Anyone not into anime, but into BJDs?

I am surprised by some of the responses of people saying they feel left out because they aren't into anime. To me, it seems that a lot of people who like anime are generally 'looked down upon' in the bjd hobby. I mean, not to say this is a truth, but I feel that there are a lot more people in the hobby who are doll collectors or artists rather than anime enthusiasts. At least the ones I've noticed around DoA. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place.

But anyways. I enjoy a few anime series now and again. I'm not into it like I used to be when I was younger- but it was through anime conventions I came to know about bjds in the first place. Oddly, most of the doll sculpts I like are from companies in Korea.

But I don't consider myself an 'anime fan' or a doll collector. I just like bjds. So I guess I don't fit into either category.

 

Eee D:
Personally, I.... don't like grouping the anime fanbase with the BJD hobby. >__<;

I mean, yes, there are character dolls and whatnot, but outright grouping -ALL- BJDs in with anime just rubs me wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I do like anime: the majority of my middle school and half my high school career was fawning over manga books and going to a handful of conventions. (Believe it or not, I wasn't a big spender in my younger days).
But the generation of fangirls who introduced the ideals of love for the Japanese culture solely because of anime and the idea that they knew a few fractured Japanese kanji words (without a clue of how to write their characters) made them "fluent" in the language "kind" of utterly ruined it.

I mean... PLEASE. "Kawaii" makes my ears bleed.
Also while I can appreciate it as an art form, it set me back about five years when trying to find my own artistic style. Which sucks when going in for portfolio interviews. :/

I can't pinpoint it, but for some reason... if anyone calls my boys "those anime dolls" it just.... it's like nails on a chalkboard to me... Dx

 

My enjoyment of dolls is completely separate from my knowledge of anime.

Actually, I get irritated and offended when BJDs are lumped in with anime. I have an incredibly strong dislike for all anime from the last 10 or so years and learned about bjds long, long after I started to hate japanese cartoons.

Most bjds don't look to terribly anime to me, anyways, and I am quick to correct people who assume that liking one product of asia means i like it all.

 

To an outsider it comes across as a 'genre', accurate or not; regardless of story lines they still have the same look, humour; the same as Disney is almost as if it has a genre all of its own. It makes sense for me to say, 'I don't like anime' as a sweeping generalisation because well, I don't really like the 'art style', and the fan base surrounding it kinda irks and embaresses me too. That is why, to an outsider it looks like a genre, like a style and attitude surrounding it. The same with, as I said, Disney- they have a certain style and adult fan base. I would not say I do not like the medium of animation- I do not like anime (or Disney actually lol), and it is easier for myself really to refer to it as 'lumped together'. I personally would not refer to it as an art form, although it probably was to begin with, but having millions of 'fans' just attempt to copy it and expect some kind of positive reaction is absured. Again, in my opinion.

I am not going to disrespect you or anyone in their like for the, well, whatever the right descriptive word is for anime. I understand that people involved and interested in it would regard it differently to me; the same way I am sure there are things that irk me :P

You know, I'm not even sure if anything I said here made sense. I just felt I needed to respond as I was essentially singled out. Intentionally or not.

 

Heh. No...
For the record, not all BJD collectors are weeaboos. I count myself among those that aren't.
I'm an old-school gamer-chick and collector who likes putting pretty dolls in Asian-style outfits, not an anime/manga/jrock/yaoi/lolita/cosplay fan.

(Although I will admit to loving Last Exile, and you'll have to pry my Petshop of Horrors manga out of my cold, dead hands. Those two things are exceptions to the general rule in my case. XD)

 

I find Asian culture interesting, but not more or less so than any other culture. I don't really care for anime, although I can appreciate the aesthetics of it, because I just find it... kind of bizarre! The characters are thin, the relationships are shallow, and the plot lines can only be described as surreal. Mind you, that only refers to the anime I've seen, which admittedly isn't a huge amount. I had a friend who was really into everything related to Japan and she showed me lots of anime. I made polite noises

While I do prefer stylized dolls over realistic ones, that's simply because I like my dolls to look like dolls, not because I want them to look manga-ish. My anime-obsessed friend was the only one out of all my friends who had heard of BJDs though, so I suppose there must be a link there!

