Hi

I'm here today in Sharla in Japan's apartment

with Sharla-

Hi

-in Japan

Hi

And I'm Shine in Japan.

And this is Shine from the channel Einshine!

Many of you probably know who he is.

If not then you should check him out because he's our friend.

Yaaay [clapping]

Shine is half Japanese. He's lived in both America and Japan.

And his channel has a lot focusing on video games or anime or kind of random stuff,

so I thought he would be a really good person to ask about this subject today.

Yeah!

So today I wanted to discuss the differences between otaku culture in America and Japan.

We have a lot of viewers who ask "What is it like to be otaku in Japan?"

"Is it okay? How are Japanese people going to view me?"

and that sort of thing.

So-

[clapping]

Do you think there are any big differences between

the culture in America surrounding anime and the culture here?

I feel like it's kind of the same, but I feel like it's a little more accepted in Japan

because I mean Japan made it, right?

In America it's like, "What is this weird thing that you call 'animu'?"

"What is this animu? What is this?!"

And people kind of make fun of you for it.

So I guess at least everyone here is accepting of anime

because it's a Japanese thing.

Whereas in America-

[Here] you're not like a weirdo who likes foreign stuff. Right.

In America, too, we don't have many cartoons that are geared toward adults.

We do have stuff like Archer that has a little bit older of an audience.

Family Guy. I love Archer.

Yeah, I love Archer, too. But there's not too much.

I was curious, though, because when I went to high school like ten years ago in America,

we had a lot of people who were so into anime

that they wanted to act like the characters

and they would do this thing called "glomping"

where you like run at someone and pretty much just leap onto them

and give them a hug. And that type of hug is called a glomp.

Yeah, they did that at cosplay conventions.

Yeah, even to people they didn't know, if they liked that character.

Right.

I was wondering if that happens in Japan.

Wow yeah, I feel like you would never see anyone do that here.

Right.

I don't think that would happen in Japan. In my school no one did that.

Yeah.

Rachel told me about it one hour ago and I was like, "WHAT?!"

"What the heck is that?! Isn't that just like sexual harassment?"

Yeah.

I think anime or otaku culture gets a really bad image in America because of that,

like people invading other people's personal space,

or assaulting people, even.

I've never actually been to a convention in America, but I've heard

people just come up and touch them...?

Yeah, that definitely happens.

It's not like it's an accepted thing. People get upset over it,

but it does happen a lot.

I feel like in Japan just touching people in general is not something you do.

Like you don't even hug people you're dating in public, so

that's definitely not something people would do to someone they don't know.

Yeah, Japanese people can read the situation better, I feel like.

Yeah, kuuki wo yomu (read the atmosphere).

So I guess like otaku here have a little more social awareness.

And fit in a little bit better.

Yeah, when I was in school I had a couple people I knew who were otaku.

One guy was skinny and he, you know, just fit in.

He was quiet and no one cared.

And there was another one, he was fat and loud, but everyone liked him.

He was like the school clown.

Everyone accepted him.

He was not awkward, he was not "anime."

If I asked him, "Do you like anime?" he'd be like, "Yeah I love anime!"

That's it.

He wouldn't pretend to be anime or anything.

He just said, "I like anime" and acted like himself.

So there's a word in Japanese, too. Chuunibyou.

I think it translates to like "Middle school sickness" or something.

Yeah.

Like people who pretend to be or sometimes even think that

they're something more than they really are.

Yeah.

It's not just anime. I knew people in high school who thought they were vampires.

I knew someone who thought he was the reincarnation of Jesus.

Oh my god.

We heard this story earlier.

We heard this story, yeah.

So yeah, but that's a Japanese word, so that does happen here, too.

Yeah but I feel like...

When I was younger, I was like that, too.

I was like magic.

I would get like a book and robe you know,

like "I am dark flame master!"

But that's normal for kids.

Right, for kids yeah.

I still do it because it's funny. I do it as a joke.

But I don't really think I'm magic or anything.

Do you think then that foreigners who are really into anime

if they come to Japan, they'll be okay here?

Yeah, why not?

As long as you're not hurting anyone, I think it's fine.

Yeah.

I feel like if you're super into anime,

don't come to Japan thinking everyone is into anime just because they're Japanese.

Because there's definitely that divide of people, just like there is in other parts of the world.

People who like anime and people who aren't interested in it.

I feel like everyone in Japan likes anime,

but they're not like fully into it.

