Social Development Stunted by Anime

Apr 2, 2020 5:14 AM

Offline

Jul 2016

264

Ok now hear me out,

I started watching anime at a very young age (7-8) when I really got infatuated with the medium. I thought the humor was the funniest type of comedy, I thought Sasuke (from Naruto) was the COOLEST guy ever and that being like him would make girls like me (because for some reason the quiet loner gets all the babes in anime) and that anime was the supreme method of story telling.

Because I was balls deep in anime at such a young age, I missed shows/movies/sports that other people would talk about. I thought anime jokes were the best type of jokes and I would often recycle jokes I saw in anime to use on my friends.

We all know (or are) the weird kid who would "Naruto-run" down the hallway in middle school. Where do we draw the line with exposure to kids where it is socially toxic to engage in anime? When they start drawing characters in class? Recite Gintama jokes to their friends all day? Bring figurines to school?

I'm 23 years old now. Still enjoy the medium as much as I did when I was at my "prime" viewing when I was 12-13. In high school I saw all the kids who dyed their hair and cut it to look like anime characters, wore shirts, and even would say "anime things" in public. Its safe to assume that I had friends who bullied people in this niche.

Everyone I know who was an avid, vocal, anime fan was either antisocial, loud, bullied, or relatively strange. Now I see how this would have been very possible based on my young behavior. Are the behaviors in anime toxic to children? Would you want your child Naruto running around their school, yelling "datebayo!!!", and getting made fun of by their peers for their "odd" sense of humor?

Apr 2, 2020 5:29 AM

CrimsonMidnight

Offline

Jan 2010

6533

I won't expose my future kids to anime/manga that is for sure :3

BISHIES X RAP

Apr 2, 2020 5:50 AM

tokyodrifting

Offline

Aug 2018

500

I didn't watch anime til I was 16 (and then, I only watched Clannad/AS, I didn't watch any more til I was 18). Having said that, it all depends what kind of person you are. My social development was non-existent through my childhood anyway, it was just all small talk, and I'd have liked to watch anime a little earlier during lonely times.

Everyone is different, and I don't think it stunted social development in anyone; you are the one who stunted it in yourself based off your personality. It's like reading books, watching films; it's up to you how you express yourself in relation to these things.

Apr 2, 2020 7:24 AM

EmiliaHoarfrost

Émilia Hoarfrost

Offline

Dec 2015

4035

Don't games produce a similar result?

Apr 2, 2020 7:34 AM

Artreyu

Offline

Feb 2018

314

OGBsweets said:
Are the behaviors in anime toxic to children? Would you want your child Naruto running around their school, yelling "datebayo!!!", and getting made fun of by their peers for their "odd" sense of humor?

No I wouldn't

But that's not anime's fault, that's people's fault. It's all just fun and games and escapism, young children get into fantasy very easily. Me and a childhood friend used to sword fight and pretend we had magic powers when we were children... <--- influence from movies and other media

I would say the behaviours of other people/adults are/can be toxic to children, it's not just anime, there's a lot of other things you can be bullied for, for no reason at all.

Apr 2, 2020 9:16 AM

removed-user

Offline

Jul 2018

564612

No, most anime fans I know aren't antisocial or any other kind of other stereotype. That's just fitting for some people, who are standing out very much because of that.

Also a lot of kids got bullied. That huge percentage of bullying is more like an illness of modern days. There is a lot of pressure on students today and they often let it out on each other and by putting down others, they feel better abiut themselves.

And even if they are standing out, as long as they aren't hurting others with own toxic behavior and mindsets, it's just a weak move to blame people for being like how they feel comfortable with themselves.
It's like you are so scared of getting negative response by society for every little detail you are doing differently than other people. That's just... boring.
Not that you should trying at all cost to "stand out", but not caring so much is a pretty good start.

No wonder the community is quite toxic with people spreading all the bad stereotypes on their own. You don't even need other people out there to stereotype anime fans.