 

I'm not a huge fan of anime - at least I don't think that watching 1-2 series per year would describe me as "anime-fan". There are a couple of good plots that I enjoy, the above mentioned Last Exile being one of them, but this is as far as it goes. I have never attended any anime-cons, and I'm not planning to, I've never done cosplay nor written fanfiction. I have done fan-art... once, maybe.
I'm just a person that loves BJDs. And Japanese mythology ^_^;

 

Just because you personally do not like something does mean it is not a legitimate art form. Animation is, no matter how distasteful you may find it, an art form the same way sculpture, illustration or cinematography is an art form. That includes anime, which yes, is not a genre but a medium. It'd be like saying you hate all television shows because they all look the same and have the same plots. That is absolutely ridiculous.

People get so butthurt on this forum when people refuse to see these dolls as art objects or treat them poorly for having a more niche hobby, and yet in this thread they clearly show they aren't capable of giving people who have a different hobby and interests the same courtesy.

 

I wouldn't feel alone in this. Like someone said, there are also "doll collectors" that got into BJDs. Also, some people are writers who just need their characters fleshed out. I, myself, am not into Manga or anime. Not because I don't like it, but because I just never got into it, Asian products are not too easy to come by all the time in my area, and I don't have friends who are into it. Personally, I'm one to get passionate about about a hobby then evolve in it so when I did discover Re ment and 1:12 scale miniatures, it led me to Flickr which then led me to tiny bjds, larger bjds, etc. So don't feel like you're the only one. You're not

 

So, i interested BJD over two years but I never interested in anime. I don`t like this drawing style, stories and characters. Seriously, I can`t understand why anime is so popular and interesting for a lot of people. Also, I think than between BJD and anime is not connection

 

I've just gotta chime in at this point (Oh, how I love to play the Devil's advocate) as I notice that many people cite fans as one of the things that scare them away from anime, and of course I agree.

But! You've gotta know that the extreme fans of ANYTHING are irate and crazy. Allow me to illustrate. I like Russian culture = cool, I worship Russian culture as even during periods of social inequity and widespread pestilence it was still far superior to any other culture. I only watch Russian shows and eat Russian food as all other food is inferior = crazy.

Again: I enjoy anime, I also like American and French movies, a ton of different music and Greek food = Okay. I enjoy anime, I won't read any American comics because they are all crap compared to even the worst manga. I only listen to J-pop and eat sushi and pocky! = crazy

It's the same difference between the guy that goes to church on Sunday and say... Pat Robertson, and no matter where you go you WILL encounter extremists. No matter what hobby you're in THEY WILL FIND YOU! So don't let them scare you away as you're only punishing yourself for other's behavior by not trying things you may enjoy.

Just remember that moderation in all things is good for you though everyone has something like this. I myself have a favorite comic character and I've found myself standing in comic stores arguing with grown men about how he would so obviously beat the Hulk in a fight. And he would too, because I'm crazy and I believe it. XD

 

I discovered the world of BJDs while browsing through custom content for the Sims 2
One day,I decided to go on google and search up on these dolls,and thats how I finally got into the hobby,not because they came from Asia and all that,but because I loved how they were different from other dolls and the strange beauty they emitted.
Though i'm a cosplayer,i'm not too big a fan of anime or manga since it's hard for me to enjoy them unless they were gory or had horror themes in it,and didn't have that typical 'moe' look to them.. I did listen to Japanese music,but it's since been replaced by Thrash/Heavy metal and some indie bands.

