Will we even remember them 50 years from now?
Anime has been the love of my life for over a decade now, but as I’ve gotten older, I’m continually pondering a difficult question – has my love since become so much a part of who I am that it’s permanent, or will things that happen later in my life eventually shift my interest elsewhere?
Most of us have gone through many passing interests throughout our lives, especially when we’re young. But there are a few reasons why I know anime is more than just a hobby for me. First of all, it’s lasted longer than any of my previous hobbies, consistently going on during my years of late middle school, high school, college, and now early adulthood. These are stages in life where people are settling down into who they really are. Not only has my obsession with anime lasted during all these changes in my life, but it was also strong enough to dictate my college major, formally studying Japanese, and taking trips to Japan. It’s what I spend the majority my free time involved in, what I spend the majority of my extra money on, and is how I met the majority of my good friends.
So with anime being more of a “lifestyle” for me than a “hobby,” I’ve realized that I’m living in the first generation that will have the option of indulging in anime from adolescence until old age. What I mean by this is that the first ever Japanese animation couldn’t have out until at least the 1950s/60s when television was invented. I believe the first work called “anime” by the term we use today was Astro Boy in the 1960s. So technically anime itself has only been around for about 50 years. Therefore, no one older than 50 could have “grown-up” with anime or become an anime fan during their teenage/young adult years. I can’t say for certain that there are no senior citizens who became anime fans later in life, but the generation gap makes such a person very rare. And so it follows that those of us in this generation (or a little before and after) will be the first to be able to keep our anime fandom from young age to old age.
Another reason that this generation is special in terms of anime fandom is simply because of the changes in society, at least here in America. The changes the American lifestyle has gone through over the past fifty years is astonishing. If I were living in the America of a half a century ago, I would be desperately trying to get married and raise a family before I hit 30 and finding one of the few jobs women had back then (teacher, secretary, or nurse I guess). My life would have to revolve around household chores and raising kids, not indulging in my own personal interests. I don’t know when the first male “geeks” started (obsessed with comic books I suppose), but female geeks like yours truly have only recently started becoming common. So once again, those of us who haven’t yet hit their golden years will be the first people to live until old age in a society where we’re free to pursue countless hobbies and interests, anime included of course. Actually, with the Internet and all the other technological advances of the past twenty years, it seems like society is now favoring that lifestyle over the traditional one. Unfortunately, being a major anime fan (and a Pokemon fan if you want to separate the two) throughout adulthood, especially for a woman, is still met with awkward looks and raised brows. The idea of someone wanting to live their life more for their own hobby rather than raising a family is still an unconventional concept for most people. If it comes in my lifetime, I look forward to the day when living your life with anime at the center isn’t as disrespected as it is now.
I know it’s a little early for me to think about how long I’ll be an anime fan. Will I be one of the first people from my generation to take anime with me into senior citizenship? Or will changes and experiences in my life make me eventually lose interest in what had been the center of my younger years? At least there’s one thing for me to look forward to in my old age – seeing how the average person in society reacts to groups of grandpa and grandma anime fans, if anime is something most of us will continue to be fans of during that time in our lives.
Sorry I can’t help but think of senior citizens cosplaying. XD XD XD
I think the point you have about losing interest could be true but I think that has to do more with outside factors. Like a job, illness, or other event that dramatically changes your point of view.
The point you made about the “average” person finding fandom of anime weird was similar to a thought I had recently. The idea that us anime fans can be entertained by cartoons while other people need “real” physical experiences to value their life is weird. The concept that one is more real than the other is hilarious because it’s more of a new vs old argument. Neither is better just different.
Senior citizens cosplaying would definitely be a sight to see! XD
“The idea that us anime fans can be entertained by cartoons while other people need “real” physical experiences to value their life is weird.”
Great thought here. I agree that the concept of wanting visual/audio/intellectual fulfillment (through various media means) is something new but still a viable way of spending your life. I still believe humans are social creatures and should take the time to have some physical experiences too, but if you prefer things like anime, it’s not necessarily inferior.
