Author Topic: How do I be older fan? (Read 70989 times)

nintendiehard · « **on:** June 09, 2008, 11:51:19 am »

Okay so I've been here ~~trolling~~...browsing the forums for a bit now, and I've come to notice that the vast majority of fans here are under 18, many of them are under 16.
Makes it kinda awkward, though not too bad. So, how is it being an older anime fan? Does it change things all that much? Does it ever make it kinda hard/awkward at meetups or anything?

As you've probably guessed, this is a topic for the more...aged members here, but anyone is free to throw their 2 cents in on anything related to the topic.

EveofAbyss · « **Reply #1 on:** June 09, 2008, 01:15:35 pm »

Well, I'm hardly older, I suppose. I'm 21, so I'm much older than the general age of the common forumsters, I think. I do agree, meetups can be awkward because there is an entirely different code of what is "assumed to be acceptable" between the young and the matured. I'm only 21, but already I know what is not cool to do in public, what is obviously annoying/obnoxious/rude, etc. Many young people don't have a hold on this concept yet, so it can make meetups weird, which is why, overall, I don't branch out and try to meet lots of new people at events. I tend to just hang out with the people I already know (because I know they won't bother or annoy me, lol). I don't mean to speak out against the young like a crotchety old man or anything, but the obnoxious, loud, rambunctious little youngsters who "don't know how to act" so to speak, make lots of potentially fun things not fun. So, I do tend to stick with the older crowd. *shrug* That's how I am.

nintendiehard · « **Reply #2 on:** June 09, 2008, 01:41:41 pm »

Oh god...I hope I never become "Crotchety".

But yeah, all that makes a lot of sense. It almost seems like even though we're considerably less "mature" than others our age, we still have a bit of maturity goin for us, and that's probably why things are weird.
I kinda gotta wonder what parents (of the younger fans) think about us too. Do they like us cos we're more responsible (supposedly) or are we thought of as those creepy guys you hear about on the Nightly News?

I guess in some ways, it's almost harder, being over 20 in these circles. I just hope I can find some friends who aren't too young, and that I can get into all this as easily as I can, and finally have some fun with some like minded people (who are surprisingly hard to find, in my experience).

nikkiolie · « **Reply #3 on:** June 09, 2008, 01:42:39 pm »

I don't notice a difference much. We just had a meetup on Friday and I was not the oldest there but I was one of the older girls. I did notice that some of the younger tended to be a little more mature than the older. I have always liked getting attention when I am in groups so that could be why I don't notice a difference. Most younger con goes also like to get attention. I enjoy the meetups because I like to show off the work that I have spent hours doing, and its a good opportunity to get pictures.

And I am older but I am still a little immature if I am put into a large group. I wont do anything that is socially unacceptable but I still laugh at stupid things.

I personally want to meet new people just in case I get bored with the ones I came with then I have someone else to hang out with. It's an opportunity to make new friends that have the same interest as you, it doesn't matter what their age is. Unless they are horribly immature.

dshwshr55 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 09, 2008, 02:19:30 pm »

I'm 26. It's a little older, but not to that point where I "shouldn't be watching cartoons" (I'll probably never reach that point). But I hate the thought that, if I just go to Kumoricon 4 more times, I'll be 30. It's like, that's just not fair ^^;; The generation under me will probably be more accepted as cosplayers just because of their age.
Then again, I can say I've seen LILY Cat, Venus Wars, Robot City, Demon City Shinjuku, 8 Man After, etc. and everyone else will be "WTF is that?!"

nikkiolie · « **Reply #5 on:** June 09, 2008, 04:04:20 pm »

WTF is that?!

Lol....I really haven't heard of most of those x.x I'm young old.

nintendiehard · « **Reply #6 on:** June 09, 2008, 04:18:08 pm »

Well, I guess it's good to know that there are still fans out there older than I.

I say we should all gang up on them thar young whipper-snappers an teach dem a lessun bout respectin' dare elderss!
...after Columbo.
Hmm...maybe I'm gettin' off topic...

EveofAbyss · « **Reply #7 on:** June 09, 2008, 05:22:09 pm »

Quote from: nintendiehard on June 09, 2008, 04:18:08 pm

Well, I guess it's good to know that there are still fans out there older than I.

I say we should all gang up on them thar young whipper-snappers an teach dem a lessun bout respectin' dare elderss!
...after Columbo.
Hmm...maybe I'm gettin' off topic...

