In my last post I used a word in the title.
Weeb: a derogatory term for a non-Japanese person obsessed with Japanese culture.
Dictionary.com
Also called a weeaboo or wapanese.
I write about anime quite a bit. You know, Japanese cartoons. Some would say I’m a weeb. I wouldn’t, but some would.
A weeb flaunts their infatuation with Japan. I hide it away, never to be revealed in public at the risk of being called a dirty weeb.
The term “weeb” represents a culture that hates anime and anything Japanese.
Anime is hated so much that it has created a self-deprecating subculture within its fan base. I am part of this self-deprecating subculture. If I overhear someone talk about anime in public, I cringe. I immediately betray them. I almost want to make fun of them, call them a “weeb.”
Because I also hate anime culture. It can be obnoxious and toxic.
Most anime fans will tell you anime is hated because people don’t understand it. I believe anime is hated because its fans have this pretentious opinion. Most anime is trash. Absolute garbage. And I still watch it. I must admit that too. I love it for its trash. Most anime is filed under the category of “guilty pleasure.” Much in the same way people watch ABC’s The Bachelor or CBS’s Big Bang Theory or listens to Nickelback.
(Everyone hates Big Bang Theory. They say it’s not funny and cliché. I understand why, but I still loved the show. Another guilty pleasure of mine.)
(And if it was so bad, why 12 seasons? Bing!)
Most anime is trash. It’s hated because most of its fans can’t admit this. It’s nonsensical and corny. Most of the time anime is full of plot holes and character stereotypes so cliché you’ll want to taste your breakfast a second time.
But every now and then you find a gem. A diamond in the rough. You find something captivating and profound. That’s why I watch it. It surprises me. Anime is built to defy expectations.
I sit through trash to find these hidden gems.
Am I the only one guilty of this? Can you honestly say you have no guilty pleasures?
I watch trash and I have grown to love the trash too.
But I will never call the trash a diamond.
Because it’s not.
Anime is nothing special.
But Disney is special.
Everything Disney makes is special.
They can do no wrong.