What makes a 'True' anime fan?
me and my cousin were discussing this. She is a part of her high school anime club and is starting to get really frustrated with it because of the "not REAL anime fans" suggesting "stupid" main stream series that "aren't that great".

Everyone and there mom knows Naruto, Bleach, Soul Eater, Fruits basket, etc. and To my cousin that is all these "non true fans" want to watch in her club, even if they have seen the whole series already.

Her problem is that when suggesting series to watch (or example; Baccano!, Mushi-shi, Eden to the East" ) people turn her down for more main stream shows.

I'm not saying main steam is bad, i enjoy reading naruto as much as the next person,
But i have noticed a difference between the people who watch mainly main stream and people who watch a wide variety of anime.

To me it plays out like this:
To me its a sub culture, a lifestyle you can get engulf in.
but i believe not so much so to these 'fans' who only stay up late and watch Bleach on adult swim.
To them its just a show they enjoy.


So when these two people meet under the premise of being of the same 'label' of 'anime fan' there will ultimately be tension.
For one is, and the other is nothing but an illusion

Your thoughts on the matter?

Well its like when you talk about something related to a topic ( like when I talk to my friends about books and all they've read is Twilight ) when you bring up a different topic that they don't know about they will just stare at you oddly. I think that the people who JUST watch main stream are too picky or afraid to try a different anime, which is fine but I guess I would say those who can pick up and anime without fussing over if its popular or not and just like it because of its plot and so on it a true anime fan. :)

Really?

I think anyone, even those main streamers can be a 'true' anime fan, because being a fan of anime means you enjoy watching it. It would be about like asking what a 'true' twilight fan is. There are different levels of fandom, from those people who like casually watching a show here and there, to those who watch main stream, to those who enjoy any and all anime, to those who obsess over it. To be a true fan, I believe all it requires is you liking anime to the point you consider yourself a fan. One type of fan is not more 'true' than another, just different.

The only people who aren't 'true' anime fans are the people who pretend to be fans.

I think it comes down to differing interests and "tastes" in anime. It sounds like your cousin's inerests are in the minority in her club. Which yes does seem like it might be frustrating. BUT does not IHO make the other people in the club less anime fans then she is.

I think it's unfair to say that someone isn't a "true" anime fan just because they only watch the mainstream stuff.

I mean, looking back, doesn't just about every anime fan get started because something in the mainstream caught their eye? You only get interested in the less mainstream stuff once you're exhausted all the resources that the mainstream has to offer.

In my opinion your cousin needs to compromise, because these people are fans just like her. I'm sure they're just afraid that the stuff she's offering won't be as good as what they're used to. She needs to give them some time and maybe do some switching back and forth between the mainstream and the less known stuff.

Does it make them less of fans just because they are afraid to give something a chance, of course not. If they find enjoyment out of anime, then they are fans, end of story. Saying otherwise is just being elitist.

Well, my thing is that I do believe that there are people out there that are not "good" fans, but that is not based on which anime/manga they like. I base that more on how they act towards fellow fans. I'm a big believer in being polite to your fellow fans and being understanding of what others like.

And as Sho-Shonojo pointed out, we all started out mainstream. My first anime were Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z. I still tend to gravitate towards more well-known series, but if someone suggests an anime to me I'm more than willing to try it. Not wanting to try new things does not make them any less of a fan than someone who does like trying new series.

In simple terms; someone who appreciates the genre for what it is and I suppose respects the term anime. Since some animated snows are wrongly considered anime when they where only animated in Japan but are american made cartoons.But there are different ranges of anime fans so to be fair not everyone will have the same view on the subject. Some appreciate it as an art form and other may see it more as cartoons or another animated show etc

o.o If you enjoy something, then you're a fan of it, I suppose?

You don't have to be able to rattle off obscure anime titles to be considered a fan.

People who get worked up over this seem like butthurt elitists. xD;

Originally Posted by Dystopia

o.o If you enjoy something, then you're a fan of it, I suppose?

You don't have to be able to rattle off obscure anime titles to be considered a fan.

