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BBits: The Perils of Liking Anime

Cute Baby Clothes Disclaimer: The proceeding article is editorial content. The views expressed are those of the author and do not neccessarily reflect the official position of the Advanced Media Network.

Not That Bad

I have admitted on occasion that I enjoy watching animated movies, especially the kind that are made in Japan (known as "anime"). I enjoy the artwork, I enjoy the stories - some more than others (I am not a fan of so called "harem comedies" - I mean, sure, Naru is hot, especially when she wears her glasses, but that's about it). I have introduced my children to it (after filtering for appropriateness for their tender ages - I figure they can get suicidal on "Neon Genesis Evangelsion" when they enter teenage-hood).

However, as much as like anime, I am not half the freak the rest of my family is. Case in point: upon a recent visit, I was told that, though a series of accident involving amazon.com, miscommunication, and a flying turtle, they had ordered duplicates of "some" anime and manga titles. And if I was so inclined, I could take the duplicates home with me.

How many duplicates? Well, the total collection spans entire bookshelves of manga, shelves upon shelves of DVD's, posters and wall scrolls and figurines.

Of this was an entire bookcase just for the duplicates. So I went through, picking out such classics as "Forbidden Planet" (starring one of the greatest actors of all time) and "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Then a complete set of "Full Metal Panic!" on DVD, the new Appleseed, mangas and the first four volumes of Read or Die the TV series. And that's just the start of it.

Wait. One moment while I have a Nenene moment. (Mmmm - glasses....)

My wife could only watch in horror as the shopping bag grew fuller and fuller of titles that she could barely understand let alone would want to watch. And it didn't get any better as my youngest sister started telling her stories of cosplaying for various anime conventions, or role playing in online anime forums.

That's the moment that I took my wife in my arms, kissed her, and told her no matter how much of a geek I am, I could be far worse. I am not the Ubergeek, nor do I long to be. Yes, there are days when I leave the house and my geek hangs out - but I'm not that bad.

I'm the guy who will go to a midnight showing of "The Lord of the Rings", and be the only guy not in costume. I will go into a comic book shop, and be the only guy who doesn't feel the need to flirt up the cute goth girl behind the counter. (She, however, can't keep her eyes off of me. Sorry, miss. I'm taken.) I'm going to Comic Con, and I don't even feel the need to take my sister's advice and find a partner.

However, there is at times a problem with being an anime fan. There are dangers in involving anime. Being a fan of anime is a road filled with peril. Peril, I tell you!

And being a responsible journalist, I will now sensationalize the dangers of enjoying anime.

Peril 1: Being Embarrassed in Public

There I was, sitting on a plane. There are dangers enough being on a plane, from germs on board to being attacked by dangerous weapons, or being forced to see really bad remakes of pretty good movies.

I was in the middle seat, and since I had a long flight to Chicago, I decided that I would catch up on Ai Yori Aoshi manga. I had checked out the first two volumes, and while I thought the sexual play was a bit much, I was enjoying a story-line that was rather sweet and romantic.

Oh, shut up - I'm just a big softy at heart. Make a comment about it and I'll rip out your intestines and use them to hitch up my car.

Anyway, there I am, reading through the manga, sitting in the middle of the airline aisle with an elderly black lady to my left, and a smartly dressed businessman to my right. I turn the page -

And buck naked bath scene nudity. I mean, not just Barbie doll nudity, where characters are nude but you don't see any detail. No, I'm talking nude nude - full on detail. And it wasn't just that were nude - the scene involved two of the female characters, in this case Tina reaching around Taeko to fondle her breasts and measure their large size.

Three things went through my mind at that moment. First, "Holy crap! Woah!". Then I looked to my left at the elderly lady and thought to myself "Holy crap! Woah!" Then I looked at the businessman to my right and thought "Holy crap! Woah!"

Now, I don't consider myself a prude. I consider myself a mega prude. You're talking to a guy who always wears a white t-shirt under his dress shirts for fear that people will see his smooth, marble-like chest. And I try to understand other cultures, but being in the middle of an airplane looking at naked large breasted young women feeling each other's breasts -

Well, I felt like I was in some peril.