Dude, I saw an Inspector Gadget (super old guy) at last year’s Otakon and may I just take a moment to say HE WAS AWESOME.
Cool topic.
I don’t have any idea what my emotions toward anime storytelling will be in fifty years, but what I do know is that I’ll probably be on a futuristic episode of AMERICAN PICKERS or ANTIQUES ROADSHOW where some young folks are rummaging through mountains of DVDs… “Why did this old cat have five versions of DRAGONBALL Z,” one guy queries. “Well, that’s an interesting lesson on the history of domestic licensing and the balance of product availability through the years and at different retail levels,” my story would begin. And so it goes…
LOL, that’s a funny scenario but certainly a possible one XD
@Balloon Thief
Sorry I can’t help but think of senior citizens cosplaying. XD XD XD
Think away! This coming fall at our local anime convention (Kumoricon) I’ll be cosplaying for my first time. I’ve been an ardent anime fan for the past 20 years – attending the first 12 Anime Expos – and I’m almost a senior citizen. At 56, I qualify to be a member of AARP.
@Yumeka
I don’t see any reason why you can’t be an anime fan for life. After 20 years, my ardor for anime is stronger than ever. And I remember watching Kimba the White Lion on black and white TV when I was young… and Robotech when it was first broadcast. My current passion is Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I can probably do another 50 years of anime. (^_^)
If you’ve been into anime for 20 years, then I assume you got into it around the early 90s? It’s great to know an older fan like you who’s been into anime for twice as long as I have XD And wow, twelve Anime Expos. I didn’t even hear about AX until I was in high school in the mid-2000s.
That’s awesome that you’ve been able to follow anime from Kimba to Madoka – that’s a long history for the medium and it’s great that new shows like Madoka can still inspire you after all these years. I hope I’ll feel the same when I’m your age ^^
@LovelyAngel
I’m not too far behind you in age, and I cosplayed for the first time last year at AX (as Sannan from Hakuouki). Maybe we should have a geek elders meet-up at AX. ^^
@Neo-Shonen Fujoshi
(and let’s see if I can click the correct Reply button this time!)
I’ve unfortunately stopped attending AX, as it’s gotten too large to be fun for me. The first AX I attended had a cozy 1800 people. I stopped in the early 2000s when it got larger than 15,000 people. And the attendance numbers now are just insane.
I guess I’ll be a remote geek elder, participating in spirit only.
The possibility of growing old with your anime fandom is very likely. I know fans belonging to other subcultures — mainly science fiction & American comics/graphic novels — who started being fans in their teens and are now middle-aged or past it. They like to remember the “good ol’ days” but also keep up on latest developments in their respective fandoms. I can see you doing the same 40 years down the road! The more important question has to do not with the fans but with the nature of anime itself — will there be drastic changes in the way anime is written and produced over the next 40 years that will alienate this current generation of fans? It’s still too hard to see anything that revolutionary on the horizon.
I wonder, when I’m old, if one day I’ll be sitting on the porch and reminiscing about the good old days and saying things like “Remember that one anime, Madoka something-or-other” XD Of course right now I intend to follow anime fandom for the rest of my days but I can never say for certain if that’s how it will be.
I too wonder if anime will change drastically in the coming years and alienate current fans. For me at least, I don’t think it’s likely as long as I consistently follow it without losing touch for long periods of time so that it seems foreign when I go back.
Interesting topic. I hope (since i’m still relatively young) that both anime and drawing make it to adulthood as things that i’m still actively involved in. Well, i guess that’s it. Oh, and please answer my question in the preivious article.
bye.
–End–
Drawing is actually an interest I had for all of my childhood until my early college years. But if it’s something you want to keep, I hope you can =)
(also, I responded to your comment on my previous post).
Very nice discussion topic there :) Who knows that the future holds for us all?
You are very correct in that things may change from one time to another. I’m not married, nor do I have kids. Some of my friends have married already, and have their own kids, and I can see that a lot of things have changed for them. Their priorities, their hobbies, their lifestyle, etc. But they are perfectly happy with their new life. So it is simply not something that we can predict for our future.
