Anime As Counter-Culture

[@unsc2060]

If I cross my eyes a little and squint, Digibro looks like No Face from "Spirited Away".

[@ratska96]

Ideally I think one should not even consider concepts of normalcy, as opposed to fighting it. I don't think you should advocate aginst what is normal but the concept of normalcy in the firstplace.

[@BranchesOfYgg]

I agree, wish I'd phrased this more like that.

[@ratska96]

+Digibro After Dark I think most people should get the gist of it.

[@Hawkbreath36]

Normal is just a setting on the dryer

[@ElDaumo]

i cant speak for the US, but i get the feeling that at least here in germany anime fans (or members of the "nerdculture") do something i normally see metalfans doing. it is accepted in the mainstream, there are stores and with the internet, people know quiet a bit about the culture. no one really cares if someone is interested in anime, no one questions you, if you have your figurines or collectibles around. still they act like they were some kind of super elitary underground movement. sure, there is a threshold where people look at you strange, but that has nothing to do with anyone liking anime or metal, or "nerdy" stuff, most of the time it is the "look at me, i am so otaku/metal/nerdy, i am SO different" attitude surrounding those subcultures in the west, that is straight up annoying. i dont fit any of those stereotypes mentioned, still i am deep into all that stuff, but i dont limit myself to that and i dont think anybody should. we are at a point, where all this nerdy stuff is just another multimillion dollar mainstream industry. massproduced bullshit doesnt make anyone unique. i believe it is stupid to think that just slipping in alternative cliches makes someone different. its just a different coloured uniform.

[@notmatt3678]

I remember when my grade 2 teacher took all my Yu-Gi-Oh cards away because they were "evil" lol

[@DarkpaladinEXE]

That's not legal, at least not in the United States.

[@franciscovaladez1738]

This is exactly why I dislike this whole media movement that embraces nerd and quirky culture. It's all so cynical and artificial. Counter culture comes from a place of sincerity; being yourself is about knowing who you are, that you don't fit into society and you have to accept it, not about saying "bitch you killin my vibe" and flipping the bird to everyone. Nor is it about trying to fit in just because everyone now is trying to be a nerd, with all these new superhero movies and reboots of old sci fi franchises. Now it's just about the girl gamers, that basic bitch in your class that says she loves comics, the tumblr culture that rejects anything that's different from them, the meme opinions spreading misinformation, the false sense of community that you get just because you wanna be a part of something rather than actually caring about the topic of discussion, that guy in my school that listens to pop punk and does his mohawk every day for 2 hours straight. To me that's so artificial and wrong, but sadly that little nieche of counter culture has spread and has been misrepresented. It just seems that to be popular today you have to be a nerd, and to quote the Incredibles "when everyone's super, no one is." Suddenly everything you did devalued because now everyone wants to be like you but they don't try to understand who you are and why you are the way you are. Cultural appropriation at its best.

[@kalejuice5701]

I couldn't have agreed more. Luckily in my case I've made something of a breakthrough at my high school in the nerd group with starting actual discussion. Bonus. We all are (regarding us collectively) somewhat into Pokémon.

[@se-n-fly-er]

I guess growing up I never really thought of it either way. I knew I wasn't normal because I didn't fit in, but it's like I never fit in to begin with, so I couldn't really have a moment of "fuck this shit!" if that makes sense. The only real case of that would be continuing to like what I like even if that's not the popular choice, but even then I think it's like Digibro says. It's not what you like, but who you are. I was a shy socially awkward introverted kid, so no matter what I liked I would have been distant from everyone else. I did try to make friends with similar interests, but it never worked out. To be honest I think be surrounded by people and not connecting with any of them is much more isolating than actually being alone is. The internet makes finding people with your interests much easier though, maybe that's part of the reason I've been addicted to it as long as we've had a computer to use. (that and it being a single machine which can do many things at the same time) Anyways back to the nerd in popular culture thing. (I don't mind if you skip the above part) What bothers me about it is not new people getting into it, not at all. If a comic movie or TV series ignites someone's passion for comics, or a dubbed anime showing on toonami starts someone's love towards anime that's perfectly fine. (plus I'd be a hypocrite as I got in through similar ways as a kid) What bothers me about nerd in popular culture, is they're not encouraging new fans into the medium. They're encouraging shallow interest to seem "cool" to others. This doesn't make actual fans "cool", just people who were already "cool". You can tell the difference between a noob and a poser, because the latter isn't actually interested in learning more about the topic while the former is eager to learn from more experienced fans.

[@franciscovaladez1738]

Okayu P "I don't mind if you skip the above part" lol, I had already read everything when I saw that. Anyways, to adress your first paragraph, It's not like I really was going against the current all my life. I had more of a personal struggle because I couldn't embrace who I was and I felt alone and empty because of that. My "fuck this" moment came when I realized that I pressured myself to like what everyone else liked instead of learning more about the things that I actually cared about. Through that I learned that no one really had any expectations from me and that took a huge weight off my shoulders. Also, while it doesn't really work for me, it's good to hear that people actually can use the internet to feel connected. Being on forums and shit makes me feel kind of depressed which is why I really only use facebook because I can keep up with my real friends there, but I digress. Now, your second paragraph. I guessed I kinda phrased it wrong, but I don't have a problem with people getting into the stuff I like. What I have a problem with is when they're artificial and only really do that to fit in. I guess the thing I appreciate the most from a person is that they're honest to themselves. Hollow people that just care about their image and their pride are the thing I hate the most really. You said everything else I had to say, so I guess I don't have much else to comment on.

[@se-n-fly-er]

Yeah I guess that's what I meant. I never tried to deny what I liked or forced myself to like things I didn't to begin with. When people thought pokemon was uncool I was still playing it, I've been playing it every gen since blue. The only reason I'd stop would be because of the repetition, and even then that'd only fall under the main games and not the spin offs. As for the internet I don't think it's a perfect replication for face to face interaction, but it's better than nothing. Like just because I prefer and enjoy being alone, doesn't mean I never want to interact with others. But yeah it's nice to see we can agree on the second point.

[@Ludro45]

Preach it, brother.

[@AlienFetus]

Good video, man. Here in Brazil anime is very, very normal these days (or just pretty mainstream). It's common to teens/young adults and adults to watch a lot of anime, mainly online. There's a site called Anitube that grew so much that a japanese company bought it and restrained access to brazilian servers. Probably there are people that still make fun of ''otaku'' or ''weeaboo'' but these terms pretty much are obsolete around here. I'll try to find a research made that showed that the average brazilian male between 18~30 watched an average of 10~12 anime. It's good to see it growing like this, yet the outbursts of bad taste are expected (as of SAO, a shitty anime that is beloved around here)... edit: There's an event happening in a few days to illustrate this. It's called ''corrida Naruto'' meaning Naruto race. Thousands of people running like Naruto characters in the middle of the streets of various cities. And this is becoming very common.

[@BranchesOfYgg]

I have a desperate need for footage of corrida Naruto.

[@Keltrick-]

This is rather interesting...and it's something I've noticed living in Texas over the years (San Antonio, to be exact.) The Latino community is incredibly open with the anime/manga culture (think grade school, high-school, and college), specifically a lot of shounen-esque series/manga (I've seen a lot of emphasis on shoujo elements as well.) I can only think that these shows allow for a lot of cultural relativity, definitely not in a conservative sense, but in line with what a lot of millennials value in this current era with respect to their own native cultural values. I'm taking a stab at it, but there's definitely a huge acceptance in the Latino demographic. I'd have to do further research to really grapple with the specifics though.

