What is it with nerds and anime?

[Yosato]

It's just another one of those underrated forms of media that people enjoy. Generally speaking, 'nerds' are just people that seek out things to suit their tastes that often go against the popular norm; you could ask the same question about Star Trek or Warhammer or anything really. It wouldn't say it's inexplicable it's just everyone has different opinions - people like anime for different reasons.

It's actually a really good question, it's just the wording that bugs me. I really hate this stereotypical 'nerd' image that people have so I can't help but wonder what kinds of people you're imagining when you use this term. Like many casual fans of anime I fit into society just fine and don't try and single myself out just becuase of one hobby - and It doesn't change a thing to anyone I tell in passing.

 

[Sneaky Paladin]

Because I will it explain it with MATHS

Anime watchers = Nerds

Nerds /= Anime watchers

 

[Veldt Falsetto]

I think "Nerds" are more open minded, to non-nerds anime is just a cartoon like what they used to watch when they were 6, regardless of content.
This is why millions of adults everywhere let young children watch South Park the first time it was broadcast. They just STILL haven't moved out of that mindset

 

[Kirch Libre]

Oh my, this issue again...

Well let me start off by saying that if it were not for video games I probably would not be in to anime. Second of all I will be comparing American animation to Japanese animation. I will not go off on a tangent such as comparing anime to sports or music. With that being said I'll just explain from my point of view. When I first saw anime I though the style looked really beautiful compared to what I was watching back in the mid-nineties (Comparing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Robot Carnival was like comparing Jim Davis to Monet for me.). Also I found the premises and stories to be a lot more edgy and different. To me it's a happy medium between artistry,creativity,risk taking and detail without going all X-men on me.

American comics just never really appealed to me (My only exceptions are Gen-13 and Love and Rockets... Maybe BONE.). I just couldn't get in to the whole superhero mythos and I definitely cannot stand Disney. I guess the best way I can put this is I like anime for creating what America is afraid to do with animation. My best example for this statement is Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. The premise of this is two children are caught in earthquake and have to make their way back home. There is no comedy, no face faults, no fanservice and it also portrays Post Dramatic Stress Disorder with so much detail and realism you cannot help but shed a tear. Now if American animation decides to try and push the envelope more such as back when MTV did Liquid Television then I think we would be on to something. Until then I'm sticking with anybody who wants to break the norm.

On a final note, I believe the anime industry is stagnate and over saturated with crap, so I'm not surprised why people think it's "kiddie porn".

 

[Gigano]

...
They're both pretty good. I'd suggest starting with Mai-HiME. If you enjoy any form of the magical girl plots, you'll be right at home. Then again, if you don't, you'll enjoy how it tears the shit out of the premise of it. There's a price paid for their power and it comes into play later, and it starts out slow enough for you to get to know the characters and become somewhat attached to individuals.

All I've seen concerning the Magical Girl genre is Puni Puni Poemy (the 2 OVA's related to Excel Saga), which parodied it relentlessly (along with parodying hentai; it wasn't always pretty...). I've seen Slayers, but I don't think Lina Inverse really qualifies.

I've already got Ergo Proxy, X, and Gankutsuou lined up, and is currently watching Fate/Stay Night (though I've half switched to the lengthy visual novel), but I'll keep it mind when on the lookout for a parody show again.

 

[Naheal]

...
They're both pretty good. I'd suggest starting with Mai-HiME. If you enjoy any form of the magical girl plots, you'll be right at home. Then again, if you don't, you'll enjoy how it tears the shit out of the premise of it. There's a price paid for their power and it comes into play later, and it starts out slow enough for you to get to know the characters and become somewhat attached to individuals.

All I've seen concerning the Magical Girl genre is Puni Puni Poemy (the 2 OVA's related to Excel Saga), which parodied it relentlessly (along with parodying hentai; it wasn't always pretty...). I've seen Slayers, but I don't think Lina Inverse really qualifies.

I've already got Ergo Proxy, X, and Gankutsuou lined up, and is currently watching Fate/Stay Night (though I've half switched to the lengthy visual novel), but I'll keep it mind when on the lookout for a parody show again.

It's not a parody. Don't fool yourself. If anything, it's more of a deconstruction than a parody. Also, some of the Magical Girl genre today is moving away from the old Sailor Moon style to more tech-based magic with some heavy consequences for the actions taken.

 

[Gigano]

...
It's not a parody. Don't fool yourself. If anything, it's more of a deconstruction than a parody. Also, some of the Magical Girl genre today is moving away from the old Sailor Moon style to more tech-based magic with some heavy consequences for the actions taken.

OK. I don't think I know enough about the genre to really appreciate a deconstruction of it.

