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

It never really bothered me, as (like some of the other people on this forum) I discovered these dolls through anime (particularly the conventions). I think they get lumped together because most of the dolls have that anime"look" and proportioning. There also seem to be a lot more anime fans than straight-up dollfie fans (at least in my area). So it's easier to meet up at anime conventions and have an Asian Ball Jointed Doll panel, as opposed to hosting our own convention. Though, I'd really like it if there were more BJD fans in my area. Most of my friends are afraid of dolls, because they all had aunts or grandmas who collected them, so my friends wont be getting into them anytime soon.

 

I almost always get the "OH, its Sailor Moon" line from people who see my KDF ANI, even though the resemblence is nil to me.
Personally, I HATE... I dont think that word could be stronger... the connection between Dollfies and Anime. Personally, I see them as Asian creations, yes, but not of a similar type.
I realize that everyone will approach this differently, but being of an older generation, I recall a time where Anime was frowned upon, and to like Astroboy for anything other than its English version was wrong.
Similarly, my husband, though supportive, never truly bonded with the whole idea of Anime, and is critical of anything to do with the genre... meaning my dolls will be scrutenized for their Anime look should I choose to dress them in various "school" outfits (which I think are adorable). Of course, this sounds contridictory, but it is quite simple.... the connection is sometimes saddening.

I feel that the limitations of the BJD style has excluded americanized versions of BJDs. To see certain dolls excluded based on stylistic looks to me is shameful, as it perpetuates an Asian influence and ignores the American introduction. I would have like to see the "babydoll" look which has been deemed "off-topic" appear. Sadly, when we as BJD consumers favor the Asian style, and exclude the American, we are perpetuating the GENERIC Anime style. To those who do not appreciate the not-so-subtle differences, BJDs will be ANIME, even when they are not.

Bottom line... it urks me.

 

But.. that IS where the dolls originated.

I understand that not everyone likes anime -- I prefer it vastly to the shrieky nonsense American companies put out, where there's no ongoing plot, no character development, and nobody EVER speaks in a normal tone of voice but rather shouts at the top of their lungs. However, whether or not you like anime is *almost* moot.

It's a bit like HATING the Internet because it originated in the defense industry.

It's just... one of those things. It is.

Now, I don't mean that as a put-down. You're entirely entitled to your opinion (I'm using the generic "you" here, meaning everyone who doesn't like the anime connection), and nobody says that you have to keep it to yourself. But I wouldn't expect the connection to go away in the minds of the general public. It's there because it is or was a valid connection.

Just as an aside, I can't quite see Ani as Sailor Moon either... unless you dress her up with two long blonde pigtails?? O_o

(and the word is "irks").

 

I agree with the majority of you: I love anime. My addiction to one anime in particular still consumes a good amount of my free time to this day. And, like many of you said, if it wasn't for anime I would never have seen a BJD. my best friend, and fellow anime freak (I wouldn't mind being called an otaku either, if you care to know. now, back to my point), found BJD's through anime sites, sent a picture of a beautiful chestnut haired SOOM doll to me, and I was amazed by them. The first time I physically saw a BJD was at an anime con that year, to boot.

But I understand how people would feel insulted: if anime were something you hated, something you knew nothing about, or something you liked a while back but didn't any more, to have your dolls labeled with something like that might make you angry. But not me.

Besides, my family and friends get confused when I begin talking about my doll and her origins; relating her to anime often helps the conversations progress.

 

I guess I would rather them have that reaction than the old, "Is that your boyfriend?"

 

Another aside to Soshi...

The baby dolls and American BJDs aren't excluded from discussion in the doll community at large, any more than, say Sybarites or Tonners or Reborns or any other kind of doll is. It's just that *this* discussion forum focuses on the Asian Ball Jointed Doll, with all of its aesthetics and associations. I subscribe to Haute Dolll, which is largely about Sybarites and Barbies these days, with the occasional BJD article tossed in. There's plenty of places to discuss all of those other types of doll - many of the BJD collectors *also* collect those and discuss them in appropriate fora. The word "exclusion" is misleading.

I think its pretty clear to anyone who has read the "front matter" of this forum that the main reason for limiting discussion *HERE* is that it's already a HUGE, HUGE forum. There has to be a boundary somewhere or the servers get overloaded.

And... finally... I'm of an older generation, too; and my impression is that anime was frowned upon by people who really didn't know what they were talking about. The media in its spendor made a huge fuss about the existence of hentai, and didn't bother telling people about the wonderful art and magnificent storytelling that *also* exists in anime. Same thing happened in the comics world back in the day. I think that as people have learned a bit more about the cultures and histories of other parts of the world - at least during the 50+ years I've been around - there's been a move toward acceptance and understanding.

At least that's my hope

 

People keep talking about "back when anime was frowned upon" but personally I see more of it now than ever before. Back when I first got into anime 12 years ago, most people didn't know what it was but were intrigued when I explained it to them. They thought it was a neat hobby. Nowadays it's become so popular that I don't tell people I'm an anime fan because so many see it as a loser hobby.