I can only hope that I will keep liking anime, and computer games and all that good stuff until I’m really old. And I agree society is not really open yet for fans of many things. And not only for women, for men too. I have no problem mentioning I like anime, and while many people know what it is, I can get a few cold stares. I’m sure they think I’m wasting my life, even if I have a very successful job, own 2 houses, and In my mid 30s. Well, someday things may change.
So all we can do is enjoy what we like now, because tomorrow, things may change. Live life to the fullest I think. And try to not look back with regret on things or decisions that we could have taken differently because that is wrong. If we were to relive our life with the same knowledge we had at the time, we would make exactly the same decisions :) So just look forward and enjoy your hobbies! And try not to forget the feeling that enjoying anime brings you :D
Thanks for the great advice and encouraging words~ ^.^
One of many reasons I don’t want to have kids is because, unless you have the ideal circumstances, any free time, relaxation, and freedom to pursue your own activities is over, or at least drastically cut short. I know myself well enough by now to know that I would not be happy with such a lifestyle.
Yes, unfortunately some people think that you’re wasting your life if you don’t have the best career you can get, earn the most money you can earn, and use your energy to raise a family. But like most things in this world, everyone has different ideas about what a good life is.
I just want to give a little word of advice as someone who once thought she didn’t care if she had children or didn’t want them, keep the fact in mind that at a certain age, fertility disappears in women. I’m 36 and desperately want a baby and I was recently diagnosed with a thyroid disorder that may make it difficult to conceive or carry to term. Not only did I not realize that getting pregnant after age 35 is difficult, but I didn’t realize my health was going to go bad on me.
So keep in mind that a woman’s fertility takes a dip after age 29, takes an even bigger dip after age 35, takes another dip after age 38, and after age 40 it is really difficult to get pregnant. Yes, you can get egg freezing (fertility preservation…I recommend that before age 35 if you want to do it) but still, then you have to go through IVF. And while it’s worth it if a child is born, you can’t guarantee it will be.
Maybe you really will never want children, but the majority of women do end up wanting a child. And if you want it to be of your own flesh and blood, you do have to watch your age. Even adoption can get tricky if the agency thinks you’re too old, but I don’t know what the age limit for adopting is.
Not trying to be pushy (and this blog is older, maybe you’ve even decided you did want kids by now.XD), but I just don’t want to see anybody end up in the boat I’m in, where I’m going to have to go through who knows what to become a mother.
Thanks for the advice, but as of now I still don’t want to have kids. Another reason (other than what I mentioned above) is that I feel the world is so overpopulated now, I’d rather not add another hungry mouth to gnaw at the planet’s already dwindling resources. I know that sounds strange but it’s another reason for me. Also, I worked with kids for two years at my old job and just don’t enjoy being with them like I do with adults, or even animals.
BTW, my mom gave birth to me when she was 41. I guess she was lucky ;)
I’ve considered this same topic myself briefly, a couple of times. I’ve only been seriously watching anime for about 5 years so 50 is a long shot, but I don’t see myself quitting anytime soon, not until I’ve finished my 100+ series long to-watch list at least. XD However, I do understand the whole ‘weird looks’ thing you get if you say you like anime, especially as you get older. It’s almost as if people view you as social rejects if you have hobbies that aren’t mainstream.
But really, I see anime as not being much different to TV shows. So what if it’s animated? It should be fairly common knowledge nowadays that anime isn’t just about cute girls with magical wands aimed at a target audience with an average age of about 6 years old. I mean, my grandparents are really into Asian dramas, and some of my friends are drama-addicts too; so, life circumstances and events aside, it’s probably not something you’d automatically grow out of as soon as you hit your golden years. As long as you nurture your love of anime as you do now, I’m sure you’ll still be enjoying it for many decades to come!