And these people not only bash on other anime fans, they often also bash on every "normie" out there, who is only into live action series and all.
And even the "normies" from my class and university courses were often as much as a crackhead as I am, when they were feeling more comfortable with you. I thought that one girl was just really boring for weeks, because she only talked about school stuff and never laughed on any jokes, and then she made that handsign and said: "One does not simply walk into the secretariat." lol

I mean, I also got bullied over years, but I also had a few of different friends abd some people I got along with, mostly who also watched anime but none fell into the stereotypical "otaku cringe"-pigeonhole. And I also got along with some other people, as long as they weren't toxic and all.
If they don't know anime, you just talk about something else.
All in all, I absolutely prefer the likeable type of crackheads way more than "omg, do I appear as NORMAL to you, I'm so worried!?"-people.

OGBsweets said:

Because I was balls deep in anime at such a young age, I missed shows/movies/sports that other people would talk about. I thought anime jokes were the best type of jokes and I would often recycle jokes I saw in anime to use on my friends.

And? You should consume stuff, because you like it, not because you have something to talk about.
You always can find something else to talk about, if you are liking people and wanting to talk to them.

OGBsweets said:

wIts safe to assume that I had friends who bullied people in this niche.

Everyone I know who was an avid, vocal, anime fan was either antisocial, loud, bullied, or relatively strange. Now I see how this would have been very possible based on my young behavior. Are the behaviors in anime toxic to children? Would you want your child Naruto running around their school, yelling "datebayo!!!", and getting made fun of by their peers for their "odd" sense of humor?

It's save to assume I got bullied then from a small group for another year, because I hated that they are bullying others and was pretty vocal about how much I disliked it. Toxic are people, who are bullying or supporting it, not when you are just enjoying yourself with things you like, or seeing jokes in anime that you replicate. It's not hard to say for others "sorry, I don't know what you are talking about" and moving on with the talk.

removed-userApr 2, 2020 10:15 AM

Apr 2, 2020 9:32 AM

MAYOIII

Offline

Jul 2017

3512

the best thing you can do is to befriend other weebs

or you can step out of your comfort zone and try other things ofc if you really want to

you don't have to change your hobbies or hide them for the sake of appealing to others

Apr 2, 2020 9:37 AM

removed-user

Offline

Jul 2018

564612

I find people in 'social settings' have always shown hostile vibes toward me no matter what I've been into. I watch anime, and have recently just gotten into taking manga-reading more serious, but I also like watching slasher horror films and Asian horror movies/dramas as well. So the question is, is it is anime/manga that stunts social growth/development or is it just the fact that people like us are dealing with a shit-ton of assholes in society? Like, honestly, I put up with peoples shit and attitudes all the time, and most of the time I don't even know why. I know we all have our shit that we're dealing with, and that it should never be taken completely personal, but I've become antisocial based on the hostility of society rather than antisocial because I watched so much anime.

Apr 2, 2020 9:41 AM

Kayle_x_Morgana

Offline

May 2016

5498

I never watched any anime when I was a kid or in high school really. I keep to cartoons but I can tell you I never told anyone I liked that shit.

And no, I would not want my kid to yell that dumb shit.

Apr 2, 2020 10:08 AM

#10

removed-user

Offline

Jul 2018

564612

I've watched anime my whole life and had zero problems with people who never did. I was very vocal about it back in school and even used to act in a cutesy anime-ish way sometimes and everyone was totally fine with it. It never affected my relationships with people, not even once. I think some liked me more because of it, for some weird reason.
But then again - no one was ever bullied in my school (except for people who hurt others for no reason) and everyone was extremely open-minded, even our teachers. So maybe that's the reason.

Apr 2, 2020 10:41 AM

#11

HappyPicnic

Offline

Jun 2019

757

Naw dude some people really owned their weebness and seemed like they were having so much more fun than anyone else, they win.

I do think it does stunt social development but not because of the pop culture part of it. Everything should be done in moderation including watching anime. It keeps people flexible and allows for a holistic use of ones time, but it's very hard to be moderate at middle school. I think I only ever watched 10-20 anime a year up to 2019 so I had space for other activities and socializing (although 2020 might be different with all this free time I have :P). One also has to consider that most of everyone in middle school is a pain in the ass for the most part and I'm glad I have few friends carried over from that period of my life.

HappyPicnicApr 2, 2020 10:46 AM

Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines.

