gothicmarshmallon - Anime Fan

Anime Fan

Anime and manga fandom is a worldwide community of fans of anime and/or manga. The fandom has a large collection of websites dedicated to it, some of the most notable being Anime News Network, MyAnimeList, 4chan, and AnimeSuki. Although the majority of anime fans communicate mainly by means of internet forums, they also gather in real life in the form of anime clubs and anime conventions, at which many participate in cosplay.

Despite what some n00bs may say, most Anime Fans are not Otaku. Otaku is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, such anime, manga, or video games. In its original context, "otaku" is slightly offensive, and implies the person in question to be socially inept. In this way otaku could be seen as a Japanese answer to the terms 'geek' or 'nerd'. However, the American fandom picked up on this term and started using it in a positive way, and it is often used by those outside of the fandom to refer to any fan of anime or manga. Although those new to the fandom may use it in this sense also, those more experienced will know of its negative connotations and would not usually refer to themselves as such.

One major appeal of anime is its beautiful artwork; some fans claim that its visual quality is superior to that found in most cartoons made in the United States and many claim that Japan is the only good source of animation. One fan described enjoying anime because "there is no dividing line between special effects and what is real...it's just the way somebody imagined it." Another fan has also said that "only Japan can write a good story." Anime Fringe's Holly Kolodziejczak described being amazed by anime's depth that was unlike the cartoons she had seen been before: "the characters had real personalities, their own feelings and motivations for their actions, strengths and flaws that enhanced their characters. They were more like real people, and thus people could much more readily identify with them.". Anime is also more sexualized than western animation, particularly in fanservice.

Although fan service usually refers to sexually provocative scenes that are generally directed towards male audiences, it also refers more generally to events of little plot value designed to excite viewers or simply make them take notice, such as big explosions and battle scenes. When anime and manga are translated into English by U.S. companies, the original work is often edited to remove some of the fan service to make it more appropriate for U.S. audiences. Mike Tatsugawa explained this change as a result of a difference between cultural values of the Japan and the U.S. In fact, some anime seem to feature little else other than fan service as their selling point. However, some believe that the prevalence of fan service indicates a lack of maturity within the fandom; an editor of Del Rey Manga joked that manga Negima!, which contained fan service, should be rated as "for immature readers 16+" rather than for "mature readers 16+."

Like most fandoms, several anime fans create Fanart, fanfic, and AMVs based on anime series they are particularly interested in.

The typical Anime Fan likes music from anime, and may own more anime songs then 'normal' music. A typical anime fan will wear a top with an anime slogan on it, and something normal, like jeans and trainers.

They often own a lot of plushies and figurines.

There are different 'types' of anime fan within the fandom; shojo fans, shonen fans, weeaboos, otakus, seinen fans, yaoi fans, moe perverts, narutards, haruhiists, fangirls and fanboys.

Most info from wikipedia, last three paragraphs are on me. Art used base from DA and edited by me.