Negativity in the Anime Community
Nyla Anderson
Staff Writer
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Screenshot from a scene of character Light Yagami in “Death Note,” a popular shounen anime about a teenage boy who attains a notebook that ends the life of names written in it.
Anime has gotten popular this year, especially when schools were beginning to shut down due to COVID-19 and new protocols. Students have had time to discover new things, one of them being Anime. Anime is Japanese animation.
Though anime does come from Japan, there are many disputes between people in America that are a part of the anime community.
For some, the term “weeb” has a negative connotation, while to others it’s seen as a joke. Depending on the person, it has different definitions.
“I usually just consider [weeb] like someone who just likes anime a lot,” Freshman Jasmina Brandt said. “It’s more positive, but the term otaku is the more negative one.”
The term otaku has had different meanings; it can mean a hardcore anime fan, but it can also mean someone with no social or love life that only stays in the house since that’s where the word otaku comes from. Some people prefer not to use the words weeb or otaku because they don’t want to associate themselves with people who fetishize and are obsessed with other cultures and people or fictional characters.
Gatekeeping is a huge argument in the anime community. Gatekeeping literally means limiting general access to something, but many people use the word as thinking somebody shouldn’t have access to something because they don’t fit certain requirements.
A lot of older American fans are frustrated that they were bullied for watching anime when they were younger and now it’s a “trend,” and fewer people are getting bullied now that it’s popular.
“I understand why they would want to gatekeep it,” Senior Eman Jawad said. “But at the same time, for the producer who worked so hard for it, it’s not a good choice to gatekeep [anime].”
Even for long term fans, there are arguments between them on who is “worthy” to watch anime.”
“A lot of the gatekeeping occurs when we’re talking about sub or dub,” saidFreshman Paige Walker. “Just like music, it’s subjective, it’s however you like it.”
The anime community is also known for having issues pertaining to pedophilia and racism. The people do not reflect the shows and movies they watch, so anime can still be enjoyable for all.