I have a question...

[Cat96]

I'm not trying to be offensive with anything on this topic. I just have a question.

I've gone to a private school my whole life, and have had rare experiences with fellow anime-watchers in person (I mean, I can count on one hand the amount of encounters I've had). My school, which I have gone to since 6th grade, is one of those small ultra-conservative schools (in 6th grade my friend almost got in trouble for reading a monster high book during study hall, the teacher read this one not-too-bad kiss scene and said it was "inappropriate"). My only friend goes to a different school now, for unrelated reasons. I find it hard to make friends in the small very environment, especially because the things I like are very different from the normal (and being very introverted doesn't help at all). The only reason I go there is because I want a good education (though I often question if its worth having no social life at all and being unhappy a lot).

Now on to my actual question. Because of my lack of encounters with anime fans (or anyone who likes similar things), I often question whether its right to like and enjoy anime. I enjoy anime like FMA and Black Cat, but I don't know if its right.

I believe you can't lose your salvation, but I still find it hard to know if watching anime (in general) is right. I set boundaries for content in anime I watch (like how it can't have too much fanservice), but I don't know if it makes it any better. I mean I don't watch any "adult" anime, I mainly watch the kind for 13+ or 14+ (an occasional PG too). I don't know, I just sometimes feel guilty because I watch this stuff because some of it can get very bad (though I try to avoid the bad stuff because of the boundaries I set).

I don't even know. I would normally ask a friend this, but I only have one friend and she doesn't even go to the same school as me. I had a "friend" at my school, but she forgot my birthday (which is only a few days after hers) and treated me very rudely the day after (and I couldn't talk that day, my b-day, or a whole week after because of a mouth thing I had to wear because of braces). Combine that with other things she did, I decided that she isn't a friend. She's very selfish, and I know she won't give me any advice. She threatened to hurt herself if I didn't sit with her again.

I feel so stupid for even asking this on an anime site. Oh well This question has been on my mind for awhile now. Anyone have any advice?

[mechana2015]

Well I'm going to ask you a question back first, just to get your thoughts on something related.

What makes anime different from any other entertainment, such as books, theatrical movies or or other animation from other countries, such as non anime cartoons on TV?

[Mullet Death]

Though it's certainly got its fair share of worldly associations because of Japan's religious background, anime is just a medium of art. Art can be both positive and negative. Oftentimes that can apply to the same work for different people, or even regardless of the intentions of the authors; art can be and mean a lot of different things. As such, each work of art or so-called art needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis. What exactly does a particular anime mean to you? Was it intended by the mangacka to have positive themes throughout all along, or can otherwise be interpreted that way? Or, is it pure filth from beginning to end or have too many negative themes- whatever those may happen to be- that outweigh the positive ones, thereby ruining the experience for you? You have to decide that for yourself with each work you're consuming, be it anime, comics, romance novels, drama, or Hollywood films or anything else.

So, as I said, you have to look at each anime-- either before watching it or during the process-- and decide if it's too much for you. That's kinda what got this site started in the first place, I think, not that I would know, being a latecomer. Is there too much chest getting flashed or too much gore, or does the show portray my religion in a negative light? If you think so, then it is bad for you to watch such a show; otherwise, it's either a positive, edifying thing, or a relatively neutral one.

Worrying about the morality of watching animated television shows is probably low on the priority list if you're unhappy and struggling with friends and acquaintances. It sounds to me like your lfe is rough right now and you probably shouldn't worry so much about this anime stuff, if it really is bothering you.

[Cat96]

I guess I just seem to think that anime has a connection to my major social issues. There are many others that could be it since the school's made no attempt at having more clubs, but I'm trying to find out what's wrong with me so I can see if there's a way for it to get better. If you were to ask someone from my school what they thought of me, I'd bet they call me the "nerd who has no friends and is socially awkward".

[mechana2015]

You say what you like is very different from the normal at your school. What is the normal, such as for entertainment at your school?

[Xeno]

You can like whatever you like. There is nothing inherently wrong with liking anime, just like there is nothing wrong with liking action movies, pizza, or really fast European automobiles. The issue you can run into is when you like it so much that it becomes a defining item of your life. If you're the anime girl at your school because you just happen to know a lot about it, and you're okay with owning that, then fine. If you're the anime girl because all you do is watch anime, read manga, and talk about it incessantly, that's a problem because it's begun to define you. Anime and need stuff can't literally be the only stuff you're interested in, you're too young to be set in your ways. Listen to new music, watch other media, find things that other people like too and connect with them on those terms and go from there.

You don't have to give up what you like just because other people don't like it or don't get it. When you get older you'll find that the ability to not care as much about the opinions of others can be a helpful tool. It'll also give you something new to share with others when everyone they know has homogenized into a swarm of sameness. So like what you want to like, dislike what you want to dislike, but make sure you have a real reason for disliking something.

Edit: forgot to add the obligatory "anime is gutter trash made for horrible people."

[Cat96]

I have an issue with the fact that when I went to the new school, everybody was in groups already. I made a friend who was quiet like me (and is also slightly different with what she enjoys). We were great friends (and still are, despite the fact that she goes to a different school). I also had two more friends (who were just friends), but both left by the time junior high was done. The school is so much set in groups that its hard to get in one once you're alone (maybe one group is more welcoming, but that's it). People are friends with people they are familiar with, and I don't blame them. I don't think people see me as the "anime girl" because I rarely talk about it unless I'm talking to my "friend". A teacher knows I read manga because he saw it on top of my books (I thought I was going to get into so much trouble for having a volume of black cat at school, but luckily he likes manga so all was good). I try to talk to others, but everyone is in their groups so its hard to talk. My school isn't that accepting of different (the uniforms drive me nuts because it makes the groups feel even more unwelcoming and there isn't really a way to express yourself without talking).

Thanks for the advice. I now know its not the anime that is causing my issue. I may have worded my question a bit weird, but you all understood it.

I tell people that I don't care what others think, but the truth is that I do still care. I put on a mask after issues started in my family (a rough divorce, the irony of this is that I really got into anime after the divorce because of how it helped me escape what was going on), and I guess I still have it on resulting in my social issues.

[Xeno]

Just go sit with one of the "groups" you find interesting during lunch, or with some one you had to do a project with in class. It's really not hard to make friends in school because you're forced to interact with each other whether you want to or not. You just have to be willing to put yourself out there enough to say hello and accept that the people sitting beside you at lunch who decided not to engage you.