This is a question that’s been on my mind for a long time, ever since I began to interact daily with a variety of anime fans online and took note of the specific fan bases they’re part of and the diverse ways they relate to their hobby…
Back in the day, I used to think that being a fan meant loving anime for what it is, fangasming over characters you love, and gushing at how interesting anime stories are. There were things I didn’t like of course – even anime I really liked had endings or other thing that made me dissatisfied. But being a fan, I accepted the fact that anime wasn’t supposed to please my every expectation and instead focused on everything I did like about it.
I think I started noticing another side of being a fan when anime started flourishing online via bittorrent, and streaming later on, and I began following all the latest shows and anime blogs. I noticed that instead of just loving anime through thick and thin, criticism was dominating the fangasm and acceptance I used to know. People were fans of a series or character one minute, and then dropped their support the next minute if the object of their fandom did anything they didn’t like. Haruhi’s Endless Eight is a prime example. When the first series aired, everyone hailed it as the next Evangelion, then boom, E8 came along and everyone did a complete turn-around and dropped their support of the franchise because of that one little gimmick. It didn’t matter how much they loved anything else about the series; the dissatisfaction of E8 made them dismiss it all. At the time, I felt like one of the few who, despite not being thrilled with E8 (though I later grew to appreciate it), wouldn’t think of giving up on an ongoing series I love that still has much to offer, because of one setback. I suppose the rise of the “critical” fan over the “accepting” fan was inevitable with the changing technological times as more and more anime became more and more easily accessible to more and more people.
In addition to Haruhi, I’m the same way with my other two major fandoms, Inuyasha and Pokemon. When the Inuyasha anime ended without a conclusion, fans were outraged and most stopped caring about the franchise (the new anime came too late unfortunately). I not only continued the story through the manga up until the end, but despite not liking the manga as much as I used to and finding the ending somewhat lacking, I continued to follow through with my fandom and focus on what I enjoyed about it. Even though I’m not really an Inuyasha fan anymore, it’s still special to me. As for Pokemon, after twelve years, I still relate to it in the “old-school” manner of accepting whatever path the franchise takes and focusing on what I love in all the new pokemon designs and gameplay features. For people who gripe about how bad the new pokemon designs are and how much better the old school Pokemon games and anime were, I can’t help but think it’s just “sour grapes” – they’ve been out of the Pokemon loop for so long, and because the franchise is so different from what they used to know, it’s too much trouble to get back into it so they just dismiss it.
Between the “accepting” fan and the “critical” fan, I ask myself, who loves anime more? I want to say the accepting fan, but that’s not always the case. I still believe in the “elder” way of being a fan – supporting what you love no matter what because you know that your fandom can’t possible satisfy everyone’s desires. That doesn’t mean you have to be a fan of something your whole life; it just means you don’t drop it like a hotcake the minute it does something that displeases you. When the anime or character you love permeates your mind all the time, and you can’t help but fangasm when the situation arises, that to me is being a true fan more than constant negativity and fickleness. I’m not saying that being critical of what you love is bad – I’ve found that I too have gotten a lot more critical of anime over the years, partly because I’ve gotten older and partly because I’ve become a more knowledgeable fan. However, while I do my share of criticizing, I’m careful not to let the criticizing take over because I know it’s impossible for every anime to satisfy me in every way. Even though I’ve noticed that anime series have gotten more cliche and fan pandering, and there’s almost always at least one thing I don’t like about each one, I’ll remain the fan I’ve always been and just focus on what I do enjoy about anime because that’s simply the kind of fan I am. The fans I feel are the opposite are those who spend more time criticizing and nitpicking anime than enjoying it, love it one minute then drop it the next because of one little displeasure, and who think nothing of crushing other people’s fandoms that they’re not a part of. For people like this, I think to myself “Do you really love anime?”
But is love the only thing that constitutes being a fan, or can someone be a fan of something without necessarily loving it unconditionally? What’s a healthy balance between being critical and being accepting? Alas, these are things I still need to think about…
To me, being a fan of something just means you are willing to look past it’s bad points and enjoy whatever you find worthwhile and good about it. You feel the good outweighs the bad in terms of your enjoyment, without having to force yourself, and are willing to try to convey to others what those good points are (to spread the joy).