As in like reading manga is like reading a comic.

Right, it's just normal.

They have like one comic, they seriously read it,

they're like "What? Is this a thing?"

"I just read it because my parents gave it to me and I started reading it."

I feel like it's just an everyday thing.

Yeah.

Not like some obsession, you know.

Yeah, okay. So just like any genre has the super hardcore fan.

So there are people who like Star Wars and just watch the movies sometimes when they come on tv,

and there are people who like Star Wars and have Jedi costumes and can write in Aurebesh

and that's TOTALLY NOT ME AT ALL

I'm not talking about me.

I think we kind of define otaku as

someone who's really obsessive and collects a lot of stuff,

and they might know a lot of details about it.

So otaku is just kind of like fanatic.

You can be otaku anything, like "densha otaku" or train otaku.

I got it, and weeaboos are people who want to be Japanese, right?

...Yeeahh? [kinda]

Okay, now I know the difference.

There's a whole range for "weeaboo" now.

People who are in the Japanese community or like anime, etc

they say a "weeaboo" is someone who is obsessed with Japan,

wants to be Japanese, claims they know everything about Japan, doesn't listen to other people,

or even sometimes physically harasses other people

or gets angry at people who don't like the same things that they do.

But then other people take the definition of weeaboo all the way down to the bottom

and just say, "If you like Japan, you're a weeaboo period."

So there's like a whole range.

Honestly the whole thing is just ridiculous. Yeah.

Just labels for people in general is ridiculous.

Like otaku, weeaboo, who cares.

If you're not hurting anyone, who cares what your hobbies are.

Right.

If you want to put 300 keychains of a character on your bag, go for it.

I agree with you. As long as you're not hurting anyone, go for it.

Be a weeaboo, whatever.

But just don't be that weeaboo who harasses other people for not liking your anime.

That's what makes the anime community so bad.

That's why people think weeaboos are so bad.

It's because of those weeaboos who attack other people.

Yeah.

Did I just spit? I don't know.

Yeah, so like the verbal attacking,

getting angry at someone, calling someone names, or even telling people to die

or giving them death threats if they don't like the same thing as you.

I get that.

Agh, really?

If I say I don't like an anime, they're like "How dare you?!"

How dare you not like my anime?

Yeah.

Why take it so seriously?

Why do you care? People like different things.

Why do you care if someone doesn't like the same thing as you?

I don't understand that at all.

I would never get offended if someone said they didn't like Star Wars.

I don't care!

I don't like Star Wars.

I don't care! That's fine!

I like Star Wars! ヽ(° ▽ °)ノ

Okay, well, getting back onto subject,

there's verbal harassment like that.

Actually telling people to go kill themselves, which is not cool.

And this happens to every genre where you have really in depth fans.

Every community. Kpop fans...

Every genre has that extreme end.

And then there's like the physical harassing,

where you actually go up and touch people you don't know,

or you run at and jump on and hug people you don't know...

Or even your friends. You just shouldn't do that to people without their permission.

I mean I don't know, maybe friends.

If they're okay with it.

He's okay with it. I'm not okay with it.

As long as you're not hurting someone, like what you like.

Just don't be upset if other people don't like what you like.

If you don't like anime, don't be a jerk to people who like it.

Right. Who cares?

And understand that you as an anime fan

kind of do represent the whole anime fanbase.

When you harass other people and get mad,

you're pretty much damaging the anime community name.

So if I was you, just be nice to everyone

and accept people's opinions.

Because even if you say "Oh it's just one person"

one person can make a big difference.

Yeah, it pushes other people away from it, too.

There's a huge stigma around being interested in Japan.

And everyone who comes to Japan say, "I don't like Japan because of anime."

"I like the culture."

Yeah, they feel like they have to say that.

It's ridiculous. You shouldn't be embarrassed for liking anime.

And I know many friends who are like, "I don't want to watch anime."

I'm like, "Why?"

He's like, "The community is just terrible."

"Come on man, just watch it."

"No, I don't want to get harassed."

And I feel bad.

They just don't want to be part of it.

My plushy's attacking you in the background.

He's glomping you.

HARASSMENT HARASSMENT

Just don't hurt people.

That's the moral of this video.

The moral of this video: be good to people.

And eat your vitamins.

Eat your Flintstone vitamins.

Eat your vegetables.

Stay in school, kids.

Don't do drugs.

Anyway, thanks for watching, guys!

I'll see you later! Bye!