10 Interesting Facts About Anime Fans

 

Unsplash, photo by Kashawn Hernandez

Anime has certainly become more mainstream. With the successful One Piece Live Action, even uncles and aunties who initially thought that animation Luffy was a true monkey, now want to watch the anime version.

Still, many people are unaware of some of the odd habits of several types of anime fans. To be honest, some otaku, weaboo, and anime fans are quite odd. However, it is important to note that this segment is incredibly diverse, and no one definition fits all.

But if you happened to sit with adult otakus, you'd know that they're like anyone else -- they go to work, enjoy a cup of coffee, and lock themselves up to watch anime whenever they have the time. 

Of course, it is still possible to uncover weird things about fans of any genre. Regardless, anime fans have a different way of doing random acts of craziness.

Now that anime has become less 'fringe' and more mainstream, much like those who jump the Fairgo Casino login craze, the weirdness of anime fans is being overlooked or ignored. This is not a bad thing. These odd habits are not necessarily things that warrant mockery. They are a bit weird, and it is fine to recognize that. But at the same time, it is important to celebrate those differences as much as we glorify our resemblances.

What are some of these odd habits? We interviewed 100 otakus, including our team, and checked the internet to hear what they had to say.

Fans Don't Always Watch The Full Series

Many anime fans will often admit to not watching or following the entire series from the beginning to the middle and right through to the end. This only makes sense because some anime series use fillers, which are mostly non-canon material, included in the series to give the producers time to get ahead. 

Anime fans often skip over all or most of this 'filler' because they know it will not impact the plot. A good example of this is everyone's internships in My Hero Academia, Zanpakuto Arc in Bleach, and the best filler arc, One Piece: G8.

Others wouldn't watch the final episodes of the anime, especially if they are the type who saves the best for last. Meanwhile, some anime fans skip to the most exciting part to the end, then repeat from the beginning if they're in the mood to do so. Ain't it weird?

Amine Fans Create Costumes

Hence, the cosplay tradition. The dress-up hobby has become the norm and is no longer odd. In fact, creativity and resourcefulness are celebrated in this niche.

But why did we include it in our weird list?

Not many fans would go as far as cosplaying the most bizarre designs. Of course, there are some exceptions to it, and maybe that's how these anime fans express their humor. If you can't think of any, there's this one guy who only wore a scarf and another who wore an apron, just enough to cover their private parts.

We won't share their photos here because we might get dinged. But a quick browser search should reveal these cosplayers and other pervasive attempts that made the convention a perfect excuse to flaunt it out.

Anime Fans Are Generally Okay With Fanservice

Speaking of pervasive acts, 100% of the people we talked to showed no signs of dissent about Fanservice, particularly at extreme levels. They even added that some individuals who are critical of it only discreetly subscribe to adult material or might enjoy it later in life or when alone. 

While we appreciate this opinion, we acknowledge that some may be uncomfortable around Fanservice for reasons unknown. Still, it is worth noting that most otakus and anime enthusiasts are no longer shy when admitting they crave you-know-what content.

Anime Fans Have A Best-loved Waifu or Husbando

When Fanservice goes too far, it could translate to a full-blown relationship. 

In the 2000s, we saw the series, Azumanga Daioh, where the term "waifu" first originated. Following this, anime fans started to use the term "waifu" or "husband" to refer to the personalities they had a crush on in anime or manga. 

Being infatuated or having a love interest in celebrities or fictional characters is not new. But with anime fans, it has become very widespread to long for the attention of intangible persona, which is, perhaps, a little strange and surprising.

Anime Fans May Not Understand The Music, But They Love It Anyway

Anime fans sing with their heart. They have a favorite tune or song and will actively search for the complete soundtracks of these series. Today, K-pop music has become quite popular, so this is fully accepted now and is not considered strange at all, for as long as they don't sing these songs out loud in public. 

Otakus can go as far as buying anime vinyl records and a turntable or singing Luffy's baka song non-stop. Everyone who lives in the same apartment as an anime fan could totally relate!

Anime Fans Can Digest Multiple Universes At The Same Time

The more popular anime gets, the less likely it is for a series to start and finish with a single series. There will be OVA's, an audio drama, films, and a whole range of other media for people to get stuck into. Devoted fans will be following multiple series and enjoying it all.

More than patiently watching these materials, they will try their best to love the differences of each adaptation. Unfortunately, not every adaptation goes as great as the manga. That's why we see rants from Otakus here and there. But that's life!

Anime Fans Looking To Make Anime The Same As The Manga

Fans are always interested in seeing how their most loved scenes get adapted. With anime fans, this is serious stuff. For them, a replica of their favorite material is really important. In the West, fans are also interested in seeing adaptations of their favorite book or series, but a replica is unnecessary.

Battle Debates

At some point, all Dragon Ball Z fans may have raised the question, "Could Goku lose to a different anime fan's favorite character?" 

We don't want to start a fight here. Though Goku could win against more than half of the anime population, other overpowered characters could obliterate the Dragon Ball universe in a snap.

But some anime fans obsessed with combat will argue to death and overlook that there are abilities that surpass lightning speed and earth-shaking attacks. Still, it's fun to see them defending their bias!

Anime Fans May Continue To Watch The Series They Hate

More than one hundred new series are released yearly. Otakus have the goal to watch them all, though recommendations and hype play a great factor in their decisions.

If they happen to pick one, and it turns out bad, some dedicated anime fans will continue watching it til the end. This is because they are either easy to please, hardline fans, or plan to leave a bad review later -- a job that needs to be done.

On the other hand, older anime fans would quickly judge whether a series is worth their time. But if you know one person who wouldn't drop a stale and badly animated piece, that's one reason we included this weird fact in this list. 

Anime Fans Think Of Short Series As Long

In the anime world, a series consisting of 100 episodes is considered long. This is unusual. 

Sitcoms, for example, have around 20 episodes in one season, and when they are really successful, they may run for a number of years. One hundred episodes are considered to be standard. 

With anime, a season that consists of twenty-four episodes is something that anime fans have come to expect; therefore, they consider this long.