Anime is awesome. You know what
makes anime more awesome? Watching it with friends. What’s that, you say? Your
friends think anime is weird and refuse to give it a shot? Well, have I got
some good news for you: I’ve created a dandy little guide that will help you
help your friends become every bit as anime-obsessed as you are. Read on, and
soon you will be able to spread the joy of anime faster and easier than
spreading a venereal disease.
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| Why would your friends think THIS is weird? It's just a rifle-wielding teddy bear. |
Admit
it, your desire to get your friend addicted to anime is mostly
self-interest. You want someone you can laugh with, someone to share your
hobby with to make it even more fun. That’s understandable. However, you
are far more likely to succeed if you think about what your friend likes first.
If they love Disney movies and romantic comedies, starting them out with a
psychological meltdown like Evangelion
or Serial Experiments Lain probably
isn’t going to go over so well. Try something like Fruits Basket instead. And if they’re a sci-fi nut, steer away
from Sailor Moon. Introduce them
to Ghost in the Shell instead.
There’s an anime out there for everyone. However, the uninitiated think
Pokemon or Naruto are the norm. If you show something that captures their
interest, they’ll be more willing to sit through an episode. After the
strangeness of “japanimation” wears off, then they might be more willing
to branch out into new territory. Until then, though, your best bet is to
show them that anime can be cool
be introducing them to genres they already like, just in a different
medium.
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| My friend likes Twilight. I bet she'd LOVE this show. Look, it's got a vampire and a werewolf! |
What’s more annoying than a squealing fangirl? Nothing.
Absolutely nothing. You know how most people mock Twihards and people who
wear Jacob Black shirts? It’s because people don’t like you rubbing your
weird obsessions in their face. If they’re a fan too, that’s another
story. Then they might just squeal along with you. If they aren’t a fan,
though, more than likely they will find your constant blabber about the
“godlike sexiness of L” annoying, and it will turn them off to all anime.
You can show you like something without looking like an obsessive maniac.
As a general rule when talking about shows or characters you love, imagine
someone saying the same thing about a subject you are disinterested in. If
you don’t like My Little Pony, and
someone says, “Man, I love those ponies. That show makes me laugh,”
chances are this won’t bother you unless you are really immature. But if
someone goes, “Omigosh, I freaking watch My Little Pony seven hours a day! I’m saving all my chewed
bubblegum, and I’m gonna make a huge sculpture out of Pinkie Pie with it.
You have to see it when it’s done. Anyone who doesn’t like MLP is gay!” …that’s weird. What are
the chances you will want to go home and watch MLP after this? Not very likely.
3. Help
explain things they might be confused about.
4. Don’t strap them to a chair.
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| Pop quiz: This guy sits next to you on the bus. What do you do? Answer for a non-anime fan: Be very uncomfortable. |
Spolier: anime comes from Japan .
This means that anime uses different narrative techniques to express
itself. When people first watch anime, they might be totally confused over something as simple as honorifics. If they are, briefly explain what you
know. Tell them that when characters go “super-deformed” it is usually for
comic relief and not what is literally happening. Let them know that
magical-girl transformations usually don’t happen in real-time. This may
seem like common sense to you, but it isn’t. You learned it intuitively
over a period of time. Your friend can’t help being a stranger to the
culture and norms of anime. Don’t make them feel like an idiot, because
they aren’t (and making them feel bad will only associate a negative
emotional state with watching anime, lowering their future enjoyment). Try
not to overwhelm then, and don’t talk so often that they can’t hear what
is going on onscreen. But if they are confused, try to explain it to them.
They are in unfamiliar territory, and you are their guide.
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| For example, your friend might have questions like: What exactly is a host club? And where can I FIND one? |
4. Don’t strap them to a chair.
Here’s a little anecdote a hope you will find
enlightening: when I was in middle school, I had a friend who was
absolutely insane over Inuyasha. I did not like Inuyasha, but she was
certain she could “convert” me. On a sleepover to her house, she forced me
to have a non-stop marathon of the show. Before, I had only known enough
about the show to think it was bland. After sitting through fifteen
episodes, though, I changed my mind. Now I hate it. Forcing me to do something didn’t change my mind. It
just made me bitter, and forever sparked a fiery rage against the
fur-eared faux-female. The same can happen to your friends if you coerce
them into watching anime. Refer to step 1. Find a show you think they will
like, and explain that it appeals to their interests. If they don’t want
to watch it, then drop the subject for a little bit. Only bring it back up
occasionally, extending the invitation but not being pushy. No one likes a pusher.
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| Behold the subjects of my darkest nightmare. |
5. Give
it time.
So they watched a few episodes of whatever with you, and they are
unimpressed. Fine. Don’t fret. Give it a little while. If you did step 1
properly, then chances are they will want to see what happens eventually.
It just might take some time for them to lay aside their pride and admit
they actually like an anime. If they don’t come around, then either they
are really biased against the medium, or you didn’t do step 1 properly.
Try again, choosing another anime that you think they will like. Again,
don’t force it. If you introduce them to something that sparks their
interest, they’ll come around.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my guide! If you did, feel free to browse some of my other nerdy blog posts. And for the even more nerd, check this sweet puppy out
Posts
B-But she still doesn't want to watch it
ReplyDeleteoffer cheesecake
Deleteor pizza
if food doesent work, offer smethink they like
if that doesn't work, find new friends
jk, find new anime-buddies
Many of us have a problem which is, ( my friends don't wanna watch it!! They just don't wanna give it a shot!!). I used a method which may work for you too. Firstly, collect information about what your friend likes, the genre. For example action, romance, strategy or whatever. Once you are certain of their taste then proceed further. Invite them over to your house. Watch anime of the genre which your friend likes ( my friend likes action so, God eater did it) your friend will surely ask that what are you watching or what the hell are these kiddy shows??!!. Then explain him that it's not a kiddy show and bla bla bla. ( you know what to explain). Watch as much as you can in front of the friend. ( death note is highly recommend for this purpose. Most new comers start their journey with it.) Keep in mind that anime is not for shitheads. ( if your friends are shitheads (
ReplyDeleteMy friend likes anime and japan culture but not as much as i do, she asked me to suggest and anime and she didn't really specify what genre so I was like Danganronpa, she watched the first ep and yeah. she hasn't said anything about it since but she says she likes the anime
ReplyDeleteMy friend and I watched an anime together and then a few days ago, she said she was done WATCHING it. I was a bit okay with it (mah feels hurt tho). Anyways, then today, she deleted ALL the stuff related to it off her computer. I was like, "WHAT!?" Because we shared a strong passion and all of a sudden she isn't interested. Then she said she was done with ANIME. I was immediately like, "WHAAAAT!???" And now I don't know what to do. We do reference animes sometimes, but she refuses to watch anime again. I love anime, so I don't know whether to just sit back and let it happen, or try to get her back into it. I know she is still at least SLIGHTLY interested.... I dont know what to dooooo ;(
ReplyDeletewelp guess what it worked!!
ReplyDeleteI actually just stumbled on this guide http://techanimate.com/how-to-get-your-friends-into-anime/ it shows you about getting into anime although I still like this post much better. Either way keep up the great work
ReplyDeleteDANG! This was a good post, especially with number 2 control your inner nerd. But I can't help it lol :) Sometimes I just want to fill their head with the latest and greatest shows so they can appreciate anime the same way I do.
ReplyDelete