Peril 2: Being Creeped Out

The story behind "Onegai Sensei", or, as it's known in the US, "Please Teacher", is a really sweet story. It's about a female red headed alien who comes to Earth, the young man who discovers her secret and, to protect her, agrees to marry her so that no one suspects her true nature.

Believe it or not, it's more than just a story of a teenage boy living with a woman who possibly inspired the hit song. I really enjoyed how the story took in other aspects of a relationship, like jealousy, or just the difficulty of living together with another human being, and all of the tears and fights that go with it. Nobody gets to live "happily ever after" - trust me, Snow White and the Prince were screaming at each other when she wanted to repaint the castle or something, and he just wanted to go out and kiss women who appeared dead.

But one thing that kept me from enjoying the story wasn't the sex appeal. No, it was the fact that I was creeped out the entire time. Kei, the main character, looks 15 but is really 18 because of a condition he has that causes him to go into a coma with heavy stress. His wife Mizuho looks like she's mid twenties or so. There's another girl in his class who has a crush on him, who really is 15. So we have a 15 year old looking boy in what appears to be a pedophile relationship with his teacher (but he's not) with another girl in his class who does want a relationship with him -

(Shudder.) Sorry, maybe it's because I'm a father of a lovely young daughter, but just the idea of my some-day-to-be teenage daughter hanging around with a 20 year old makes my skin crawl. Add to this the fact that Kei, the entire damn series keeps calling his wife "Teacher" all the time just adds to the creep factor. I mean, he may as well just call her "Mommy" and get it over with.

Now, instead of a high school, we could have had the story in, say, a college. Right there, we still have the tender story of a young man who sacrifices his freedom for a woman he hardly knows, and begins a relationship that starts with a marriage and ends in love.

There. Isn't that just as sweet and doesn't creep you the hell out?

And then there's the shows involving incest, or suggested incest. Sometimes for a story (such as "Utena" or Koi Kaze) it's an integral part of the plot. For others, it seems like they just stick it in there just to give you the creeps.

Peril 3: Trying to Explain Anime

Have you ever tried to explain anime to someone? Even worse, ever listen to someone - say, a sister - explain anime?

My Sister: Well, there's this guy named Inuyasha, and he's a half-dog demon who's really cute and I like to go to conventions where there's girls who like it when really cute boys act like they're gay.

Other Person: Um, I'm going to scream. Then run.

Now, usually I try to start somewhere else. It's like going into a really hot bath. If you just slide into the near boiling water, you're only going to make yourself scream and go sterile. But if you slowly slip into it, letting your body get used to the heat, then you'll enjoy the process - while you go sterile.

I start in the 1950's with the history of censorship of Comic Books, and how that restricted the medium to something only for children. While, in Japan, they had no such restrictions, so their evolution allowed for comics for children and adults. And when those same artists entered animation, they took the same skills with them, so that's why anime ranges from shows for children such as "My Neighbor Totoro" all the way to "Princess Mononoke" (both made by the same director, the esteemed Miyazaki). Then I give them a copy of "Princess Mononoke", and the next thing you know, they have been assimilated in the Collective.

Resistance is, after all, futile.

It's very rough, and skims over a lot of details, but most people can nod their heads and go "Ahhh - ok. I get it now." And that's good enough to get me out of peril.

Staying out of peril

I'm sure there are more perils to being an anime fan, some of which I'm sure you good readers will be happy to tell me about. The perils of fan fiction, perhaps? Or cosplay? About what happens when you reach the end of what looks like a good series only to have the ending kind of fizzle out?

We fans of animation have many dangers we must contend with. The rewards may not always be great, we may be misunderstood - but these are the perils we face in our quest for fandom.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check on my Comic-Con tickets. You know which one I'll be: the one in the hat.

Originally the webmaster of The Gamer's Press, John Hummel went on to become the Letters Columnist at Gameforms. He now writes for his own column, Between the Bits with John Hummel, right here at AMN. Look for his column weekly on Mondays.