"Those Anime Dolls"- Does the connection bother you?

Eh to tell you the truth, I don't really have an opinion- but it generally seems to be the way of people who aren't really into a certain thing to lump it in with things that seem similar.

For example my boyfriend is really into music, and comes up with all these minutely sub-sectioned genres. Did you know that in addition to "rockabilly" there is also "punkabilly" "metalbilly" and "technobilly"? My response to his lecture on this was "Whatever. Just turn it down." lol.

You can see where they jump to the conclusion though- their fanbases are very similar, and they relate it to the thing they're exposed to the most. Probably anime, cause it's gotten to be so mainstream.

But really, if they don't care enough about it to know the difference, then why should you care what they think?

And as a side note, "otaku" just means someone who is obsessed with something. Only in the US does it specifically mean "anime"...so yes, people who are over-and-above into their dolls are technically "otaku" too.

 

I went with 'only a little'. While I don't have anything specific against anime and spent most of my preteen years as a die-hard fan as well, I live with a die-hard fan and he has a lot of die-hard fan friends, so anything that even remotely suggests to any of them that I'm open to hearing -endless- chatter about anime seems to open the floodgates. I love these people to death, but my patience for hearing about various shows that I may have almost zero interest in at length is pretty thin.

It took a long time to get 'guys, I love you, but when you're all talking to me about shows I've never seen as though I should know exactly what you're talking about by default without ever bothering to find out if I've even -heard of it- just because I was a collector 20 years ago, I want to thump you one' through a variety of heads. Anything that begins to start up that behavior again, well, I can't help it -- it makes me a little twitchy.

Yes, I know this is a matter of silly behavior, and that silly behavior could come from die-hard doll people as well as die-hard anime people, so I'll go on record as saying I'd be equally irked by someone who went on for hours about how I must know everything about a line of baby dolls I've never seen or heard of just because I collect dolls, since it's equally true.

 

I didn't come to this hobby through any particular love for that culture or style, so I am a little "Bzuh?" about the connection even though logically it makes sense. I just love many kinds of dolls. Mine are based on original story characters -- except for one tribute to Neil Gaiman's Death, who has been a sort of comforting avatar in my life -- and were always going to be, and I came to them out of that interest.

I don't particularly appreciate the connection, to be honest. Not because I have any dislike for anime - although I'm really not a watcher of anime, I do have one or two I love (Witch Hunter Robin, Death Note) and I think it's just as worthy as any other animation/art!

But there are two reasons I don't appreciate it: one is because BJDs are complex, beautiful art pieces that shouldn't be reduced to "those anime dolls", and the second is because I think it leads people to this impression of "japanese fangirls" or "wannabes" -- there's a derogatory word that I'm forgetting for this very concept! -- the idea of people who are SO into Japanese culture that they have to collect and absorb everything they see as being Japanese without any understanding of the culture.

First, that's not fair to BJDs (dammit, most of mine - and most currently on the market, I think - are Korean, or Chinese! Stop assuming all Asian countries are the same!), it's not fair to fans of anime (or BJDs, or both); it's not even fair to people obsessed with Japanese culture because in many cases they ARE quite knowledgable about the culture.

However, because I AM clearly a person who appreciates things to excess, I don't mind the word "otaku". Just like I don't mind the word geek (actually, I mind the word geek a little more: otaku sort of refers to homebodies, "basement dwellers" or people who don't get out much in its etymology; geek refers to people biting the heads off chickens D. Plus, we have a speciality housing hall in my college that's based around people with an interest in, well, geekery of all sorts: started out anime but expanded quite quickly to fantasy, sci fi, gaming, etc, and it's called the Otaku hall. Most of my friends live there and so I have a special fondness for "the Otaku" that I know and love. XD

WHEW that was long.

 

This is a really salient point. I mentioned irritation, but it does VERY MUCH depend on who's saying it. If someone were to look at my doll and say "Hey, he looks like ____! AWESOME!" I'm sure I'd be really pleased, even though I don't really love "he looks like" comments.