 

[vanthebaron]

I don't think "story" is a good enough answer. I just have to point to the con vid with vegeta and nappa by team 4 star to show how unoriginal most most are. When I see the list of the show some anime fans post, I headdesk because it's all the same crap. Of you want good anime, get away from the mainstream. A lot of anime fans don't fit my definition of a nerd, most of them fall into the "sheep" category. But OT, anime is easy to access.

 

[Naheal]

...
It's not a parody. Don't fool yourself. If anything, it's more of a deconstruction than a parody. Also, some of the Magical Girl genre today is moving away from the old Sailor Moon style to more tech-based magic with some heavy consequences for the actions taken.

OK. I don't think I know enough about the genre to really appreciate a deconstruction of it.

What other genres are you into? You like anything psychological?

 

[MagicMouse]

1. Access: Anime mostly originates from Japan, thus making it scarce to most westerners. Nerds spend a lot of time on the internet, which is the best place to find, watch, and be exposed to anime.

2. Acceptance: Nerds, having already become accustomed to far out ideas and uncommon entertainment can easily accept the strange and foreign qualities that anime can have.

3. Fantasy: Anime as a media platform can create worlds, and characters that common tv shows cannot. Nerds usually are prone to become lost in a reality different than our own.

I think that those are the 3 biggest reason for the correlation, and while they certainly don't apply to everyone, in general they hold true.

 

[Bakuryukun]

I's sort of an unfair question, because the way your proposing, being a nerd and an anime fan are pretty much one and the same. So by that definition THAT is why Nerds really like anime, because apparently all people who like anime are nerds.

 

[Gigano]

...
What other genres are you into? You like anything psychological?

Do I ever! I'm quite a fan [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Higurashi-no-Naku-Koro-ni] of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, a psychological horror mystery.

 

[AugustFall]

It's cartoons that aren't necessarily directed at children. Nerds tend to be rooted in Sci Fi or Fantasy and a good chunk of anime and manga are that.

 

[shadyh8er]

Hey! I'm actually writing a paper about this now! From what I've gathered, people who like anime like it because it goes places most works of animation don't go. They understand how limitless the possibilities of animation are.

Take any mecha anime for example. You have any idea how much of a budget would be needed to make those things into a live-action adaptation?

Then there's Paprika. Its plot concerns a device that makes peoples dreams real. (This was four years before Inception, so don't say they ripped it off!) By making it animated, there's no limit as to what the directors can create. Perfect for a film about dreams.

 

[icyneesan]

I like fantasy elements

On american television at best you'll get some minor magic, but at best it will probably be a kids show (the 'educational' ones where they teach you how to count). In video games you get giant robots OR magic. Rarely do you blend of advance sciences and magic (Although if anyone could do it, I'm hoping its Bioware. Come on Dragon Age x Mass Effect cross over). In Anime, and 'Graphic Novels' (Comic books/Manga) you tend to get blends of a whole crap full of genres and types. You can have series about little girls, series about giant robots, series about fantasy D&D-style worlds, series about loser kids gain super powers, series about little girls, series about nothing, and whatever else you find/google.

Also in Cartoons in-general you can transcend the bounds of physics/world laws and create all kinds of crazy shit. Doing that in live action series (and to a lesser extent video games) tends to be rather expensive/time consuming.

 

[Naheal]

...
What other genres are you into? You like anything psychological?

Do I ever! I'm quite a fan [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Higurashi-no-Naku-Koro-ni] of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, a psychological horror mystery.

Then you will enjoy both of these series.

 

[Whitenail]

Perhaps the "nerd" community have more time on their hands to seek out anime cause it doesn't get nearly as much mainstream exposure.

I guess it's the same as with indie music.

Pretty much this, not to mention the fact that getting into certain anime plot-wise requires dedication and more than a few visits to Wikipedia.

Personally I'm not much into anime. That's because of the difficulty there is getting into it which can be due to not a whole lot of mainstream exposure and a generally hardcore fanbase, same reason I never got into comic books.

And is it just me or do alot of anime fans not really enjoy more...traditional, nerdy things like, say, D&D ironically because of the "nerdy" stigma surrounding it?

 

[katsumoto03]

I like magic and tech. Anime is a medium that blends the two together well.

Fixed that for ya.

OT: I'm not a fan of it solely because I've only seen ones with horrible stories, and thus have given up seeking it out.

 

[Naheal]

I like magic and tech. Anime is a medium that blends the two together well.

Fixed that for ya.

OT: I'm not a fan of it solely because I've only seen ones with horrible stories, and thus have given up seeking it out.

Find me a medium other than pen and paper that does it well. I have yet to find one outside of anime.

 

[katsumoto03]

I like magic and tech. Anime is a medium that blends the two together well.

Fixed that for ya.

OT: I'm not a fan of it solely because I've only seen ones with horrible stories, and thus have given up seeking it out.

Find me a medium other than pen and paper that does it well. I have yet to find one outside of anime.

You could do it with any medium, anime is just the only one you've seen doing it.