Really since the extreme popularity of Dragonball Z, there has been an abundance of mainstream anime fans. The types that you ask what their favorite shows are and they say Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha, Dragonball Z and Naruto. Those of course being their favorite because they are the only ones they've seen. These types also from what I've seen are also the most defensive when talking about their love for these shows. I'm wondering what everyone thinks about this.

I personally have never minded the mainstream fan as long as they don't just stagnate on what Cartoon Network has to show them. What gets on my nerves is when they have been "anime fans" for 5 years having never seen anything outside of Cartoon Network except for say Akira, Ninja Scroll and Ghost in the Shell; which as we know everybody and their grandmother has seen those 3 movies anime fan or not. Also, like I said they are the most defensive if you happen to say anything ill of their favorite show, and will call you a (I hate this word so much) n00b in a heart beat. Granted those types are few and far between (at least to my experience) but still, they are out there.

Everybody's thoughts on this one?

I guess you could probably call me mainstream....but it's really difficult to get hold of more obscure anime. i've found a few anime shows i like...but this is just based on art i've managed to come across, including Angel Sanctuary, Gundam SEED Destiny, DNAngel, Neon Genesis Evangelion, etc. While i've managed to download some gundam, i can't get hold of much else...which is really frustrating as i want to see more. It's all so good!
I'm currently eagrely awaiting the realease of Innocence in the UK, looks ABSOLUTELY awesome!

An anime fan is an anime fan. An obnoxious person is an obnoxious person. Just because someone's an anime fan (of any type) it doesn't mean they can't be obnoxious or just plain annoying.

I don't think there's anything wrong with liking mainstream anime - sure there are other great anime shows out there but not everyone wants to go out and hunt them down, and there's nothing wrong with that. Watching anime is something that people do because they enjoy doing it - how can one person say someone else is enjoying something the wrong way?

I guess from your description I'm a mainstream anime fan. And it isn't that I don't want to see other animes I just can't afford to right now. And I'm not going to go spend a good amount of money on something that I might not even like. And my playstation 2 is broken right now so I can't rent anything. And that's basically why I don't really comment on anime very much because I know that I haven't seen enough anime to have an opinion.

If it's against the law, then it's wrong enjoyment. I'm mainstream, yeah! I don't look for unpopular anime, but if I do, I easily get back to the popular, high-quality anime that everyone knows. And no, I don't call anime fans new people.

well you wouldnt know but here in germany it's even worse because here the shows are dragonball z, pokemon, digimon, yu-gi-oh (not to mention the MILLIONS of little kids who collect the cards) etc. ... but to be honest ... i dont care because the same goes to almost everything on earth, if it's music, movies, literature ... there are always people who are "mainstream" so there is no use in getting all upset about them because they don't know it better.

i would even say that you should be thankful to those mainstream fans because they give you the chance to buy anime as you do it right now. before anime being mainstream in germany you could get anime only in special shops for comics/cartoons. mainstream fans started to purchase more, publishers got more interested in printing manga and selling anime and the market grew because of the people you are being so bitchy about.

so think about what privilage the mainstream fan gave you before being that proud of yourself. i know america isn't germany but i'm sure that it's not that different when it comes to anime/manga.

a little point i want to stress also is ... have you ever thought about that not everyone has the opportunity to download tons of anime like A LOT of people in this community actually do? how are they supposed to know more about anime when they do not have that privilage? and we all know that anime is expensive and i bet that at LEAST 75% of this community cannot afford all the anime that's being watched.

so i hope i made myself clear enough.

Heheh, Mr. Know-it-all eh? I'm one of those people that can't download anime and because anime is a luxury, I can't afford it all either.

Well said GOMF... I have to agree that most of the die-hard anime fans buy the least amount of anime dvds sold, myself included.

On a second thought, its awesome that cartoon network has created so many mainstream anime fans and even I was one of them a few years back. Better yet, take a look at the last 6 or 7 shows adult swim has aired in the last year or so - Gits S.A.C., 2nd Gig, FMA, Eva, Paranoia Agent, Champloo, Scryed... It's cool that so many mainstream viewers can see shows that any otaku would have in their top 5 anime.

Mainstream anime fans shouldn't be something to worry about, instead they should be encouraged.

