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Can you get too old for anime?


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Ortensia1980



Joined: 31 Aug 2011
Posts: 803
Location: some town near Amsterdam
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 2:19 am Reply with quote
I'm 32 right now so my answer is no. I've outgrown a couple of things (like certain bands that I used to listen to when I was still an angry teenager Wink), but my love for anime has never diminished.

Whenever it comes up in a conversation with other people, I definitely get a lot of blank looks though. That's probably because they think that I'm watching the Japanese equivalent of My Little Pony or something like that.


Last edited by Ortensia1980 on Sun Oct 14, 2012 6:14 am; edited 2 times in total
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EricJ



Joined: 03 Sep 2009
Posts: 876
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:37 am Reply with quote
@Chiibi

Generally, when I hear fans referring to Tenchi as "the boob show", I tend to guess someone mistakenly started out with the crazy-bats**t OVA series, and not the more comfort food Universe TV series, where Ryoko keeps her top on for more than three minutes. And if they did start out with the OVA, don't worry, there's help and treatment.

Some urge recently had me watching "Tenchi in Tokyo" from cover to cover for the first time since Geneon folded, and I'd forgotten what affectionate comfort-food knuckleheads the extended Masaki family were in the family-friendly TV version--Oddly enough, I also find myself preferring the old Pioneer dub (which Funi has likely inherited), simply because Jennifer Darling does a better spoiled-comic Ayeka than the original Japanese VA ever will.
(Although referring back to the JP version where necessary, as Yumi Takada still owns The Laugh.)
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underlock



Joined: 08 Apr 2011
Posts: 247
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:46 am Reply with quote
I never thought I would, and I still think age is irrelevant. But I noticed that I'm getting really cynical with most things. That won't stop me from watching anime, and I'm loving Hunter x Hunter at the moment, but it'll certainly reduce the amount of things I watch. Which is a good thing in my book.
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RAmmsoldat



Joined: 19 Oct 2005
Posts: 1261
Location: North wales coast
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 8:12 am Reply with quote
Its just animation, its a medium like print, film, CG i dont think of these as age restricted like you have to be 40+ to read a newspaper ect.

Also people of all ages enjoy stuff like the simpsons and family guy and flock to the cinemas to watch pixar movies and the never ending stream of shrek movies.

I watch less anime than i used to but its not to do with my age, I read a hell of a lot more manga these days than i used to though and its all for personal reasons.
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mpbuono



Joined: 12 Dec 2007
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 2:27 pm Reply with quote
The misconception that "adults" don't watch anime is common, but the reasons are complex. Here are the reasons I think are most common.

First, younger fans assume that anime was as popular in the 90's amongst teens as it is today. That is simply not true. As someone who works with young adults, there are a far higher percentage of teens who are into anime than there has been in the past. Why isn't this translating into higher sales for the anime companies? Thats complicated. Much of it has to do with a lack of disposable income. I'll get into my theories another time if people want. I only had a four or five friends in High School willing to watch anime. They weren't fans, but they were willing to sit down and check out a show. Of those friends, one other was a die hard fan. She still watches anime. The others still watch the shows they like, and they sometimes check out a new show on netflix.

Second, the current economic situation for most people is poor. This is especially true for those people who graduated college from 2001 (when the first economic slump happened) to 2012. We may have jobs, and income but that doesn't mean we have time. Think about it, those of us who have the cushiest jobs in the financial industry still work thirteen hour days on average. That means were short on time. If we have a ton of free time, then we don't have a whole lot of money to buy dvds or travel to conventions.

Finally... conventions. The nerd with no significant other is stereotype we've been trying to shed for a long time. The idea that we grow up without a desire for someone to share our life with is an idea disproven by the presence of romance in the media were all here to discuss. But that doesn't mean that those significant others will also love anime. They might love you, and they might respect your love for anime. But that doesn't mean they will be supportive of you going to conventions. Why?

The moment you begin sharing your life with someone, it means sharing the cost of your life. Partners might see value in the media itself, or even in the figures. But will they see the value of you taking a vacation without them?

Older fans also likely have more responsibility. That means that even if they have the money/free time to watch anime, they likely have weekend obligations that keep them away from cons. If you have kids, their events take precendence over yours. The costs of your life multiply, and you end spending less on yourself.

Finally, I know that I sometimes I feel uncomfortable at cons, and my older male and female friends have felt the same way. The Ouran and Hetalia costumes aren't so bad, but then you have teenagers dressed in sexually provocative ways. Yes, the shows commonly feature "teenagers", but they are cartoons. I can deal with the rediculous costumes there, but I have no desire to hang out with real half dressed teenagers.

As engaging and entertaining as they might be, I can interact with them safely through the forums. Afterall, if one of them is crazy on the internet, I got text logs to protect myself. I can always log off. In real life, it would be my word against theirs. That might seem like a weird thing to consider, but I've known more professionals to suffer from a lie told than convicted of the truth.
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nobahn
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5120
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 4:53 pm Reply with quote
xxsonnyxx wrote:
[...] I'll get into my theories another time if people want. [...]