I don’t know what a “true” fan is – is it one of those meaningless fluff terms? I prefer labeling a fan as “supportive”, “critical”, “mindless”, etc. Perhaps a “true” fan is just someone who wants to be the “biggest” fan rather than just enjoy whatever they’re fanning on about?
I agree that a fan of something means that you’re willing to look past the bad points in favor of the good points. I know that nothing’s perfect, so for me, as long as the object of my fandom gives me the joy I want, and its bad points aren’t too bad, that’s good enough for me =)
Yeah, “biggest” fan may indeed be interchangeable with “true” fan. The only problem with “biggest” is that it’s a superlative and gives the impression that there’s only one.
I’m the same type of fan as you, but the “Big Three” anime, will always be something I despise. They wen’t from plot and story to fanservice and mindless.
The “Big Three” are: Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece.
The fact that they are so popular, but plan to never end, bothers me to a great extent.
Btw, I’m sorta a new follower for your blog, so I’m sorry if you happen to like them and when I said was unacceptable; It’s just the way I feel.
Whoops, forgot to include that I completely agree with you on the E8 topic, but you could also say that since I was already prepared for it, it wouldn’t affect me as much. I read all the nine books that are currently released; Can’t wait for the tenth!
I don’t care so much for Bleach, but I love Naruto and One Piece and will have to disagree – I believe the two series take a while to get good, but when they do they get really good and are still going strong. The “mindless, fan service” you’re talking about could be referring to the filler episodes in the Naruto and One Piece anime, which don’t exist in the original manga (which is why I skip filler episodes =P)
I read the novel of E8 years before the anime, but I didn’t expect the story to be eight episodes long when it was only one chapter in the novels. But all is forgive now that I’ve watched E8 again and have come to appreciate it.
And yeah, can’t wait for the tenth novel this May ^^
I don’t know how to judge a fan. I do know there’s no right way. For me, a fan just enjoys the series, for whatever reason.
What does amuse is in the Touhou fandom, some people don’t consider you a true fan unless you buy the games, while some people don’t consider you a fan unless you’re smart enough to pirate them.
I’ve always wanted to try the Touhou games, but I’m on a Mac. ( ；∀；)
I agree that every fan has their own way of enjoying whatever it is they’re a fan of – it just irks me when they seem to criticize more than enjoy the fandom. They still partake in it but all they do is put it down…I dunno, enjoyment to me is the biggest part of being fan, and if you’re not enjoying it, then what’s the point of being a part of it?
That’s very interesting about Touhou fandom – I know there are plenty of anime fans are also on opposite ends of the poles from each other like that.
I have to admit to enjoying the chaos surrounding Endless Eight as you already know. That chaotic nature spurred me into reading the fan-translations of the novels and further into the Haruhi fandom. Is it completely irrational to turn enjoyment of something into anger and loathing? I’d say the answer is yes, but we’re all human beings and thus are prone to making irrational decisions. I’ve seen several people comment “I’ve watched it again and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.” or “I don’t know what everyone was talking about. It was boring, but it wasn’t as horrible as everyone made it out to be.” after the ending. The decisions were made in the midst of emotions and thus those memories are stronger than if they had been made logically. I wouldn’t say that those people were not “true fans” as that definition varies from person to person but rather that they felt emotionally overwhelmed by the move in such a strong negative manner that they had to lash out at something.
As for fandom, we each find ways of taking joy in shows regardless of the context as to which the original way was intended. I’m reminded of “Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series” as a great example of taking a series and molding the entertainment value into something new. I think one can be critical and yet enjoy a show at the same time. Personally I didn’t care for the mecha battles in Eva 2.0, yet I found Asuka’s character enthralling in her development, which made the movie enjoyable for me.
“True”, “False”, “Haters”, “(noun)-lovers”, and other terms are just phrases people throw out due to try and classify others as different. I can’t say that I’m any better or worse than anyone. As long as we all realize that shows are made to be entertaining (and to sell merchandise) and that there is a market for said entertainment, we can begin to get along. It doesn’t matter what shows we like or where we’re from: we share an interest in a medium together.
Yeah, I’m sure a lot of E8 hate was spur of the moment. The movie has restored faith in Haruhi for many, but at the same time I still see a lot of “can’t forgive E8” sentiments as well.
