Americans and anime, manga, and otaku.

fmp0011

This has been something that has been on my mind for a while now. I was just curious as to how American anime fanatics are viewed by the Japanese people. I can say that without anime and manga my desire to want to visit and learn about Japan and the Japanese culture and ultimately the Japanese language might not have ever happened. Just really wanting some thoughts on the matter.

Sakura

Japanese people are VERY excited that anime and pop culture has been increasingly popular among people all over the world. One downside I could think of is that many non-Japanese fans know so much more about anime, music, and other Japanese stuff than 'regular' Japanese people, and we cannot keep up with the talk! I'm often approached by non-Japanese anime fans and they tell me all kinds of stuff that I have no idea about. It's frustrating that I have to say, "I'm sorry but I don't know anything about anime..." So, I guess my advice to you is that don't assume that every Japanese person knows as much as you know!

In the '80s, when the Japanese economy was booming, the primary motivation of studying the Japanese language was business negotiation. Many company executives tried to study Japanese. But now, without any doubt, the number one motivation of studying Japanese is the love for Japanese culture. Frankly speaking, there cannot be any better motivation to study a language!   

fmp0011

That's awesome. Thank you for the feedback. I was wondering about that. And believe me, in no form or fashion, would I ever believe that I know more about anything than anyone else. I try to remain a humble as possible. Anime has been a great stepping stone for me to get to want to know more about the Japanese culture. As a matter of fact if anyone can tell me a good Japanese history book or about a website that I could get some serious history from that'd be awesome. Of course the daily tweets and weekly blogs from you,Sakura san, are super awesome. I had no idea about the pickled foods during the summer at all so that was really cool as well. Once again, ありがとう for your information. I greatly respect your opinion and what you have to say. If anyone else wants to weigh in please do.
-コルビー