People who get worked up over this seem like butthurt elitists. xD;

Hahaha I suppose you're right. I sure can't keep up with the kids that call themselves fans today. The stuff I was most interested in was from the '90's then when I went to college I had to put it on hold. So after college I felt like I was out of the loop and in a whole different anime world because more things were on tv and more kids knew what anime was than when I first started. Plus there was video on the internet too. It was a little weird. Almost like waking up from a time capsule I think.

I think a true anime fan is someone who has simply watched a wide variety of anime, from the older anime, to newer anime.
They don't have to be a fanatic about it to be a "true" anime fan.
A "true" anime fan, in my eyes, is someone who is open to any and all kind of anime, and won't disown something because it's too mainstream or too indie.
A "true" anime fan loves an anime because they really do love it, not because everyone else in the world (Or no one, if the anime isn't well-known) does.
It's the same as all the Twilight fans and pretty much everything else in the world, if they like it and they got a lot of pleasure out of reading/eating/watching/listening it, then all the power to them.

I'm a little iffy on this.
I belive to be a true fan a person must watch more then mainstream shows.
But with saying that I don't have many shows I watch that are not mainstream but consider myself a true fan. I haven't bought many series as I only buy at cons. So the only way I can watch it is on tv.
But if I was given a way to watch other series I would take it.

I don't think the anime should be the only thing defining a fan though.
I am much more well rounded in manga. I own more then $1000 in manga much of which is not mainstream.
I go to 4 cons a year. I cosplay.
I think these other things can help define a true fan.

But like anything you can't just like one of something and be a fan of the whole group.
I can't say I'm a fan of fantasy books and only read one fantasy writer.

Well as far as what true fan is I personally think that means willingness to explore different anime, mainstream or otherwise. I love a good FMA and Ouran episode but I am willing to explore other series especially if the series is similar to one that I already like. Someone who is willing to give different anime a chance before completely tossing it aside for the usual mainstream stuff is definitly a true fan in my mind. But maybe that's just me.

:O I'll probably get shot for saying this. But I think being a true fan also means funding the industry. Buy anime and manga or legally view it online if you can't. I know a lot of people can't afford it... but there are ways to legally watch it. :| Great companies like Geneon and ADV have fallen due to the illegal viewing.

I have to agree chiiru.
I understand some people don't have anyway to buy it depending on where they live or for other reasons but for the ones that can it is part of being a fan.
I've only read one manga online and I still plan on buying it.

I believe that if someone truly loves an anime then they are a true anime fan. Mainstreams are a part of anime, whether people like it or not.
Now for manga, I seperate that from anime, so for people who read more manga than watch anime, I call true manga fans.
and same thing with video games and so forth.
For me, I consider myself a true manga, anime, cosplay, cartoon, and video game fan.

I dont believe in taking any kind of fandoms too seriously. I used to be an anime fanatic myself, now I just watch it randomly for fun and laugh at the people who argue over it. Narutards make me smile a little but since I've been down that dark road myself I wont judge them. Popularity shouldnt matter as long as you have an enjoyable hobby...that you dont take too seriously. This is a bit off topic but I've heard of hard core fans commiting suicide when their favourite anime characters were killed in the show. That goes a bit far.

There's not really or false anime fan's technically speaking unless the obvious you hate it or your love it to death and are totally crazy about it xD Simply if you feel that you have an interest in it and are willing to take time on it o.o \
personally i am more of a manga person :D I truly believe if you read the manga online you should buy some of the volumes and help the authors out xD

:(How about summonig the courage to go into a room full of more than likly peverts, who are full of themselves, and are in denail about realtiy, for 4 hour all for the sake of being in the Japanese multimeia club in a college and your freshman?

My definition of a true anime fan is simple. They care enough to support the people that create it. Taste has nothing to do with it. I love Naruto and will call myself a Narutard without shame, but I also like Petshop of Horrors, Mushi-shi, Azumanga Daioh, etc. That's just my taste. I wouldn't consider a fan less of a fan if they only liked mainstream (because lets face it, it's main stream because it's well liked by the general population).