolerable. Naruto and Bleach on the other hand…. The protagonist-centred morality of the former and the sheer bad writing of the latter now grates too much as an adult as opposed to the teen that I was who was dazzled by flashy fighting scenes.
I think its mostly a matter of what you are looking from your hobbies. If its entertainment, the bar changes and you look for more mature offerings or can read deeper layers to older works. So long as anime keeps some of this, I foresee that you will enjoy the hobby for decades to come. Sure some latter day offerings are just as asinine as some of the poorer offerings I recall from my younger days. Then again we hardly had things like the Monogatari series, Stand Alone Complex, Attack on Titan or Haruhi back then either. We had Optimus Prime screaming “GOD FIRE GUTS!” at the top of his lungs or giant robot pilots focusing all their anger, love and sorrow into their mecha’s fist in order to end people with a Shining Finger. We loved it then. Now its kinda embarrassing to explain to my kids that I used to watch an anime like DBZ where two muscular men stand around and grunt at each other for the better part of an episode….
Say, what are your favorite anime series? 🙂
If you ever feel like giving another shounen a try, try Hunter x Hunter! I’d recommend the 2011 version as it’s more faithful to the manga and goes beyond the first adaptation.
Haha, that does kinda sound fun though!
But I get what you mean. Monogatari is something that didn’t exist back then. Today it’s less “This looks cool and is therefore awesome!” and more about… variety. Less people being badass and screaming. Anime sure has changed.
Reblogged this on Just my guilty pleasure reblog. and commented:
Yes!
Woo!
I’ve written a few posts about this topic over the years. As a 27 year old who’s been into anime just about half of my life (since around 1999), I have few doubts that I’ll ever loose interest in it completely. Because I’ve been into it for so long, it’s helped shape many things about my life, such as majoring in Japanese at college and making a lot of long-lasting friends who also like anime. Plus I’ve always been a fan of animation in general from childhood to now, so that helps too. You might not feel quite as confident since you’ve only been a fan for three years. I of course was interested in different things when I was a child, which is, like you said, the time of life when you’re trying to figure out what you really like. If you’re into something all throughout your teens and twenties, chances are it’s something that will remain a part of you, like anime has been for me. My relationship to it may change slightly, for example, I might take up an interest in different types of series than I did before, or not watch as many seasonal shows, or decide to spend time catching up on old shows, etc,. But completely losing interest doesn’t seem likely. And even if the anime medium itself changes for the worse as you suggested, there’s a lifetime’s worth of old anime to catch up on 😉
And even if we do eventually loose interest in anime at a certain point, so what? I’m sure we’ll always have fond memories of it and it will remain an important part of who we were even if our interest goes elsewhere. Plus we could always go back to it someday.
It’s interesting how anime has played such a large role in your life. Reading your blog is always a lot of fun thanks to this. You can see how you’ve evolved as a person and that anime has always been with you. 🙂
You’re definitely right. So what if anime isn’t interesting anymore? But at the same time, the thought scares me a little. I can’t think of anything to replace it with.
This got me thinking quite a bit where I am also in such situation. I am constantly feeling the way you did but I guess I have been ignoring those external factors such as age and surrounding subjects. Unlike many whom have insisted that they will be able to stay on, I hate to admit but yes, those reasons will pile up to probably put out my passion in this field. Have always been asking myself what really kept me coming back for more and wonder if it will it still be relevant to the future lifestyle. I guess these years of experience will be useful to sieve out the worthy series that I can watch occasionally when entering a new phase of life with little spare time.
Seeing how many people have said they still watch anime gives me a little hope.
Asking yourself why you keep coming back to anime sounds pretty rough. If you don’t have an answer it might be time to quit. Otherwise it comes across as if you’re forcing yourself!
At second thought, I guess the reason I’m thinking that way is because of how excessive I pay attention to broadcasts contents and the industry updates with this current carefree phase of life. What I am worrying about is the future time constrain lifestyle that will disallow me to do the same, which is a shame.
