Grrrr...personally, I couldn't give a damn. I love anime and I love manga. I watch it all the time. I read it all the time. I collect figures, posters, etc. I play anime based video games (among others) and I wouldn't give any of it up for the world. I am currently learning Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and furthering my studies in German. I am a 17 year old college freshman with a double major in Marine Biology/German and a minor in Chinese and keeping at LEAST a 3.2 GPA. While that does not make me a genius, it's still pretty good. :mtongue: I also have an avid interest in many cultures of the world (mostly history and customs), particularly German and eastern Asian; although, I am also very interested in India .

My point here is that you can be one of the craziest anime fans out there and still have a LIFE! I have friends who absolutely HATE anime. They know I like it and could care less.

Some people in the U.S. think I'm crazy and hate that I like it so much, so why should I expect Japanese people to think differently? I find that stupid. Either you care or you don't. I don't. I like what I like, and if you don't like it then more power to you. Anime fans should stop bitching about other people who disagree with watching it all the damn time and just liking it in general. They just don't. End of story. Move on!

Yeah, but owning one is different than parading around a university campus (of all places) with it on your head and simulating Naruto fights with buddies. If you were at a convention or something like that where people are doing cosplay than it is excusable. If you think about it, we do a type of cosplay in other countries sometimes. Good example would be in America on every Halloween. Kids dress up, adults dress up and go to clubs and party. So, we have this one day of cosplay once every year too.

That's different, though. You're not letting anime consume your life like someone obsessed. You seem to have a balance here.

I should've specified. I meant to say that I've never worn it since I bought it at the convention. I had a Momiji (Fruits Basket) cap too. I wore it with the headband while there. Outside of the convention, I didn't though. I mostly like plushies, and that's something I like collecting.

We are not talking about individuals like you who aren't completely obsessesed. You have to admit that there are some people who go overboard. There is nothing wrong with buying posters, collecting anime related items, and watching and reading manga. Hell, I watch anime myself sometimes. Here is some of the things I was criticizing.

1. Playing ninja with some buddies on a university campus of all places.
2. Spending tuition money on anime and books instead of spending it on tuition.
3. Showing up to your first day of Japanese class dressed up as "Sasori" from Naruto and refusing to sit in your desk when sensei asks because you want to sit Japanese style on the floor.
4. Asking me to teach you how to say, "I'm going to kill you bastard and send you to hell!" in Japanese so you can use it on some random Japanese person and watch their facial expression just because you saw it in your favorite manga.

I broke down laughing at this. Seriously, Sasori? So, Japanese class is a cosplay opportunity for them. lol

I used to take Aikido (did lousy in it) and that seiza style way of sitting is annoying. My feet always went numb having to sit that way while my sensei spoke or droned on before and after lessons. They used to cramp too.I really laughed hard at this.

Yeah, as matter of fact my friend was taking basic Japanese class with the "Sasori" student. That student and two of his buddies were a continual headache for that teacher. The teacher ended up cancelling classes some days.

Well then yes, these are the people that should be sent to mental institutions. How the hell do they even show their faces?

Good lord, you just described what goes on around my campus every year...

Every semester we get about a half dozen Japanese exchange students. And every semester the anime club jumps all over them like a pack of wild dogs fighting over a hunk of meat. Maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea. It's almost difficult to watch. . .

ha, I'm only half-Asian american so I don't know if my opinion counts but I find crazyAmericananimefans to be a little weird, but not really that bad since they kinda live in their own world anyway. Saying "kawaii kawaii neeee" is hella annoying, but I understand that it probably becomes second nature or something after watching too many cartoons.

One thing that I cannot stand is dissing Chinese/Korean culture because it's not Japanese and getting this sort of fake "Japanese pride" just because they like anime. It's disrespectful and plain irrational. Japan is a very cool country granted, but I find that many anime-fans start hating on any other country that is not Japan.

One thing American anime fans need to realize is that when they get to Japan, they are really NOT gonna blend - not even in Akihabara, especially if they dress crazy or like their favourite character. People will probably just see you as another crazy nerdy foreigner.