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

I've never heard anyone make the connection between BJDs and anime characters. I don't like overly large eyes so if I see BJDs that look like anime characters (and I have only seen maybe two like that) then I just ignore them.

 

The thing is Volks Dollfies are dressed up to look like anime girls which people who dont tend to watch anime link the dolls and then further generalise that those different bjds are also part of the 'otaku' fandom

Honestly I dont mind and even thought about buying a Dollfie at one point as I love anime and manga though people that dont watch/read manga/anime might find it a bit irky.

 

Going to throw this out there first, here in the U.S. at least; many anime fans (at least the many I've run across including myself) don't mind being called an otaku, even after learning it's kind of an insult. We have a way of turning being a "freak" into "cool" But that's another story completely!

As for them being called Anime dolls...I've honestly never run into it. I can see why people could think of them that way, because many are exposed to them for the first time THROUGH an Anime Convention. That's how I first saw them. I can't blame the people who go into "what Anime do you like?" and "Is that one of those Anime dolls?" for asking things like that when a Con is likely the only place that they've ever seen them.

I've honestly NEVER saw a BJD outside of that setting aside from my own!

 

THIS! And thank you so much Kim for introducing me to new (or in this case) old stuff I've missed.

 

I'm bothered by it.... I've taken my little Kumi with me to the Renn faire and had a guy there ask me if he was an anime character. So what he had long, purple hair? It doesn't mean he's from an anime. Custom dolls are meant to be used to create a character. If you want to make them into an anime character, that's your choice. But most people make their own characters for them. They still ask when the see a doll modeled after a real person.

 

Seeing as I was introduced to BJDs through anime and most of my dolls are modelled after anime characters, I don't mind the connection though I have yet to hear anyone call them that in real life.

 

Well, considering that I am buying all sorts of different sculpts to portray ANIME characters, among others, I will say that, yes, these dolls do resemble certain anime characters. I mean by that, to reiterate a comment above, there is a wide variety of manga/anime characters - so IH Bichun might look like several (5 off the top of my head) certain characters, while DZ Mo looks like maybe 20 others..... Yes you can customize them & there now are sculpts that are focused on being dolls LOL Still, I sure couldn't have found any OTHER kind of doll (let's leave the balljoints & resin aside) that would enable me to create 20 characters from my fav anime w/o major modifications... Just saying.
If you take an Asian BJD & put a purple wig on it, then take said doll to a SF/Fantasy or Anime convention, you will get asked which anime character your doll is about 10 times an hour....

 

Which makes sense because as it's been mentioned many/most ABJD's are based on the same art aesthetic as anime/manga. Whether or not they are meant to be "anime dolls", they do have the same look and feel as the aesthetic used for anime characters.

 

It does not make me angry though I never had a person tell me that. I can see how anime and Japanese things are being connected with BJD's. They do resemble anime characters in way especially if owners dress them in that way. Japanese culture is so full of different things, like lolita (which is dollish in my opinion), cosplay and collecting of figurines. My sister is a huge One Piece and Zoids fan, she gets all her stuff from Japan. The limited One Piece stuff sell out like hot cakes! Japan also has those Japanese doll collections not sure what they are called and they have a lot of toy's for older kids and adults. So its not surprising to me that people think all BJD's are from japan and are connected with anime.

If somebody mistaken them for anime or a Japanese doll, Ill simply correct them but of course some people are arrogant and will be annoying. Nothing you can do about that but ignore them. >_>

 

I met ball jointed dolls at an anime convention, I like how there counted in conventions like video games and tea parties and such, but it does bug me when people think their just another form of expensive fan-dome for anime characters.

 

Honestly, this is one of those things that is completely ridiculous to get upset over. It's not healthy to let something so simple and easily mistaken get to your mental health. People ask because they're interested in your doll. If they're offensive, it means they're being a butt. Getting upset over a few people acting without respect is only going to be detrimental to somebody.

 

It doesn't bother me at all. For me they are a little cute, I just hate those large eyes. O.O lol!
I still prefer human/realistic dolls, I won't even buy one of those Anime doll, I don't even do cosplay... But they're cute... lol.

 

It doesn't bother me at all.

I came into first BJD experience when my friend, who was/is into Gothic Lolita clothes showed me an outfit on eLuts she wanted for herself.
I didn't get at first that those were dolls and then went 'What the heck is that?' and surfed around.
Ironically I was totally into anime, manga and video games, but didn't make the connection at all, since the dolls were pretty realistic.
Also when I spotted them later on cons they were mainly in GL clothing.

