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

Going a bit with what JenKat was saying, it's impossible to expect the general populace to know much about bjd, and so they have very few things in their life with which to categorize what they see. What's interesting though is the variety of facial sculpts, and while some have distinct anime influence, I see many more that have a new victorian quality, with European facial features, and if anything I would expect most people to think of vintage porcelain dolls similar to those their grandparents might have owned.

 

While I enjoy anime, I didn't find BJDs through the hobby. (believe it or not, it was actually a great video game magazine called "Tips and Tricks" X3)

I had a "friend" who kept clumping anime and BJDs together. He was a very annoying, know-it-all in regards to anything Otaku... *cough*andanythingelse*cough*
I was giving up anything anime related for a while, and he kept saying, "Oh, so you're giving up Casimir?" I was like, "no... why would I? BJDs don't have anything to do with anime." He kept going on with, saying they do... very annoying! XD


So yes, I do find it irksome. (mainly do to that particular friend) Though I find it a tad insulting that people would assume the only reason I would become interested in these particular dolls is due to my being influenced by Asian animation... >.>
I could, perhaps, see the reference earlier on in the BJD world, when the companies were primarily Asian based. But now that there are really BJD companies in almost every country, the assumption is baseless. ^^

 

I don't think anyone here would be suprised to have their dolls likened to anime characters. It's where they really started from. I'm fairly suprised to hear some people have adverse reactions to seeing dolls and connecting them to anime/manga.

I'm very much into anime and manga but I actually found out about BJD's a few years ago through a completely unrealated forum. I've been in love since.

 

Amusingly, as I've found myself watching less and less anime, the more I've gotten into BJDs. None of it really interests me anymore and found BJD through a friend who discovered the hobby herself by randomly meeting someone on the street with a doll. It was never related to anime, manga, or anything like that at all. (I had never heard of Rozen Maiden until I joined DoA, for instance.)

I, however, have zero issue whatsoever with the association, because, as many have said, their Asian aesthetic resembles the commonly seen animation styles pumped out of Japan. I kind of find it to be a useless thing to be bothered by.

 

I'm not very fond of this connection, but I don't really mind. Many people doesn't know a bit about this topic, so if the tell me if it's a manga doll, I'll just say no and that's all. I can understand the reason why many people find a relation between dolls and anime: many dolls have (very) big eyes and the most famous manga have the same eyes size, so it is normal they think that way.

 

Maybe the correlation between anime and abjds, is a consecuense of the tendency of the owners of dolls at cotumize like an anime cartoons, many dolls like the rozen'sn maiden dolls

 

I assume it's because of how Volks is like the god-company for dolls and they've done anime-inspired dolls in the past. I am an otaku, and I use the connection as a way to get my other nerd friends into BJD.

 

I love anime and manga. I cosplay. I have plans for character dolls. The connection doesn't really bother me...for the most part. My favorite doll is entirely my own creation, but I always get asked what show he's from! I try not to get annoyed with the folks asking me, because I know they don't know anything about him or the hobby in general, but it does get irritating to be asked it over and over.

 

I think the fact that my first doll is going to be Rika Furude from Higurashi should make it obvious that I have no problem with the anime connection at all ^_^ As with so many others, it's what led me here.

 

Sometimes I describe my BJDs to people as anime-inspired because it's the only way some people can understand them. And actually, people are more accepting if I say that I collect them for that reason - an appreciation of anime - than for the real reason - an appreciation of the artistry that my dolls reflect. If I say, "I collect certain dolls because they're haunting and beautiful," people usually raise eyebrows at "an adult who plays with dolls." But if I say, "I have these because I love anime," most people respond with enthusiasm and agreement. It's an interesting phenomenon.

 

I really do not like anime. I don't like the connection being made to anime. I'm fine with other people liking it and even basing their dolls on anime characters, but it's not for me. If someone asks if my doll is anime-inspired or something like that.. I will flat out tell them no way. I don't want people thinking that...

 

well it would not bother me and in some ways at lest to me they are since the fact is what is anime? anime is basically a story about a asian character alot tend to make storys about there bjds and bjd's styles are asian styles from what i have seen. anime is more structured and has more detail and more back story so forth then cartoons do. anime looks better then cartoons do.

so to me if you put down the basic facts of each the style of each they do have a connection does not mean one has to like one to like the other. also there true origins like what wikipedia says you can see the connection. yes it is true you do not need to like anime to like bjd's they are different.


hope i did not offend anyone just saying how i feel about it and see it but i would not think that just because someone is into one they are automatically into another.

forgot to add that basically it gos for me that i don't think just because its a bjd it is or has a story related to anime.

 

Hmm . . . not sure . . . i loved anime and i loved bjd is two seperate/different ways.
Someone asked me for opinion/advise like "WHAT ANIME CHARACTER SHOULD BY BJD LOOK LIKE?" I frown for abit and say "IM NOT SURE ITS UP TO YOU, ME- I LOVE MY DOLLS THE WAY THEY ARE [their own personality].
That's my opinion. T__T

 

Not really... To be fair, they do fit quite nicely with anime or Japanese pop culture. Although more and more companies are starting in Korea and China, Volks is one of the most popular/well known companies, to my understanding, and they're originated in Japan and their dolls tend to have more anime-ish faces, so it's easy for "outsiders" to make that connection.. I can see how people that like dolls but not anime would be offended/displeased by the connection to anime, but I've liked anime/manga for a long time and it doesn't bother me too much. I do, however, correct people when they say "Japanese dolls" since not all of them are from Japan.

 

I'm not into anime, but wouldn't have too big of a problem with being associated with anime, since many dolls *do* have anime/manga-like "perfect" qualities. I guess I would get annoyed if someone repeatedly refers to them as anime dolls I'd get get a little annoyed. But on the flip side, I'd expect it to be easier to explain BJDs to someone who is into anime rather than someone who doesn't know about BJDs at all.

 

I think that the soul reason why they gt clumped together with anime and that otaku scene is because there are LOTS of doll owners who are KNOWN to like anime and manga and otaku related things.

 

Well, there's that and the fact that there are BJD meets and events often held at Anime Cons...so I can understand why people might lump the two together in that sense, especially when they are otherwise unfamiliar with the world of BJDs.

 

ah ~ the connection doesn't affect me at all. Instead of explaining to ppl, i usually just let them say "japanese dolls" since it'd be too long to explain (=W=)

 

It bothers me sometimes, but just a teensy-tiny bit. I know that there's a connection that a lot of people make (rightly or wrongly). I just don't care for anime/manga. I've never been intensely into the phenomenon as a whole. I *do* like the aesthetic, and a tinge of it tends to creep into my life. I like Japanese dolls, and now I like BJDs. It had nothing to do with anime, and more to do with my journey as a doll collector.

 

It doesn't bother me at all. Like kuraiangels I would never have gotten my first doll if it weren't for an anime convention and a nice doll owner.