Anime has been known to push the envelope sometimes; such as breaking the fourth wall with its viewing audience, or adding bizarre elements that you wouldn’t normally find in certain anime titles. If you’re already a part of the fandom, then you know that anime is more than just a trend – it’s a lifestyle! With so much diversity that can be found in one of the most popular mediums ever made, there’s bound to be some titles that talk about the lifestyle of an anime fan. A lot of fans can relate to these titles because they’re about as accurate as Panty’s sniper skills (*chuckles*). So for all the anime fans, NEETs, online gamers and otakus out there, here’s our five anime titles that are centered around the anime-otaku lifestyle! 😉

Number 5: And You Thought There is Never a Girl Online?

We’re kicking this filler post off with our fifth anime title “And You Thought There is Never a Girl Online?“. If you love playing MMORPGs then this is the title for you! The story talks about Hideki Nishimura, an online gamer who excepts an in-game marriage from his guildmate, Ako. Not long after he and his other teammates from his guild decide to have their first ever real-life meeting, and is shocked to discover that all of them are girls who go to his school. Throughout the whole series Nishimura is trying to help Ako understand the difference between the game (Legendary Age or L.A.), and reality.

Number 4: Ultimate Otaku Teacher

Don’t we all wish we had this kind of teacher while we were going to school? Hardcore otaku Jun’ichiro Kagami suddenly becomes a substitute teacher due to the fact that his NEET-ish lifestyle, has gotten in the way of his sister. (Did we mention that he’s a teacher at the same school he graduated from? Which proves that even though we obsess over anime, we’re not stupid!) Using unorthodox methods to help his students due to his lifestyle as an otaku, Kagami manages to change the lives of many of the troubled youth during his class. ALL HAIL ANIME NERDS!! ^.^

Number 3: How To Raise a Boring Girlfriend

This title is for the fans who love playing visual novel games like Danganronpa and the Persona series. Tomoya Aki works part-time in order to fund his otaku lifestyle (like many of us), and suddenly meets a rather beautiful girl during Spring vacation. That same girl, known as Megumi, actually goes to the same school that Aki is in. He wants to develop a visual novel game using Megumi as the star character, but in order to do that he’ll need the help of two other girls; one named Eriri Spencer Sawamura, and the other Utaha Kasumigaoka. The series follows their saga of developing the game, selling it at a con, and the sudden love twister that forms.

Number 2: Oreimo

Have you and your sibling never gotten along with each other and don’t know why? Maybe it could’ve been that time you ate the last slice of pizza when your brother (or sister) called dibs? Maybe it could’ve been the time you broke your mom’s special vase and blamed your brother (or sister) for it? Or maybe, just maybe, you discovered that your brother (or sister) is actually a closet otaku, and doesn’t want the rest of the world to know about it? (By the ‘rest of the world’ we mean his/her friends at school.) If you’re a fan who is in that same situation, then you’re gonna love this comedic anime title!

And Finally Number 1: Himouto! Umaru-chan

This title is about as NEET and otaku-worthy as it can get! All of us can relate to Komaru in a big way only because she represents everything there is about otaku life! Sometimes we play the game of reality and do our best to impress, but every now and then we’d like to kick off our work shoes, lock ourselves in our rooms, fire up our desktop/laptop, and watch multiple seasons of our favorite anime for hours on end. This is a must see title if you’re a true anime fan! 😉

That’ll do it on our end! Be sure to check out all of our social media pages as well as the blog for updates and upcoming cons for the month of August! Until next time anime fans, stay true you yourselves and keep the love of anime alive! 🙂

Japan. There is so much beauty that can be found here in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’. From its pop culture to its amazing dishes (some of which were inspired by other countries) Japan has so much to offer to tourists of various ethnic backgrounds. If you’ve never had the the pleasure of visiting this wonderful place, save up your money (or go in with a friend) and make that incredible journey.