I dunno, I’m 56. Isn’t that already older?
Woah! 😮
You pass the test. Anime for life award goes to you.
BTW, I started with Astro Boy in Houston, Texas. In 1964, I think.
Astro Boy? Sweet, that’s a real classic! What do you think of it today?
Haven’t seen the anime myself, but I’ve read some sort of newer version of the manga released in 2003 by Akira Himekawa.
Astro Boy makes me think of “simpler” times, I guess. Haven’t read the new manga.
My favorite is Haibane Renmei. I also love Trigun, even more than Bebop.
Got about 50 box sets (and about 30 movies, plus spindles of fansubs), and still buy once in a while. Last addition was the deep, thought provoking “Kill Me Baby!” 🙂
I did have a hiatus from about age 15 (too old for cartoons) until age 24 (stated watching “Superbook” with my boys). When they got older they introduced me to Bebop,
BTW, Transitoryhikikomori is an alt of mine.. – skyhack
That’s a lot of anime you own! And… and… Kill Me Baby too?!
It’s fun reading how you (and others) are watching anime with your children, only to later end up with them recommending you stuff. Must be nice.
I did the same thing – dropped it at 15 (more interested in beer and girls in that order) and re-emerged at 23 (joined UNSW anime society 😉 ) Although I did watch a lot of Ghibli during my “break”
Reply broken on your next reply….?
Yeah, my youngest (30), is the one who bought me Kill Me Baby for Father’s Day. We had watched the Mazui release together. Also, since Sentai Filmworks basically rose from the ashes of ADV (an old favorite), I had to check out the dub. I love Hilary Haag…
About the “broken” reply: I’ve only allowed replies to be nested up to 4 levels deep. This is to avoid making the comment field too narrow! So just reply to the final comment you actually can reply to (which in this case would be your own!).
Afraid I’ve only heard Haag briefly in Clannad, but that’s it 😦
Hilary’s work as Karinka in the ecchi title “Steel Angel Kurumi” is a comedic gold standard. Most of Kurumi is kinda lame, though. She also excels as Chloe, the mysterious blade assassin in Noir. (Noir is a must see, it oozes style)
ADV was notorious, I suppose, for rewriting scenes for English, but it made their series much more attainable. Also, their actors were tops.
Marow, if you like Aria, look up YKK, its “predecessor” (even has a Choro Club soundtrack), and enjoy. And if you haven’t seen “Haibane Renmei…”, well you know where that’s going.
Sorry for the late reply, I was on vacation!
YKK, huh? The person who first made me notice Aria likes it, so I might give it a try. Sure, it’s the manga he likes, but the anime OVAs might be a good start!
Haibane Renmei is lovely. It’s one of my favorites even if I’m not a fan of the direction it took in the final episodes 🙂
I’m 30 and been watching anime since I was 10 when DBZ was dubbed in Chinese. However, there have been times where I am disappointed with anime these days and sometimes fandom.
Yet at the same time, I’ve learned to appreciate some of the new stuff that’s out there. I know there are people who love the old classics and talk about them, but the future will have unique stuff that appeals to people somehow.
I’m also to have met someone who’s older than me and is a huge anime fan. She’s gotten me to explore more of the newer stuff.
Huh, disappointed? You’re making me curious here!
Fun that you met someone to show you the newer stuff 🙂
It’s just the saturation of moe titles in Japan, but I understand why they are popular & if people like them, so be it. Plus it saddens me a bit when majority of fans are mostly about the mainstream.
Sometimes, it’s hard to find anime friends because of that.
However, we need those fans, so that the good, underappreciated and sometimes unknown stuff gets put up.
I’m more of a manga fan than anime fan actually, so I guess that contributes to my thinking at times. Forgive me ^__^
That’s what Internet is for :>
And no reason to beg for forgiveness! Diversity is good.
The fact that anime keeps reinventing itself every year gives you the chance to see new stories and different styles and genres develop. I think anime can have some ups and downs every few seasons, sometimes you can get hooked and follow 8 series or sometimes not even 1.