Apr 2, 2020 10:57 AM

#12

removed-user

Offline

Jul 2018

564612

Kayle_x_Morgana said:
I never watched any anime when I was a kid or in high school really. I keep to cartoons but I can tell you I never told anyone I liked that shit.

And no, I would not want my kid to yell that dumb shit.

No way man you totally did! You must have because you are a Virgin right now /s

OT: I am gobsmacked. Honestly, I thought people like OP were just a meme. People really dedicate their entire lives to watching anime? For me it’s just another hobby. My most neglected one at that.

Apr 2, 2020 12:09 PM

#13

reygni

Offline

Apr 2020

I think some kids were just loud about it (chuunibyou?). A lot of people are closet fans, and you wouldn't even have known it.

Keep it simple, stupid.

Apr 2, 2020 2:31 PM

#14

deg

Offline

Jan 2009

92511

"what you consume/experience shapes you"

anime like any other escapism/addicting stuff can make you dysfunctional and not just socially weird

Apr 2, 2020 2:36 PM

#15

Milennin

Offline

Feb 2015

6845

Kids and teenagers do dumb and cringey stuff all the time. It doesn't matter, as long as they grow out of it when they become adults. I'd say most do, but there's always the few odd exceptions...

Apr 2, 2020 3:32 PM

#16

liquid_soap

Offline

Mar 2016

211

There are anime which are safe and anime wich aren't safe for the children.

Apr 2, 2020 3:47 PM

#17

Sawilagar

Offline

Mar 2014

680

Most anime teach more positive values than most American television does such as value in friendship, industriousness, fidelity, respect for elders, being honorable in general, and to a certain extent cultural collectivism. As such, those who do watch anime tend to be more in control of their emotions and act like well behaved people. This is why people are bullied over it. They can see that we are better than they are.

“Loddfafnir, listen to my counsel: You will fare well if you follow it, It will help you much if you heed it. If aware that another is wicked, say so: Make no truce or treaty with foes.” - Havamal 127

Apr 3, 2020 12:44 AM

#18

Ryuk9428

Offline

Mar 2019

4051

I really don't give a shit what people think of my kid. Whether they are his peers or other adults if they don't like my future kids they can go fuck themselves.

I don't think anime stunted my social development. I think anime is attractive to me because I am socially stunted and my emotional maturity resembles a 16 year old's more than a 22 year old.

Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines.

Apr 4, 2020 5:14 AM

#19

finestseeker17

Offline

Nov 2015

496

It's perfectly normal to think that Sasuke's the coolest guy when you're still in elementary school. It's also perfectly understandable for a middle schooler to do the Naruto run.

I think the main difference comes when you're in high school. Some high schoolers choose to treat anime casually. Most likely because they're exposed to other forms of entertainments, stimulation & pleasures, e.g. music, movies, tv shows, books, crush, lust & sports.

Some high schoolers, however, weren't exposed to those stuff. They tend to close themselves off in this period. It's not specific to anime. Stereotypes like the emo teens, the edgy teens, the jocks & the cool kids are essentially the same as otaku.

So, what's the problem here? Surely, it's not anime. I blame the parents, the school, the friends, the families.. the environments, basically. The main issue is surely communication. Without communication, there's not enough interaction for those high schoolers to develop as a person.

A person can only truly develop through other people. When you only have anime, you only get values from anime that you like. To make it even worse, you also need a trigger to try new genre of anime. People rarely try new things without other people's influence.

So, if you're into Naruto, you will most likely either only watch battle/action shounen or the popular ones. Those anime do not provide enough values to widen your horizon, hence the so called "weird" or eccentric behavior & appearance.

So, yeah.. the problem is, of course, lack of human interactions, both direct & indirect. An example of indirect interaction is when you saw a public figure that you adore tweeted or posted that he/she likes/watches this or that.

The key here is even an indirect influence is defined by you, i.e. whether you trust that person opinions or not. So, there's a kind of interaction there. Hence the rise of social media influencers.

Apr 4, 2020 5:40 AM

#20

Cneq

Offline

Jan 2017

3754

I think this could apply to any type of external influence if you're a kid lol be it games, movies or whatever else. I actually started watching anime when I was 18 and ever since then it's just been a superior form of media, nothing more.