Whereas someone going, "Man, is that one of those anime dolls? So are you like, a lolita or whatever? Do you watch Dragon Ball Z?" my face would be a little more

 

I discovered about BJDs from a friends who lent me pictures to use for a website/project she was supposed to pass for her class. I wasn't even very impressed with them then. XD I got back to them/refound them when I found an original artist who bought a Bee-A and rendered her OC in BJD form and since then I searched, until I found myself in DoA.

I was rather surprised with Rozen Maiden since I hadn't heard of BJD inspired anime. XD Plus Shinku reminds me too much of my grumpypants. Mwahahaha.

So far, I haven't experienced it.

But then where I am, anime and manga and video games aren't as popular/well known and every doll they see in sight is called a dollfie.

Or called a doll akin to this local program horror icon. O_o

But I never fail to correct them if any misunderstanding should come.

I'm the only one with the problem since it seems I'm the only owner of a BJD where I'm at.

/lonely.

 

Haha I think that's true of a lot of stuff. I have a half-sleeve tattoo (along with a few other visible ones) and I get the same kind of crap from random strangers. Except only, they like to try touch you while asking inane questions.
"So do you watch Miami Ink? Have you ever heard of Kat Von D? You kind of look like her."

Only I'm blonde, and really white, and don't even dress like her, so really the only thing we have in common is a little ink. All while trying to fondle my arm.

Stupid people are everywhere, and don't limit their misconceptions and generalizing to bjd's and anime- you just gotta laugh it off, lol.

 

Lol, too true. I feel like if anyone has any outstanding features people scratch their heads and try to fit them in a box.

 

Being an somewhat Anime Otaku, I only found out about BJD through a friend who went to the same anime con as I and thats when I saw more people with BJD's in the gathering than just my friends and i started to take interest.

My first and only doll so far is Kiriha, an anime related doll, so to me I dont mind people connecting me and BJD, sometimes its too much of a bother to explain these type of things over 2 - 3 times so I usually agree and nod = )

 

No, I'm really not bothered. There are other things to get bothered over. Really, this isn't one of them...

I think, should anyone come to me and insist "Oh you have an ANIME doll" or something, I'd ask them - rather than lecture them - what they mean, exactly. Do you mean because of the large eyes? Yes? Oh dear.

If you tell someone something it might come across as defensive, which I guess would be where an argument might start.

 

Now...let's see if Momiji can finally make a post that counts


I'm only ever a fan of anime for their storylines, not for their design. (That being said, some anime films, like Spirited Away, are drawn especially well.)


But still, the only problem I have with the Anime-BJD connection is that it stands in the way of my parents ever supporting my buying one. But then again, it is possible that without even hearing of that connection, they would still see how BJD proportions resemble those of anime characters, just smoothed out and rounded.


I actually thought that BJDs were originally based off anime design, but there's what Wikipedia's done to me for you :P

Perhaps those anime series with their abnormally large heads, big eyes, small mouths, pointed noses and sexy legs (girls and boys) were just trying to do the same as today's BJDs, and that is to magnify the beauty of human features - beautifying the human figure without the use of makeup


I actually agree to the "anime doll" thing to an extent, but if someone said that about my BJD (if I had one already) I would think that it is so much more than just an "anime doll".
Nevertheless, I like looking at BJDs MUCH better than anime people.

 

No, not at all. I found BJDs about 6 years ago by looking at the Anime Expo site for that years con. There were these dolls and they were soo cool and creepy, if it wasn't for my love of anime, I would not have BJDs now.

 

...are your parents especially against Anime?

 

-The dolls are very adrogynous and girly, idealized completely by asian aesthetics
there is no doubt that people would associate them with Anime. Big eyes, Perfectly slim bodies, air of girlyness to them, Japanese roots etc.
I think if you dress your doll in a more natural way, they'd be less rolled in by anime standards. Its all about flexibility and what you do with the doll.