I’m 25 now and I started watching anime very little, along with “cartoons”. But even then i noticed how different anime was from western animation, the possibility to be emotionally invested in a story and having relatable characters was something I could only find in anime. Not even in Disney movies, which stories were always so hard to believe for me as a kid.
But anyway, the point is that anime never stops, and grows and changes at the same time we all change, so I think anime will be there for us no matter how old we are 🙂
The day anime stops will be a sad day. Hopefully it will always be there for us 😀
This is actually really fascinating, because I can relate to that…
It’s weird how I can care about anime characters a lot, but not at all about characters in Western cartoons or TV series and movies. Wonder why?
Hey Marow!
about relating to characters, I’ve actually did some research myself in this. Because there must be “something” that makes us care so much about anime that is not there in “cartoons” in general, right?
I think the source is basically manga. Even if not all anime are based in manga, there’s characteristics in common that based or not in manga appear. For me is storytelling and character development, beside all the possibilities that anime gives related to directing itself 🙂
I don’t know if you written about this yet, but would be great to read others opinions in relatability of anime!
I’m 36 and I seriously start watch anime around 29-30 years old. My childhood cartoons were mostly anime (not that I did know at the time), like Mysterious City of Gold, Captain Harlock, Battle of the planets, Ulises 31, etc. In my teen years, I was lucky enough to be able to watch Robotech (Macross) on cable, where comes my love of mecha animes. A few years later, a friend of mine showed me Akira and it blew my mind away. I lost sight of Anime for 10 years, because there wasn’t a lot of ways to get my hands on tapes or later DVDs where I live. Then I found out about fan subbing (and later streaming) over the net. My time to watch US series and movies just went down the drain… lol In the past 6-7 years, I’ve watched more than 400 series, movies and OVAs. I’m now watching anime with my daughters (13 and 11) and we have a lot of fun (we watch subbed, not dubbed). I’ve hooked a couple of my coworkers on anime (I work in a gaming studio, we’re all gamers too… lol), we go at the local anime convention every year and watch anime movies at a local movie festival.
Like others said before, you might be watching or not anime when you’re older. I’ve watched hundreds of movies or TV series in my 20ies. I got tired of my favorite shows get cancelled. I loved the fact that most anime have mangas so I can finish the story when the anime is finished. 🙂
Wow! 😮
Glad you were able to find anime again. Must’ve been really hard back in the days when the Internet didn’t exist.
Also, cool that you’re working at a game studio! 😀 Is it a well-known one, if I may ask?
And equally cool, if not cooler, that you watch anime with your daughters! Do you watch all kind of anime together?
That’s a big reason I like anime, actually! Having seen so many Western TV series never being finished, anime is so refreshing.
I work for Ubisoft Montreal, in the IT department. 🙂
I’ve watched a couple series with my daughters, from Naruto, Tsubasa Chronicles and Fairy Tail… Lately, we watched Macross Frontier and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, which they fall in love with on first watch! I’m happy that they got older to watch those animes, because the rating system is not very good to find which series or movies to watch kids. Only a Gibhli movie was a sure hit, I watched all of them with my younger daughter last year. 😀
I’m also a big fan of manga, we go to the local public library where they have a huge amount of them! Since we can speak, read and listen to both French and English, we have access to a even bigger library of Manga, since it’s really popular in France (Lots of local editors import them).
Sounds like great series to watch together. And Ghibli movies can never go wrong! 😀 (Which reminds me that I still haven’t seen them all…)
They have a lot of manga in France, huh? Lucky you! Here in Sweden manga publishing is basically non-existent nowadays, even One Piece ended on volume 66 earlier this year 😦
what anime is that in the second picture?
It’s called “Free!” and is created by Kyoto Animation. It is currently airing, with 4 out of 12 episodes being released, and is about a group of boys creating a swimming club so they can race against an old friend. It’s pretty good 🙂
There IS some social pressure, but I think that depending on your state of mind, it can be pretty fun. I mean, I just love going to see my patients with the doctor panoply (white coat, necktie and all), but with the little accessory only the real otaku can understand what it is. Being an otaku also means being part of an existing community were all those things are OK (just go to a convention and you’ll understand).