 

My love of BJD does not come from my love of the Japanese Culture. Well... it does in a way since they are part of their culture... in a way.... I do like it when I get a doll that comes from Japan ^^

I like their comics and animations but I do not see why someone "needs" to like them and regularly read/watch them to like BJD. I do not see a lot of Anime/Manga fan liking BJD so I do not see why the opposite should be true ;3

The only thing that joins them for me is that I found BJDs while looking for art from Japanese artist as I like their way of drawing a lot.

 

I don't really know anything about anime. I like a lot of Japanese things, but I wouldn't call myself a Japanophile. I've seen lots of overlaps with bjd collecting -- I'd say there are as many fashion doll people as anime fans in this hobby, as well as artists and fiction writers, etc.

 

I don't believe I have ever even seen an anime show. Though my oldest son does collect anime comics (books?...not sure what they are technically called, sorry) But that's about the extent of my anime 'exposure' :/

 

I'm not really into anime, the only one I've watched all the way through is Kuroshitsuji. I am definitely not a fangirl, I think that is sooooooo annoying.

Now about BJDs: for how many people around the globe that love BJDs, I don't look at it as a "Japanese culture" thing. Most of us aren't into it because "it's something they do it in Japan". We love them because they're beautiful. I have a Japanese tuner car (Toyota ftw!) and that isn't related to anime or Japanese culture to me. There are so many people that drive a Toyota in the around the world (Toyota Corolla is the #1 selling car ever), and I will bet you that those people didn't buy one because "it's Japanese" lol. Sorry for the crappy analogy.

We love bringing ideas to life, and what better way than through a BJD!

 

However - am I the only one? Is it a prerequisite to enjoying BJDs that you have to like Japanese culture?
Um, no. Now I enjoy certain things that have come out of Japan, but I also enjoy music, videos, stories and art from just about every part of the globe. I think what most of us have in common is an appreciation for beauty and creativity. Even those who enjoy anime/manga or are in love with Japan may separate their love of BJDs from those other passions. I'm abit tired of the rift between anime/manga fans and non-fans though. We don't have to like something because someone else does - but there's no reason to get so dramatic about it as I've seen happen.

 

I'm much like Dhampir. I like the Japanese language and culture (and videogames \o/) but I never really got into anime.

Weeeeeell... except for Miyazaki films. I do have a soft spot for Miyazaki.

 

I like anime, lolita, and enjoy listening to music in Japanese (and whatever else sounds good to my ears). Ironically, I found anime through drawing, and BJDs through anime at an anime convention. I didn't think "Oh, anime doll!" I thought, "Ohmygosh that doll is so gorgeous and detailed." Despite having ordered my dolls from Asian companies, I don't just like them because they're asian or "look anime-ish".

To be honest, I don't like mixing my anime and BJD hobby much, and I refrain from talking about anime in public since I hardly ever watch things that come out in the US. I usually end up going to the back of the crowd because I don't like Naruto or Black Butler or whatever new things just came out.

I like some anime's art styles and the more mature storylines that can be found, so I am an anime fan. I like the ability to fully customise my doll, therefore I like BJD. If you call my dolls anime dolls, I will vehemently correct you. As people have said, hobbies overlap. I'm pretty sure there are people who like stuff Dr. Who and BJDs, and Star Wars and BJDs. Though I admit I can't get into those, I have to be courteous about it. Try not to bash people for liking anime, or bash anime as a whole because you came across a couple anime (or fans) you hated. It's kind of akin to hating Fairyland because you dislike Ante or Shiwoo (or the people who spam them).

 

I'm into anime (not as much now as I was a couple of years ago, but still) and VERY much interested in Japanese culture. I mean geez, I lived there for a year, and my major goal at the moment is to go back, possibly for another round of living and working. And my other two major collections involve Japanese things. I suppose to someone not in my head it might look like I got into BJDs as a result of my interest in Japan, since most of my characters right now are Japanese. However, they really aren't connected. The characters I created are the way they are because of my interests, but my interest in the dolls themselves is due to me finding them very beautiful and lovely works of art, not because they're Asian or because I like anime.