Haha, I'm right there with you. We must school the youngsters in the ways of old school classic anime, and other such awesome things!

Quote from: dshwshr55 on June 09, 2008, 02:19:30 pm

Then again, I can say I've seen LILY Cat, Venus Wars, Robot City, Demon City Shinjuku, 8 Man After, etc. and everyone else will be "WTF is that?!"

And I totally dig those anime, so I know what you mean. Few and far between are the young otaku who know about these vintage anime. Out of the list, I think Demon City Shinjuku is my favorite; I actually found it not too long ago for like $4, so I've been watching it a lot lately. My other top anime that most youngsters tend to not know about is Galaxy Express 999. Ah, so awesome (in my book, of course).

totemo_oishii · « **Reply #8 on:** June 09, 2008, 05:54:37 pm »

I'm 18... I don't know how that makes me feel as a fan. I remember back when manga used to be $16 per volume, and the manga/anime sections were very small. Kids nowadays have it good! lol

Washougal_Otaku · « **Reply #9 on:** June 09, 2008, 06:02:01 pm »

Well, I'm 25, & although there are a lot of posters who are 16-18, there are many staffers who are older. The way I see it, it's better to be an older fan, because you've seen more & know more. Most of the forum goers have probably never heard of Project A-ko, or at the very least seen it. It's becoming more common to have newer otaku that have never heard of Akira, one of the most well-known anime films ever! We old fogeys have the honor of knowing these shows & showing them to the young whipper-snappers.

Kahlan4 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 09, 2008, 06:42:35 pm »

yay other people who are in agreement about age etc ^.^ i'm with eve-boyfriend about the meet ups and such... there are some younger people who are more mature than others, but they seem to be few and far between, unfortunately. i'm ok seeing lots of younger people around if they aren't being obnoxious or anything, but i can't stand the glomp circles and huuuuuge yaoi/yuri fascination younger anime fans have. or the fact that it seems most of them only watch naruto. or bleach. i'm not the most up to date on anime, new or old... i tend to know what i've seen on tv in past years or have somehow randomly come across or what eve-boyfriend has shown me, so i'm not trying to say i'm well versed in anime, but at least i watch more than one show and am eager to see more. aaaaaaaanyway... young people... yeah... get out of the glomp circles and watch more anime >.<

laurifer · « **Reply #11 on:** June 09, 2008, 07:56:57 pm »

Quote from: Kahlan4 on June 09, 2008, 06:42:35 pm

get out of the glomp circles and watch more anime >.<

Too true, Kahlan!

And I totally agree with Eve, too. Immaturity's not cool in my book. Know when to have fun, and know when to be serious...and for chrissakes know how to behave! Haha

makichan · « **Reply #12 on:** June 09, 2008, 08:55:18 pm »

I'm 19, which is kind of in between.

Personally, I tend to hangout with the older-ish crowd because they're usually more mature, have seen more anime, and are generally better at cracking jokes. Better yet, I feel like I can relate to them a whole lot better. Of course, that's not to say that I haven't met any younger people that I'd like to make friends with... it's just... not as common...?
Regardless of whether you are young or old, if you only watch dubbed anime on t.v. you're missing out on a lot. Try hittin' up subtitled anime sometime and I'm sure that your horizons will be broadened.
The more you know, the easier it is to make friends at cons. I too find myself to be particularly annoyed with people who prefer things like 4-kids... uuuugh. That isn't anime, that's a joke! xD

reppy · « **Reply #13 on:** June 09, 2008, 10:11:01 pm »

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you. Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

Rathany · « **Reply #14 on:** June 09, 2008, 10:37:18 pm »

Well, I am fairly ancient myself. I comfort myself in knowing that manga is aimed at every age and social group in Japan, even if it's mostly the younger stuff that gets brought over.

According to an interview I read with a Del Rey editor, they are actively going after the older crowd who grew up with anime and manga. So, there are lots of us fogeys out there ...

I think I am older than at least 90% of you. *sigh*

JeffT · « **Reply #15 on:** June 10, 2008, 12:57:23 am »

I'm also one of the "older" ones (or so it seems by statistics, even though I'm just 25...) My first Kumoricon was 2005 and it's difficult and not scientific at all to judge and remember well, but I think the average age at the con was a little older then.