Also, I think that even if there would be a day when I quit being an otaku, this otaku past will always be part of myself, my way of thinking, so I need to be proud of that. Because I think that’s the real question you’re asking here : Will I hate my past self being an otaku when I’ll grow older ? Maybe I’ll be a bit ashamed of some extreme otaku things I did like the otaku me already is, but I don’t think I will.
Haha, that sounds both weird and fun! What kind of accessory it is?
Wish I could go to conventions, but we don’t really have proper ones here in Sweden. The ones were have are basically only meet-ups for people who knows each other via the Internet. And the anime part is in a “uguu kawaii pocky pocky desu desu” state, which doesn’t really appeal to me 😦
Then again, I’m judging based off what I’ve heard from others and seen via photos and videos. But American ones seem a lot more like my thing.
Naw, no worries, I’ll never hate my past 🙂
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I’m 27 and anime has been a gigantic part of my life since I was 12. I think if you truly love anime, and it really is a part of your lifestyle, then you will always love it. I have great friends in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s who are all just as passionate about anime as a 15 year old that just discovered it. Anime has no age limit.
When I was younger, I was afraid of this same thing. I was afraid that someday something in my brain was going to going to just click and I was going to think, “Oh wow, I’m an adult now! I’m just too old for anime.” It doesn’t happen. You are who you are, and you love what you love, and when you can learn to accept that it’s a brilliant feeling. Don’t stop loving something because of what “society” thinks, just be yourself. If you end up naturally falling out of anime as a hobby, then that’s fine, but don’t do it to please anybody else. I’ve tried to hide my love for anime to fit in, and only ended up making horrible friends that were emotionally destructive.
And concerning your worry that people at work will talk about you.. my fiancee works in a high profile office, and he has met multiple people that decorate their desks with anime figures and Pokemon plush. His own desk is populated with plush and figures, and he’s only gotten positive comments. Even his boss, a 50-something who had never seen an anime before, has started watching anime after asking for recommendations from my fiancee. It’s more socially acceptable than you think!
Thanks for the tips, Azalie 🙂
Gee, your fiancé sure is lucky! Not sure how acceptable it is here in Sweden, though. It probably depends on the place!
Love you post.
“your”…….
While i’ve been watching anime here and there since 99s or so, like Dragon Ball, Card Captor Sakura, Ruroni Kenshin, YuYu Hakusho, Saint Seya and some other titles, at that time, like most children i just regarded them as “Japanese Cartoons”.
I got conscious about anime as a concept about the time Naruto, Death Note and some other famous titles were around. From then on, i still watched what i could here and then, but it was really hard to get them since i lived on a small city.
Once we got broadband internet access around 2006-7 was when i started to follow anime as a thing, since i could watch anything i wanted as long as i was willing to search for it. It started slowly, mostly with standard shounen titles currently airing, such as Naruto and Bleach (i was 15 back then), but soon i found myself googling for what would next season bring, what held my interest and whatnot.
As time passed, while my genre preferences may have changed (was never into ecchi stuff tough), my liking for anime stayed over the years, and i don’t really think that will change.
That sounds like a process many has gone through. You’re first not aware of anime, but then you start with popular shounen titles before you finally start discovering everything else offered 🙂
Glad to see you still like it!
[…] week, Marow of Anime Viking answered an interesting question in his post on whether or not someone will continue to enjoy a hobby such as Anime as time goes on. Here is my […]
I used to worry about these things too! (And sometimes still do…)
I’d like to think I’ll watch anime forever. My taste in genre may change, but the fact that certain titles mean so incredibly much to me ensures me that at least they’ll stay in my heart even when I’m old and grey (:
That’s true! 🙂
… well, as you as you don’t go senile.
Don’t say senile around old people.