 

There's nothing shameful about basing something on the visual style--this is a board specifically for abjds, so naturally that's not going to include all dolls with ball joints. Some people love all kinds of dolls, but there's also a lot of us that are only into the abjds and are just as happy not to have to wade through pages of everything else. There's lots of forums out there for other dolls--why can't we have ours? Just because a doll is deemed off topic isn't a slam against that doll, either. It just means it doesn't fit in with the dolls here. And by the way, just because you don't like anime style, doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with it, or that others shouldn't like it! So what if that's the aesthetics that's perpetuated? The aesthetic qualities of abjds are what make them so unique. If we stopped perpetuating what you call the generic anime style, then there wouldn't be abjd style dolls anymore.

You are also incorrect that bjds do not relate to anime--they actually do whether you approve or not. I can appreciate subtle differences, but these dolls still stem from anime roots and it shows. You don't have to like anime to enjoy the abjd hobby, but to insist they are unrelated to anime is to ignore the history of the hobby and the aesthetic qualities that make these dolls what they are.

 

Exactly. That's what I was trying to get at with "It's like hating the Internet because it originated in the Defense Department."

or... um... hating to eat your veggies because they started in the dirt?

 

Not to be contradictory, but I can honestly say that I don't like the american style. My mother has always collected "american/baby doll" type dolls and barbies and that's why I got into the abjds, because to me they were different. I also wanted dolls that looked closer to my age, like I could relate to them more, or they could relate to me. That's why I don't like baby-dolls, or even the smaller child like dolls... but that's beside the point. The real reason I got into bjds is because they inspired the excitment that I used to feel about anime but have lost recently, to me they are the same, and at the same time different.

 

Ironic that a friend of mine and I were talking about this exact subject...

and honestly, it drives me up a wall. The "Anime Fandom" is one stereotype I do not want to fall into. Granted, I've watched some anime like Cowboy Bebop but...there are certain people that run with this stuff like wildfire and then just regular ole' doll collectors get thrown into that clusterf#@k. =/

 

it bothers me very much so.

i do not like naruto. i do not listen to miyavi. my hair is not dyed. i do not read manga. i do not carry a hello kitty backpack. and i do not understand (or pretend to understand) the storyline of ghost in the shell.

people automatically assume. i think it's just down to the 'assumption' people make about you. it's the same with anything really. nobody likes stereotypes, but it does happen.

 

I think I started watching things like Pokémon years and YEARS ago when I was little with my best friend, then we got into Gackt and Malice Mizer, and then we found BJDs whilst looking around for J-rock on the internet in school x3

 

I found BJDs through anime (well, manga) when I read an article on them in Shojo Beat. The first time I saw one in person was at an anime convention. The connection between the two doesn't bother me at all. I love them both.

And there is definitely a link between BJDs and anime, even though people are not always fond of both. Just look at Volks and their Rozen Maiden dolls. Or their Dollfie Dreams, some of which are based on existing characters, such as Haruhi Suzumiya. Then there are all the anime or game character minimee's. It's not just the collectors/fans that make the connection- the companies themselves play a huge role.

I'm sorry for those that don't like the connection because I can see how it would be annoying, but it isn't just going to go away. No matter how much some people fight it they, and all the rest of us, will still get the anime doll comments.

 

I think that "anime doll" beats the living daylights out of "Is dat a voodoo doll?" hurhurhur

Ann in CT
makes cloth dolls

 

It's a little bit frustrating for me to keep reading about some people being so horrendously offended by being associated with the anime fandom. Some of you act like we're some horrific plague and everyone into anime is some glomp-happy Narutard.

You don't like people making fun of you for being adults and "playing with dolls," but it seems awfully easy for some of you to look down on other people you don't understand.

"The "Anime Fandom" is one stereotype I do not want to fall into."

I don't understand why you need to say it in such a rude manner. That would be like someone saying to you, "That creepy doll fandom is one stereotype I don't want to fall into." It's insulting, isn't it?

Can we please discuss this without being offensive to other people?

 

Hmmmm...the same could be said about any hobby, including our own. Anime as a hobby is no better or worse than abjds, or fashion dolls or model trains etc etc. Because of the (very real and legitimate) connection between anime and abjds, this is something you will all have to deal with--it's just part of the way things are. I don't have a lot of sympathy here, because while I realize people don't like assumptions made about them, in the way you (actually, this applies to several people) are trying to separate yourself from anime you're managing to help perpetuate the attitude that anime fan=bad.

 

I just needed to internet high-five you for the pot and kettle icon XD

It seems difficult for some people to see how very rude they are being.

 

you just "assumed" that everyone in the anime fandom does/likes those things, I don't do a single one, and I would say I'm pretty deep in the anime fandom.

 

While it may be true that ABJD have their origins in Anime (although truthfully, I do not know the actual origins), I feel that the style has touched a lot of different genres; no longer are BJDs solely in the style of anime, but companies like Dollstown and even some of the "model dolls" from Dollmore appear to have a more realistic style. This is to say that the dolls do not only mimic their Anime origins.
At this time I want to point out that while there may be a link, the generalization of BJD=Anime, which I abhor, is simply no longer relevant. I feel a animosity toward the Asian roots only because those who fail to make the differentiation generally do so in a sarcastic, rude manner. Again, this is a personal experience, and from my point of view, there are several different opinions here. However, I feel that the narrow-mindedness has caused a lot of angered feelings toward the connection, and subsequently, I feel only frustration at those who make the immediate connection with Anime.

PS: My Ani has short black hair... :: shrug :: go figure?!