Forum - View topicCan you get too old for anime?
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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As someone quickly approaching that "fabulously ancient and decrepit" age I have to agree with abunai. I didn't start watching anime until my 50s when my daughter asked to see Mononoke Hime. I'd watched animation from Disney and Warner Brothers throughout my childhood and tried not to miss Rocky and Bullwinkle when it came on before dinner time in my teens. Hanna-Barbera cartoons, other than The Jetsons, never did much for me; I preferred watching Gleason's original Honeymooners over H-B's Flintstones. I recall being impressed by Allegro non Troppo as a young adult, particularly the sequence on evolution which evoked applause from the audience in the theater I attended. None of this prepared me for watching Mononoke Hime, though. The scene near the beginning where Ashitaka rides Yakul through the forest with dappled lighting took my breath away, and the complexities of the Lady Eboshi's character showed me that an animated feature could be just as intellectually compelling as any live-action show. After this I decided to watch some other shows by looking at rating lists on sites like this and AniDB. That led to watching Monster, Junni Kokuki, Noein, and Planetes to name a few, but the offerings available in the US on television and licensed DVDs are pretty limited for someone my age. I've been watching fansubs for a few years now and buying licensed shows that I think are worth collecting. I do watch (and own) some shows aimed at younger viewers like School Rumble, but my tastes run more to shows with adult characters like Bartender, Saiunkoku, or Moribito, or shows with younger characters but mature themes like Kure-nai or Nodame Cantabile. Shows like these are few and far between in the anime universe, and even rarer among licensed offerings, but there are usually two or three shows each season that I find worth watching. I must say that, in comparison to what was on offer in 2006-2007, there seem to be fewer and fewer shows that will hold my interest past a couple of episodes. At the moment I'm following Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 and Kemono no Souja Erin with the occasional glance at Bakemonogatari just to see Shinbo strut his stuff. |
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TKDSoldier
 Posts: 56 |
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I use to think about this myself sometimes(and I'm only 20), but I realize that it doesn't matter what age you are. As long as there are shows that keep me interested I'll keep watching. That said I'm probably never going stop watching anime.
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r3a93r
 Posts: 51 Location: colorado |
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i don't think you can ever get to old for anime but i do think that you can start to loose intrest in it. like me kinda. but new anime has got me back into it. i am pretty stubborn when it comes to watching anime.
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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I often feel sorry for people who turn their hobby into their careers, or try to. I've made that mistake way too many times. So the OP notion that the only people in their late 30s or 40s involved in anime are producers, industry people, creative talents or retailers is unfounded.
This is evident because of what I notice from many people who are in the industry, they got into anime as a result of other loosely or not connected occupations. Anime fans seldom become successful anime professionals. It's that old adage; if you turn something you love into something you do every day, you become sick of it. |
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One Vorlon
Posts: 34 |
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That doesn't mean that a hardcore anime fan is going to give up their anime dvd collection, and switch to soap operas or Sesame Street. But among the casual fans, the ones who just watched anime in order to hang out with their friends, you're going to see a shakeout You'll see it in your life, too. It'll be less important to contact certain friends, and you'll go from IMing every night, to weekly emails, to an email every now and then, until you just lose track of each other. Or you'll find it less and less important to go to every football/basketball game at your alma mater. On the other hand, for those things that you do hang on to, they'll start to acquire a depth and richness you couldn't imagine when you where 18-19. These are the friends you'll grow old with, the ambitions you'll realize, the hobbies that will color the rest of your life. So if you're really into anime, you don't need to worry about some inevitable fading of interest* *although you may have to worry about burning out on an endless parade of derivative works - but that can happen at any age, and in any hobby |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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Before I add my reply, I just wanted to note I did read the replies. I agree with many of them. Earlier this year, I was lucky to find Shakugan no Shana in a BestBuy bargain bin. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I purchased it. When I stuck it in my DVD player and began watching, I was floored. Has anime really come this far? Prior to this year, I probably couldn't be defined as a "fan". My viewing was based on what titles Blockbuster had in store. It's funny, because this rental chain's section growth actually spawned my interest again as the titles kept growing. I'm 42 (well, soon) and am in a much better position to enjoy this hobby than I was 20 years ago. I'm not in the industry, but have been contributing to it since the BestBuy purchase (well, DVDs anyway). Today's anime is much better entertainment than I can find anywhere else. But that's not saying much, as I've always loved cartoons. I diversify my tastes, but I do admit I'm more focused on anime right now just to "catch up" the last 20 years I missed. If I do fall out again, it's going to be due to tired story lines. Just in my small collection, many titles can be easily compared to each other in terms of plot. Take Moonphase. Cute little show, but I quickly spotted many similarities to Shakugan no Shana. I haven't reached this point yet, but I've a feeling it'll get here within the next year. I rarely pace myself with my purchases and this will come back to bite me. Like anything, too much of a good thing isn't good. And age has no bearing on this. |
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quoththeraven
 Posts: 27 Location: Baltimore, Maryland |
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Wow, a lot of responses.
