"Why is the anime fanbase so...weird?"

"I would go to a convention with you if the fanbase wasn't so godawful."

That's what my friend told me when I asked him to go to Fanime with me. Now, I didn't exactly expect him to say yes, but I couldn't exactly argue with him either.

(Even Google agrees!)

To begin to dissect this question, it's worth understanding that there are two main types of anime fans: the ones that are flamboyant about their fandom: they go to cons, they make statuses about finishing some great anime, or they just all-around thoroughly embrace their fandom.

Then you have those anime fans that purposely choose to sit in a dark room, alone, watch their anime, and then go to the ends of the earth to make sure not another soul finds out they enjoy watching weird japanese animated characters with big eyes say things like "kawaii", "moe", or "onii-chan...not there...its embarassing..."

Well, I don't really know about that last one.

(I swear, I only watch manly shows like Ouran Host Club)

Anyway, I like to fancy myself somewhere in between those extremes. I love cons (see my post on why you should go to cons), but you'll never see me make my profile picture Osaka-san.

(No, just on my weab blog, which will never see the light of day on Facebook)

Now because I am not plagued with crippling awkwardness, I like to fancy myself a normal anime fan (sounds like an oxymoron). For the most part, I can function in normal society without needing to constantly spout off half-Japanese vocaloid lyrics or make references to Haru-chan's perfect abs in Free!.

(Just gaze upon his chiseled perfection)

Unfortunately, going to conventions has exposed me to the types of people who can't. They're passionate about their anime, manga, and video games, which while being great, makes them weird, awkward, or just plain annoying. Sometimes it's by no fault of their own, and it's just a byproduct of personality, which is based in their respective obsessions.

So the question becomes, what is it about the anime fan base that just seems to attract some of the worst kinds of fans?

Well, here's my theory.

Many anime fans, myself included, were not exactly what you would call the "cool" kids in school. To speak for myself, I was the fat awkward kid during the majority of my childhood. I was constantly picked on for my weight, not aided by my awful awkward, weird, and self-centered personality.

What I'm trying to say is: I didn't exactly have alot of friends.

During the majority of my time growing up, before I latched onto anime, I was very deeply into video games and video game culture. And I spent countless hours watching episodes of this web series over and over:

(Not exactly healthy for a kid to hear "fuck", "shit", and "ass" every other word)

And why was I so into this alternative video game culture? That's because I felt so alienated from my own peers, surroundings, and contemporary American culture of the time, that I searched out another medium that was more accepting.

What I found were forums and whole online communities full of nice, supportive people, all brought together through a mutual love of classic and new video games. It felt like people actually cared about what I had to say: I wrote a blog on Gametrailers.com and racked up over 1000 forum posts on Screwattack.com (before getting banned for some inexplicable reason).

(I sought out alternative residency over at Gameheroes.com)

Basically, video games were, for better or for worse (worse, at least for my health), my entire existence. They allowed me to feel a part of something, and feel like I actually had the one thing I never truly had: friends.

Now, why am I lamenting my shitty childhood, your probably wondering (if you haven't already stopped reading).

Well, that's because anime fans, in my experience, are almost the exact same.

Many anime fans (by no means a catch-all, but fairly accurate) were made fun of growing up. They may have had a few friends, but were far from being Mr. Popular. They felt foreign in their own environment and society growing up, so like me with my video games, they sought acceptance elsewhere.

(We can't all be Makoto Ito-level popular)

What they found were vast, beautiful, endless worlds, filled with crazy, bold alchemists, school girls who could shape the very world with their emotions, magical girls fighting for the posterity of their world, and most importantly, teens (the same age as themselves) finding true love.

Basically, anime created whole amazing realities that were entirely different from the harsh, rejecting the "real world" that they had to face on a day to day basis. And just like with video games, these other worlds were filled with beautiful women and brave men, desirable archetypes that many anime fans wished they could be like.

So in this way, people who don't find themselves accepted amongst "normal" society look for acceptance elsewhere; and many of those awkward anime fans that hobble around aimlessly at conventions found it with anime.

The same online communities existed for anime that did for video games, with websites like Myanimelist, /r/eddit, and yes, even 4chan's /a/, /jp/, and cosplay boards.