Perhaps the day will come when the average person is more knowledgeable of what anime is and will respect you for liking it rather than think less of you. People’s overall knowledge of anime is better than it used to be, so I think there’s hope! If only they’d show good anime on American TV nowadays, that would help a lot.
I’m old enough to have watched shows like Gigantor and 8-Man during their original American TV runs in the mid-1960s. Still watching anime 50 years on? Sure it’s possible!
I haven’t even heard of those two shows XD Have you been watching anime consistently since the 1960s or did you start later in life?
Gigantor is probably better known to true old-schoolers as Tetsujin-28 but yeah, it was decades ahead of other giant robos.
I actually only had a very occasional interest in anime until about 7-8 years ago when, due to various circumstances, I found myself coming home most nights after midnight too restless to sleep. I came across Adult Swim, found stuff like Evangelion, Trigun, FMA, etc., and things just cascaded from there. My tastes actually tend more towards slice-of-life than action, but really, if it can draw me into its world, any genre will suffice.
I’m 52 at present, and started watching anime at 40. Though my tastes have changed during my life, I still enjoy going back to reread books I enjoyed in my twenties (having had time to partly forget them since) and I have every expectation of rewatching Ookiku Furikabutte, Aria and the Tatami Galaxy in my eighties, in the same spirit –
Despite the fact that you’re 20+ years older than me, it looks like we’ve been into anime for roughly the same amount of time. But I’ve found that most people older than me who like anime tend to have tastes in and perspectives about anime that are different than mine. I suppose it’s due to being part of a different generation that didn’t grow up with modern conveniences like the Internet.
You’ve maintained an anime blog for about 5 years. I doubt it’s just a passing fad. But an overdose of anime might place the seed of anime burnout.
Actually, since I started university in 2007 and now that I have a job, I don’t have as much time to watch anime as I used to back in my high school/early college years. So I don’t think I’ll be suffering from anime burnout anytime soon =)
To me, this isn’t just about the nature of the anime industry. This has to do with my reasons for watching anime. I can safely say that anime will never cease to be a part of my life because I watch anime to learn more about myself. With each new series I gain a new perspective on things, and this shapes my world. At the same time, I gain a better sense of myself. So for me, anime is an intensely personal activity, and it goes way beyond the plot, characters and even themes.
In a way, I find anime to be similar to literature. All of us are geographically- and culturally-bound, as well as bound by gender. Through reading, we learn to experience another world from another perspective. Anime offers me the same enriching experience. With each series, I learn something new, and I grow even more as an individual. And it is this aspect of anime, more than the entertainment aspect, that makes anime so appealing. This appeal is a long-term phenomenon that won’t be eradicated so easily. The only scenarios I can think of that would make my interest in anime wane would be a) the anime industry continuously produces mediocre shows that fail to engage me both intellectually and/or emotionally, and b) anime becomes so inaccessible that I turn to books or other sources for my ‘life-enriching’ fix.
I pray that neither scenario will occur. Not now, not ever.
Thanks for sharing your fascinating relationship with anime!
I watch anime because I love it for various reason depending on the series, but individual growth and new perspectives are definitely possible reasons. Some, like Evangelion, Wolf’s Rain, and Fullmetal Alchemist present me with new world views and concepts that I can certainly apply to my real life. Others, like Azumanga Daioh, Chi’s Sweet Home, and Cardcaptor Sakura are just very fun and enjoyable. But since anime is so important to me, every great title has contributed something to me personally, some more than others.
Very interesting topic! This is something me and wife (who also shares my interest in anime ^_^) have talked about. Not so much about whether we’ll still enjoy into our senior years, but what/how it will be in relating to our future kids and grandkids. By that I mean, will it be something our children would be into as well and could enjoy with us…or will they think of it as something “old people” watch?