I don't really feel uncomfortable or anything at meetings or meet-ups. On the contrary, I think of anime fandom as something that can more easily span age ranges, so I don't worry about age very much.

If you are feeling a bit old at the con, consider joining staff. You might find you're not so old then.

BlackjackGabbiani · « **Reply #16 on:** June 10, 2008, 12:58:25 am »

Quote from: makichan on June 09, 2008, 08:55:18 pm

Regardless of whether you are young or old, if you only watch dubbed anime on t.v. you're missing out on a lot. Try hittin' up subtitled anime sometime and I'm sure that your horizons will be broadened.

Oh boy, I would hope that older fans would appreciate the advances dubbing's made even in the past ten years. We have dubs now that are WONDERFUL.

Although I would agree that sources other than broadcast are good to find shows, herding people immediately to the subtitles without regard for how the dubbing may be is cutting out a lot of appeal. Sure there's bad ones, but there's bad subs too, and bad Japanese acting. Just because it's not in the original language doesn't make it bad in and of itself--it's all individual.

Anyway, dude, you people are young. I turn 28 on Friday. My first anime series was called Flying House, and that was like 25 years ago.

GenkiIchigo · « **Reply #17 on:** June 10, 2008, 01:21:10 am »

I'm 25 and I don't really find that it makes too much of a difference as far as friends or conventions go. For me conventions and meetups are times to unwind and just have fun, regardless of age. I'm surprised at how much I have in common with many of the attendees younger and older alike. I like to believe that sometimes age doesn't make a difference. What really makes a difference to me is personality.

Being a little bit older than the average population of the convention though, I have to say that it's really been great watching anime progress over the years to what it is now. Like so many have said before me in this thread, it's great to be able to say 'hey, I remember when...'.

makichan · « **Reply #18 on:** June 10, 2008, 06:43:22 am »

Quote from: BlackjackGabbiani on June 10, 2008, 12:58:25 am

Quote from: makichan on June 09, 2008, 08:55:18 pm
Regardless of whether you are young or old, if you only watch dubbed anime on t.v. you're missing out on a lot. Try hittin' up subtitled anime sometime and I'm sure that your horizons will be broadened.

Oh boy, I would hope that older fans would appreciate the advances dubbing's made even in the past ten years. We have dubs now that are WONDERFUL.

Although I would agree that sources other than broadcast are good to find shows, herding people immediately to the subtitles without regard for how the dubbing may be is cutting out a lot of appeal. Sure there's bad ones, but there's bad subs too, and bad Japanese acting. Just because it's not in the original language doesn't make it bad in and of itself--it's all individual.

LOL I don't mean to completely disregard dubs. In fact, I'm glad that they've made the progress that they've had. Heck, I've been known to watch a few myself.

What I meant was that there's A LOT out there to see that you won't find on your television screen or in stores.

EveofAbyss · « **Reply #19 on:** June 10, 2008, 07:15:20 am »

Quote from: reppy on June 09, 2008, 10:11:01 pm

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you. Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

I used to watch Sci-Fi Saturday Anime all the time, could you describe the one you're thinking of?

Mr_Phelps · « **Reply #20 on:** June 10, 2008, 07:30:28 am »

Hmmm, I guess that makes Prinz Eugen and I... ancient.

(I'm sure that gives us some sort of superpower or something....)

Just remember that there are more older otaku out there lurking than you might think.

TomtheFanboy · « **Reply #21 on:** June 10, 2008, 10:29:00 am »

Yeah, I'm 29. I totally get how some people feel the age gap more than others. It's all about what you have to do in your everyday life and what kind of people you deal with on a regular basis.

I am not hit too hard by it but I do feel jealous that I didn't get to attend events like Kumoricon back when I was a teenager. I have stayed in social circles that are more geeky and fan-spastic over the years so I haven't really become one of those undercover fans that you find with a lot of the older otaku. You're not going to hear from them on the forum though, they don't mingle much outside the convention.

nikkiolie · « **Reply #22 on:** June 10, 2008, 10:36:32 am »

I used to be one of those undercover fans. But once I went to a convention and meet people that were into the same stuff as me I kind of branched out and made my love known. Most of the people in my dorm wing know that I like anime and go to conventions (it isn't so bad since it's the engineering building, so it's filled with geeks). I don't think I would be like this with a little encouragement from young fans (my best friend got me to go to Kumoricon last year). It seems to me that younger people are become more outgoing, at least to the anime fans in my hall and the ones I hung out with before.

nintendiehard · « **Reply #23 on:** June 10, 2008, 01:58:56 pm »

Wow...my little thread here has grown a bit since last I visited.