[@keen96]

Do people that "fight the system" do so because it just so happens that what they are into doesn't fit society's standard, or do the do it just for the sake of doing it? It's so curious for me because I've NEVER felt particularly strong enough about ANYTHING for it to mold how I live my life. I used to skate, but I never wore saggy jeans and big ass shirts and shoes, and I certainly didn't skate my way to every place I went. I've listened pretty much exclusively to metal since 5th grade back in 2003, but I've never dressed all in black, wore spikes or had really long hair. I've also liked anime since like 2006 and video games for all my life but I've never felt the urge to cosplay as anything. With all this in mind, what is my "fight the system"? Did I just lucked out that my default way of being fits today's society standards? What if this standard, is the standard not because people feel forced to act a certain way, but because most people just happen to act a certain way, thus creating the standard? I don't even know dude it's 3 am and have an eye destroying migraine, peace.

[@marlonyo]

you are fighting the antisystem by embracing anticultural media without acceptiong their culture being yourself

[@katobytes]

I guess you fight the system of definite anti-systems. The very definition of being yourself, borrowing from multiple subcultures to form a unique identity. And Digi did say he had a rather liberal upbringing.

[@shygirl2927]

you have to have a source of motivation to do anything. people have reasons for what they do. when i was a kid, i definitely just like anime but growing up knowing people didn't love anime the same way i did and that most didn't even know what it was. anime definitely began to seep into my identity especially in high school. i think people who fight the system have some kind of stake in the debate otherwise they wouldn't feel so strongly about their beliefs. being different is also not usually something people just want to do, it's usually something they can't help.

[@someonesreviews]

In the US, I think "counter-culture" in general is becoming more and more acceptable. There's less bullying going on in general, and even in situations where it does happen, there are more and more people willing to step in and defend the victims of it. Anime itself is becoming mainstream as well. It's getting to the point now where every teenager and person in their twenties has at least heard of Attack on Titan, if not watched it. I think it's happening pretty much entirely in sync with video games becoming more mainstream since there's a significant overlap between gamers and anime fans. Personally, I find all this to be exciting, but I know many people'd rather have anime remain relatively obscure. Also, sorry if any of this didn't make 100% sense since the flu and medicine are currently ravaging my brain.

[@Kori260]

Conformity leads to stagnation. Stagnation leads to decay. Decay is the process of death.

[@HxH2011DRA]

That's not entirely accurate

[@Kori260]

I understand why some people might dislike change and conflict, but that's the nature of change. It not's going to all be great. Some change can cause more harm then good, but in end the we have always come out on top because of change and progress. Our goal as a species is to grow and explore, and in history there has always been nay-sayers of how we need the to "status quo" or "don't fix whats not broken". Those people are literally fighting what it mean to be human. I don't expect everyone to agree with my POV, but I can ACCEPT that, because I know that progress cannot exist without conflict.

[@franciscovaladez1738]

Life is the process of death in itself. Conformity leads to mediocrity as there is nothing wrong with stagnation, because it challenges us to become better.

[@ShadowWolfRising]

Isn't Japan huge on conforming to standards?

[@afroslacker7383]

I'm realizing that a lot of "cool" people don't have any real emotions and passions. They really don't have hobbies that wasn't given to them by the media. Chase men/women, go to the club, wear name brand clothes, like pop music only etc. Talk to them about anything of substance and they will show their empty shell. they project that on others by saying "you need a life". They need a soul.

[@se-n-fly-er]

While I don't like stereotyping people, I do feel bad for people that can't enjoy their own hobbies or passions rather than what others tell them to do.

[@afroslacker7383]

Okayu P I stereotype large groups/organizations but I dont judge individuals. Everyone deserves a fair chance without being put in a box.

[@se-n-fly-er]

Yeah that's more of what I meant, sorry for not wording it clearly.

[@raytheshadowmonarch]

i have an mix of both.. i watch anime..go to clubs chase women.play sports ..idc about name brand close though

[@lazycloud33]

Digi I'm afraid one day I'm gonna log in and see that your head is covered with hair. I don't want to lose another person to Wildman syndrome.

[@CastleToastM]

I'm just waiting for him to become Cousin It.

[@se-n-fly-er]

Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but I really loved those two movie adaptations. While I wish there could have been more, I think it's best it stays as is rather than another reboot/remake that forgets why the original was successful in the first place.

[@OhNoFroBro]

your video's are always a nice surprise especially at this time of the night cause sleep is for the week lol

[@SlipperyTeeth]

*weak Unless you meant that you've designated this week for sleeping.

[@Eggmith]

"Be yourself, but prepare to face the consecuences" That's pretty much the idea.

[@kahrkunne3960]

"My school has policies against it" What fucking school is this?

[@half-hazard8903]

Seriously, that's illegal as fuck.

[@hitechnic7805]

Part of the reason I got into anime was because I wanted to be picked on. More specifically, I knew people said pretty horrible stuff about me behind my back, but would never say anything directly to me because I was bigger than them. So I assumed by some twisted elementary school logic that if I was into enough weird things those people would eventually come after me and I could finally get the fight I wanted without looking like the aggressor

[@jaakkohintsala2597]

there is one youtuber called melonpan who in my opinion reflects the idea of anime being a counter culture movement quite well he is a swiss bank accountant by day and something anime related and very lewd by night i think he is worth checking out

[@chumgod]

This really helped me gather my thoughts on this subject, thanks digibro.

[@noheartx9992]

I upvote this video so hard!Thanks for another great video Digi

[@SonOfMeme]

Oh hey you've got the same edition of the "Necronomicon" as me! We're like book cousins!

[@fraktaalimuoto]

I appreciate this point of view. Thank you!

[@toddgreener]

I grew up in northern Utah, and I totally agree with what you're saying about being expected to be a certain way. I never was able to really behave the way I was supposed to though, so I just kind of withdrew to myself. I never had a lot of friends, or interacted a lot with my community. The main thing I didn't want to do though was allow that pressure to define who I am. I ended up being a person that has a lot of the same values as the culture I grew up in; I didn't reject things I agreed with just because that culture didn't accept everything about me. I still feel out of place in the culture I'm in, but I just pull away so I can be the only person that makes sense to me.

[@Syogren]

Great video as usual. Jeez, culture and counter culture are weird concepts to think about. Counter-culture becomes a thing in response to a culture, and in turn spawns a counter-counter culture, which in turn spawns a counter-counter-counter-culture, which in turn...you get the idea. It's sort of like trying to make waves in a bathtub. Eventually the waves ricochet off the walls enough times that it just becomes one massive clusterf**k.

[@Tiemuuu]

this is why chuuni clicked for me so much. people say the anime is just about fun stuff but I think the themes about trying to fit in and hiding your weird quirks is what makes it so awesome.

[@jmiquelmb]

I never lived in the US, so maybe I'm wrong, but it always felt weird how americans feel their lifestyle is somewhat more tolerant and free than in other places, specially in conservative regions. I think some people think that you're free to do what you want, but only if it's "american". So, christian, support the troops, all the package.