I certainly think any children you may have should like anime since there’s plenty of good kids anime for them XD That’s what makes the medium so great – there’s kids anime for kids and anime aimed at an older audience for adults. So if they grow out of kids anime they can always watch others =)
I used to think that I was reaching the limits of fandom, age-wise, and sometimes wondered if there was something inherent in aging that made people give up anime (and other similiarly geeky passions). I just got back from a convention where there was an “Otaku 25 and older” panel, and I think I was one of the youngest people in the room. So obviously, there’s still plenty of time for us to enjoy this hobby, and few reasons to ever give it up (I don’t consider the IRL responsibilities that we all inevitably inherit and that suck our free time away to be the same thing). I think I’m finally starting to understand that I can allow myself enjoy this as long as I feel like it, whether it’s until I’m 40, 50, or beyond. That’s easy enough to just say, but it’s taken me quite a while to really accept it as a truth.
An “Otaku 25 and older” panel sounds cool =D I wonder if AX has anything like that. I’m glad to know that you found many older fans there – makes me feel confident that anime isn’t something that we’ll all eventually “grow out of.” When I’m old and feeble, I wonder how many titles I’ll have under my belt.
Some people think that anime or Pokemon is just a hobby for the younger crowd, but I have many college friends who still have a high interest in Pokemon. I remember the time when I suffered from anime burnout. In retrospect, though, it was a time when anime wasn’t very prominent in my life: I graduated from high school, retired as president of the local anime club, etc.
Though, after I started my blog, it reinvigorated my mind and brought new light to anime. I felt like part of a group again.
I think the coming decades are going to be an interesting one. As you said, we could see our first generation of seniors who grew up watching anime. I don’t know how long I’ll continue loving anime (hopefully forever); I thought I would grow out of it after high school, but ironically, I appreciate it now more than ever. It’s hard to let go of childhood memories, and anime was a huge part of my life while growing up.
I think it depends on the circumstances that I am in… If life became difficult or busy, then I’d probably be willing to sacrifice anime. Nonetheless, I think that under normal circumstances, I’d definitely be watching anime until I die. Though, becoming an old man who remnisces of the “olden” days sounds a bit depressing xD Because it’s not just a nostalgia at that point, it becomes more of a hopeful dream. You’re old and memory is not as efficient… you experience hearing loss and a decline in eyesight… you’re not as energetic as before. The past has changed and the future seems to only point toward death. Youth cannot be recovered, it came and passed as quickly as the wind. Everyone around you has grown older too, and you see the changes. Perhaps you can still enjoy the current anime, but I am not sure if I could really “live” on that.
I suppose that’s the danger of becoming too obsessed with temporal things. They’re good but sometimes we can cling so hard to something that if we loose sight of that, we loose ourselves. In my death bed, I certainly do not want to be there in pain and solitude… regretting that I will not live long enough to see the next season of Dragonball Z and becoming hopeless as a result. Just about everything that is good in this life has this danger though, so for some, this is just what happens and you need to learn to live with it. For others like me, I think there’s something beyond this life that I can live for. Nevertheless, I guess we just need to live life as best as we can… regardless of what pain may come to us in the future.
“female geeks like yours truly have only recently started becoming common”
I definitely don’t think girl geeks have only become common recently. It’s just that they’re more visible nowadays, and more accessible to each other, thanks to the Internet. Girls and boys alike have had geeky hobbies for as long as people have been around. Just because girls or boys may have had to fit into more defined gender roles in the past, doesn’t mean they didn’t have interests considered unusual to the majority of people in their time. These concepts are present in literature, media, etc. from various time periods.
And yes, unusual interests can follow a person throughout life. Being an anime fan for life is no different than being a stamp collector for life, or a fan of a particular musician for life, for example. Obviously, hobbies and circumstances can and do change throughout our lifetimes, but it’s certainly quite possible to stay a fan of something forever.
I really don’t care if people look down on girls like us! I honestly think the human raise is very stupid but I don’t want to ramble about that… You better bring anime with you to your senior citizen age as a woman! Cuz if you don’t then I WILL! May anime be always with you! =P
i’ll be 60 in 5 months and have watched anime off and on since alakazam the great came out in the early 60’s …i watch between 4 and 10 episodes a day and find that i have only grown more not less interested….