However, if you give them bright orange or green hair, make them wear highschool uniforms and give them stereotypical anime features like vampirish looks to them, then "Anime doll" is a right assumption.
Just as how if you dress your doll as a goth/punk/emo/lolita then that label will stick.

Aside from that they are just beautiful asian dolls.

 

Even though I am into Animè and Manga, it does annoy me a fair bit when people think this. This is mainly because I am very interested in Japanese culture and history, and am learning the language, and people think that because I like Animè and "Animè Dolls" I must be one of those 'crazy otaku fangirls' who runs around shouting 'Kawaii desu!' at everything with big eyes >.> When infact, I only got into animè as a result of learning about the culture.

I guess it's really because I like to be 'different', and hate being lumped together with the anime extremists which are much too common now. Maybe if I had a doll based off of an Animè character, I might feel different about it, and though my boy does have fairly large animè-esque eyes, I definetly see him as something separate, and want other people to see him seperate too.

 

I don't mind it that much, but I discovered these dolls through an anime community. For me there is a link even when I know there is so much more to BJDs than anime.

The lay person will try to understand new things by linking it to something it knows and anime has become well known to a larger audience in the past few years. This simplified link may insult people, but they try their best.

A friend of mine recently bought an Akhal-Teke and I'm sure that I as lay person will insult people when I say an Akhal-Teke is an expensive race horse from Russia. My friend did buy it in Russia and all I know is that the breed is used for horse racing. I wouldn't be able to tell about the rich history and the many, many diversities of the breed, but that is what I know. I’m not that interested in horses.

That's why I won't be too bothered if lay people go for the easy anime link. I know there's more to it and so will they if they want to know more.

 

Nope, not at all.

I'm a huge anime fangirl, and the reason I began to like them, MYSELF, is because they were the first semi-accurate anime-styled dolls I had ever seen.

 

I am bothered by the assumptions from the connection, more than by the connection itself.

Yes, I bought an Asian ball-jointed doll. However, I won't be able to hold a conversation about J-rock or anime. The blank stare is because I have no interest in those things.

The expectations that I must know about and like other things that aren't ball-jointed dolls confuses me. Any actual connections to anime aren't an issue for me. Even though I feel like I SHOULD care, I don't particularly care what inspired the creators of the doll or how the hobby evolved. I'm certainly not about to deny or debate it.

 

Absolutely >_> Especially the ones where everyone has the same features - big/triangular eyes, pointy noses etc (eg Pokemon).

I understand and share their point of view to a degree (some of those anime visuals are just cheap, unimaginative and simple), but I still can't help falling in love with some series. To which my parents are no help.

 

Why should this bother anyone?
When someone asks you about anime, because they've seen your doll, it's the same as seeing you like a certain band/musical artist/author/movie and then asking you if you like a different one that they somehow connect to it;

"The godfather is my favorite movie!- Oh really? Do you like Goodfellas?"
It's making small talk, isn't it?
It would be insulting and very offensive if you WERE Asian, and simply upon seeing that, someone asked you what your favorite anime was. Now that is offensive! But this is one interest, that does in most cases connect with anime, or Manga. If it were about race, gender, sexuality, then you would have a reason to get upset. You do not assume were these things are invloved.
Ball joint dolls came waaay before anime [as you need a TV for it], and are actually german, from what I understand.. So, that is what i would tell someone if they thought having a "ball joint doll" meant you were into anime.

As long as they have those big eyes or that tiny mouth, people are going to see anime. And you can't avoid that. Normally, when someone has a doll, say a minimee, or one with a square chin, and smaller eyes, people don't see Asian fantasy characters, but more realism. Which, you probably wouldn't like the reaction to that either, because i'm sure they just say the doll is "freaky" then. -_-

 

I voted only a little... I don't consider them to be anime dolls unless it's a Dolfie Dream or if someone has customized their doll specifically for the purpose of being a character from an anime. I don't get royally offended, but someone at Disney last week asked me what anime she was from and I was like "Uhm... she's not from an anime, she's an OC." and they freaked out and kept asking what she was from. X_< THAT was annoying.