Really, though, as long as anime can come up with great storytelling (Haibane Renmei, Fruits Basket), interesting concepts (Ghost in the Shell, Lain), beautiful soundtracks (Bebop, Noir), compelling characters (Witch Hunter Robin, Infinite Ryvius), stunning artwork (Mushishi), beautiful settings (YKK, and Aria), and comedy (Kill Me Baby!, Excel Saga…), then really, it’s a matter of media, not genre. If the quality is there, who cares if it’s a “cartoon”?
Of course, I also drive down the road with my stereo blasting “Allman Brothers at Fillmore East” with the windows down so everyone can hear…
Sorry! I had no idea it was seen as a bad word you shouldn’t use.
Oh, you’ve seen Aria? I love it myself, my very favorite anime 🙂
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My name is Von Hohenheim ^^
I’m 21 years old now(almost 22), i started to watch a the age of 20^^, how did i miss so much time until i found this amazing thing called anime?
Oh god, the nights at some party’s with drunken retards and clubbing girls.
Thank god now i found my habitat, and now i even go to anime conventions in my country (Brazil)
Yet i have to finish my university, and where i live is kinda weird to watch anime, but we are finding some people who do the same and we are grouping! Together we can’t be defeated!..hehehe
In a year, i will be a fully degree Mechanical Engineer and will i be watching anime?
OH YES!
Btw, my brother is 30, he loves anime, his wife is getting it too, and i hope my nephews will do the same!
(and for the guy who above stated)
I will always watch anime, i will try to lecture my wife in this wonderful world (when i get one) and i will teach my heirs of the importance of anime!^^
Haha, nice story! Glad you found others who likes it 🙂
Anime will never get old. No matter what age I might be as long as a anime is interesting I will watch it. Anime are as much mediums as TV Shows, Books, Videogames, Movies are. No matter the age as long as its interesting I’ll watch, read, or see it.
True true. I wonder how anime will be in the future?
I’m 21 now, and I can picture myself having kids in the future, and making them watch anime with me >:c I really don’t care about what other people say (I used to, honestly), I even go to work with a hat packed with five anime pins xD (these are three of them ❤ https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/400736_10200274018591998_965697041_n.jpg .) I know some people laugh at me, or that they think "how immature/idiot/blah", but I don't care D: It's my hobby, and I love it, if they feel the need to ridiculice me for that, I don't really think I'm the immature one xD I like what I like, and I don't have a need to hide it, and no one has to! It's not like watching anime is bad, or immature, or whatever! There will always be people who think that it's stupid, but, so what? Just sit back and watch your anime, have fun, and enjoy it!
Heh, I see. Good that you don’t care!
Hello, I’m new here. Well this is your first blog that I read. To answer your question, like many others I don’t know. Will I ever enjoy watching anime as I grow older? I know at one point I will say enough is enough.
As my age grow older I’m starting to realize that many anime today is full of BS [I don’t say 100%, but almost 95% really pissed me off at some point.]. I think this has something today with how my mind has grown. As I entered society I had many experience and it somehow affected the way of my thinking.
Anime like DBZ, Naruto, Bleach[I think naruto and bleach because of how the story goes on] and Death Note that I used to love and even had the DVD today I found it not relevant and stupid to the point that it’s making a mockery of our existences [this is my personal opinion-not that I’m against people that love this anime-I’m pretty sure at some point I had a wish to kill some of the mangaka that produce story that I hate].
Well I still have a couple of anime that I love like Nana, Monster, One Piece and Gungrave [also in DVD collection]. What I’m trying to say is, as I grow older and the experience I encounter in life had affected me in some way or another and I could not view most of the anime the same way again. Also nowadays whenever I watched the series that I used to loves before I will stop halfway, because it’s not as enjoyable as before ‘insert table flip’ [exmp. Death Note. I wonder why I love this series in the first place anyway]. I had 15 years of exp. in anime live until today and my age is 28 with more than 30 anime series in dvd collection and more than 300 series anime watched and download through the net. The last 7 years is when I watched 95% of the series.