First,

Quote from: reppy on June 09, 2008, 10:11:01 pm

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you. Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

I totally know what you mean. Then you start wondering if you're secretly a pedophile or something.....okay maybe not. Sorry, I just had a final question focusing on introspection, so I've got that rattling around in my brain.
But really, I know what you mean. That was one of my first concerns, being as old as I am.

Next,

Quote from: EveofAbyss on June 10, 2008, 07:15:20 am

I used to watch Sci-Fi Saturday Anime all the time, could you describe the one you're thinking of?

Ha! You remember Anime Unleashed, back when it was Tech TV? I miss the old...-ish days...that and cable.

And finally

Quote from: nikkiolie on June 10, 2008, 10:36:32 am

I used to be one of those undercover fans. But once I went to a convention and meet people that were into the same stuff as me I kind of branched out and made my love known. Most of the people in my dorm wing know that I like anime and go to conventions (it isn't so bad since it's the engineering building, so it's filled with geeks). I don't think I would be like this with a little encouragement from young fans (my best friend got me to go to Kumoricon last year). It seems to me that younger people are become more outgoing, at least to the anime fans in my hall and the ones I hung out with before.

Sounds like me...but I never really had any friends who were all that into it. I'm sure my UNiversity has an anime club or something, but I never had the time...and as such was never around people who could really help me get into this kinda thing. Better late than never eh?

nikkiolie · « **Reply #24 on:** June 10, 2008, 02:37:27 pm »

Thats too bad. it is really popular in my floor. Most people openly watch it or watch it when others aren't looking. A large group of them even cosplay but I am the only one that is become obsessed with it. I just love to make the costumes. ^_^

I'm sure there are plenty of people there who like anime and maybe at this convention you will find some people that are from UO that you could hang out with.

nintendiehard · « **Reply #25 on:** June 10, 2008, 02:44:01 pm »

Tell me about it. I know a few guys who are into it a bit. Most of them know a lot more anime than I do, but I'm the only one who wants to get into the fandom aspect. Great, I'm an oldie, and a noobie.

I hope so. I started a quick topic on the general board, looking for others at the UO, but no one responded. I'd hate to think I'm alone here.

nikkiolie · « **Reply #26 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:05:21 pm »

I doubt that you are. There are so many anime fans and so many people who love or want to go to conventions. Over the weekend when we went to Portland and hug out with a big group so many people off the street were asking if there was an anime convention in town and wanted to know more about Kumoricon. I guess what would be the easiest thing to do would be to let people know that you are there and that you like anime and like conventions.

nintendiehard · « **Reply #27 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:11:52 pm »

Well...I do like walking up to perfect strangers and asking them about their interests...

nikkiolie · « **Reply #28 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:14:36 pm »

Well that's a start. On myspace I have been talking about a costume that I am working on and one of my friends from high school sent me a message saying "You cosplay?!" so they could be there you just might not know about them.

nintendiehard · « **Reply #29 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:18:06 pm »

Heh, I dunno. I've always really disliked the whole Myspace/Face Book deal. It's more of a popularity contest than anything else.
"Liek, OMG, you are a person! Be my friend so I can show everyone else how many more friends I have than them!" Know what I mean?

nikkiolie · « **Reply #30 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:20:45 pm »

On myspace I only have a few friends (two from high school two who lived in my neighborhood and my sister, thats it) As for facebook I have friends from my dorm and friends from high school. If I don't know you and haven't talked to you I am not your friend.....except for Biran Boitano (yes the figure skater) XD He kept adding me so I finally gave in

nintendiehard · « **Reply #31 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:33:18 pm »

...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eDwECOdMCQ&feature=related

nikkiolie · « **Reply #32 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:34:17 pm »

lol. I love that movie

JeffT · « **Reply #33 on:** June 11, 2008, 01:55:03 am »

Quote from: TomtheFanboy on June 10, 2008, 10:29:00 am

I have stayed in social circles that are more geeky and fan-spastic over the years so I haven't really become one of those undercover fans that you find with a lot of the older otaku. You're not going to hear from them on the forum though, they don't mingle much outside the convention.

