Anyone not into anime, but into BJDs?

I do not think so. Many collectors on the forum are doll collectors, so you do not like anime, manga or anything of that sort to enjoy BJD

 

i am another who is not into anime or japanimation or manga, tho my 2 daughters were into anime and are now into bjd's. i just love the dolls and the way they look, i love dressing them and making up backgrounds and stories for them.
i think the connection might be due to the shape of the dolls, their long legs and anime shaped bodies, and the huge amount of fantasy clothing out there for them. there are alot of us who are into the dolls and are older than 30...way beyond yugioh, etc.

 

I listen to Japanese music and I'm interested in learning the language, but I never got into the anime. So you're not the only one.

 

I know how you feel! I found these dolls through my love of Hans Bellmer, and it can feel a bit isolating. (I sometimes bring a Hans Bellmer book to big meets, to educate people, lol!) In a basic sense, fans of anime and manga tend to have the most access to all things azn, so more are exposed to the dolls. Not to fault doll collectors, but American doll publications don't seem to do much to explore new types of dolls from other parts of the world, so it can be harder for doll collectors to be exposed to them. (Although I did have a very nice time at a normal doll convention, lots of people said 'Is that a BJD? i've seen them on ebay but never in person.' so I got to do fun little show and tells.)
The dolls do provide a nice jumping off point for learning about Japanese culture, not anime and manga, but aesthetics and ideals, and learning about it can shed some light on why companies do what they do. If you want a suggestion, there are lots of good articles online about lolita, that can also relate to dolls.

 

It's not just you .
I was/am interested manga (I only follow a very few series anymore however), but anime has never been my thing. I also tend to go for BJDs that look more realistic and more 'western' (not that those two things necessarily go hand-in-hand!).

Also, I agree with lissmiss - it makes sense that more people who are into other asian things are introduced to the dolls more than people who aren't.

 

I think for a lot of people, the bridge to BJDs was through Asian culture. They are Asian in origin, after all. Many people who are into Anime and other Japanese cultural imports just naturally stumbled upon these dolls and joined the hobby. But that's only one way of stumbling on them.

I myself stumbled through DeviantArt, when I was just browsing the photography sections and happened upon some BJD pictures. So my bridge was not through anime or even anything Asian-related, but through visual arts. As anavel said, many people also find BJDs by first being general doll collectors, and seeing them in other people's collections or in doll magazines.

So, in the end, there are many ways to discover BJDs, but anime and other Asian pop culture imports is pretty much the most pervasive method.

 

Me too i got into these dolls by looking at doll reader mag and haute doll not connected to japanese any thing but since i gone to anime cons with my anime nerd friends for the doll stuff

 

To be quite honest, I hate anime. There are very few series/films that I do enjoy, and though I had a love of it when I was younger, it's just.... too immature for my tastes. I don't find good stories. All the characters are typical. Most anime comes accross to me as juvenile, and even the more 'adult' series' tend to have a lack of plot for me, or I despise thier drippy characters. (I'm not saying all the time, but for me, it just doesn't turn my crank. This opinion is not meant to offend anyone. If it is your taste, then that is fine, and I can appreciate that. There are some anime that I still think of fondly, and I am happy that so many people enjoy it, still.)

I've been 'out of love' with anime for quite a few years, now. My interest in dolls caught on when I saw a friend of mine carry hers to a screening of The Phantom of the Opera. They were both in costume. It was a chance meeting. (Though admitedly, I did meet this friend at an anime convention. And I'm glad for it! .)

I do like Japan, but I am more interested in the study of geisha, other forms of japanese art (traditional ones, including shadow dance and kabuki theater), and because of my latent interest in all things horror related, I love studying japanese ghosts, mythology, and asian horror films since they tend to be more psychological than your typical American horror.

But yes, rest assured, you're not the only one. I couldn't care less for anime, though my friends still enjoy it, very much. Wether or not they're into dolls.

 

I found these dolls while I was looking for something for my 50's dolls. I know about anime because my Niece likes it, but I just can't get into it.

 

I think it really depends on who you hang out with in this hobby. The anime/bjd overlap is naturally very strong among younger members. And because anime fans also tend to use the internet a lot, and they have overlapping interests in cosplay and lolita, both of which have overlap in bjd...well, you get the picture. So if you go around in those circles, it certainly does seem like everyone who likes bjd also likes anime or manga or Japan in general.

