...huh

[cleflink]

Well that was a strange experience.

I have a necklace of the symbol off Ed's coat from Fullmetal Alchemist (the name of which escapes me), and I was wearing it today at school because I'm a nerd like that. One of my students asked me what it was and when I told him that it was from the anime, his response was: "Anime? But you're like 29." Which is, first of all, wrong on the practical level, but I'm more interested by the inference on his part that I'm too old to like anime. Because, really? That makes no sense to me. I mean, if my mum's friends can like 'Twilight', why shouldn't I like anime? And when he clearly knows very little about anime (I consider FMA decently mainstream enough that most anime-types would at least recognize the name, which he didn't), how is it his right to judge?

Besides, I'm technically 'an adult' which I think means that I can choose to like whatever the hell I damn well please. *makes immature face*

Comments

[armina-skitty.livejournal.com]

Damned straight you should watch/read/play what you like! And as far as I'm aware, FMA is LIGHTYEARS ahead of twilight in terms of maturity and adult themes, particularly the manga, IMO. Plus there are other anime series that are so not for children that it's not even funny. So if this dipshit didn't even know that, then he knows nothing of anime and therefore has no right to an opinion.

[cleflink.livejournal.com]

*nods* I think that's one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to people dismissing anime as something just for kids - they're so much variety and so much depth that seems to get subsumed under the DBZ Yu-Gi-Oh craze. Which is not to say there's anything wrong with those shows - I've watched far too much of both, I freely admit - but I think people miss out because of the fact that they blanket identify anime by the most visible references to it in Western society.

(I wonder if he'd have had an apoplexy if I showed him some of my cosplay pictures...) *evil*

[armina-skitty.livejournal.com]

DOO EET!! Also, tell him that a lovely 60+ year old lady with a loving husband has fallen in love with Death Note, FMA and Naruto, because that is my wonderful, wonderful aunt.

[cleflink.livejournal.com]

*grin* I approve very much. Your aunt sounds like an awesome lady.

[animegoil.livejournal.com]

but you know, even though I can rationally say age has nothing to do with hobbies, and why shouldn't a fifty-year-old lady like anime, I have to admit that the idea does weird me out. Probably because I've never encountered anyone who wasn't, still in their twenties liking anime. :/

[cleflink.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I think some if it has to do with when anime started joining the mainstream in the Western world. People in their 20s-30s now grew up with it, whereas older people would have come to it later (when, I think, there would be less impetus towards picking up a hobby like that).

I sincerely hope I'm still enjoying anime in my dotage, but by then it will have been mainstream for a lifetime and more.

[armina-skitty.livejournal.com]

*cough* My 60+ year old aunt has recently fallen in love with Death Note, FMA and Naruto. Also, at Fanime, local convention, I've seen other 50+, 60+ and possible even a 70+ guy with Kimba the White Lion buttons all over his clothes. 'Twas the awesome shit.

ANIME FANS NEVER DIE!!!

[cloudy-chan.livejournal.com]

I've been told on several occasions that after I leave college...or maybe even really right now I need to "grow up" Im thinking to myself when im told these things that hell I am already grown up. People can like whatever the hell they want to. If a 42 year old women wants to be in love with a vampire that dosnt exist then I can sure as hell sit on my ass and write fan fics when im not scrambling around doing stressful things.

Also see this post the mean that kids are getting stupider.

[cleflink.livejournal.com]

*wry* I'm still not really sure I qualify as being an 'adult' though I'm definitely old enough for it by now. I think the expectation that adults can/cannot do certain things by virtue of being 'grown up' is ridiculous and very sad. I don't think my hobbies have any bearing on my adult-ness, as it were, and I can be mature while still being terribly silly and childish in others.

Don't know if you watch Kino's Journey, but there's an episode about a land where they surgically remove the child from you when you turn 12 so you can be an adult. Sometimes I think the world takes the figurative implications of that idea far too seriously.

[meowwl.livejournal.com]

It's because people still think that anime=cartoons...and cartoons are for kids.

Never mind that my 75 year old dad still watches pink panther and bugs bunny all the time.

[cleflink.livejournal.com]

Also a good point - 'classic cartoons' are apparently still okay to watch as an adult? (I agree that they are, most definitely, but that categorizing seems strange to me).

*laughs* My fellow TAs were offended on my behalf about the age thing - I was too busy being caught up on the anime=kiddy stuff thing to care.

[hyperjirou.livejournal.com]

Who does he think runs the anime conventions. Or the magazines. Or the companies. Older fans. As someone who's staffed a major anime convention for years, I should know: there are lots of anime fans years older than you are. Actually, look at yaoicon, that's a whole con of adult fans.

On another note. I've discovered your fics and they are amazing. I'm a huge Zack/Cloud fan, and I love Blood Brothers an It runs in the family.

[cleflink.livejournal.com]

*shakes head* Some people, I don't know. Though further exposure to this student has revealed that he's generally a prat, so it doesn't really surprise me that he talks so confidently about things he doesn't understand.

And I'm glad you've been enjoying them! I've been really quiet recently, but I still love these guys to distraction. *squishes them*

[hyperjirou.livejournal.com]

The nice thing about working with younger elementary kids, is they just think liking anime and video games makes you awesome.

And I apparently forgot all about question marks with my last comment >_