I definitely agree that you can be critical of your fandom but still enjoy it. I can point out at least one thing I don’t like in every anime I’ve seen, but if my love for the good points outweighs the bad, that’s ultimately what matters to me. I also agree that if all anime fans realized that each anime has a specific target audience, particularly Japanese male otaku between the ages of 18 and 30, there’d be a lot less arguing among fans.
To be a fan, I think you do have to love whatever you’re a fan of unconditionally. That doesn’t mean you have to like everything about it, but it does mean you have to accept the bad with the good.
That’s similar to what Hogart said in the first comment. I think that the biggest fans have love that is at least a little unconditional. After all, you can only explain why you love anime so much without a simple “I just do!” The fandom that comes from the heart rather than the mind is usually the most intense.
Same as many I’m unsure about the “true” fan part because we all have different interpretations.
I’m a fan of the “medium” and of certain franchises more than of others. I like the medium in general because it presents me with material I don’t find in other places. My passion is based on my all my top rated shows which constitute what I love about anime. I can criticize some of them as much as I can praise them. That’s the key to it. You are able to constructively criticize them without taking all the merits from them if necessary. You’re able understand its flaws and are able to explain if necessary why this show is as good as you think it is while being aware of these details. And of course, knowing that nothing is flawless even more when the quality of a show is always a subjective thing. Personally I consider this to be a rational approach a fan could have rather than a “best show ever” (all in caps) approach because you specifically know why you are a fan, in addition to being able to explain to others why you are one.
Wow, what you described is an excellent way of being a fan. Can’t really think of anything to add…great thoughts =D
I had something like this conversation with omo a few weeks ago on one of his posts. I’m resistant to a designation of a fan as “true” or “genuine” at the very least. Being a fan is being a fan. No one fan is any more “genuine” than the other. That’s the wrong spectrum to look at “fanness” in. If anything, there’s a slider scale of enthusiasm that you can place people on. But you can’t put people on a scale of “artificial” fan to “genuine” fan, at least in the context we’re speaking of.
Interesting…so where do you think fandom starts? For example, if someone likes anime a little bit, would they be considered a casual fan? Or does fandom start when the person themself decides that they want to be considered a fan? Also, would the person who enthusiastically criticizes anime (usually negatively) be on the same scale as the person who enthusiastically praises anime and loves it almost unconditionally?
Well do we really need to delineate the point at which a person has become a fan? If someone cares enough about anime to actually watch it continuously, then that person is pretty much a fan in my eyes. Even if you’re a critic, you’re still watching the damn thing, so you’re obviously have an invested interest in watching it and criticizing it as opposed to doing other things with your life, so you’re a fan.
That’s a good point. Maybe it’s just hard for me to imagine myself on the same level as someone who invests as much time as I do in anime, but clearly doesn’t enjoy it that much and is more negative about it than supportive. I was never a fan of something without love overlooking all the bad points so I can’t really understand the overly critical fan.
If you really hated anime, you wouldn’t watch it to the point of spending literally months of your time on it and writing reviews on it. If you can really find someone who spends that much time on anime and yet still has that mentality, then you’re probably looking at some messed up guy, which is by far the exception and not the rule.
What I usually do is to first put a multi layered filter for new titles. And then arrange them in my head according to the levels. The levels are, let’s say… a no no anime, a normal anime, an OK anime, good anime, awesome anime, and legendary anime.
But the biggest point is, I apply that filter to animes under one time production unit. Hence, for example, I consider Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu first season and second season as two different animes. So it won’t damage the previous one. If I were a fan of Haruhi, the failure of Endless 8 in my opinion is the failure of the producer’s, not Haruhi’s. Haruhi’s world would still be shining in my head, and it won’t get stained just because some people depict the world in unpleasing way. It is the idea that matters. Presentation only matters for the first time experience.
I agree with most of what’s been commented on, save for the notion that fans need to have an “unconditional” love. You can be a fan for a time and then cease being one – it doesn’t mean you never were a fan at all.
Haruhi is a good case in point – I am still a fan of the novels, but the anime lost my love when it started to waste my time intentionally. Loyalty is a two-way street in fandom, if you screw with your fans too long you’ll lose them because they view you as being disloyal to them.