[@ZerogunRivale]

The people who preach tolerance are generally from liberal communities. The people in conservative communities do emphasize freedom which generally involves economic freedom, the right to build your life as you see fit, and the freedom from government intervention to succeed. This is why America has always had both a ton of successful small businesses (we're 70% small businesses) while also having some of the most successful corporations in the world (KZbin, Amazon, etc.), things we're both proud of. But your logic is completely off. So basically, you're saying that just because people are tolerant and free, that suddenly means they can have strong convictions about what they want believe and that they can't have strong convictions about what they believe. So basically, being tolerant means I can't have strong beliefs about what I want to have strong beliefs about? It's possible for me to believe that everyone has a right to live however they want, but believe that there is a way that I consider to be right. The two are not contradictory. Second, being Christian and supporting the troops doesn't automatically mean you can't somehow have your own identity. That's such a silly piece of logic. I'm an extremely devout Christian, but I enjoy anime, a variety of American cartoons, a large variety of video games, so on and so forth. If anyone is intolerant here, it's you. You immediately assume that because you're not something (in this case, "american"), that somehow makes you more tolerant, and anyone who is that something, they must be zombies who have the same personality. Lastly, even when conservative communities emphasize freedom of people everywhere to come here, they're still right. We have the most multi-cultural cities on the planet here in America. By your reasoning, being tolerant means we can't have a strong cultural identity, which is reasoning that can't be backed up by logic. It is possible to accept people from everywhere else in the world and still have very strong beliefs about what is right. Again, the two are not contradictory. Again, i'm devoutly Christian, but I have no problem with anyone who immigrates here. None of that stops me from living the life I want and thinking the way I want about certain things.

[@jmiquelmb]

ZerogunRivale I'm not sure if you understood my message, because you misinterpreted what I said. It wasn't a criticism against the american people as a whole, btw. First, having more small businesses is not a good indicator per se. We have a lot of them in my country (they employ most workers) , and some huge entreprises too, but the economy is not in a good shape currently. There's a clear difference between corporate rights and individual rights, and I think some people mix them usually, specially libertarians. Sometimes those two kinds are even in conflict. Even though other countries are as much free (economically speaking) than the US, I'm going to talk about individual right which was the initial topic. I didn't said you can't have strong convictions if you're tolerant. I have strong convictions too. But if someone preaches freedom, they can't force their believes on others, except those who attack freedom or other basic rights. Third, didn't said you can't be christian, pro-army and have your own identity. What I said is that this is the definition of freedom for some conservatives. You're "free" in America, but you can only think and act like an American, which is the way I am, and not how other people are. Remember when Obama was attacked by some media because he chose dijon moustard instead of the regular one? They said he was posh and unamerican. Because you can only eat american moustard in America (I'm not pro-Obama, btw, so dont take it that way). I'm not saying you think this way, or that the majority of Americans do, but some think this way. That's why Fox News talked about it. It's their view of Freedom. Or Trump when he says he wants to depatriate all muslims. I know this happens in other countries too. There's plenty of racism in Europe. But it feels ironic to me how much FREEDOM is used in american politics when some of those who preach do not support it.

[@jmiquelmb]

***** Social pressure is a thing. When you're publicly attacked on big media for your choice of condiments in a burger, then you can be sure you don't live in freedom paradise. Btw, way to miss my main points there

[@Pokemon9876543210]

you missed this guys' argument again. it's not that they don't "believe in freedom"--it's "freedom is everything i like and nothing i don't". you really want a better example? look at the recent mass shooting. think about the way the lgbt community has been treated for years. think about some of the appalling responses to it. america is flawed. every nation is. but we seem to be much more openly proud of ourselves/willfully ignorant of our problems then any other country--and mixed with how important we are to the global economy, of course people are going to criticize us. we deserve it.

[@Asehpe]

Yap, you totally missed his point. It's not "Americans don't believe in freedom because they made fun of Obama's food", it's more akin to "Americans have a funny belief in freedom, which implies criticizing others for choosing to exert that freedom by being different from Americans". When you claim to like something but criticize those who use it, you are being, well, at least, rather funny.

[@Star194Dust]

I think its important to embrace unique aspects of yourself. People look at how they are viewed at large rather than becoming closer friends with the kind of person that they are instead. Its always nice to see media and especially anime having this sort of "be yourself" message but I think its important too look at striking balance in between growing and discovering things and being into what you like. Its important to know how to not let one thing take over every aspect of your life and how you socialize to grow as a person. Trying to branch out and grow is more important, I believe, than trying to get into the flow of things. Living how you want to live manifests itself differently for each person and I think we need to focus on our own development as people just as much as the people around us. We're the ones who have to live and be at peace with the people we are and we should learn how to recognize that and grow from that. While I personally don't jive well with people who revolve their lives around just one thing and one thing only. whether it be video games, anime, theater, or even reading, I can't change how those people live and I focus on myself instead. People should learn to focus on who they are to themselves before they think about who they are in relation to people around them. And people should definitely learn to NOT think about how to change how other people live. We aren't really there yet in western society, or almost any society I don't think. but its an important skill to think of oneself on an individual level. I don't think anime teaches us this specifically but it has one of the stepping stones to that message:"Be Yourself". Its great to see it here and better, of course, to see it in all kinds of available media.

[@divineape]

fuck ya. Thanks bro didn't expect to find a lift me up today. Some of us have complely lost ourselves...its a slow hard road back to yourself. Thanks man

[@MrD32123]

It's good to hear that you're happy. I'd been getting the impression that you were depressed and slipping into alcoholism from some of your recent videos.

[@se-n-fly-er]

There's some good, some bad. All depends on what you look at.

[@CallMeFail]

Great vid, it really put into words what i believe a lot of us were thinking, at least for me it did.

[@randjan8592]

sorry, but I just noticed your comment and decided to reply because of your profile pic :S What is that? It's like an ahegao, but a joke, cause they are dressed? ....

[@Choc_rush]

7:17 #MakeOtakuGreatAgain

[@toffeeFairy]

Well where i grew up, most people at least watched anime as a kid, the same way everyone played Pokémon and for some complicated reasons I never got bullied. Right now I'm doing a apprenticeship as a programmer and around 70-85% of all the people that i met (till there are about 25) that work in the computer science watch at least naruto or similar stuff. The people in that filed are half the reason why I love the field of computer science :D, even the people that seem pretty normal, are still pretty weird and weird people are fun.

[@AnimeFanTalk]

Hey DigiBro can you talk about hidden anime gems. OH my goodness recently I've seen Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo, and Colorful. 2 amazing anime movies that not many people seen. Me personally I love to come across hidden anime gems. I look for ones that nobody knows about. 2 weeks ago I found Chinkoroheibei Tamatebako very old but amazing. What are your thoughts on hidden anime gems?

[@se-n-fly-er]

Personally I think movies are becoming the new OVAs in that there's a lot of hidden gems, partly due to how movies are released there and not overseas in many cases, then waiting half a year for BDs or longer, and by then many have moved onto the next TV anime and completely forgot about earlier movies.

[@Nensago]

That's weird I've liked anime for a while and I'm a devout Christian and legitimately nobody ever questioned it. Also even in school nobody's got on my case for liking anime, even to the point where I could just pull out a manga in class, start reading it and nobody bats an eye. I've also gotten into Gundam model kits and so far, nobody been weirded out when I tell them about it. Maybe the non-reaction could be attributed to me always fitting in with what society deems normal(I like sports, social media and name brand clothes and shoes) but only recently when I stopped trying to be a counter-culture prick and accept that it's ok to like things that are also popular. So on the outlook it seems like I'm a "normal" person but when you get to know me you'll find that I have interests that aren't in the norm. tl:dr- I ramble about stuff

[@angelicwaste]

i feel like this particular vlog speaks to me

[@chysamere]

I've lived in Japan for 5 years now, it's cute to see Digibro comment on stuff like this :)

[@Schopenhauer7]

Just what is that supposed to mean?