Well not OP and Pokemon, I think it’s because how much I hate to admit that this is the longest series I’ve been with. Both were the series that I start with also naruto until the author goes retarded with Sasuke arc [I just realized that Sasuke arc is BS only a couple of years later, proving that my mind has evolved and see thing in a new way I guess.] Well to summarize it, exp in life and how my mind see thing in the future will definitely effect how I will enjoy watching anime.
Sorry if you had trouble reading this. English not my first language and my vocabulary isn’t that vast. Also this was all my personal opinion, and not mean to insult or pick a fight with anyone.
Please tell me you’re not actually serious.
The good ones are out there. Grave of the Fireflies, Haibane Renmei, Perfect Blue, Crest of the Stars, all great shows, for different reasons. I’ve never been a fan of long-running series like Naruto, because they use so much filler.
I don’t see them as making mockeries of me, they cater to an audience, which is more profitable for the studio.
I like a well-written story, usually no more than two seasons worth, with character development and a good plot culmination.
Even so, I can still “regress” quite happily into an occasional watching of “Ghost Stories” (the ADV dub) or “Risky Safety”.
I’ve been watching Anime now since I was about 25 years old and having reached the grand old age of 50 I am still hanging in there. I have seen the massive improvements in the animation and it still has the ability to make me smile.
Crunchyroll has been a godsend for me as it allows me to look at a series that I might have passed over if I had to go and by the DVD and because of this I have found myself hooked on stories, characters and even the music that never would have entered my life.
I have also managed to pass on this love for Anime to my kids. With my daughter being the most enthusiastic to the point she is working on her cosplay for an up-coming convention in London.
So, hopefully by the time I am 70 I will still be here and getting any grand-kids I may have into the next episode of “what ever I will be into”
Indy
Indeed, anime has undergone a lot of improvements. I do have to admit that I have a soft spot for the character design often found in 90s anime, though!
Nice! Hope it goes well for her.
Haha, good luck! 🙂
🙂 Still got my Project A-ko but now on DVD and not the VHS that sits in the shed 🙂
So let me guess Akira got you started 😉
I notice how many “revisionists” are slamming that film these days. Does anyone agree?
AHHHH Akira!!! I have done animation, (flatbed, model, 3D etc) in the past and when I looked at the motor-bike scenes and that they were hand drawn… still stuns me.
Indy
A bit off topic here but… Remember when western animation actually was worth watching? Disney himself said that if cartoons were for kids he wouldn’t bother making them. Even the 90’s stuff like tail spin had it’s moments for older viewers. But now all modern US cartoons are so juvenile it pains me to watch. Or maybe that’s just me getting older…
I have always loved Animation. Since a little boy I remember coming home from school and eating my evening meal with Scooby-do, Hong Kong Fuey, Top Cat, Marine Boy and the classics of Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry on the TV. This was the late 60’s and early 70’s.
I moved on to other forms of animation, styles and narrative, but still came back to some of the classics. Anime entered my vision and I would say to people “It’s not Disney”
I had the joy of children and have passed on this love of all forms of animations. My collection of Looney Tunes is well worn 🙂
I have looked at the new stuff and found that there is still an element of “adult” material there. My daughter has gone over some of her older favorite cartoons and seen new things that passed by her young brain, thank god, so I feel there is still more to come even from Disney, Phineas and Ferb come to mind, so there is hope for future generations.
23 now, started when I was 15. I stopped watching new anime for four years when I started college, then Crunchyroll came along and changed everything. I never stopped being an anime fan though. My DVDs of Princess Mononoke and Fullmetal Alchemist found their way into my DVD player regularly. Now my anime collection is pretty large, so I don’t think I could stop even if I wanted to.
My belief is that you’ll watch anime as long as there is something in it that “speaks” to you. I never thought that I would no longer be interested in Science Fiction, but it happened. I found that the stories I read were just repeating themes that I had read multiple times. My sense of wonder was gone for it. As long as anime shows me something new or provides a new viewpoint of something I’ll continue watching it.
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