If you’re an anime fan, then somewhere along the line you’ve probably heard these types of misconceptions before. We also have to remember that even though the anime community is growing everyday, there is still a large percentage of us that don’t know what anime really is. Mom and Dad knew you loved cartoons as a kid, but when you’re past the age of 20 and have a better understanding of what anime is and why you’re passionate about it, they still think that its for kids. (Unless your mom or dad is an old school otaku, then they might understand where you’re coming from.) There are a lot of misconceptions out there about anime, but these five in particular are the one we’re highlighting for this post.

Misconception #1: All Anime is for Kids!

If only that were true, but it isn’t. Anything produced by Studio Ghibli is for kids, the Walt Disney of the anime world! Anime itself has a target audience of about 13-65 (and possibly older), and that’s due to the fact of its content. (Action violence, mild nudity and language, stuff like that.) There are some titles out there that aren’t even for teenagers but more for adults (like hentai), so no, not all anime is for kids.

Misconception #2: All Anime Fans Are Weird!

Hold up, wait a minute! Allow us to put some clarity in it. We’ll admit that while there are some members of the anime community that live on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’, not all fans of anime are weird. Most fans are normal people like you and me who just happen to be passionate about anime, so it’s up to us to keep our love for anime alive and shoot down those negative stereotypes about its fanbase being weird!

Misconception #3: Anime And Cartoons Are The Same!

Not even close kiddo! Most Western animation keeps its plots and character development in a simpler style aimed towards children. Anime (Eastern animation) on the other hand is not bound by these types of restrictions, as many titles have vivid animation styles, backgrounds, complex story plots and character development; such as Chivalry of a Failed Knight and FMA!

Misconception #4: All Anime Fans Are Anti-Social!

Really? Have you been to an anime convention recently? Any anime fan that we’ve met on our tour has been anything BUT anti-social. In fact many of them come from all walks of life and from various ethnic backgrounds. Some like to cosplay as their favorite characters while others just wear anime apparel, but the majority of them are the most down-to-earth individuals that you’ll ever meet. (Some are even entrepreneurs.)

Misconception #5: Anime Is Played Out!

HA! As if! Many of us thought that the 90’s was the peak of anime awesomeness and that it was gonna go downhill from there. If you believe that then shame on you, you silly baka! Ever since the revival of Dragon Ball Z as Dragon Ball Super, and Sailor Moon as Sailor Moon Crystal, anime is bigger, badder, and more popular than ever! It has even grown popularity in other countries like the UK, Germany, Africa, and other places. Anime has a bigger fanbase now than it did when it was just trending in the 90’s, thanks to the inventions of DVDs, Blu-Rays, and streaming sites like FUNimation and Crunchyroll. Anime isn’t going anywhere for awhile, so you don’t have to worry about it getting played out anytime soon! 😉

So there you have it! Most of the misconceptions that we’ve listed about have already been clarified to some degree, but these five are the ones that we wanted to particularly point out. Anime is not for everyone, but it does bring a sense of excitement into your life if you allow it to. It does expose you to something different in animation that you won’t normally find in Western cartoons, which is one of the reasons why so many of us are so drawn to it.

On that note, that’ll do for this D&A filler post. Continue to be awesome and stay true to yourselves no matter what! 🙂