[@se-n-fly-er]

While people may not be as open about it in public (and even then there's some people that do so in public), there's still places to gather like off kai or events. Also there's tons of anime fans on twitter, in and outside of Japan.

[@Syogren]

You can't just say that and /not/ elaborate~

[@dmman33]

Good on you, man! Awesome video!

[@deadlywork]

I can relate to not fitting in your own culture and finding other ones to latch onto. I'm actually brazilian but I was abroad in the US for a year and came back, around that time it also started to become obvious I was generally a weird kid so I gradually became more and more isolated and turned to the internet for socialization and a place to exist. It got to a point where I knew more about what was happening in the US or Europe than my own country and I felt like I didn't really belong here because I was so different. Nowadays after running into a lot more people like me both IRL and on the internet I've sort of accepted I go against the norm and people don't seem to care that much? If anything I get more people who seem drawn to me than anything else.

[@Nexuish]

Society always frowns on those that are different from normal. I believe that's true across cultures and even subcultures like the anime community. Strength of character is not allowing this to stop you from being yourself.

[@Cherb123456]

Thank you for this vid, good stuff.

[@WesleyWashington]

You wrote on Samurai Champloo huh? I should probably take a look at that for inspiration on my next essay...

[@generalpolaris1778]

"Just cause you don't understand what's going on don't mean it don't make no sense. And just cause you don't like it, don't mean it ain't no good And let me tell you something; Before you go taking a walk in my world, You better take a look at the real world, Cause this ain't no Mister Roger's Neighborhood Can you say "feel like shit"? Yea maybe sometimes I do feel like shit, I ain't happy 'bout it, but I'd rather feel like shit than be full of shit! And if I offended you, oh I'm sorry... But maybe you need to be offended, But here's my apology and one more thing...fuck you!" Im sure you all can agree...stay true.

[@generalpolaris1778]

Thrive in what you love and do, stay true and dont let the mass bring you down....

[@jaakkohintsala2597]

+Wooden Tombstone i feel slightly offended somehow but i agree

[@generalpolaris1778]

+Jaakko Hintsala If getting my point across means offending a few people, then so be it. I'm not sorry, never will be. But know this, i can have the most positive and best intentions for your future. Leave it at that....

[@jaakkohintsala2597]

+Wooden Tombstone yea but i think most people dont react well to being offended but meh

[@generalpolaris1778]

+Jaakko Hintsala Haha! Sometimes, a little shock and being offended is the most lively thing that will ever happen to them. Everyone handles it differently, that i can respect to a fault. They need it to remind them of bein human..

[@GravityFromAbove]

I got into anime and manga in the 80s. It was completely off the cultural charts for mainstream culture at that time. Now I see that anime is quickly becoming mainstream, if it isn't already. Not only that now it seems to have mixed with Marvel, DC, Disney, cuteness, kitsch, fantasy art, cartoons, fan art, fanfic, gaming, and ultimately it's all geek culture. And geek culture now is culture. Check out the nearest movie theatre. Check out the most popular television shows. Weird is a substitute for actually being courageous. Trust me I've dived into the nerd pool deeply. But I've never been a geek. Because for me it's about meaning. Not the style. Not the characters. Not the costumes. Not the alternative universes. Go to a small town, the kids are into fantasy, anime, gaming, etc. Anime may be slightly off in a corner. Geekdom now IS the system. Geek culture is the new religion. I think society is happy when people go nuts over their favorite fantasy worlds. Because it means we are contained. The same obviously goes for sports, music, etc. The only way to truly be counter cultural these days is to be rediscover reality. And remember when Shakespeare used the phrase "To thine own self be true", he put it into the mouth of a coward. I wonder why?

[@ganmensmasher4091]

I watch anime because I like the uniqueness of this medium, not because it's counter-cultural. I don't enjoy anything just because it's not the norm, but often obscure things can surprise me more.

[@MrSomebody54]

Very interesting video. 4 years ago, the only anime I really watched was from Toonami. My family is this blend of Liberal Christian and I never lived along the bible-belt. I never really thought of how weird anime was but I always thought that things like Toonami was very cool and engaging. One day, my mother found this channel called funimation, and it would play anime shows all freaking day. I never really experienced anything like that before, and since she loved those Eastern Cartoons from watching things like Kimba the White Lion and Speedracer as a kid, she would play Funimation all day everyday. Eventually, I got hooked to the channel and managed to catch up with all the shows that were currently airing from that month. I needed to find more to watch so I took to other sites like Crackle and Crunchyroll and Funimation and got into more shows from there. I was never ridiculed or made fun of by my family for expressing interest in anime, and I got hooked to it thanks to my late mother. I never experienced much before then aside from the occasional FMA or DBZ series on Toonami. What I'm saying is that I never really viewed anime as a major counterculture, but I can see why many do consider it as such. I never put much stock into what society really cared about as far as social norms go, but I do have a general idea of what the negative attention anime viewing receives from just surfing the internet. I'm quite comfortable with juggling my love of anime with my college goals and I was taught not to put stock into people's expectations of me, so I definitely resonate with people owning up to their enjoyment of anime. One of my best friends I met in college shared very similar interests to my own and another got into anime later on, so I do have this belief established that you shouldn't hide or be ashamed of what you love. Normalcy is a construct that is used as this penultimate goal that all human beings should strive for, and I hate it. I personally see the concept of 'normal' as this standard of boring perfection that shouldn't be encouraged in a healthy society. Edit: And I do see that feeling expressed in the type of anime I watch; much like Digi, I hate boring characters who try to meet that normal standard. It's the characters who are crazy and colorful who make a serious impact on me.

[@se-n-fly-er]

There's a big difference between a parent that shares your interests and one who doesn't. (or even one that used to, but gave up on it) The most I could show my mother were Ghibli films.

[@MrSomebody54]

Yeah, you bring up a good point, hopefully I didn't come off as someone who is ignorant to the situations of others whose parents are far more conservative and cantankerous, and please let me know if I did.

[@SirChristopherMcFarlane]

Another great video. I wonder if people really think American culture is that open to weirdness considering what we see of the US from outside is mixed in that regard.

[@sunnydong9069]

As a Chinese person growing up, the preception I have about American culture is that it's a lot more forgiving towards people who are different, despite having some arbitrary hierarchy system. But yeah, like Digibro said, most American movies are about being yourself and take down the system and achieving ultimate freedom. It isn't until I came here and talked to people, that I realized that oppression is a bigger issue here than I thought.

[@WolfyzP0W]

I think it's hard to generalize the US as a whole due to the many different cultures it inhabits. For me when visiting family in the US, they're not open at all to weirdness or something different which is pretty much me. maybe it's cuz their Asian and they want everybody to conform. idk, I've seen some Americans be open to weird stuff so that's why I think it's hard to generalize

[@peter62709]

Hey Digi, if you haven't read it, I'd recommend you check out "The Moe Manifesto" by Patrick W. Galbraith. It discusses what you're talking about here and goes more into detail via interviews about what anime professionals think about the moe culture and where it stems from (and where it's going now).

