Hazmer’s post on “The Otaku’s Image in Japan” provides an innovative insight to those of us who are stuck at the crossroads — should I move on with my life or remain true to my passion? Is it even a passion now? Weather or not it applies to loli-loving art fans is possibly another vague implausible contingency. And while I like to consider myself less than a quarter of an Otaku (my current financial constraints prevent me from reaching cloud 9), I tend to express my interests in Japanese Visual Culture with deep caution — sort of like hedgehogs making love at an Eagle’s nest, perched above a dormant volcano, only opening up to those with similar interests.

There are several examples Hazmer cites such as Japanese people overly concerned about their image ” Nihon Wa Kuuki Ni Eikyou Sareyasui To Iwarete Imasu “. If you played Guns of the Patriots, Big Mama quirps snake the same thing; Society needs its icons to survive. Unfortunately the icons of religion, theology and socialistic norms dominates the word’s culture, leaving Anime at the same market share of the total BMW drivers worldwide.

Apples become bad because people take one bite of the surface, refusing to get through the core of what really it is to appreciate Anime or Manga games/stories as an artform. But you fans have to admit, the genre itself is in a grave situation of water up the throat — there’s not much innovation story wise. Most of the young kids in my country just want love triangles and over done ninja titles. It’s getting bland, boring and dry. We are seen as a community that cares for nothing in terms of substance: Weak story plots, poor character designs with over exaggerated expressions and little girls already with the thinking capability and physical prowess of an grown up. It’s kind of like the exact opposite in Marvel comics, where the heroes are usually taller, bigger, buffer and masculine. An otaku is seen as a perverted degenerate with no humane  traces of soul and discipline. To counterattack this horribly manifested perception, Hazmer brings up a few hotshots supposedly “living the dream” in Tokyo. Danny Choo comes to such a highly in one of his paragraphs. What does this mean to the rest of then? How much more can you take? There no light at the end of the tunnel. The genre keeps evolving. Are you in this for the long run? Because you’re gonna put up with a lot of snobs in the next decade.

The way I’m handling this is simple: Don’t care about what people think  but don’t blindly pursue this chase like it’s a chore. You’re just gonna dry up. Move on with your life. Anime and Manga are artforms. They bring value to one’s life. They reflect on today’s culture and stir the young heart’s imagination. People want to read/listen to great stories. I choose to part of this not just because it’s cool but because it’s gives me joy and inspiration. Cuteness and Loli is just a mere plus.

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