Now I certainly DO connect them with all of that, since I like to draw inspiration for clothes and other stuff from it. Also, I'm planning 2 - well, theoretically three, but one is kind of an OC ^^° - character doll.
And one mainly because I'm pissed that the most awesome character in a game didn't get a figure XD

So no, I don't see anything wrong with the connection.
I do however correct them if they compare them to the Sailor Moon dolls. And when they draw the conclusion of Anime = Hentai (18+ stuff) => Doll => Perv object?

 

I'm not really into anime, but I like a lot of the Japanese culture so I am understanding when people call them "anime dolls". There's no point in taking offense if they are something you enjoy. People can call them whatever they want, but it won't change my opinion of the dolls or Japan

 

I don't get upset because its just people who are not familar with the hobby that aren't aware its not mainly an Anime thing. I get that some people may not be into Anime and Manga but like some people have stated here I think its mainly do to the Dollfie Dreams that people see which are obviously anime/manga looking so I can definitely see why people make that connection.
Its just like people calling all BJDs Dollfies because that is what they are familar with, I don't see any need to get offended by either. I enjoy the hobby and yes I do like some Anime/Manga but regardless if I did or didn't I would just educate people on the difference that not all BJDs are created in Japan and not all are Anime/Manga like dolls. If you get offended and be defensive about it that is not helping the other person understand anything and it certainly will give them a oppinion that BJD hobbyists are on the snobby side. If you be patient and explain to people that obviously don't know the difference I'm sure they would appreciate it and take not only new knowledge with them when they walk away but a more positive attitude about BJD's and the people who own them

 

I didn't discover bjd's through anime. Im not a huge fan of anime. I do read anime now and then, and have watched anime, like fruits basket etc. But Id say im far more interested in comic books than i am manga. Anyway...I've always been interested in dolls, of any kind, growing up. And I remember I was searching up images of dolls, to see if there were any interesting ones I hadn't seen. And I remember I came across musedolls site, and I fell in love. I thought they were beautiful, and wanted one. I noticed the price however and changed my mind (although about 2 years later, i got back into my interest of them, and eventually ended up with the 5 i have at the moment).
I haven't had anyone pass judgement on my dolls, relating them to anime. But I am aware of a lot of anime fans being bjd collecters. It does feel a little stereotypical to me sometimes, but im not one to judge people on what makes them happy. I like to have my dolls, because i feel they're beautiful and facinating, and although im not anime crazed, have been inspired by fellow bjd owners, that made their dolls based on characters etc. Thanks to being inspired by all of them, I created characters for my own dolls, they made them more alive to me, and even contemplated basing one off Tohru Honda. Which I may still do one day, who knows. What Im saying is though, that even if i dont like to associate myself as a fangirl kind of person, who gets bjds because of anime. Doesn't mean i am against others who are. It makes it interesting. as so many of you can have nice photostories to show, and lovely character stories. So it's never bugged too much [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] [/FONT]

 

Not at all here considering I have a doll named after an anime character that is in the process of cosplaying him (he's not only that character but has his own).

 

I'm going to start off by saying that I don't care if people call me an 'otaku' but I've long since developed a pretty thick skin for labeling.
My reaction to people saying "those anime dolls" is just a quick polite reply of "Actually they're not from anime. They're hand-crafted resin dolls and they're fairly big in Asia." The connection the BJDs share with anime is that it's something the west discovered through an interest in Japanese culture that started up with the popularity of anime, like how many otaku became interested in cosplay. We had something similar in place already through Ren Faires and Star trek conventions but cosplaying really got big after anime hit the scene. We're seeing a similar thing happen now with the popularity of Korean dramas, many more people are now interested in Korean culture (I can't wait for that to play out.)

 

I'm going to start off by saying that I don't care if people call me an 'otaku' but I've long since developed a pretty thick skin for labeling. <br>My reaction to people saying "those anime dolls" is just a quick polite reply of "Actually they're not from anime. They're hand-crafted resin dolls and they're fairly big in Asia." The connection the BJDs share with anime is that it's something the west discovered through an interest in Japanese culture that started up with the popularity of anime, like how many otaku became interested in cosplay. We had something similar in place already through Ren Faires and Star Trek conventions but cosplaying really got big after anime hit the scene. We're seeing a similar thing happen now with the popularity of Korean dramas, many more people are now interested in Korean culture (I can't wait for that to play out.) so that will have an impact later on too i'm sure.

 

Personally it doesn't bother me, I can see how the leap of logic is made by some people and I respect that. Then again I like anime, maybe if I hated anime with a passion I'd have a different opinion.

To each their own I suppose.