[@torctorctorc]

Otaku no Video kickstarter blurays finally started shipping today! Hurrah! It's been a long wait.

[@tetsutobey]

anybody have an idea where to get that EXACT Konata Izumi statue figure that he has online?

[@MrTomlette]

Is that the necronomicon (a collection of HP lovecraft stories) and House of Leaves?

[@danielhigashikata1169]

edgy middle schoolers think they're revolutionaries now

[@arcanearts9656]

Edgy middle schoolers always think they're revolutionaries. Nothing's new.

[@arcanearts9656]

Well, granted. Revolution can apply at several different levels, and adolescents will always* revolutionize something in their own life. *hopefully

[@geekofalltrades1385]

That 'but it's not your culture so how can you understand it properly?' thing has always been a very strange idea to me. Part of that is because I live in New Zealand and so much of NZ media comes from elsewhere, particularly our entertainment media. We get a lot of highly American content (some of which is actually produced in Canada, but marketed to America in addition to their local market), some British stuff, even less Australian stuff and a very small amount of locally made entertainment media. I can probably count the amount of NZ made titles I've actually seen and can remember (movies and tv content) on one hand, maybe two. Not all that much stuff gets made. We're small. It's a fact. What that means is that I have ALWAYS been a watcher of foreign media. ALWAYS. The cultural difference has always been obvious, a palpable element of basically all of my media consumption. So when people thought it strange that I watched series made in Japan, I though it strange to note because basically everything came from overseas and was culturally estranging to a degree anyway (though there's less fundamental cultural disagreements than you'd think, it's more how a culture's hierarchy of values differs than that they actually have different values). Heck, even stuff from NZ can vary wildly in the lifestyles they portray, often being too rural to really resonate with me, and occasionally even too urban. My own 'counter-culture-ness' (which is a fairly odd concept for NZ considering how we don't really have a decisive mainstream culture as such, it's there but just a little multiplicitous) drew me to anime (and a few other things besides), but conceptions of culture based on language or geography or the like will not inherently deter me from something, nor will being questioned about what I like. I'm the sort of person who likes to talk about my interests, but got very little opportunity for such discussion as a younger person, so I take that opportunity quite readily when prompted. I will never forget being the weird kid, among the group of weird kids, in the class of weird kids, not that I was necessarily strangER than my 'peers', a term I use dubiously, merely that I was a different kind of weird. Contemporary identity politics are complicated as heck, but I've been grappling with that complexity for a long time from the social sidelines. And now that Asian entertainment media are gaining more traction in the kiwi cultural sphere, thanks to the intensity of digital media diaspora (not to mention actual diaspora), I am finding more and more (still rather niche) groups, with which to share my interest. In the early days of my interest in animated works, there wasn't so much a culture for that. There certainly is now. It's not as big as in other places, sure, but it's part of NZ fan culture more so than ever. Everyone who gets into anime big-time is fully aware that it isn't cool, but we like it anyway. (If that isn't the most counter-culture sentence I've ever written...)

[@declinefan]

Honestly I do believe that a lot of anime follows the culture. That's why there are so many anime set in highschool. Like how college is to us as some of the best times in our lives, highschool holds some of the Japanese populaition's fondest memories. Also Asian cultures are generally collectivist while America is generally individualist. This means that east asian society pretty much expects them to conform to the norm.

[@TheMediaKnights]

Beautiful video

[@Simok1234]

I think I've always just been someone attached to "deviant things," well, at least around the time I reached my preteen years. I feel like the large majority of the things I'm into are just not normal to most people, so I'm not all that expressive unless asked about it. I've never really been bullied for being different, but I am pretty self conscious about talking about it.

[@SoWhosGae]

I don't see much of a stigma towards anime and anime lovers in Europe tbh. Maybe I'm wrong, but in Italy for example almost everybody that grew up in the 80s-90s knows what anime and manga are and they even remember fondly their childhood anime. The current generations are also growing up with them. I think that "weeaboo" thing is mostly American.

[@se-n-fly-er]

Well you do have people that think 80s and 90s were filled with "manly" anime and that "moe" anime are a recent trend. I tried to assist one of these people, and it got odd very quickly.

[@AriSun4]

I'm from italy too and I disagree. There are a lot of casual viewer that have seen dragonball when they were little and now follow the more mainstream one, but start mentioning weirder stuff and they'll look at you strange

[@SoWhosGae]

+AriSun4 Lol, what weird ones. Ofc not everybody will be deep into anime, but at least here ppl know what anime actually is if they grew up in the 90s. Anime were broadcasted on almost every TV station morning, lunchtime, afternoon and evening so there's no way you could escape them. I have even heard 30 year olds say that if they children don't watch anime they will slap them, lol.

[@UmoLoco]

Did you mean the live action Speed Racer? That's one of the few times I've heard someone admit they like that movie. I like it personally. Also, have you ever read the book, Japanamerica by Roland Kelts? It's about the influence America has had on Japanese media and vice versa. I saw him speak once at a con and it was very interesting. It's a little dated now but still a good read.

[@masterofevil101]

you should make a full length anyalsis on your main Channel on this topic.

[@totorofosho]

I saw DigiBro at Otakon last year. He was walking out of the bathroom as I was walking in. He looked familiar, but I didn't put it all together right away. Digibro, are you going this year? Maybe we can do this again sometime.

[@BranchesOfYgg]

I am indeed going again, and will gladly pass you on the way out of the bathroom once more.

[@Khrene]

+Digibro After Dark How do you feel about fans/people wanting to hug you in real life if they bumped into you at Otakon?

[@rubraformica]

It's very odd to me what people find to be weird in Highschool. For example, in my school a lot of people think Dragonball Z is cool because they saw a few episodes when they were kids, but they also think people who know a lot about the series and are really into it are weird. Same thing with video games. A lot of people play games nowadays, but if you play a lot of games that aren't mainstream or if you know a lot about game then people think you're weird. I pretty much just avoid talking about things I'm interested in at school, with the exception of a few people that are interested in some of the same things. I find the whole thing very odd.

[@Pacal_II]

Just in terms of Gainax and their way of embracing being Otaku, what would you say about Anno? He seems to be open about being an Otaku, worked on Daicon IV and his works are heavily inspired by works otaku love, but he's been also known for critcizing otaku and his seminal work shares an anto-escapist message. Would you say those two work toegether? Or he's had a change of heart? I'll be honest here, I do have my theory for this but I just want to see what someone else thinks and you seem to know a lot about both Gainax and Anno.

[@xarlev]

Just noticed your volume of Pynchon, didn't know you liked him

[@AnimetalViking]

I grew up in a Catholic household. My parents didn't care about the fact that I loved cartoons and anime growing up. Although, despite the fact that I've been a metalhead since my high school years, my parents are still coming to terms with the music I like. Not to an extreme degree of course, I mean, I managed to get them both into bands like Nightwish and Metallica. But, they definitely don't enjoy it when I blast my speakers with Cannibal Corpse, Carnifex, or Thy Art Is Murder. :P But, anime was still frowned on at my school though. School is hell no matter where you go.

[@Dark_Tale_2077]

I am pretty sure that if some made a top five list of counter cultures, I would probably be a part of 4/5 of them. xD

[@POWERBUT]

I feel similar, but it's because I like it, not because I like being different.

