So, I don't like Manga/Anime. Am I allowed to like Japanese?

[Hikaritennyo]

But actually, I do enjoy un-translated Japanese animes that aren't stupid & overly cute / perverted.

...

So I look forward to watching Anime in Japan, where it would be acceptable. Not just sitting at home watching English Naruto. Puuuke :]

Kobolinear, have you tried watching any of the fansubbed anime/dramas?
Even if you don't like "cute" stuff, the dramas might be a great way to expose yourself to more and you can read the subtitles instead of lame dubbing, which DOES suck. I stopped watching subs when I discovered Bittorrent. Plus, now you can find almost anything on Youtube.

[spare_change]

oops I dropped this..

http://www.mysoju.com/


Edit: Hey you know what would be really funny? Actually buying stuff! That would be hilarious!!!! (I mean, if your rich...)

http://www.yesasia.com

[AthOr]

Well, I'm also an anime and manga fan, and I've been studying japanese for a year by now. All I can say is that I studied in two different places, and I've only met 4 people who actually likes this aspect of Japanese culture (in the first place where I studied I had aprox. 15 classmates, and where I study now, 10).
Other thing I saw around japanese people I've met, is that, for example, I also love japanese rock, and when they ask me what kind of music I like, and say "mostly japanese rock", they say they know pretty little about this kind of music
Anyway, you shouldn't pay attention to what other people says, if you like what you're doing, you shouldn't care ^^

[JeanOfmArc]

I think it's kind of funny that people automatically assume you are an otaku if you want to learn Japanese. I began learning Japanese with no interest in Anime or Manga. In fact, I had a friend who was, and I teased him. But then a man that I really look up to said that if I was going to learn Japanese, watching anime was a good idea.

I didn't really want to though- it just conjured up images of Sailor Moon and Pokemon as English dubs.

However, I have come to see that anime is so broad in scope that not liking it is like saying you don't like Japanese music- are you sure you've heard enough music to make that decision?

There are a lot of obnoxious anime out there to be sure- and I avoid it. But there are some, such as Monster, that are actually quite interesting, and play out more seriously than the over-the-top tear-drop-when-annoyed nose-bleed-when-sees-pretty-woman kind. Similar with manga, I've found.

If you really don't want to, there's no reason to watch it- it's just entertainment after all. But what I have come to discover AFTER already beginning my Japanese learning is that a lot of it plays much like live-action movies or television shows, but they are just done more artistically (as drawings).

Up to you!

[Hiroko]

I don't read manga or watch anime except a couple that I have seen before, and I def. don't think you have to like those to like Japanese/cultures, languages and so on. I didn't watch Hollywood movies to learn English. Although anime/manga are big part of Japanese pop culture, it is not the core of the culture after all. I don't dislike it necessarily, (well, for some i do, just like i dislike some horror movies) but I just wanted to encourage you to keep studying Japanese in a way that suits you! Everyone's different, and maybe, you will like some classical Japanese, or pop culture, or maybe even Japanese business style etc., who knows?

[untmdsprt]

I'm a huge fan of Fullmetal Alchemist! I've been buying the manga for it now (20 books), and am having fun trying to read it. It's a bit beyond my level but I'm not frustrated at all since I have already seen the shows. I also enjoy Miyazaki's movies, and find all these to be a welcome break from actually studying.

I think the key to really learning a language is to find everything you enjoy in the language to keep your interest. Doesn't matter if it's comics, movies, dramas, or regular books. Just find something to keep learning!

[reboundstudent]

To be fair, every single one of the guys in my Japanese university class after 201 was there because they were hoping to rope in a Japanese girlfriend, and about 75% of the class had amazing listening comprehension because they watched anime constantly (couldn't read kanji to save their lives, though.)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with not liking manga and anime-and as quick as you (and sometimes I myself) are to dismiss it, there is nothing wrong with studying the language TO access certain entertainment forms that might have grabbed your attention. I for one have kind of fallen out of liking anime, but I still appreciate it for its cultural insights.

I think people just sort of jump to the conclusion that you must be otaku to be studying Japanese because 1) it has the reputation of being a really hard language to learn 2) few Westerners have much interaction with the average Japanese citizen outside of business and 3) people think it must be for the entertainment value because Japanese is seen as "useless" outside of the "crazy shenenagians of those Japanese"-wacky TV shows, J-pop, cartoon porn, etc. I don't care to remember how many times I've been asked why I'm studying Japanese instead of something "useful" like Spanish.

Another poster above almost mentioned that manga is very mainstream, so don't give up on manga just yet! Seriously, there's manga for EVERYTHING... bio manga, baseball manga... a few days ago I saw a manga about a woman taking care of her elderly grandmother. I wasn't a huge manga fan when I was in the States, since most of the manga that was imported was for die-hard Japanophiles, but since coming here, I've really been won over.

Just my 2 cents! Carry on!

[nyappyrebecca]

I used to want to learn Japanese because of anime. Not because I wanted to understand it but I was mesmerized by the sound of it. I don't watch anime much anymore.

I know this is an old topic but this is a common problem a lot of people [who are into it's language and culture] have. I have a question. Even if someone is learning Japanese because they are an Otaku, what's wrong with it? Learning a second language only makes you smarter and broadens your horizons. Why judge a person's reason for learning a language? It doesn't matter how silly it is. It'll only make them smarter in the end.

What I don't understand is when people say you're obsessed with Japan if you like their music, television, people, food, etc. You never hear anyone saying to an American who lives in America, "You're obsessed with America."

[Aishiterunihon]

so true nyappyrebecca!!!!!

[BlueWolfy]

Well I like anime and manga because it helps me sometimes with pronunciation and it also helps me review japanese lessons I've had. Before you rant all over me, I'm not a hardcore fanatic nor do I believe that Japan is "the best country in the world" or better than everything else.
What I really hate is people saying they know Japanese just because they watch stuff like Naruto or crap. Or because they can say a few words. For me, when you actually know a language you can actually make an entire sentence by yourself.

nyappyrebecca is right though, there is nothing wrong in another person wanting to learn. Is there really something wrong in liking anime or manga? Does is affect you at all?(physically/mentally) Does it prevent you from doing something? In fact, it doesn't bother me at all when people say: "Omg, you know Japanese! You're a otaku!" or hardcore fans trying to make me teach them something.

I don't live out of any of those people, if they try to annoy me I just turn around, walk the other way and leave them talking alone.

[haegela7938]

Same goes for me too kinda.

I Love Japanese Music & Dramas & Movies...
But I don't like Anime at all. I kind of like Mangas but I'm not in love with it.

[widyaseo_511900]

Regarding allowed or not, you can read the discussion on site http://www.wargakartu.com/

[community.japanese]

Everyone,
Konnichiwa.
You have a good discussion.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us.
Yuki 　由紀
Team JapanesePod101.com

[komoto]

No problem.
Manga/Anime is most famous subculture of Japanese in the world.
But it doesn't mean Manga/Anime is all for Japanese culture.
There are more thing than Manga/Anime
Japanese language, J-POP, J-Movie, J-Drama, Japanese food and so on.