(4chan always did have the best banners)

In this way, it is equally easy to get lost in the whole culture, and as with any fandom that mainly exists in the virtual space, no one cares if your really ugly, awkward, or socially retarded. The fact that you share similar interests is truly all that matters.

(You could even be a dog~)

So, ironically, since many anime fans feel so dejected and foreign in their own culture, they find solace and community in other foreign culture, in this case, the (amazing and totally awesome) world of anime. It gives otherwise lost and socially awkward people something tangible to latch onto.

(Mawaru Penguindrum gets it)

Now is anything wrong with that? Well no, not really. See, in my opinion, its not the anime that makes the people weird, but its the already weird people who find anime and japanese culture as a hobby they can devote all their time to. It really is no different than any other foreign fandom in that regard.

I feel a great way to describe it is with a nice little anecdote.

At Anime Expo this year...

(...the lines sucked)

...I went to a panel on "Nerd Courting"...basically dating in the nerd/western fandom/anime realm. It was the second time I'd seen the panel, and I now knew the speaker on a name-to-name basis through mutual friends.

During the whole panel, and after, I saw people stream through asking what seemed like typical dating questions (much to my surprise). After the panel was over though, me and my friends stuck around to wait for the speaker. While we stood around, a super skinny, unshaven, disheveled white guy hung around awkwardly around us like a house fly. He was waiting to get "help" from the speaker. When we finally went to leave, he followed, constantly asking the speaker basic social questions. I couldn't help but feel bad for him.

(Think L, minus all the useful skills)

Afterwords, I asked the speaker: "There have to be some people like that, right? People so awkward, that all your advice simply can't help them?"

He reluctantly supported my presumption, and I realized that unfortunately those awkward kids growing up that anime attracts, remain awkward, and just become weird and aloof adults.

But more importantly I realized it didn't really matter that it was anime; these "unhelp-able" people could have latched onto any fandom. It didn't really matter that the fandom was anime; it just happened to be the "foreign" fandom they found enjoyment and acceptance in.

So in all, that's my take on the question as to why the anime fanbase is so weird: it's just because it's a foreign fandom that fans, weird or not, find acceptance in.

However, on occasion, there are exceptions to the rule. While some people are so awkward and socially inept that they aren't "beyond helping", there is certainly still hope for some people.

I would say I'm the exception to the rule.

(I'm like a show based on a card game that the rules don't seem to apply to)

When I went to my first anime convention, I'd only seen maybe 10-12 days worth of anime, and hadn't seen (and still haven't seen) many "Day One"or so called "starting/beginner's" anime like Fullmetal Alchemist or Naruto.

But despite these limitations, Fanime 2013 was a turning point in my life: I truly felt like I came out of my shell. Instead of making me more awkward or socially withdrawn (an effect one might assume with anime), I saw a whole tangible community of cosplayers, K-pop, Anime, Manga, and fighting game, fans. I felt like I could talk to anyone, since you were bound to have a mutual interest in any of the myriad of fandoms that paraded around the con space. And even if you didn't have much in common, you could enjoy hearing about other, alternative fandoms (I certainly didn't get those Bushiroad card games or Homestuck before my first con...ok I still don't get Homestuck).

(Seriously, what the hell is this...?)

What I felt was social liberation: for the first time in my life, those online forums of nameless avatars had come to life in front of my eyes. Any awkwardness about talking to someone you didn't know seemed to completely dissipate for me. For once in my life, I felt normal (at an anime convention no less).

But not your "yo bro, let's go get bitches with our bro-tanks. TSHIRT TIME YO JERSEY SHORE" brand of normal.

(I watch it for the gripping plotline)

No, normal in the way of just being able to make friends with everyone, with no fear of social rejection. And while those same awkward people that, unfortunately, can't be helped, are present in full force, an equal number of some really awesome people are just waiting to be befriended. I no longer felt the same anxiety during conversation that I had for so much of my life. I felt more normal, even if my hobbies aren't.

So I hope this properly explains my view of the anime scene, why it tends to attract "weird" people, and why you should give the fandom a chance. Maybe it will make you more socially astute, maybe you'll find a community of great friends into the same way of wasting their time as you, and maybe you'll even realize the whole thing just isn't for you.

Hopefully you just won't find out your "beyond helping". But if that were true for you, I'd be willing to assume you don't have enough self awareness to figure that out.

("Yu-gi-oh Level" oblivious)