Is it even possible to find a Japan fanatic that is NOT INTO ANIME??

Question

-I tried the Japan club at my college

-I tried the internet. no avail.

Is it possible to find a friend that is not into Japanese animation? I would like to meet a person and befriend him/her and share our interest in Japan. One of my Japanese buddies does not like Anime and she thinks it's a poor excuse for being interested in Japan.

Answer 1

I have to agree, I'd like to learn Japanese because I find the country and it's history as a whole interesting, not because of some comic books and cartoons for kids and adults who live in their own world. Yet you feel embarrassed to tell anyone you're interested in Japan or learning Japanese, because people often automatically equate that with "Anime loving freak".

Answer 2

Sure, it's possible. I know f*all about anime.

Let me take a guess here--either you are in high school or college. If you  were friends w older people (**sigh**) such as myself then you'd meet plenty of people that love Japan but are not that interested in anime.

But you did say fanatic. . .I am not sure if I'd call myself a fanatic. . . .

This is the way I feel: when you actually live in Japan there are about a million more interesting things to do than stay in one's bedroom reading comics or watching videos. Esp when it is summer and you have to pay your own utility bill. . .!! Get out there and live, grasshopper!  

Answer 3

Yeah--go to a martial arts studio. People who study Japanese come in several flavors:

1) anime and manga fan

2) wants a Japanese girlfriend

3) martial arts aficionado

4) wants to get in touch with their Japanese heritage

4) everyone else (the smallest of the 4 groups--includes random people, flower arrangers, those studying it for business, artists, those interested in Buddhism, those who want to teach English in Japan)

Answer 4

I don't know why people have to be classified based on their interest in Japan. Is this some sort of holier than thou attitude?

What is a good excuse for being interested in Japan? Who gets to say what a good excuse is?

Answer 5

Yes. And people of all ages like anime...Keep looking.

Answer 6

Maybe older people? lol

Answer 7

We're talking about fanatics right?

Just kidding. I agree with another answerer. I only became interested in Japan because when I was in grade school a substitute teacher came for awhile and she would show us anime - usually Dragonball Z or Sailor Moon.

Up until that point I was more interested in French but I became intrigued by the characters and became curious to know what kind of people would draw cartoons like that. Heck I became interested in French in the first place because of The Little Prince cartoon show.

I can understand your frustrations in finding someone who likes Japan but doesn't have any liking for anime but there are people out there with all kinds of interests and to find those people who fit with you you might have to look in different places. Why not try a history or arts club? You may still find people who have an obsession for anime but you may also meet people who can separate their love of anime from the reality that is Japanese culture.

As for myself, I was rather in love with anime during high school but I'm not anymore. Maybe the people you're meeting are just going through a phase with it. At about $1.50 a pop in stores though (in manga) or basically free from the internet it's a nice tool for increasing reading/listening speed even if the vocabulary isn't necessarily common in some cases. If you believe I fit your description (lol) you can write me an e-mail and I'd be glad to talk about Japan with you.

Answer 8

Of course there is!

you just have to look harder. dont just assume that everyone who likes japan is an anime otaku, thats just not true.

I personally do like anime, but im not obsessed with it. Its why i first got interested in japan, but its not the reason why i love japan so much, as there is so much more to the culture.

you might even find some friends who still like anime but dont have to push their obsessive views on you. I still talk to friends who only like japan, without even mentioning anime, because I know they are not into it, and its not the reason we are talking about japan.

Please dont judge all of us who do like anime, its a great way to get young kids in school actually interested in japan.

Answer 9

I liked anime a little bit but over the years it died down, and I do a lot of research on Japan's customs, history, etc. I 2 get humiliated when people jump 2 the conclusion that I like japanese culture only for the anime. I hate that, my friend is obsessed with it but I'm not and people assume that I love Naruto and all that c**p. Oh well, I like Japanese dramas now since they are better than anime. I plan on taking japanese classes so I can teach english in Japan. The only club they have at my college is a club called OTAKU!!! It's so stupid, anime this, anime that...ughhh!!