You can find them in other places like the Anime on DVD forum. Unfortunately this doesn't provide for local meetups most of the time, although you can usually meet people you know online at the larger conventions. I've met a couple AoDers by chance at Fanime, and several at a planned meet at Sakura-Con.

nintendiehard · « **Reply #34 on:** June 11, 2008, 12:52:51 pm »

Finding local people is one of the things that interests me more. I've met a lotta great people online (including a girl I loved) but none of them ever live within 300 miles of me.

This whole thing is making it for a really cool experience...Though I still have yet to meet anyone I've met here.

laurifer · « **Reply #35 on:** June 11, 2008, 02:48:02 pm »

Quote from: reppy on June 09, 2008, 10:11:01 pm

It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you. Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

Hey there's nothing wrong with a 6 year difference haha. It's just weird in this stage of life I guess XD

Daxe · « **Reply #36 on:** June 11, 2008, 05:31:09 pm »

Im only 21 and Ive been starting to feel a bit out of place. Largely because of all the 16-18 year olds around.
It makes me wonder if we exist in their space or if they have found a way into ours.
I know we all ask ourselves how long will it last? When will we be too old? I dont think I will ever be too old.
Im as young as I feel and so long as I can be honest with myself that I enjoy it then I dont see any reason
to feel odd about it. But then again the first otaku I met outside of my immediate circle of friends was at
Northern Oregon &Vancouver Anime (NOVA). Where they are all around 40 years old and still enjoying it.

reppy · « **Reply #37 on:** June 11, 2008, 06:43:57 pm »

Quote from: laurifer on June 11, 2008, 02:48:02 pm

Quote from: reppy on June 09, 2008, 10:11:01 pm
It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you. Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

Hey there's nothing wrong with a 6 year difference haha. It's just weird in this stage of life I guess XD

Yeah see, 36 with 30 ain't so bad.. but 23 with 16-17? That's jail time! O_O

nikkiolie · « **Reply #38 on:** June 11, 2008, 06:49:29 pm »

Yeah that would be the only thing that I am uncomfortable about. The fact that if anything were to happen it is their word against mine x.x

antibishie · « **Reply #39 on:** June 11, 2008, 07:33:25 pm »

Whenever someone complains to me about "being old" I like to encourage them to start screaming things like "You kids stay off my lawn!" despite whether there might be a lawn nearby or not. There is no real reason for this save that I find it entertaining to hear people saying that.

For as far as a relevant opinion goes, being 26 I now feel that I am a "mid-tier" fan. It often feels like I'm young enough to still be watching new things, but old enough that I keep seeing things through the nostalgia glasses so that nothing seems to be as good as "when I was a kid!"....

laurifer · « **Reply #40 on:** June 11, 2008, 07:33:55 pm »

Quote from: reppy on June 11, 2008, 06:43:57 pm

Quote from: laurifer on June 11, 2008, 02:48:02 pm
Quote from: reppy on June 09, 2008, 10:11:01 pm
It's kinda awkward when you see a girl that's cute and then find out she's like 6 years younger than you. Also, LILY Cat ruled. I used to watch that on Sci-Fi channel on the time.. Ah, good ol' Saturday Night Anime.

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

Hey there's nothing wrong with a 6 year difference haha. It's just weird in this stage of life I guess XD

Yeah see, 36 with 30 ain't so bad.. but 23 with 16-17? That's jail time! O_O

That's why you wait until they're 18 haha

DancingTofu · « **Reply #41 on:** June 11, 2008, 09:39:43 pm »

I suppose I'm 17, but I hang out with the 19-30 age group most of them time. I feel really comfortable with most of you dudes. My dad, who's 42, has come to Kumoricon and even played DDR a few times. I keep my NES there so that it will get more healthy use, and he personally introduced me into the world of video games with an Amiga500 computer. I don't think that overage attendees are in any way unwelcome within our group; it's the underage that really can have an obvious negative effect. The assumption made is that a person in their 20's coming to a convention like this is a Michael Jackson clone who's out to creep on children. Granted, there are a few of those people, but for the most part, our older con population is at a very healthy maturity level.