Although there’s a lot to do in Japan; such as visit places like Tokyo and Shibuya, there are some things that foreigners (like ourselves) should not do, or even avoid doing all together. Some of the most common things that we do in the west might be deemed offensive in Japan due to our cultural differences, laws, and way of life. So to help you out we’re gonna give you our top five things that you should never do while visiting Japan. (Though there are many others.)

#1 – Don’t wear shoes in the House

Our mothers and fathers would argue that this should be a rule in everybody’s household, not just in Japan. (Especially if you’ve just shampooed the carpets.) This is a hygienically good reason why Japanese people don’t want to track any dirt or mud into their homes. Before entering the house the shoes are placed on a genkan, as guest slippers may be provided for you upon entering into the house. You’re not allowed to wear slippers in the tatami room, so make sure you have some good clean socks on before entering, and also make sure that you don’t have foot odor. Yuck! >.<

#2 – Don’t Walk/Drive on the Right Side of the Street

On the west side of town (America) we’re used to driving on the right side of the street; where the cars on the left would travel northbound, and the cars on the right would travel southbound (or something to that effect). In Japan however it’s the other way around, so that means that you have to drive on the left side of the street and not the right. Driving on the right side may result in a crash, fine, death, or time in jail, so make sure to take that into consideration before driving out on the roads of Japan. Don’t be surprised if you happen to run into characters from a certain racing game series from a well-known franchise. 😉

#3 – Don’t Talk, Text, or Smoke on Japanese Public Transport

This one’s a bit of a doozy for many (if not all) of us, because we do this on a regular basis everyday while riding public transport. In Japan it’s impolite to talk and text on the bus because its serves as a distraction to the other passengers. This may be a deal-breaker for some of us who would like to visit Japan in the near future, but you have to remember, rules and regulations over there are different than in North America. You can however ask for help in case of an emergency.

#4 – Don’t forget to say “Thank You” and Bow in Respect

Whenever your waiter/waitress serves you your meal, or if you happen to meet a Japanese elder, make sure that you bow and say “thank you”. (If you do it in Japanese it might score you a few brownie points.) It shows them that you’re a respectful and gracious individual, and that you know how to express your gratitude. Don’t forget to also bow whenever you make a mistake too.

And #5 – Don’t Be Shy

Never be afraid to ask questions if you don’t know what to do while visiting Japan. The Japanese are very friendly and polite, and will not hesitate to help you if you’re unsure about something. If you forget something or leave something of value in a public place; such as in a bus, a public park, or any other various places, it will be right where you left (forgot) it and you won’t have to worry about it being stolen.

There are a lot of other things that you should also avoid doing while visiting Japan, but these five are the ones that we wanted to share with you. Japan is a beautiful place and has so much to offer in terms of cuisine, pop culture, fashion, and entertainment. It is also a country where the locals are reserved, friendly, and polite. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we can give back the same respect and gratitude that they have shown us as tourists and travelers? Education is one of the most important fundamentals of everyday life, and if we take the time to learn the standard etiquette of the many countries we visit (like Japan), we’ll always feel welcome no matter how far we travel.

There are a lot of debatable topics in the anime community, but this one in particular is probably the most debatable. Before we start this filler post we want each and every one of our fans to know; we’re not for nor against this particular topic, we’re middle men. That simply means that the final decision for what side fans are on regarding this particular topic, is going to be up to them.

Fan Service can be described as material that the fans would want to see; such as a ‘fourth wall break’ moment where the main character talks directly to the audience, or possibly a cameo appearance from the author/creator of the series, a celebrity, or a character (or characters) from another series. The most common form of fan service in modern times (as we all know) is gratuitous sexual titillation; basically panty shots, shower scenes, girls in bikinis, you name it! This kind of fan service is hardly nothing new, in fact you can trace it as far back as the 50’s, when halftime football shows had cheerleaders to keep the audience entertained through exciting cheers and dances.

Nowadays fan service can pretty much be found anywhere, including in most modern anime titles. (But you already knew that, right?) Although gratuitous sexual titillation is basically the norm for all anime fan service, there are some anime titles that use it in a comical way. If you don’t believe us, then watch the first episode of Chivalry of a Failed Knight. Or Shimoneta if you prefer.