  1. Please do so.
  2. I see that you are a long-time lurker. Welcome to the fora.
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maaya



Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Posts: 976
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:36 pm Reply with quote
RAmmsoldat wrote:
Its just animation, its a medium like print, film, CG i don't think of these as age restricted like you have to be 40+ to read a newspaper ect.


That's certainly true. But at the same time, the anime medium is not as diverse. Of course, there are simply much less anime series than films, tv series or books, which automatically gives you a much larger choice in other mediums. Additionally animes are quite limited content-wise, also because it is a niche-market that doesn't have so many buyers to support many different genres (in comparison the manga medium is much more diverse). You can get too old for certain types of films and tv series, and if those make up the majority of a medium (like shows aimed at teens or otakus), you can kinda end up outgrowing it.
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mpbuono



Joined: 12 Dec 2007
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 9:03 am Reply with quote
Thank you.

I decided to post about the troubles the anime industry faces on my blog, it can be found at http://www.noordinaryobsession.com/the-trouble-with-making-money-on-anime-pt-1-money-and-excuses/

It will end up being multipart, but here is part one
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nobahn
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5120
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:48 am Reply with quote
xxsonnyxx--
You state that you work extensively with young adults; may I ask exactly what your profession / field of work is?
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mpbuono



Joined: 12 Dec 2007
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:20 pm Reply with quote
I am a young adult librarian in two large Suffolk County Libraries in NY. I am in charge of the anime/manga program at one and the graphic novel collection. I advise from time to time the librarian in charge of those activities/collection at the other.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:54 pm Reply with quote
EricJ wrote:
Generally, when I hear fans referring to Tenchi as "the boob show", I tend to guess someone mistakenly started out with the crazy-bats**t OVA series, and not the more comfort food Universe TV series, where Ryoko keeps her top on for more than three minutes. And if they did start out with the OVA, don't worry, there's help and treatment.


The OVA isn't that bad either. o_O You're exaggerating there-Ryouko did not spend all her time naked. Seriously, watch it again. I think the OVA was the best series out of all the incarnates.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar


Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 16935
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 3:09 pm Reply with quote
Well I can see why older fans might refer to it as the boob show. Compare Tenchi, and especially the OVA's, to other stuff of it's time. Not by today's standards. If you think about it compared to other shows of it's time I can see it being seen as more....boobalicious. By today's standards it's a nun in a habit but back then it was a different story. I don't think Tenchi was AS much of a boob show as some might make it out but it was more boobtastic then many of it's time. Today you see T&A all over the damn place.

As for the topic of the thread I don't think so. Why should someone get too old to enjoy anime? It's a hobby that defies generationals gaps and has fans of all ages. I've been to cons, as I mentioned, where I've conversed with people in their teens and people in their 50's/60's. I remember having a conversation about horror anime with one particular grandmother I met at a Trinity Blood panel at Nekocon one year. She was in her like late 60's I think and I was in my mid 20's. Was a lovely chat and she was a big fan. I for one plan to enjoy anime for as long as shows are made that I find interesting.
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larinon



Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Posts: 992
Location: Midland, TX
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 3:21 pm Reply with quote
When we talk about the Tenchi OVAs we mean OVAs 1 and 2 but not 3 right? Wink

Certainly the Tenchi OVAs and Tenchi Universe were among the first things that I watched and I still have an appreciation for them today. I don't think the dub has aged particularly well but I think of it fondly and it was good for its time. I think it is much more tame compared to a number of shows released in recent years.

I've been a fan for 13 or 14 years, can't pinpoint the exact time but I'm 36 now. I feel like I'll always be a fan to some extent.

As others have mentioned above, my interest in anime ebbs and flows depending on what I'm watching and what's new. I do find that my overall tastes have changed over the years (re: boob shows) as well. This sometimes causes conflict in our college's anime club because my students (generally 18-24 years old) occasionally take offense if I dare to offer a negative opinion about something. But that doesn't mean that I don't get excited about new shows, too.

The roots of my fandom are shows from 1995 through about 2003, that's when my transition to full time otaku was cemented. If you asked me to create a top 10 favorites list (in no particular order), probably at least 8 would be from that time period. So I may occasionally refer to that period as a heyday even though others may point to a completely different time period. I think it all depends on the individual person's experience.
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WRose



Joined: 15 Oct 2012
Posts: 1
Location: Scotland
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 7:38 pm Reply with quote
First post here, seemed like a decent place to do it...my wife and I are in our (early!) 30s and I think the thing that changes is just the more you see, the more you want to see new kinds of stories etc. You just have to look a bit harder for stuff that you like/don't feel like you haven't seen before. I think? So you don't get too old of it, but I just find I get bored more easily if it's just 'more of the same'...
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 9:03 pm Reply with quote
larinon wrote:
I don't think the dub has aged particularly well but I think of it fondly and it was good for its time.


Really? I still love it to death. Watched only a year or two ago. I don't know why it wouldn't age well....it's not like they use outdated slang or anything like that.
Unlike SOME scripts.....
*burns Sailormoon dub to ashes*

lol


And yes, screw OVA 3....it sucks. >_>
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