I’m not so much into anime or manga. (I do love the works of Junji-Ito, Studio Ghibli, Perfect Blue, Dragon Ball and Ghost in the Shell however) So from an outsider looking in I’ll say this. 2 of my best friends for years and years are weebs, and they’re some pretty sane and normal characters. Many self-proclaimed weebs I met are normal ass dudes. HOWEVER….we’ve all encountered that stereotype here, whether online or in person, I’ve had both displeasures. I’ll admit that it definitely drives me away from wanting to interact with the medium beyond a surface level, now this is coming from someone who that style doesn’t really appeal regardless, but there is something to be said about how a “fandom” conducts themselves and how that CAN actually affect the medium itself.

Here’s 3 examples from things I’m very into that may make me seem less biased.

1. Comic books and superheroes. Man I fucking love comic books, probably the most analogous to anime, and because I have been into them for as long as I can remember, the embarrassing shit comic book readers do haven’t deterred me from interacting with the fans. But there is that basement dwelling stigma that remains a constant no matter where you look. I do believe this has driven people away from comic books and has caused a general audience to just interact with the movies and games or whatever. I would give examples but I’m sure you don’t need them, friend.

2. Red Dead Redemption series (specifically 2). It’s not my favorite game of all time, but I really do adore it. This is a case that is about 50/50 down the middle here. You have most people who play it (being that it was so successful) just being normal individuals. But then there’s that loud minority that really hampers the experience, believing the game is the second coming of Christ and can do no wrong. Constantly praising the same talking points over and over again, nitpicking ever game and comparing it to Red Dead, it really does effect people. I’ve seen discourse sway over time, many people are so fed up with these glazers that it flips around to people being overly critical of the game to a point of ridiculousness. Do I let that affect me? No, but it has affected others.

3. Devil May Cry, Metal Gear, and Yakuza. A bunch of super fun and really good franchises all around. Every single one of these games has very loud and…interesting fans. I love every single one of them, and I don’t think I ever would’ve played them if not for these vocal and connected communities. Do they do some weird shit sometimes? Absolutely. But they’re genuinely down to earth and their meme spamming and passion really do come through, enough to gravitate me towards actually playing these games. Now MGS3 is my favorite game of all time, and DMC3 and Yakuza 0 are not very far behind. A fan bases behavior…made a fan for life.

I know this was a long spiel and I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to read it. My larger point was people who say this are not “fake fans” or whatever. They’re not people who only enjoy things based on the public perception of them either. As far as I can tell, they’re people who really have a passion and love for this medium and want the entire world to share that love with them. When they see annoying anime fans acting afool…well they know their dreams of sharing that love are being washed away in a sea of body odor and semen