But there's a wide variety of interests here, from fantasy to dolls in general to historical, etc. I don't think anyone should feel alone in this hobby, because there's a group for everyone.

 

Well, I'm half Japanese, third generation US born and while I enjoy
my family culture I'm not into manga or anime and I learned
about ABJD's by complete accident!! So add me to the list
along with the others, abjd's is a hobby, and while the history/success
of it is Asian, it doesn't center around anime/manga (does it?)
so it's perfectly OK to not be interested in that area of collecting.
I personally prefer softer faces for my dolls and I don't understand
the fascination with dolls that have pointy noses/chins like some
volks dolls or papermoon, but to each his own!!

 

Right here! With a few exceptions (Sailor Moon being my favourite cos it's such a big part of my childhood), anime does not interest me at all. In fact, I much prefer Western Animation, like what Disney puts out. (The movies, not the channel. I loves me some Disney Princesses) There is no reason to feel bad for not being into anime, although I know what you mean kinda feeling like an outsider because it's not your thing.
I am into BJDs simply because I am into dolls. I also collect porcelaine dolls, Barbie dolls, and Jem dolls. And, okay, I admit it, Sailor Moon dolls. Old habits die hard.

 

I don't see why it is such a big deal to 'not like anime' within the BJD community. As it's been said over and over again, yes there are plenty of people who do like it just as there are plenty of other people whose interests lie elsewhere. It's not a big mystery and it's rude to assume that all younger collectors like and are obsessed with anime/Japan and all older collectors came from fashion doll collecting. And besides, just because someone happens to have an interest in anime and you don't, does not mean it is impossible to find common ground elsewhere and have other things you both enjoy to discuss about the BJD hobby.

 

Hmm, despite the fact that I like Japanese culture (I grew up knowing exchange students from there) and that I do like anime/manga, I feel this has little to do with this hobby. I found out about BJDs through some of my many hours spent online, and it had nothing to do with anything Asian that I am interested in. I actually thought that BJDs were European at first with company names like Volks and Luts, haha.

Anyway, I keep my pop culture and dolly hobbies seperate, so I can at least sympthize with those who are not quite into the whole saturation of anime culture in the BJD world.

 

*wave* Not an anime fan. Oh, there are some I'll watch, and I've even been to an anime convention, I like Pocky, and I had to learn bits of conversational japanese to communicate with people in my freshman year of college- But I have never counted myself a fan. I dabble a little the way I dabble in just about everything else, but I didn't find BJDs through any obsession/hobby with Anime or manga. In fact there are very few of those that I can stomach, come to think of it.
I found BJDs through sculpting figures, and that led to dolls, which led to obitsu, and here we are!

 

I used to enjoy watching Sailor Moon with my daughters when they were little and that is the extent of my interest in anime.
I only started collecting dolls, in general, last fall. I don't remember how I discovered bjds, but when I did, they kind of eclipsed everything else.
One of my daughters, on the other hand, is interested in just about everything Japanese EXCEPT anime and bjds. She learned the language and just returned from several years in Tokyo where she lived, worked, and married.
My three daughters all just shake their heads at my hobby. The bright side is that I don't have to share!

 

I'm not much of an anime fan. I can think of 2 series - Sailor Moon and Cowboy Bebop - that I've enjoyed, and I don't think I'd go out of my way to watch Sailor Moon again (because nostalgia glasses don't usually work). I also really like Miyazaki's works, but that's because they're good stories, not because they're anime.
Though, I've also never been into dolls in general, so my desire to have a BJD is a bit out of left-field for me.

 

Please don't kill me...but I watch Anime and am a self-proclaimed Japanaphile. However, my love of anime wasn't what got me into BJDs. I, like myuumyuu, found out about BJDs through deviantART (thank God for dA). The first BJD I saw I mistook for digital painting of an Asian person, and I've only heard the connection between the dolls and anime through the forum here and the fact they are from the same country. *generalizing*

So, if anything I'd say the reason I want to get one (putting aside all the fun arts and crafty things I crave to use my doll for) is because I really do like the look of most Asian peoples...and I look forward to the day I can say I have one tied up in my closet. *jokingly referring to a doll of course*

Ball Joint Dolls are so realistic--I don't think they're anime-like at all. So, ultimately my liking them doesn't have anything to do with anime or manga, as far as I see it. Although I admit maybe it helped, because without anime and manga I probably wouldn't have such a love for the Japanese, but still...

To me they don't have anything to do with each other besides their birthplace.

I really hope that makes sense.