I'm sure many people can admit to watching Dragonball Z when they were younger. Liking anime shouldn't be frowned upon. I don't judge and people should be allowed to express themselves how they want without fear of ridicule because it's what makes them happy. If you want to walk around in cat ears and a tail (or some kind of other costume) and consider yourself an "otaku", as long as you aren't completely obnoxious or a jerk about it, by all means, go for it! I will even admit that if I had time in college, I would have joined Belegarth (the "medieval combat club"). I can't even begin to tell you how many people gave that group odd stares, cruel smirks, and vicious chuckles when waking past them on the quad. It saddens me to see that people get laughed at and judged just for having fun in their own unique way.
I have been watching it guilt free since I was about 10 years old. Years later, I am still catching myself watching it in my free time. This time, I am realizing that I have a greater understanding for the concepts depicted in each show. For example, Gravitation displays homosexuality and .Hack//Sign displays mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. These are topics brought up in every day conversation and important to be well-versed in. Anime is just like any other show you would find on TV, except it has origins from Japan and is animated. I don't think it's "weird" at all. Better yet, I'd even want to go to a large convention (ex ACEN) if I had more people who'd want to go with me. I also think that anime is better than a lot of shows that are prominent among the latest gossip, such as Jersey Shore. I also think that having the protagonist end up in a fantasy land from being flushed down the toilet is hilarious.
Anime fosters the creative mind imagine deeper than normal because many of these situations are based off of fictional situations with the characters having personalities resembling what a certain type of person would be like. Also, drawing anime and good cosplay are extremely difficult to do and require a creative mind. Unfortunately, society doesn't consider anime to be "normal" and just assumes that anime watchers are "different". You often find these people being the ones who are picked on at school, which is extremely unfortunate. It makes no sense to me. In reality, I have found people who are open about watching anime to be more genuine and comfortable with themselves compared to those who are afraid of what others will think and keep that interesting tidbit under wraps. People are doing what makes them happy, which is all that should matter in the end! Disregard society's norms and what people think you should or should not do to "fit in". For all who stopped watching anime because people made fun of them, I am so sorry. I think anime is one of the most incredible forms of media out there and I want to promote as many people as possible to watch it without feeling ashamed of doing so!
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