Again, this doesn’t mean that there won’t be extreme fans who will stick to their loyalty as though it is a badge of honor. But I’d like to think that being a fan doesn’t equate to a job or a chore. That’s beyond normal fandom to me.
‘Loyalty is a two-way street’ is a good point. There is such a thing as fan-abuse, and most people can only take so much of it before they abandon a series. It’s also, of course, possible to be a fan of, say, season 1 of a show but not season 2. ‘Haruhi’ is, like others have said, a shining example of that.
I’d also say that you can’t fully appreciate a show, film, or whatever unless you also appreciate its faults. Being a fan of something as opposed to a critic seems like the distinction between considering something one of your ‘favourite’ shows vs. a ‘great’ show. There are things I really enjoy even though they’re not really great, and sometimes not even especially good. I like them anyway, though, for the things they do actually do well.
I think there’s a little unconditional love for really die-hard fans, but for most, they could just as easily have specific reasons for loving an anime as they could not have any reasons and just say “I dunno why, I just do.” Passion can drive people just as much as reason can =)
I agree that if being a part of the fandom becomes a chore for you, perhaps you’re just losing interest. I started feeling like that with the later chapters of Inuyasha. That doesn’t mean I never was a real fan – the series changed, I changed, or some combination of both, but how much I loved the series in the past will always be a part of me.
I think there is a distinction to be made between fans, because so many people call themselves “anime fans” but are really quite different in how they approach anime. I see the biggest difference between two categories: 1) “selective” vs. “omnivorous” and 2) “destructive” vs. “creative.” In the first category, selective fans are fans of only certain types of anime or only certain series. I know of people who say they only like the current Big 3 shounen series and Miyazaki, and that’s the limit of their anime watching. Omnivorous fans are willing to expand their horizons and try watching something at least once, even if they don’t like it. In the second category, I find that destructive fans are obsessed about anime but only because they like to find lots of fault with and highlight all the flaws of a particular series, studio, etc. They often justify their criticism by saying “they love anime” and that being highly critical part of their love — but more often than not they end up annoying and infuriating people around them. I honestly can’t stand “fans” like these. Creative fans are much more likely to accept the flaws of a show as par for the course, but are more interested in how the show’s virtues outweigh or outshine the flaws, and they’re also interested in hearing about the good points of other shows they haven’t watched. Obviously I think that a genuine/true fan of anime as a medium ought to be farther along the omnivorous/creative spectrum. To put it another way, a genuine/true fan can take his or her ego or highly subjective preferences out of the equation and evaluate whether a series does a good job of achieving what it sets out to do.
Those are good categories and I know exactly the kinds of fans you’re talking about in each XD
The “selective” fans can definitely be true fans of whatever it is they’re selective of, whether it’s shonen anime, Miyazaki movies, or whatever. They’re probably just not general “anime fans” in the same way that the others are.
The “destructive” fans may in some way be true in their fandom, but the lack of enjoyment and love in favor of criticisms and raining on others’ parades, is something I can’t understand when it comes to being a fan of something. Why would you invest so much time in a hobby when you clearly don’t enjoy it? (unless there are other motives involved, like seeking attention).
I agree that the “creative” and “omnivorous” fans have been the most sincere and longest-lasting anime fans, at least from my experience =)
Fan originally comes from the work “fanatic”. A zealous individual who stops at nothing and attacks anyone that threatens his beliefs. So, which are the better “fans”?
The modern fan is not a zealous though (which is good), and as you mentioned, there are different kinds of them. Which are better? the critical ones? the accepting ones? Neither is better than the other, they are just different.
The people who criticize anime so harshly do so because they love it so much. They are just more explosive and outgoing than others, and express it when the anime does something they did not like. The people who accept anime so easily do so because they love it so much. They are just more accepting of things that they may not like, and be less explosive and expresive about it. Both love anime, they just appreciate it in different ways. Someone who does not like anime, would probably not even participate in those conversations. They would just avoid it altogether. So everyone from the harshest critic, to the most patient accepter loves anime.
There is no measurement of “love” for something. There will never be a balance between criticism and acceptance because everyone is different. Neither is right or wrong either.