[@AceSimGaming]

Whats the anime at 17:40? I heard of it before but idk how to spell it lol

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

Netoge no Yome

[@AceSimGaming]

+Digibro Thanks for the fast reply!

[@LordValvatorez]

What's your overall opinion on that show?

[@BranchesOfYgg]

Pretty much just what I said in this video lol.

[@D-Havoc]

9:15 Does that include Kirito? ;-)

[@noahfranks984]

I see that Tommy P in the background. Noice. Pynchon + Anime = Interesting Person

[@theedexter1996]

I'm 4 minutes in and before I finish I wanna tell my experience with liking anime! I live in Wisconsin and when I told my friends I loved anime, btw there are all girls and I'm a boy, some of them felt the same and we're more hardcore fans than me who bought merchandise. On the other hand when I went to Chicago for a class trip and stayed in a hotel room with 3 other guys,1 who loved anime like me, it got weird when me and my friend wanted to watch Noragami one of them said I was a weeaboo, which confused me because the only part of the culture I live is anime..., and asked if I was watching hentai and was yaoi the same as hentai now whenever I tell this guy that their different from eachother he comments on how I like hentai, because I was watching yaoi, and he tells people I was watching hentai in that room. Honestly I think the concept of being your unique self hasn't actually started yet I hope soon everything can be excepted.

[@lineshawn4819]

With how everyone is inherently different, I find it counterintuitive that we have a society that tries to force you to adapt to it.

[@declinefan]

Well as true as that may be, some societal ideals, I think, are necessary for a country to function. For example, the expectation that you will give back to your country, or that you get a job, whatever it may be.

[@lineshawn4819]

+declinefan I agree with you, but I was talking more along the lines of homoginizing.

[@FatalAspire]

I never got into anime to "fight against the system." I got into it simply because I liked the art style and the characters of the shows I watched were very interesting. As someone who has always tried to "fit in" by trying to accept what's mainstream in culture, I naturally just can't bring myself to accept it most of the time and subsequently gravitate towards counter-culture. Maybe its my intuition telling me that it's better to be unique...I don't know

[@freddiechromartie]

I can completely relate to the concept of embracing anime because you reject your culture and because you don't fit the norm for your society and feel the need to fight the system.

[@Shindy117]

I like your way of thinking cause I think a lot like you. I to was bullied in high school cause I was different. Hey digi have any of those people every apologize to you years later? I had it happen to me the other day and it was so weird to me. However I forgave him.

[@nunu3026]

In my country it has become weirder to be a metalhead that being an otaku. I was so shocked when I got into college and found out that 70% of students where into anime XD

[@se-n-fly-er]

Well, at least there's Baby Metal? As in it crosses the bridge between metal and wota a bit. I've seen both metalheads and idol fans that love the group. I completely understand if it's not your cup of tea though. I find it interesting how the amount of "idolness" varies by song personally. I tend to follow 2D idols more often than 3D groups, but I just find it has it's own subculture I find interesting. (and even though there's groups like AKB, if you get "too into" one, it's about the same in society's eyes as liking things like anime) Even the history of the idol subgenre of anime has been pretty interesting to learn about. It's been around as early as the 70s, although in a different form than you see now, as it's changed as the type of idols themselves change over the decades. Also magical girl idols, double the girlishness. As for the anime ratio thing, it really varies by location. I'll tell you a bit about my experience regarding it. When I was in middle school there weren't many people into anime. I can't give you a ratio for sure, but it was probably less than 10%. I used to buy the US version of shonen jump, and there were a few curious onlookers, but that was about it. The school had no anime club. I had 3 friends with varying levels of interest in anime. One was pretty casual and would just read whatever manga they had at the library, which was often missing volumes of series to begin with. Another was into shoujo and the girly art style of it, I got into Skip Beat through them. The last one was actually more into anime than I was at the time, however I didn't learn of this until later on. This person ended up giving up on anime for a more "normal" life, and we drifted apart. So high school had more people into anime, about a group of 20 or so people, maybe a bit more. Still probably about 20% of the whole school though. Now between middle school and high school is where I started getting more deep into anime. This place had an anime club, so at first I was excited. Now for me I'd consider myself a mid tier fan. Maybe that's being modest, but I always kind of looked up to hardcore otaku and fans. Instead of seeing an otaku room filled with merch, or an itasha, and going "that guy's gross, he should get a life" or whatever, I wanted to be like that. Not just the merch part, the pure passion and dedication otaku had towards their obsession of choice, I really admired that. So I went to the club, and I ended up being the most knowledgeable person there. Although I had begun following seasonal anime before this point, while these guys didn't even know how to do so. I ended up being pretty disappointed in the end. The anime playing was odd, but not in a good way. In a "this was so bad I wouldn't want to see it again way" yet at the same time so forgettable and I don't even remember half of the things we watched still. The other half was whatever they could get from Funimation. Now earlier on I liked Funimation as DBZ had been one of my entry points into the medium. However once I learned more about how they did things I couldn't stand them. Still don't. Also that's when they even watched anime. They had a manga library, no one ever took things out from it. I even donated some of my own to them. Half of the time was more about meta talk and other things I vaguely remember like heads up seven up. No, I wish I was kidding. I heard the club got even worse after I left, something about club drama tearing the place apart. So onto college I briefly checked out the anime club. However this time it was mixed with video games. You think that'd be awesome right? Nope, now it just meant everyone would play their handhelds alone, which brings to question why they'd be there to begin with. At least by now people knew what seasonal anime was, but everyone seemed really not caring to be honest. One session I decided to bring my own anime and vidya, and it was pretty pathetic to be honest. Not them, but me thinking it'd have turned out any different. As usual people just played on their handhelds while the anime was playing, and no one wanted to play the games I brought so I just played it for a bit on my own. Then one guy decided to give the performance aspect a go (who was a self admitted pervert) and then people started complaining because one of the characters was in a swim suit. After that I never went back, and took my laptop and PS3 home just trying to put the whole thing aside.

[@nunu3026]

Okayu P I am more of a pureist when it comes to metal. I like harsh vocals and fast progressive riffs. I find baby metal quite interesting as a experimental thing, but I would never go out of my way to listen to them. In my country there is not really a concept of school clubs, but I can imagine how shit feeling it must have been for you to be the only one to actually care about anime in a club that is suppose to be all about anime. While there where no clubs, me and my friends would go out for a cup of coffee and discuss about anime. I knew the most about anime in my grup of friends, but they where still kind of knowledgeable about it so it was not as frustrating. Btw I don't know how good my grammar is so please don't crucify me if it's not the best.

[@se-n-fly-er]

Oh no, it's okay. I'm thankful you read my long response, and I think the comments here tend to be more respective than your average youtube comment section. Yeah I think that's okay too. I admit I'm not too into harsh vocals myself, which is why I haven't listened to much metal, but it could be more of an adjustment thing. While I admire good vocals, I can also enjoy music without vocals like soundtracks or classical music. I try not to limit myself by anything because I've ran into so many people that refuse to try new things just because it's different from what they're used to enjoying. I was an awkward kid so I think without the forced unity of a school setting it would have been harder for me to connect to others, more so as I live in more of a suburban area compared to the largeness and variety of the city.

[@nunu3026]

Well, if you take your time writing that long response it is only natural for me to take my time and reed it. I listen to all kinds of music, but when it comes to metal I am quite picky since it is the genre that got me to pay attention to music more. I completely understand enjoying instrumental music. Quite often I would find myself not caring for the lyrical aspect of a certain song at all and caring only for the music of said song (for example the band ghost). Over all, if you want to listen to any kind of extreme music you would have to adjust to it.