Don't worry, old people! We love you, we really do! In a quite healthy and not unhealthy way!

dshwshr55 · « **Reply #42 on:** June 11, 2008, 10:56:03 pm »

Don't blame the older guys! You've seen what ~~girls are wearing these days~~ some of the cosplay outfits look like these days.

totemo_oishii · « **Reply #43 on:** June 12, 2008, 12:57:52 am »

Everyone ages! Who cares if you're young or old.

Mister_manji · « **Reply #44 on:** June 12, 2008, 12:51:03 pm »

Quote from: reppy on June 09, 2008, 10:11:01 pm

(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\

describe it please! I used to love Saturday Anime on SciFi.

Me, as a 21YO, is nearing the beginning of the older crowd that attends cons, and nearing the edge of socially acceptable anime viewing.
I remember anime on tape, Gal Force and Iria: Zeiram on SciFi. Robotech on TV, in all its horribly dubbed glory. Or how about Orgus? There is definitely an age gap that can make things awkward, but you can just shun the immature ones until they grow up mentally. I like watching these kids who watch Bleach act like hot stuff. I still don't consider myself true hardcore though, because I never watched VHS fansubs.

dshwshr55 · « **Reply #45 on:** June 12, 2008, 02:14:14 pm »

Everybody always complains about dubbing. Personally, I like male characters doing male voices and ninjas that don't sound like they're from some ParaPara hit song.
Don't get me wrong, though. There are a pretty many dubs that aren't exactly phenomenal, and more that I'd rather watch subbed. Still it takes just as much skill for an english dub as it does for Japanese dub.

nikkiolie · « **Reply #46 on:** June 12, 2008, 02:33:53 pm »

I still have a few animes on VHS, too bad I don't have anything in the house that will play them v.v

laurifer · « **Reply #47 on:** June 12, 2008, 02:48:41 pm »

I think the only anime I have on VHS is Pokemon lol. But now we're soooo off topic XD

EveofAbyss · « **Reply #48 on:** June 12, 2008, 07:03:34 pm »

Quote from: Mister_manji on June 12, 2008, 12:51:03 pm

Quote from: reppy on June 09, 2008, 10:11:01 pm
(I saw an anime a long time ago on Sci-Fi that I wish I could find the name for.) :\
describe it please! I used to love Saturday Anime on SciFi.

Me, as a 21YO, is nearing the beginning of the older crowd that attends cons, and nearing the edge of socially acceptable anime viewing.
I remember anime on tape, Gal Force and Iria: Zeiram on SciFi. Robotech on TV, in all its horribly dubbed glory. Or how about Orgus? There is definitely an age gap that can make things awkward, but you can just shun the immature ones until they grow up mentally. I like watching these kids who watch Bleach act like hot stuff. I still don't consider myself true hardcore though, because I never watched VHS fansubs.

I never watched vhs fansubs either, but I do have a collection of vhs's from the days before dvd. I feel somewhat "senior" in the sense that, as mentioned, I grew up with anime that kids today have never heard of (and that is really sad, I think). You mentioned Iria: Zeiram. I love that anime!! That was one of my firsts (that and Armitage III) and I spent so many years hunting it down until it was finally released in proper format on dvd. Great stuff! So, more than anything else, it is this division of gen-x and gen-z anime fans that makes me feel like part of the older crowd. I guess, for the most part, it is the youth's lack of desire to know about roots that can turn me away from wanting to socialize with any of them. (Immaturity aside ,of course.) All these hot shots flaunt their Inuyasha (which is finally going to END!!) and Naruto and Bleach, yet really (and this is a generalized statement I realize, so forgive me) most of the young fans know nothing about earlier stages of anime or want to see any of it, when most of it is really very good. So, their loss, right? It just adds to that obnoxious, unlearned, immature air that seems to follow them all about, is all.

Wow, was that a rant? Sorry about that....@_@

Higuma · « **Reply #49 on:** June 12, 2008, 10:09:05 pm »

I will be 28 on July 5th, I have 3 kids and will celebrate 10 years of marriage to my wife in october. So needless to say it does feel a little wierd some times when I go to cons or when people find out how much I Love Anime. My brother is two years younger than me and thinks watching "cartoons" is for kids. But I love anime and so does my wife and kids, and life is too short to not enjoy some thing you like because of what others may think. I will still go to conventions and cosplay every year even if I live to be 100.
Also we should set up a 18+ or 21+ meet up for us older otaku?

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Author Topic: How do I be older fan? (Read 70989 times)