 Need to digest them all before i can reply, but thanks for your commentary.
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Ktimene's Lover
 Posts: 2242 Location: Glendale, AZ (Proudly living in the desert) |
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I don't think someone has to worry about being too old for anime until they decide they are. For me, when I hit 30 in 7 years, I will still have anime I like.
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Beltane70
 Posts: 3887 |
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I determined years ago that I will never be too old for anime. I'll be watching this stuff for the next 50 years if I should be so lucky to live so long.
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Elf474
 Posts: 100 Location: Behind You |
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Well let's think. Stan Lee is about 100 and he's still making comics.
And cave paintings consisted of warriors with weapons fighting monsters and dressing up in costumes. 
So in one form or another manga has existed for about 100,000 years and so far we aren't sick of it yet. |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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Honestly, that's quite a stretch. Cave paintings and manga aren't even remotely similar. Plus, was the image necessary? Seriously, you don't need to include an image in every single post. In this case it was only vaguely relevant and the statement didn't need the support of the image. Not to mention the image hardly represented your statement anyways.
We tolerate images here when they're relevant and add to the discussion, but abusing that is just as bad as people who type in all caps, or always enlarge the font size or recolor the font. It's fine in moderation but when used excessively and for meaningless purposes then it's just annoying. |
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Alerhys
 Posts: 19 Location: Los Angeles, CA USA |
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I'm 54 and have been an animation fan basically my whole life, and that includes anime. I watched Gigantor and Astro Boy and Kimba and Speed Racer when I was a kid, I watched Yamato in my college years, I was in an anime club in the late 70s and early 80's watching tapes of shows like Mobile Suit Gundam, and I am still watching today, as technology makes more choices available than ever.
Which isn't to say that there's anything wrong with someone finding their tastes changing over the years -- I pretty much gave up on comic books in the 1990's. Still, it's hardly automatic. |
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thewrll
 Posts: 59 |
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Im only 22 but anime will always be a big part of my life. Or what I watch. It is part of what my special interest entails so I cant see it ending. Also if someone ends their love of anime was their interest in anime that big to begin with.
-Special interest is a part of the aspergers Syndrome. |
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Ktimene's Lover
Posts: 2242 Location: Glendale, AZ (Proudly living in the desert) |
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thewrll comments:
Coincidentally, I have diagnosed with this also. I have been watching anime for over 15 years and still feel I am in the right age to watch it. Quite of anime demographics are people in the 20s. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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This image actually appeared in an anime; whoever finds out which title first gets a cookie from me. 
And Hitler is a vegetarian. While patients with Asperger syndrome or any other autism spectrum disorder tend to pay too much attention on special interests that others find uninteresting, it is not that whoever shows this trait is a patient. Your statement, while technically true, was very misleading to those who didn't know about the syndrome and/or had poor logics. Not to mention that autism spectrum disorders have been over-diagnosed. For the record, I am aware of your condition; I've even consulted my mother (a special education consultant of my City's board of education) for details on classification and diagnostics after reading your introductory article. |
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