[@se-n-fly-er]

While I wish that were the case, online there's often people that see a wall of text and go "too long, didn't read" and move on with their day. I guess what got me into paying attention to music more is classical, or rather I decided to take classes about the topic, as some of my favorite anime tend to focus on it, and that's the genre they focused on most (although not the only genre used). (not just idol anime, but series like Hibike Euphonium or Your Lie in April more recently for example)

[@haldir108]

I'm having very mixed feelings about this, and i think the biggest omission in your video is that of public face/personal face. Accepting yourself, your taste and your values will obviously make you happier than if you reject yourself, but presenting outwards something more in line with what's expected of you, will for most people also make you happy. Liking anime and being a likable person is not mutually exclusive, and you come close to implying so (probably not intentional, but even then).

[@were65were]

He didn't omit it though. He definitely said that that was one of the reasons why he did his videos, because he wanted to show that cool smart people can also like stuff like anime, meaning successful people can also have their geeky weird side

[@vix86]

Its probably been pointed out before (maybe even in a comment below) but Otaku isn't nearly as charged of a word as it once was in Japan. It still probably garners a reaction of "Eh? You're obsessed with that?" and it might drive some people away but it's nothing like otaku=the scum at the bottom of a dumpster, which it was once. You have to keep in mind that otaku became a negative label because there were a couple of murders that occurred in Japan and the media discovered that the murderers (one in particular killing young girls) were anime otaku and they latched onto that. This was a good video though and I like that you point out that there _is_ in fact a lot of overlap between Japan and the US. The reason why some Japanese avoid or criticize otaku in Japan is the same reason that many people do in the US, its because they are obsessed with something beyond what many people would consider healthy. Or because those otaku just don't know how to communicate as well because they land somewhere on the autistic spectrum.

[@RurouniZel]

My friend in Japan refers to anime specifically as "sub-culture" rather than "counter-culture". It exists within the culture, a sub-culture of regular TV shows and dramas, but is also kinda below normal culture. orz

[@fou-luthedragonemperor8648]

Netoge MC not having it with Ako is not normal. He's an akward teenager that can't believe what is happening to him and has trouble expressing himself. So yeah, he's also pretty counter-cultural, as he would be picked on in a normal society. He has a s

[@fou-luthedragonemperor8648]

He has a group of friends, yes, but he's the otaku in it. Its a cool thing his friends are okay with that.

[@user-vr1ek1oc8i]

Well digi, I'm a decade younger than you (19 y/o) which basically makes me a millennial, and in this generation of mine people give less shits about your hobbies than they did in the 90's and the early 00's. Nobody thinks you're weird for being a fan of video-games and anime, if anything, they're annoyed at the fact that anime fans can be so fanatical and hateful towards those that don't "get it". Maybe it's just the fact that I grew up in Las Vegas (which I don't think matters too much as there is a high concentration of Catholics and Mormons here, both being highly conservative), but I don't think being a fan of anime or just generally being involved in nerd culture is as nearly a controversial thing as it was. I don't even know how I would describe a "counter-culture" anymore as there seem to be equal measures of people all over the place.

[@BranchesOfYgg]

I'm only 24 dude lol

[@user-vr1ek1oc8i]

Digibro After Dark Really? I thought you were older than my sister. I misheard XD

[@zoidsfan12]

Yay I was called a hippy while growing up and now I realize I have been apart of a counter culture movement the whole time. I gladly spout my useless anime and game knowledge. Funnily I was raised by my Goth stoner cousins so I think that contributed to my counter culture ideals.

[@motherlove8366]

"My parents were hipsters before it was cool" This is a whole other level of hipster Digi is pulling out right now.

[@RazaSyed12345]

Well I happen to hold the same opinion on this intrinsic counter culture of 'being yourself' but I do have 1 question, why do you wear sunglasses in the dark indoors? more out of curiosity more than anything

[@bobbythomas830]

ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWER

[@AizenJabberwock]

Otaku overlord reporting for duty, we got to be proud of ourselves guys!!

[@goranisacson2502]

An interesting point, even if part of me started instinctively shuddering as you talked about not being mad at characters for logical reasons, but because they weren't doing what you wanted them to do. Like... I can understand that impulse, but it also reminds me of the bad parts of counter-cultures, and certainly otaku: when they become so proud of being against societal norms, that they go against ALL societal norms, including common sense and actual decency and empathy. Otaku are not alone on this, but sometimes it feels like otaku sure as fuck could use a veritable army of Jiminy Cricket's to just say "okay kid I get that you're proud of going against the grain but DON'T DO THIS HOLY SHIT YOU WILL HURT/INCONVENIENCE/HARASS OTHERS IF YOU DO THIS" and then just do it anyway because they're NERDS GOING THEIR OWN WAY and now I need to wash my hands for the filth I wrote. So, back. I guess that's what made me react: I KNOW you're not like that, watching every part of your evisceration of Asterisk Wars showed me that. But just that one part, the part where you admitted to disliking characters for not doing what you wanted them to do, nngggh, bad memories of nerds going WAY too counter to culture- nay, counter to CIVILIZATION pretty much, just gave me some bad flashbacks. I've seen the extreme endresults of that thinking far too many times, and it's always a dark and ugly thing to see.

[@BranchesOfYgg]

Haha, I think there's a pretty big difference between wanting characters to be wish fulfillment, and wanting actual humans to do the same.

[@sparkymagnet]

If you equate liberalism with acceptance and you say you were bullied because you were different than I wouldn't consider where you live to be very accepting.

[@Tamacat388]

Liberals are usually just as "clique" ish as anyone else.

[@camilleisabel]

It's a really blurry line. I remember something that an African American from my church said one time; He'd rather live in the more racist "Bible Belt" than in California (a self proclaimed diverse and accepting area) because us Californians lie to ourselves, saying that there is less racism and oppression here because we are "sooo much better than those garbage conservative states." It's not true. California is just as racist as the rest of the country. We just do a better job hiding it.

[@Syogren]

Hm...very interesting. I've heard this argument before, and I think it might hold more water than people think it does.

[@headcrabgordan]

I got bullied for being too weird as a kid, and now that I've grown up and become pretty normal and conservative people don't like me, my life is a missed high five.

[@black1blade74]

Oh yeah getting made fun of having long hair, good thing most people don't care anymore although I still get the odd comment. I don't even care anymore though, long hair is for real men. As well as the hair thing there are a lot of things about me that have always stood out but I gave up trying to fit in a while ago. Now a lot of people strangely respect me in a way although it does help that I am sociable enough to hold a conversation with a lot of people and my school is big enough that I have a lot of nerd friends. Oh shit the parents thing, maybe that's why I was driven so far from normalcy XD. Like seriously, my dad is literally a hippy muslim.

[@SoWhosGae]

That long hair thing is srsly something I'he never understood. What bullshit! How is the length of your hair any indication of you being a "real" man or woman? *smh* What about like 2 or 3 centuries ago when long hair for men was the norm? I mean, it was mostly the poor who kept their hair short or shaven for obvious reasons. But it was def a beauty standard at the time.

[@black1blade74]

June 06 The long hair for real men was a jokey thing but whatever :P. I agree though that it doesn't fucking matter.