Anime fans are anime fans. Its really no different from fans of other genres or collectors. You run the gamut from extreme fans to those who just enjoy it for the entertainment. In my book, have fun.

Haha, I saw some of Naruto, did not really like it. Inuyasha, never. DBZ, stopped halfway, Cowboy Bepop sucks in my mind. So I guess I am not an mainstream anime fan in your definition

The type of animes which I enjoy is the ones made with splendid drawing and animation, have above average themes, and a good story plot

Now, the types of anime which I really enjoy include the following:

My-Hime, FMA, Conan, Kenshin and Gundam Z, Gundam Victory and Gundam Seed.

Quote by WingPilotIf it's against the law, then it's wrong enjoyment. I'm mainstream, yeah! I don't look for unpopular anime, but if I do, I easily get back to the popular, high-quality anime that everyone knows.

There are unlicensed animes that are available for download, that's perfectly fine and legit.

And popularity doesn't necessarily mean high-quality. Though they do normally have a large fanbase and since it gets more exposure it will naturally get more popular.

IMO... Anime fans are anime fans, BUT, mainstream fans are in a lower category than "true" anime fans, who go above and beyond to watch their beloved anime.
They not only watch the anime, the live it and experience it. While mainstream fans watch anime because it's merely convenient for them and they "like" it.
Look at a true otaku--collects figures and manga, goes to conventions, sees and becomes obsessed with animes and characters. Now that's a real anime fan, can't say that about mainstreamers.

woah woah slow down spinSkittles your getting alittle ahead of yourself there. there is nothing wrong with being a "mainstreamer" as you guys call them. Shoot I like the animes that come Cartoon Network like FMA, Samurai Champloo, Tenchi, and some others. I mean yeah if you only watch the animes on CN your missing out on at lot of awesome animes like Haibane Remena, Lain, Elfen Lied, Mai Hime, Solty Rei and many others. But saying that people are above people is kinda harsh. like other people have said in other conturies it is not easy at all to get anime and some don't the money to buy Computers and Hard drives to store and download anime. Plus also Manga are expenice. I've spent over $500 on mangas but not everyone can do that. and you don't have to go to the conventions. I don't and I love anime I just hate conventions I would rather have a oh what is called ummmm a LIFE! so we are all anime fans.

I agree with adIII. You can love anime. Making it your life on the other hand does not make you cooler. I also agree with Skittle-person. Mainstream fans are in a lower category when compared to otakus or whatever.

I don't mean mainstream in a derogatory sense, I was just comparing a mainstreamer to something extreme like an bona fide otaku, like Densha Otoko.

I, too, watch the anime on cable such as InuYasha, Champloo, FMA, etc... Then again I also watch imported anime and tons of fansubbed anime.
But if someone has no idea about anything other than what they are presented with on TV, then that's mainstream. And even then, hopefully they know it's an anime and not a "cartoon".

An anime fan is an anime fan, and really it's silly to tell a person whether they are a "true" fan of something or not. Even if they are just into "mainstream" stuff and believe they are a "true" fan than they are. They don't need a hoard of limited edition collectible figures and what not to be considered a "true" fan.

In the world of fandom, membership cards aren't needed.

It doesn't really matter to me. If the only anime they see are on Cartoon Network, then they're missing out on a bunch of great series. It's their loss, not mine.

For information: Fansubs aren't legal. They are in a "legal" gray area, and doesn't become an issue unless anime creators are taking legal action. Basically, you ARE getting their products for free from someone who has no legal right to hand it out at all, and I should hope the fansub-downloaders here keep that in mind if a show they've seen and liked on fansubs are liscensed and released.

What's it to me? No matter how lame I see certain sports, those who choose to play/watch them obviously get enjoyment from it. If they get enjoyment from it, who am I to insult them? It's their choice as to what they watch.

Well, a lot of "mainstream" titles are well-known for good reason. I mean, I like Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha, and Rurouni Kenshin. However, I like X, Blade of the Immortal, and Tokyo Babylon, too; they aren't as well-known but they're arguably just as good. I mean, it's natural for certain series to get more exposure than others. Just because someone likes those shows and only those shows, why should they be judged as less a fan in any sense?