Also, your post was pretty amusing because it shows that you are irked by the other type of anime fan. And that’s just fine, it just shows that you are a pretty strong fan yourself :) Just remember that there is probably another blog somewhere in the world, very similar to this one, expressing a similar opinion, but from a critical fan point of view. Neither is wrong though, neither loves anime any less, they are just different point of views :P
Thanks, you’re right that the critical fan (most of them anyway) could love anime just as much as the accepting one. They just express their passion differently. It’s the person who gives up on anime too easily who’s probably not that much of a fan – but the critical and the accepting who continue to indulge in it regardless can each be true fans. The fact that I have trouble understanding the critical fan must mean that the two types of fans are on different wavelengths.
Well, what I’ve always thought of being a “true fan” is being one who can acknowledge the faults in a show, yet still love it alot. For those that don’t really notice any flaws that they dislike, they are just standard fans that enjoy the show. For someone to really be a true fan of something, I always felt that the person usually loves the show even with it’s flaws, in other words they accept every aspect to the show even if they don’t quite like every little detail.
A big name example here would be stuff like Code Geass; there are those that love the series and see no fault in it, there are those that hate the series with a passion, and there are those that acknowledge that the show had tons of faults but still like it.
And, on a side note, I do think that there is a distinction being an anime fan and an anime critic. Critics tend to search for flaws and stuff like good writing, while fans simply enjoy the show for what it is.
Now that I think about it, my definition of a “true fan” would be someone who is both an anime critic, as well as a fan. It’s not like there’s a set rule where you can’t be a fan and a critic; after all, they are both two sides of the same coin. The degree to which you are a critic or a fan is probably what determines your taste in anime.
Good points. What you said in your first paragraph is how I relate to most anime nowadays (as I was much less critical when I was a newer fan). I find flaws in all the anime I’ve seen, even my favorites (though fewer than usual) but if I can find things to enjoy in them, it doesn’t matter. Unlike the critics you described, I don’t actively look for flaws and good writing – just something that appeals to my tastes. Stuff like unique stories, high quality animation, etc., are a bonus.
It’s always amusing how all the really popular series, like Code Geass, have fans who praise them for being flawless masterpieces while some other fellow fans think they’re disastrous pieces of crap (and some fans are in the middle). But naturally we’re all different so we can’t help but have different opinions about anime and everything else for that matter.
Hmm. Interesting, but the only reason i would drop a series is becuase it’s inappropriate, but i read reviews and articles on the anime before i watch it, so most of the time so that doesn’t happen. But even so i would classify myself as a somewhat limited fan.
bye.
–End–
For me being an anime fan is to apprecate both the english sub and dub of an anime. Not judging a series do its voice acting of such. Being a true anime fan is buying an anime series you truly love and just some day feel like watching over and over again. To be an anime fan you must be able to atleast name 10-15 animes from the top of your head. You dont have to watch animes that fully appeal to you either like for instance I like samurai anime,so i’ll watch something like bleach,samurai deeper kyo,or rurouni kenshin. Or something with mystery maybe something like darker then black or death note. Or maybe something like trigun. I dislike highschool anime/manga because its just not really my taste so I dont watch it lol. Any way to be a true anime fan you dont download illegal torrents or watch fansubs and just go litterly insane over anime to a point were all you watch is anime. A true anime fan doesnt bash another anime fan just because he would rather watch bleach then Elfen Lied they would respect eachothers opinion. A true anime fan doesnt obsess over Naruto pairings to a point where there sending death threats to one another just because they dont like there pairing (Lol) and btw nobody get mad at me for this its just my opinion :)
Agreed. I’ve been talking to some people lately and I realized how some people dump an anime once they take a wrong turn. I find it disgusting how some people watch a show just because of one character or the fanservice in it. Some of these people just watch the show for the fan service and overlooks everything else including the plot and background music. They probably wouldn’t mind if the main plot went nowhere.
A perfect example would be the new anime No.6. The first to episodes of No.6 started off great with a wonderful plot in minor gayness. Afterwards the gayness escalated and the plot was forgotten. When they finally brought back some of the original plot some fans were upset because it was a girl that brought the series back to the original plot and took away airtime for the two characters to dance. They didn’t disliked her getting into the way of the main character’s gay life.
To me being a fan would be keeping up with the anime/manga even if it takes a wrong turn and appreciating the people that brought the series together and not bashing them because they didn’t do what the fans would have wanted them to do.
hi i am a anime n game n tokyo japan fan i am all anime n manga ^^