Fan service can go both ways with guys and girls; with Shonen titles aimed at the guys, and Shoujo aimed at the girls. Depending on the title you watch Ecchi and Harem-based anime use fan service as the vocal point of the whole series. Are there pros and cons to using too much fan service in certain anime titles? Yes, but again, it depends on what side of the tracks you’re on.

So now comes the one million dollar question, “Is fan service in anime a beautiful blessing, or a horrible curse?” The answer to that question will depend on the viewpoint of the fans themselves. Some people have even argued that the presence of fan service in anime and manga in general, indicates the low-leveled maturity of the fandom itself. Sometimes fan service may enhance the overall experience of certain anime titles depending on how it’s used, how it’s balanced within the story line, and which characters are involved. This goes back to a recent filler post that we did in regards to what we want to see from anime creators in Japan.

Keep in mind that fan service can be seen by many as either helping or hurting the quality of anime in the industry, however it all depends of what side of the debate you’re on. 😉

Cosplay is indeed fun and exciting. It allows you to transform yourself into the character from your favorite anime series, video game, or superhero comic. Cosplay is also the cornerstone of every anime, video game, and superhero convention in the world. (Even third world countries are getting into the cosplay spirit!) Although this is a fun alternative to escaping from the various challenges of the real world, there are some ground rules that you have to follow when it comes to cosplay, especially in public!

Although we’re passionate about the culture that’s centered around otaku fandom (conventions, cosplay, etc.), we have to know that we’re normal people just like everyone else. The last thing you wanna do is cause irreparable damage to the reputation of a fandom/community that a percentage of the world already finds weird. So to that we’re gonna give you the five Golden Rules of what to do, and what not to do when cosplaying in public. Remember, cosplay is not consent!

The Golden Rule of Humility: Humble Yourself

When cosplaying in public, you’re probably going to get asked this question numerous times, “Are you in a play?”. To that we say humble yourself and be polite to people who are a just little bit curious about your costume, because the only time most people ever see cosplayers in public is during conventions, never ‘in the wild’.

The Golden Rule of Self-Awareness: Know Where You Are

Depending on the type of venue that you plan to attend, it may not be a good idea to wear any cosplay that may have controversial themes, or may be offensive/scary to small children. Any characters you decide to cosplay as that have on masks or wear something mask-like (like Tokyo Ghoul) might not be okay for places like malls, banks, or venues of that nature.

The Golden Rule of Honor and Courtesy: Respecting One’s Space

If you’re going to do a public cosplay photoshoot, make sure you do it in a space where it’s not going to interfere with traffic of any kind. Be respectful, be courteous, and most of all, don’t invade other people’s personal space.

The Golden Rule of Role-Play: No Killjoys

We’re not sure how much this needs to be stressed, but we’ve heard enough stories about these incidents all among the web. If you’re going to RP (Role-Play) while in cosplay, don’t drag complete strangers into the act who have no idea what’s going on, or what you’re doing. It’s bad enough a percentage of the world thinks cosplayers are weird, so don’t add fuel to the fire by doing something that you and the rest of the anime community might regret down the line.

The Golden Rule of Leadership: Stand Your Ground

When you cosplay in public, you must remember that you’re representing that fandom as a whole. You have been entrusted with the responsibility of carrying your fandom or community’s good name. If you do or say anything that your mother, grandmother, former kindergarten teacher, peers or pastor might find offensive while in cosplay form, that fandom’s image and reputation (or the thought and idea of cosplaying in public) will fall faster than a house of cards. A wise man once said, “With great power comes great responsibility!”.

Sure, cosplay in general may have its good and bad moments, but those moments depend on the actions of the individual wearing it. There are some cosplay that non-cosplayers and normal people may recognize; such as Marvel and DC characters, while others are a bit curious. Not everybody is comfortable with cosplaying in public unless it’s during a con, but for the percentage of fans who do, just remember these golden rules before making your way out the door in your cosplay.

The greatest Golden Rule of all: Have Fun!! 🙂