I mainly see them as otaku in training. I used to be mainly a mainstream anime fan then one of my friends showed me how different some shows are when shown on networks like cartoonetwork and such. Its gotten to the point that I almost never watch an anime on T.V when i can buy or download it, If i cant afford to buy or dont have enough room on my comp to download it I normally see if my friends have the show and if I could borrow it from them. Now Whenever I meet someone who is a "mainstream" fan I do what my friend did for me and introduce them to a world outside of just mainstream animes

Quote by truggyI mainly see them as otaku in training. I used to be mainly a mainstream anime fan then one of my friends showed me how different some shows are when shown on networks like cartoonetwork and such. Its gotten to the point that I almost never watch an anime on T.V when i can buy or download it, If i cant afford to buy or dont have enough room on my comp to download it I normally see if my friends have the show and if I could borrow it from them. Now Whenever I meet someone who is a "mainstream" fan I do what my friend did for me and introduce them to a world outside of just mainstream animes

Same here, only reason I got into anime was when I was watching Kenshin on Cartoon Network. I found it interesting, asked some friends to lend me more anime, and that's how it all started.

You guys, really... why do we have to do this? What exactly is a 'true fan'?

Anime is about enjoying it and enjoying it in your OWN way. If you don't choose to cosplay or buy the collectables, but you love to watch the show (or read the manga or both) then good for you. Some people might not WANT to do that, it doesn't make them any less or on a lower level.

I write fanfiction and draw doujinshi, buy manga, buy posters, buy cells, and I don't consider myself either an otaku or a maintstreamer. And I watch what I get a hold of or hear good things about or stumble upon... I think that's how it is for everyone. Of course there may be people who like it more than you, or less than you, but they're still a fan. So what's the problem here?

And you'll find obnoxouis fans everywhere 'otakus' and 'maintreamers' alike... though to me, everyone is just a FAN no better or less. People are going to like different things and like doing different things according to who they are and its silly to think because you do a certain thing or watch a certain show it makes you a 'true fan' and others just 'mainstreamers'.

It's like a highschool stereotype or something. I've never went to a convention, and sure maybe one day I will but right now I don't have the money, and hell, I'm nowhere near where they have those things. I don't have any desire to cosplay, though if you do that's cool with me, but it doesn't make you a'true fan' and me just someone who 'likes' the shows. Because I can ASSURE you, I LOVE anime. I dont want the figures, but I like shirts or clothing items... it's just what you like, ya know? I draw and write, but some people don't like doing that or they can't, whatever, it doesn't matter. We all express ourselves differently.

I haven't seen all there is out there and I'm sure there are some good shows I've missed, but one day or never, I'll run into them. I don't have the means to watch everything and that goes for everyone here most likely. So using those terms is just superficial.

And that's really all I have to say... ::shrugs:: We're all fans here, let's appreciate our differences.

Quote by spinSkittlesI don't mean mainstream in a derogatory sense, I was just comparing a mainstreamer to something extreme like an bona fide otaku, like Densha Otoko.

I, too, watch the anime on cable such as InuYasha, Champloo, FMA, etc... Then again I also watch imported anime and tons of fansubbed anime.
But if someone has no idea about anything other than what they are presented with on TV, then that's mainstream. And even then, hopefully they know it's an anime and not a "cartoon".

Hmmm... interesting point. it is true most of the young mainstream anime viewer might mistake anime for cartoon. Hell even I made the same mistake when I was young to tell you the truth.

But when I got the chance to see more and understand more I got upgraded from mainstream viewer to Anime fan but still not as far as a bonafied Otaku. But I'm on the pipeline.

I watch more anime per week. I'm getting used to the subtitles and dubbing irritates me to the point of kicking my PC. Now I can understand a lot more japanese words and stuffs.

But it took time and not to mention the proper communication (like: Minitokyo) and the know how to collect new shows and shows that are rare or not so mainstream.

Now most of the people don't know the know how of P2P or torrent or new fansub shows. And there is no way to ignor the fact that also a lot of mainstream anime viewer doesn't have extencive PC know how to do these things.

So in my opinion a lot of the mainstream viewers are otaku in pipeline (from my own experience ). And they will eventually come to know the fact there is another world out there with a lot more to offer.

Just that they need the push in the right direction and not mention the info that there is a lot out there other then the ADV, Funimation or Right Stuff offerings.

well, nothing aginst them really, just find it awkward since there isnt much to talk about sometimes.