[@woehrle17]

Digi's a smart, cool guy :D

[@sirLamperouge]

Just putting this out there, Psychopass is an anime where you literally get executed for being different. I don't know why that doesn't annoy Digi like it annoyed me.

[@se-n-fly-er]

It's not exactly seen as a perfect system. In universe some people think it is, but it's not actually. However I can see why it'd be appealing to some people to know exactly what career you'd be best in/happiest in.

[@sirLamperouge]

+Okayu P Aren't you forced into the job that Sibyl chooses for you? If so, that's sounds horrible. If not, that's basically just an aptitude test, which already exists, so I'm sure no one would have a problem with that. My problem is that, even if it is perfect, I don't want to be killed on sight for thinking about committing a crime.

[@se-n-fly-er]

It's been awhile since I watched it so I'm not sure. I know Akane got glowing grades for most things so she could pick between them, and then she decided to join the police.

[@vasarat1]

It would be amazing to live in and fight a system like that.

[@HxH2011DRA]

No it isn't. Also sylibis is more like the best apitude test ever conceived.

[@ashthedood9169]

Seeing rooms like yours & Jesse's Digi has made me finally invest in re-doing my room. Finally working & making money I just want the true Otaku room because this shit is boring as is & I own very little. What better way to show rejected society than spending it all of Art books, figures & posters. Fuck it! I'll colour my walls with my own shit while I'm at it, let's get fucking crazy with it!!!

[@crazyjay2624]

Being crazy is the way to go!

[@noone9260]

i don't reject my own culture, but i like to add other views of the world. I mean, i'm from latin america, you can say that my culture is already a mixture of a lot of other cultures, so adding 1 more isn't a big deal to me.

[@AnimeCommander1]

Overall it depends on what anime we are talking about here. Late-night otaku anime are generally the counter-culture type that is often frowned down upon on Japan. Of course shows like Gintama and Precure (which airs earlier in the day) may get complaints for sexual content due to an ED song image or a bondage scene (totally not Gintama). But those shows as a whole aren't a counter-culture show. Many anime just play with the ideas of Japanese culture and few actively seem to go against it. Koji Kumeta's Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Joshiraku are often prime examples of an anime that actually criticizes the culture. Grave of the Fireflies also had such a criticism of Japan's youth at the time it was released, albeit that was missed by many movie-goers. I don't quite agree with people calling themselves otaku. I think anime fan is sufficient enough detail and more precise of an identity. Otaku can refer to anything and often one needs to specific what kind of otaku you are (airsoft, train, seiyuu, anime otaku, etc). I am not too bothered by hearing someone call themselves an otaku as long as someone knows both definitions. From then on it is fair game.

[@se-n-fly-er]

I think the reason why anime is seen as counter culture is because the majority of it *is* the late airing stuff. For example I don't think I've heard of many people praising Chibi Maruko-chan. I only got into it myself for a brief time as the JP TV I was subscribed to only had that and other day time anime like One Piece or Detective Conan, with the occasional World Theater anime. Although I had subscribed for JP TV in general, so this didn't bother me so much. The traveling programs were strangely informative (well compared to some TV) and comfy. There's otaku and anti otaku content, because anime is a broad medium. Some even argue about niwaka pandering as well, which I find interesting as it's similar to the "popular nerd culture" here.

[@AnimeCommander1]

Okayu P To note, in my Japanese class my sensei asked how many students liked anime. Of course, about 80% of the class raised their hands. Now when she asked how many students heard of Doraemon, only 5 raised their hands. Then she asked who has actually seen Doraemon and only three people were remaining. She then asked what anime do you then watch? The ones who put their hands down said "Death Note, FMA, Naruto, SAO, Attack on Titan, etc". My sensei gave a bit of a shocked look since she heard about them but never seen them. It isn't surprised to us on the other hand because I have never seen Doraemon advertised on any anime programming block as a kid and even licensing companies rarely make mention of it. Though I can see why since Doraemon wouldn't exactly be as entertaining to Western otaku tastes since many anime of the 90's and early 2000's were typically marketed to older audiences due to content rating differences. I am definitely seeing more of a Western fanbase for anime and manga than I saw in previous years. Around 2012 is when I started to get messages from people I knew about anime. People who in high school never ever cared for anime or talked about it. Suddenly by 2013, many of my own high school classmates started to become "otaku". Of course it did seem weird they suddenly became otaku at first but it became apparent that it was only a short-term deal. Most quit after 6-12 months because many late-night anime were too confusing or stupid for them. Not enough action fantasy shows with strong protagonists or serious philosophical dramas to keep them interested in anime. Sad, but understandable.

[@se-n-fly-er]

I got to watching Doraemon after they finally dubbed it and aired it here on Disney XD, it's pretty enjoyable. Even as an adult I like seeing all the odd objects and abilities played around with in the episodes. However even before I saw it I had known of it for years, along with other popular series that tend to be overlooked overseas. Yeah I'm not surprised at all they quit. I wouldn't call such people otaku to begin with. Just because you binge watch a few series, doesn't make you obsessed with the medium itself.

[@AnimeCommander1]

Okayu P I saw a few episodes here and there either in my Japanese class or at my free time. Plus I had seen many parodies of it too so it was quite enjoyable to watch after hearing so much about it over the years. It is a good show to watch every now and then. Binge-watching all the episodes would probably be a bad idea but watching it occasionally is pretty good. Me neither. I don't even consider people anime fans until they really show they can stay into anime for a long period of time. A year used to be good enough for me but I'd say three years and 200+ completed anime seems to be more definite indicators that someone is truly into anime and not just into it for a short time. To me, quantity is better than the "quality" of anime you watch. All about experience and dedication to me.

[@katobytes]

I agree there needs to be a consistent time frame of interest in the medium to show that you are a "fan", but by no means do you need that overstated experience bar of a tally counting how much anime you have seen.

[@appreciativewalrus9709]

my eyes went out of focus for a while and you looked like a bear...

[@mr.tangelo3071]

See im sort of the opposite in that i strive to be the biggest normie possible appearance wise. People can see this charismatic, attractive, and chill dude and then see that this guy who you would think would be into like football and like cars or something is actually a giant weeb. That way i can, in my own little way, maybe change some peoples opinion of anime and its fans for the better so that things like this wont happen to people(bullying and such). If i can contribute, even if only a little, to a future where someone could grow up loving anime without being absolutely terrified of people seeing you buy Paprika at the mall like i was i will feel like all this work i have put into myself will have been worth it.

[@juneguts]

I love this video.

[@evangedeon2194]

Fight the power.

[@AntiNihilist]

what's weird about anime? "weird" is just things people call things they don't like.

[@SaberStash]

I can relate to what you said.

[@Ifafa]

I'm from South Dakota, a very conservative Christian place, and I've never been made fun of for liking anime or generally being weird. It's definitely not a hobby that's considered normal, and there's no narrative about "being yourself" here, but part of me thinks that's because of Midwestern politeness. Are there any other anime fans from the Midwest whose experiences are similar to mine? And are there people in conservative states where everyone is a little more gung-ho about this sort of thing?

[@FreedomAttacker1]

I don't personally identify myself as an "otaku" for enjoying anime, just as I don't identify as a "gamer" for playing video games. These are just hobbies; an aspect to my life, not the defining feature.

[@aguy17]

I'm glad my religious parents are of the more open-minded variety.

[@MrLeemurman]

But for real though why the indoor sunglasses