TV's shows and movies became worse and now there's really no other choice but to watch anime if you want something engrossing and well-written/developed. Were as good movies come out every 5 years or so anime now has good stuff coming out even few months, it seems movies fell from grace post 2016 or so because stuff from the early 2000's like 28 days/weeks later/quarantine, batman trilogy and all that good stuff is long gone [with joker being the only thing recently that lived up to movies of that caliber].

ps. visual novels are a superior medium to anime/manga, fight me

Apr 4, 2020 5:41 AM

#21

Mayuka

Offline

Jul 2012

48248

my social development was a bit deferred because of anime took up a lot of my free time and i didnt get to socialize much. while people were out at parties, clubs, raves, etc. i was at home binge watching my fave anime

underneath the stars

Apr 4, 2020 6:23 AM

#22

worstwotaku

Offline

Oct 2018

I know some anime watchers who aren't asocials.

I think kids who were raised inefficiently will end up being obsessed about something whether it's anime or games or whatever, and will be seen as an asocial weirdo when they've grown up.
Kids always do "cringy" stuff like imitating anime or video games. It's about at what age someone does it.

- ratings literally don't matter. (especially the top 10 or whatever)
- anime characters aren't real people.
- why do you have signatures on. lol

Apr 5, 2020 1:41 AM

#23

lostinexistence

Offline

Oct 2017

176

OGBsweets said:
Are the behaviors in anime toxic to children?

No, of course not. What might happen is that other children may be toxic to their counterparts, and that is a entirely different matter.

Would you want your child Naruto running around their school, yelling "datebayo!!!"

I would see no problem if my son or daughter did it. There's no shame in having fun, especially when you are just a KID. Bullying is never

, ever deserved. I would see no problem at all in my kids doing Naruto running and shouting kamehamehas at each others or whatever. Ok, I wouldn't recommend'em to do it in high shcool, but hey, kids are kids. They need a certain dose of fantasy in their lives.

Also,
22 here. I had stopped watching anime in high school cause, you know, getting l*id and stuff... I regret it because I did lost a lot of good content released at that time, and even though those "pseudochad" days were precious and cherished, in hindsight, I think I didn't need to interrupt one of my favorite hobbies. You see, at that time, I too had this toxic kind of mentality that bullies and douches have: "anime is not cOoL" "anime is for looserz Xd". That's the problem here. Never should we stop to engage in our healthy hobbies because of social disapproval or whatever; we should try to focus our efforts in educate the people who shame other for just having legitimate fun!

Anyways, maybe you guys should stop paying so much mind to what others think. It's not your fault if you're bullied. It's

Apr 5, 2020 3:54 AM

#24

N44K00

Offline

Oct 2019

It's chicken and egg, and the first chicken has to hatch from an egg. Anime didn't do anything. That was always contained within you, your mind just latched onto anime as the thing to make you like that. That's what your character was from the beginning. Millions of people watch anime and don't react like you did, that's just who you are. Don't externalize it onto the TV, embrace yourself.

Apr 5, 2020 12:58 PM

#25

fendas123

Offline

May 2016

755

well luckily I've never been an avid anime fan. but I have no friends regardless

See All Discussions

Poll: » do you hide or deny your dark side to others or society? deg - Today	28	by cody »» 2 minutes ago
» proxy jackfrostenson - 43 minutes ago	1	by vasipi4946 »» 39 minutes ago
» Do you think there should be an age limit on friendship? Thy-Veseveia - Feb 28	37	by Sad »» 59 minutes ago
» 2023-2024 NBA Season Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) deg - Jun 18, 2023	677	by Crawlie »» 2 hours ago
» Over the years, I began to be repulsed by pork, is there any explanation for this? Absurdo_N - Mar 26	25	by bevarnow »» 3 hours ago

Social Development Stunted by Anime

More topics from this board

Poll: » do you hide or deny your dark side to others or society?

» proxy

» Do you think there should be an age limit on friendship?

» 2023-2024 NBA Season Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )

» Over the years, I began to be repulsed by pork, is there any explanation for this?

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters