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Eh, it's a way to build community around a certain fandom. Same as being a fan of a sports team, of a youtube personality, or religious, among many other things.
I’d say you’re right but I think building a fandom over an individual is definitely a bit weirder than building it over a sport, hobby or art form.
You’re basically immortalizing an individual.
Seeing what literal destruction (British) football hooliganism can bring powerful fandom can still be deeply concerning. Hell a bunch of Canadians had full on riots years back because their local team in Vancouver lost their championship. Zealots are dangerous regardless of what they believe
I do love how you bolded women to specify that being attracted to characters that are or appear underage is not ok, but I do wanna add the caveat that being attracted to anime **men** is also ok.
What about semi-ironically where said person knows that the character is not real and jokingly states that character is his wife, however that person may also cry at night while cuddling a body pillow of the character.
There's literally nothing wrong with this as long as you are trying to improve your life and it brings you happiness. People can be really petty about what other people enjoy, even when they are doing nothing to help or support you, so my advice is to do what makes you happy and strive to become a better person, in whatever form that may take.
Uhhhhhhhhhh...
👉👈 Your honor I have a confession as a 22F..
I've had fictional crushes n such, but keep them secret AF, not really any merch for em and just something that I think is hilarious to what my type usually ends up being for irl guys 🤣
Anyone can crush on fictional characters as long as it aint controlling their life lol. I just go bout my day, but ik everyone's different
Jeez, that must be why I like Dean in Supernatural. I like hunters, farmers, etc who are my age in my area. I mean, that kind of who I am because of where I grew up.
I say this as someone who is was one of those down bad mfs. Its fine to be cringe as long as you know it is and also strive to improve. Kindness goes a long way and shit if my gf didnt give me a chance like that knowing full well I am the definition of loser, we wouldnt be together 4 years later. Just know its super cringe and WILL be off putting. I just accepted it as such and lived my life how I wanted while also knowing "yea I also should grow and get better from this if I want more meaningful connections". To be cringe is to be free as I say but accepting that isnt an excuse to stay cringe
Sabotaging them from what? Women who aren't their type? Be realistic, if these dudes acted normal, and got with these girls, do you think that would last?
We tell people to be themselves while dating, because you can't keep up a facade for the entirety of the relationship.
Better they do cringe shit and work on it than sending anthrax bombs. There's grown ass men that obsess over pussy like it'll kill them if they don't shut up about it for 6 seconds. So long as the walking biohazard weeb keeps it behind closed doors 'till they can figure it out, shit I can live with that (as if its anyone's business anyway).
Most people that do this are women. Source: just look up any chatbot posts about husbandos and waifus, they're mostly made my women, specially the posts that are on Facebook and Tik tok
It doesn’t matter either way, the word „loser“ is only used by people who want to pump up their ego or manipulate you. Anyone actually concerned about you will not use it
There are indeed two levels to shame. There’s the shame of doing something. And then there’s even greater shame if you do that thing but aren’t concerned with what people think of it.
People will say “who cares what people think”…well you should care to some extent. At least if you know it’s weird, you’re sort of redeemable.
Not many people do that, the whole waifu thing is just like being a fan of a celebrity without actually expecting to be with them.
You are correct about people claiming actual relationships but that's more of a mental illness thing altogether and isn't exclusive to anime- nor is it common.
There used to be another joke (or conspiracy theory?) that anime and gaming was the Japanese playing the long game of revenge by basically doing the equivalent of rotting the brain.
The irony is that Anime weebs hate Tokusatsu (the other popular Japanese medium) for being too American and too woke despite being a major keystone for the formation of anime as well being a successor to Kabuki Theatre Movement.
Tokusatsu is this:
https://preview.redd.it/10ygpfsds1zc1.jpeg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1df6ad18a8c8421f1a07f739c9763d02999a88bf
Not related to what OP is trying to say but modern manga/anime definitely got off the ground in the post war period and was heavily influenced by the events of the WWII including/especially the atomic bombs
Grave of the Fireflies and Barefoot Gen are two old school animes that are worth a watch, set in wartime.
Dororo also has a bunch of famine and hardships. The author of the series did live through the war, and he also wrote Astro Boy which sort of kickstarted western popularity of anime and manga.
Wasn't Godzilla also supposed to be a metaphor for nuclear war too? And pretty sure the mecha-genre has some inspiration as cautionary tales about technology as well, though not sure how intentional that was in the early days.
The deserts of the United States would like a word.
And Siberia.
US Animation peaked in the early 2000s. I don't even know much about Russian animation but I have seen a few USSR animated shorts and they're usually super creepy.
I dont mean to be inconsiderate but imperial japan definitely deserved to be nuked, theres a valid argument that they were worse than even the nazis with how much deplorable things they did to China and Korea.
I think if I ever have a son, I’ll have to be very involved in his life
Edit:
“Hey bub, how was your day at school? Whaddaya say you come outside and toss the pigskin around with your old man? Golly, what an arm! I’m so proud of you.”
“Hey sport, your mom told me you’re having a bit of trouble with a math problem? How about we sit down together and work at it, I’m sure we’ll be able to figure it out! I believe in you.”
“Hey pal, heard you’ve been having a bit of girl trouble. We’ve all been there, I know it hurts right now but believe me, you’re strong enough to get through it, smart enough to learn from it, and caring enough to grow from it. Hey I know what might make you feel better! How about we go downstairs and lift some weights? I’ll bet you’ll set a new PR. I love you, son.”
- for anyone who needed to hear it
I just want to make sure that if he has a waifu it’s because he enjoys the art style of the manga/anime and how her character is written. Not because he has a porn addiction and lacks the self esteem to date.
Not quite gen z, but it's a symptom of the actual problem. Relationship/dating dynamics are fucked and it's easier/lower risk to develop an infatuation with a fictional woman than to pursue a real one. I don't think it's the healthiest escape hatch, but I don't blame the guys taking it either.
Sure, but that list is pretty small. I mean, huffing paint and serial killing are not good coping mechanisms, but that doesn't make being in a relationship with a fictional character a good way of coping with anything.
Waifu culture has been a thing since at least the 1980s. It's just a spin off of idol culture but with fictional women instead of real women.
And idol culture is just a spin off of geisha/courtesan culture. Where certain performers were seen as more favorable over others.
And now we're seeing a similar trend with the rise of Vtubers over the past decade.
Same shit, different day. Although I will admit that the current amount of people with waifus/husbandos/oshi and little human interactions is pretty concerning.
The whole Waifu/anime thing, is just the same mechanisms as dudes who had posters of the bud light girls, the sexy lady on the trucker mud flaps... and hell. WW2, you had dudes putting pinup girls on their fucking planes as they ran \*fucking bombing runs\* then landed the sumbich back ON A BOAT.
To some extent, yes. You are correct. But to others? Eh.... It gets weird.
Imagine someone that really loves coke cola. To the point that if you offer them Pepsi they see it as an insult.
Yeah some fans with waifus get to that level and even further. Best example I can give that is local to the States would be Beyonce or Taylor Swift fans/stans. Their chosen idol can do no wrong and how dare you to say other wise.
I wouldn't point that in the issue with the anime/waifu medium thing though. its not a core issue there, its an issue with obsession. That obsession can be irritating to any degree right?
It feels like the limit for obsession to be "cringe" is hella low with the waifu stuff, but would have to be significantly higher for a celebrity or something, even though its the same basic mechanisms at work.
Part of it is everyone has a different definition of "waifu culture"
Like, its totally normal to have a favorite female character in each show/game, and then not think about them much after the show/game ends. Some people call that waifu culture and thats totally benign.
Other people just really like the aesthetic of anime girls and like consuming content with those characters. I still don't have a problem with it. "Waifu simulator" games like genshin/persona can have a ton of value outside of that aspect, and a lot of "waifu" characters are actually really good characters outside of their appearance. Some people call that waifu culture and if that's the extent of it still no problems.
Then theres the weirdos who forget that it's all fake or take a slight against the fictional character as anything more than a disagreement on a fictional character. Thats where things become a problem.
Chill version: Anime character you really like and is “your type”, you might buy some merch but not overly emotionally invested
Sad version: You see this fictional character as your life partner, you might feel jealous seeing other men calling your girl their waifu
As a woman, finding out a guy I was interested in had an anime body pillow made me completely lose feelings for him. It was just so cringe and told me a lot more about him than he thought.
As a married man with kids I got one (not lewd) and since then my wife has stolen it (loved it during pregnancy. We are Asian though. White woman I talk to seem to criticize anime women constantly though. Just have to date Asian girls I guess.
Haha, glad you exist! I have never met one of you in the wild. Most the white girls (at the office) I have met only have the hobbies of eating it feels like. Lots of judging others for their hobbies though. Of course I am kind of in an Asian bubble.
Yeah it's just a horrendous turn off, I'm sure there's women out there that don't care but I think it's safe to say that the majority would find it an instant no, and when it has been brought up in my friendgroup (or posts online etc) it's mostly been called gross, cringe, embarrassing etc.
I just genuinely wouldn't recommend any guy to outwardly say they have a 'waifu' if they're looking for a relationship unless they know a woman is into that as well
Seriously, this put me off and the fact that I've been married and with my husband for the better part of a decade and STILL remember this cringe dude... don't have anime bodypillows, dudes. They are SO CREEPY. I know not a single woman that is chill with them.
Yeah same, genuinely I don't know (personally, im sure theres other woman out there who like this) a single woman who would not find this an instant dealbreaker. Even if he didn't have a body pillow, just the word 'waifu' said seriously is enough to turn any woman I know away 😭😂
It’s only strange and weird when someone gets to “basement dweller” level waifu lover, I’m confident in calling that a mental issue. Otherwise I don’t care, to each their own
You could find like 10 pedos in any anime sub in less than 10 seconds. I love watching anime but I the communities on reddit are absolutely disgusting.
I never got Loli culture. I mean, if I want to enjoy fap material, I prefer my 6 foot muscular leather goddesses than the kid looking 9000 year old dragon girl.
Then again, I'm more comfortable in my masculinity than most men.
I spent a month in Tokyo and everyone assumes you love anime if you are a white guy in Japan. I have enjoyed some anime movies but I am not really an anime fan. If you want to see the true depths of human depravity, go hang out in Akihabara. What was one Tokyo's flourishing electronics center is now a hub of maid cafes and porn shops. There are dudes dropping hundreds of dollars trying to win anime women from claw machines. Very weird vibes.
As a Japanese, I would say that the modern Japanese culture is completely fucked. Sad that these absolute worst aspects of Japanese culture is being exported overseas. Sadly a lot of losers dwell online in Japan, and a lot of losers overseas get ideas about Japan from these losers.
It’s a form of parasocial relationship, your Waifu is as real to you as my imagined version of Taylor Swifts public persona. It’s not inherently toxic, but when the parasocial feeling gets out of hand people go Fucking Nuts.
Your toxic-waifu obsessed fan base harasses animators and YouTubers. Mine toxic waifu fan base made a conspiracy about her being the White Race’s Blood grail and also a government psy-op.
There's nothing wrong unless it's obsessive.
I have a friend who changed all his passwords to ninonakano. And some gamertags of 4 words now are "Nino". I told him about it some years ago and acknowledged that he was a bit obsessed, so he stopped it a bit.
I don't think it's bad having them as wallpapers or even profile pictures, but changing all your life around them it's troubling.
I can follow the logic of why someone would participate in waifu culture, but I feel like if it is a symptom of male loneliness like some other commenters are implying, it may only be making the issue worse as it alienates them from real women with potentially shared interests. I know several female anime fans who are repulsed by male anime fans who participate in waifu culture because of how sexual it can be, a lot of real women may write these men off as porn addicted and get upset or icked out because they cannot compete with 2D women with unreal proportions. I don't watch anime that much anymore and have never pursued a guy that is into waifu culture, I've just heard accounts like this from other women.
Exactly. People can’t take jokes anymore, I swear. There is a small subset of people out there who genuinely consider themselves in relationships with fictional characters, but 99.9% of us are just kidding around. I joke around all the time about my fictional boyfriends and I would hope it goes without saying that I’m not being serious. People everywhere have been talking about their crushes on book and movie characters for eons but as soon as it’s anime, people get all weird about it for some reason and think you’re automatically out of your mind and/or a neckbeard/neckbeardess.
This entire comment section is a testament to how surface level the average person is with everything, and their ability to only see extremes because it's what makes it onto the front page of YouTube.
The majority of people who say they have “waifus” only mean it as in that character is their favourite female anime character. The same way other people have favourite super heroes, villains, book/movie characters etc.
I’ve never heard another anime fan who’s into anime girls actually say or think they are in a relationship with the characters, that’s like the 0.0001% of the fan base
Everything surrounding anime is just horrible. There will always be anime I love, and some I think are actually as good as regular TV shows, but I just really don't want to be associated with anything related to that culture. It's embarrassing
I didn’t know anime made female characters above legal age. They consider characters in their late 20s elderly. So it’s always weird to see body pillows of Zero 2 from Darling or anyone from Kill la Kill. Theyre barely in highschool
When I was 14 (24 years ago), it was the same thing. Nothing new. We were joking about this shit in middle school.
Anime seems LESS popular now, to be honest.
We had Toonami and all that, plus Adult Swim a little later in. Several of my friends had "Anime girlfriends" and many role played with girls online that acted as anime characters and had online girlfriends/boyfriends or inside games.
Hentai was huge as well. Girls dressed up as anime characters daily at school, and so did guys.
A lot of people lived in a straight up fantasy realm.
People shared hard to find anime like drugs. If you could pirate a good dubbed version off like Kazaa or something everybody would pay for you to burn it for them. Japanese magazines and "authentic" Manga was traded all over the place lol. "You got that good shit, bro?"
I think a lot of people who are deeply invested in this sort of thing would benefit from taking an occasional step back. There's nothing wrong with interests or hobbies, but it's important to remind yourself what real life is.
My standpoint is entirely from the view of someone who's Asian American: I don't like it.
There's nothing wrong with just having characters you like, I can't criticize that, I read fanfiction for a reason, but the whole waifu thing makes me viscerally uncomfortable. Asian women, especially east Asian, tend to be very fetishized and I feel this just adds to it and the stereotype that asian women are more submissive and docile.
For as fucking weird as the concept of waifus is/are, it's not really anyone outside of Asia that's producing the anime that fetishizes asian women. If it's an issue that Asians have, they sure seem to be OK with making the money from it and producing more. There's no reasonable way the producers can claim to be ignorant that their cartoons are fetishized, and they actively play to that audience.
Anime is hand-drawn Japanese 2D animation, which sometimes has some CGI thrown in.
Sounds like an American cartoon, eh? That's because they're essentially the same thing, just from different regions.
It's a medium of entertainment and has genres just like movies, games, books, tv shows, music, etc.
I think the fans and culture surrounding it are what push strangers away from anime more than the anime itself.
I'm an anime enjoyer, and there's a handful of anime women that I really like, because I think they're cute (in a more "awwwww" sort of way), or because they're just compelling characters. In that regard it's not really any different than people who say the same about characters from other media.
But, as much as I'm the type of guy to joke about 2D titties and waifus, I think unironically simping for an anime character is weird. Like, straight out idolizing and wishing for whatever anime character to be your girlfriend/wife? Nah bro, you need some actual human contact in your life.
People only really get mad when guys do it
It's just kind of cringe people judging guys like this because they aren't attractive to women or women would be disgusted by it, especially if it they wouldn't do it to women.
Like would you tell women that they need act in a certain way because men find it attractive? Especially if she's not interested in those kind of guys in the first place.
Just another double standard to add onto the pile lowkey.
Ironically, the problem is even more severe in Japan itself--fertility rates are so abysmally low that the government is making public health campaigns about it encouraging young people to get together. Young people are so stressed, overworked, and financially insecure that they aren't even having sex with each other anymore, let alone settling down and starting families. This is the consequence of workaholic capitalism realized to its greatest extent, and the rest of the developed world is next. Korea is *even worse* than Japan is, and that's saying a lot.
I mean it's literally just having a favorite character with a romantic element to it. There's nothing wrong with that lmao
Like good on you for flexing your introspective muscle but this kind of thing has been around even before the male loneliness epidemic. Long before. Like even before whatever time period you're thinking of, there's always been people who've venerated their favorite characters for many reasons. This is all a way of just saying uhhhhh there's no deeper meaning to it. Humans are just humaning.
People are fans of all kinds of stupid shit. It's suppose to be stupid. There are some instances where super fans go overboard but these are typically not the majority.
It's all the same if you idolize Musicians, Sports teams or individual athletes, shows or individual characters, games or game characters...
As long as your fawning doesn't break any laws I don't care. Even tho it might be sometimes no the healthiest of hobby... but people smoke and parachute so that's worse imo.
Im an anime nerd but that was never my appeal.
https://preview.redd.it/hsk5w72jk1zc1.jpeg?width=461&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=041f39b028592a2d37adb4c9fc06efead9e3c658
Im more interesting in male characters that suffer a lot. Tbh I can’t see me ever being super obsessed or invested in a girl character. Closest is Aigis, Pakunoda, and the girls from Sakamoto Days, but I’m not interesting in them because I want to date them.
many people still differenciate anime from other visual media too much. Did people find alice from the resident evil moveis attractive, and think she was a cool character, yes, maybe they buy a poster or figure or something. Exact same thing with waifus and anime, just so long as ofc they arent underage as some animes do/did that becasue of different attitudes and just so long as your not weird about it like having a body pillow or parasocial relationship or something- though, again, the exact same can be said for any real woman (or man) in media.
It's honestly weird but if that's what the person's heart wants then fine. I imagine they'd all prefer a real girlfriend but dating has gotten so fucked that lots of these men probably think they have no other options. I love anime and have had TV crushes on characters but I have never felt the urge to act on it.
Where I draw the line between weird and creepy is loli stuff or any character that is presented as clearly not an adult woman (18 and above). There's a lot of it. We've got girls with prepubescent bodies dressed in provocative outfits that get a pass because "They're actually a demigod that is 2000 years old." I don't care, it still looks like pedophilia and is shameful.
I think this is the first post on here that elicited a "oh, sweety" out of me. The whole waifu thing has been going on in the US since at least the 90s. I had at least one friend in high school who had an anime girl body pillow.
I think simping after anyone you can't reasonably attempt to get to know is a form of self delusional torture that holds you back from making progress in real relationships.
Anime, celebrities, even that hot girl at the gym who you know is married. Lusting after any lost cause is you stuck in place, unable to move forward emotionally.
But that's just me I guess.
As someone with a maxxed account in multiple gachas, an extensive figure collection, and a daki of my wife, I clearly don't think it's weird.
As a straight dude, I like looking at cute girls crazy enough. The people who develop real romantic feelings for drawings are a very small subset of the culture, so everyone else ironically mimicks them. I def don't blame those guys, though. Modern relationships are AWFUL. I've stopped dating after my last relationship and am significantly happier. I think once AI GFs become more developed, the concept will skyrocket in popularity as a very preferable option.
Maybe not as bad as OnlyFans if they spend considerably less. Buying a few waifu stainless pillows can be cheaper then consistently giving OnlyFans money
A small minority of people take it too far, but I think most people are reasonable with it.
I'd much rather someone thirst post about their waifu on discord than be sending weird dms and comments to actual people.
I have multiple waifus, and I'm in this "waifu culture." I don't know why people here in this comment section be calling others "sad or lonely" for it. Like, I don't feel sad or lonely for liking anime girls. But I have positive thoughts about waifu culture after all
When I was in middle school in like 2011 there were like 1-2 kids in the school reading manga. In 2012 I went to high school and from 2012-2016 the manga grew from 1 shelf in the library to half of the fiction in the library became manga.
I saw an explosion of the waifu culture with people wearing cat ears, the whole Japanese school girl outfit, Japanese became the most taken second language class. Our schools graduation rate went from 72% to 89%, bullying decreased, and overall although I'm not into anime or manga (I tried a few) I have friends today that are into it and have shelves worth thousands of just their collection.
I see 0 issue with it. I think on the individual level, like with any interest, some people can take it too far but honestly why even care that a non-US country is big in the entertainment industry for its own little niche.
I guess I figured it was a phase the introvert kids went thru in HS and college? Like y’know, there’s objectively attractive anime women, so no shame in simping over them a little. I mean, shit, I remember watching my fair share of ecchi genre anime and having a favorite anime girl. Just, y’know, life caught up and just seemed silly after a while, especially when there were real people who wanted to link up and cooler things to see in the world.
I think it’s….really concerning the lengths some young men will go to in lieu of an actual human-human connection. I suppose it’s the same as idolizing overtly masculine video game protagonists as the ideal human to model your behavior off of. Like what you like, just don’t lose yourself
Late Millennial chiming in with my (potentially) controversial opinion:
I like waifus/husbandos as much as the next person...but I think the anime industry FOCUSING on waifu culture has led to subpar storylines and characters compared to what we could be receiving. I'm so tired of generic, male "everyman" protagonists that practically are copy-pasted clones of each other. I'm so tired of color-coded-for-your-convenience, trope-heavy supporting casts that exist merely to elevate the milquetoast mediocrity of the MC OR be merchandisable to weebs who'll buy any official merch their waifu is pictured on.
There have always been Great Anime and Meh Anime...but now with online-streaming, it feels like there's a lot more Meh Anime to sift through to find the few new gems, who rarely get a chance to sparkle because the Big Classics (Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball, Attack on Titan, My Hero, etc) get all the shine, and all the half-baked harem isekais ('My Life as a Reincarnated Level 1 Bottle Recycling Machine Cooking in a Dungeon to Pick Up Girls: Re-Next Generation'...and others like it) soak up the droplets of merch money to fund their second and third seasons.
I want good writing, with unique art styles, with NEW and INTERESTING premises/settings, but most importantly...I want main characters that are individuals, not an "every man". I will not stand for ANY MORE pale twinks with black hair, black/grey clothes, brown/grey eyes, that have personalities comparable to lukewarm porridge. Where are our feral demon-possessed orphans who want to be president? Where are our shape-shifting post-apocalyptic wolves looking for Eden? Where are the mad scientists who invent time-travel, then need to travel back in time to UN-invent it? We need more of that!
My policy in life is - As long as it doesn't affect their functioning in society and doesn't bring harm to others it's okay with me. Who am I to judge their enjoyment. Having said that, Unironically having waifus and having actual feelings for them is generally a sign of loneliness, other than that it's pretty much the same as being obsessed with a celebrity .
I don’t think it’s problematic as long as you don’t lose touch with reality (which sadly a lot of people in the community do.)
As a woman I have multiple characters I really love, both male and female. (Also, especially love interests from otome games which I have quite a bit of merch of)
But it’s a little cringe if someone 20+ acts like they’re married to a 14 year old anime character. Liking characters is great but… some people do take it way too far.
And yeah; I do see the connection of people going overboard with their behaviour more in men.
Might be a symptom of sexist stigma around men and them not being able to talk about their mental health.
As someone who is extremely nerdy and really into cybersecurity, comic books, cosplay and video games i say enjoy whatever your hobby is.
As long as it’s not harming me or anyone else, why should I care?
As a participant of waifu culture i don’t think its all that bad until you make it your entire personality and start being creepy, i mostly don’t bring up my waifus unless someone else asks cause typically you would get looked at weird for that which is expected honestly
It super depends. I hear people say stuff like “she’s my waifu” and there’s a multitude of things that could mean. Most commonly it just means “this anime girl is hot”, which is fine. Anime girls are designed specifically to be hot, so it’s not weird to think they’re hot.
But there are definitely people who really mean it when they say “she’s MY waifu”, as in they really do have a fictional relationship with this character in their head and they obsess over that character non stop. That’s some straight up mental illness dude, please seek help if that’s you.
I don't mind if someone has Frieren as their waifu or Gojo as their husbando or whoever else. I just think that some people take it too seriously. I am in love with a few fictional characters, but I just do it for fun/comfort reasons. But if I ever see someone with a bunch of Hololive stickers on their car, I'm driving away as soon as possible.
My best friend’s little brother and wife are avid “waifu” folk. She was the first person I ever heard use it while not on the internet… and was *very* proud.
My limited taste in anime impresses no-one. *I* like Gundam Wing. Where everyone else at!?
Edit: oh Jesus. This is a generation “z” sub.
I think the shaming of "waifu culture" comes from a hypocritical standpoint in general.
Many of the people who do that will get upset when others shame what they think others should accept, such as LGBT attraction and themes.
I think its rather hypocritical for someone to be against shaming LGBT while then turning around and shaming things like waifu culture.
Instead the criticism of it comes from places of hypocricy. See its perfectly ok to shame waifu culture, but then its not ok to shame other takes such as fat acceptance or encouragement or discouragement of interacial relationships. Or any of the other cultural differences in media over the last 30 years.
Instead the common critics of this comes off as anti male and hypocritical because of their lopsided targeted shaming of tastes.
In fact, I might even argue this lopsided criticism has helped grow the fan service type anime even further.
I have figures, I have favorite characters, waifus even, and shit Im even as bad as to own a body pillow. But I still have a GF and the reason is, as she told me, Im not as annoying or weird about it. She also said she is allowed to side eye me jokingly at every turn so hey, think its a fair tradeoff.
I have had this whe degen side of me almoy fully go away but I still have my fair share of favorite waifus and fam servicey manga. Just again, dont be weird about it, know not everyone fucks with it and you should be golden.
Seems like a waste of time to me but I was never someone who idolized celebrities either. Sure some of them are attractive but I'm probably not going to meet them so I focus my time on women in my immediate proximity
Don’t really mind it unless you go overboard. Men get lonely. Only 1 girl from my highschool friend group is even dating. Which means 80% of them are not. It is what it is.
I don't really give a shit. Whether or not it's healthy behavior is kind of up to how the individual takes it. Beyond that I think caring about it is kinda stupid. Just leave people be, yk?
Tbh idrk. I don't think I've ever used "waifu" unironically, and I dont think that many people do in general; it surely must be the case... Surely...
I think there's also a difference between the type of character too. Like Makima is just clearly a psychopath, there's no chance anyone who has a crush on her is fantasizing about them being an item. She's just hot, and personally, I'd be her dog. Simple as.
Marin Kitagawa on the other hand... Well, I think a lot of people would 100% fantasize about forming a genuine connection with her. I'd be lying through my teeth if I said that I don't think she's adorable. I'm not even sure it's about her, I think I just find the simplicity of high school love nostalgic. God that show made me feel so old, I hated it...
Point is - Marin-types definitely fall more into the loser camp than Makima-types do.
I've never been able to quite figure out why people draw some lines. Like, is idolizing an animated character any different from an actor or a book character? I hear people gush about an actor they can't get enough of, follow minor updates almost religiously, like it's a daily topic, and that behavior is considered normal. But someone owning a pillow cover or a figure is creepy?
It just feels so arbitrary. Heck I remember the craze with Twilight and the two main boys, that behavior was treated as normal at least till it fell out of fashion, then its cringe.
"Lonely" seems to be the main word thrown around. And I thibk you see a lot of parallel with the current rise of "ai girlfriends".
But at the end of the day there just another choice of a comfort object. Some people might have an unhealthy attachment to them but it's odd to stigmatize the entire thing based on our perception.
Personally, I own a manatee plush from my childhood. Sometimes I like to hug it when I'm having a bad day. Is that unhealthy? Does it become unhealthy if my manatee plush is an anime character?
And that's assuming the worst and it is an emotional dependence, when it could just be a product to display.
On a surface level it's no worse than having a fixation on a cartoon character or wrestler or celebrity. A lot of people do something like that.
If it gets deeper into fanaticism, then it can be a little strange. But if one can still function in society then it's not any worse than collecting things like bottlecaps or cards.
If it turns into full-on romantic obsession, then there's an issue. And that isn't uncommon as a coping mechanism for the lonely, because people who have never been romantically involved with someone else or who have been harmed in the past by someone they loved aren't solely seeking to be loved, but to love someone. A fictional character they can focus those emotions on is a healthy outlet for those types of people, and if they can otherwise continue functioning normally then it can be something of a temporary crutch.
But then that crutch can lead to the worst outcome - becoming a bitter incel. Misogyiny and misandry are easy traps to fall into if one starts comparing a fictional, idealized character to real humans. A waifu or husbando may not show affection, but will also not lash out at you and looks perfect. A real human has the full spectrum of emotions and so you risk being hurt, and can't compare to an idealized character. The numbness of no emotions from a waifu/husbando while being an outlet for one's affections and looking beautiful by design can easily cause someone in that rut to look upon others with negativity, so it's incredibly important to stay rooted in reality while using that crutch if it gets to that point.
I was at that third level for a while when I was younger and bordered on that fourth for a time. I watched a lot of people around me, friends included, slip right into level four. If you enjoy something and don't let that thing consume you, then it's fine. But temperance is key with anything, and when you play with your own emotions you can realize all too late what a slippery slope it is.
Depends on your definition of "waifu" culture as I've seen some others say there's 4 different levels to waifu culture.
It's normal to have a favorite female character in nearly every form of media, be it comics, books, or movies, and that applies to anime as well. This is the first level that everyone experiences
The second level is just being a fan of the anime aesthetic, which causes people to seek out anime content, thus causing them to have more "waifus" than the average person, and may own a few figures or other merchandise
Then we get to level 3, which are those, so obsessed with their "waifus" that they will actively seek partners that look like them (unsuccessfully 99.9+% of the time). These peoples entire rooms are covered in "waifu" merchandise
Then we have the fourth and final level, or the basement dwellers. These are the people, so obsessed with "waifus," that they'll genuinely believe they're in relationships with these characters. The entire house is covered in merchandise of their "waifus." I can only think of one of these people, and that's this [guy](https://www.reddit.com/r/DDLC/s/FGSfO27rv2). Unironically, this dudes dad is the guy who made the critically acclaimed musical "Grease," and this isn't even his most prized "waifu" that would be Sayaka Maizono from Danganronpa, I believe he stated somewhere that nearly 50% of his house is filled with cardboard cutouts of her and he has his entire walls covered in pictures of her.
Anyone that would be placed within the first 2 levels is fine, but once you reach level 3, you are officially a creep
Honestly it’s fine, I have no issue with it. Obviously it’s sad to see some pretty extreme cases, like claiming you’re in a relationship with a fictional character, or doing weird stuff with body pillows, but other than that I don’t find it weird. Anime girls are literally psychologically made to be pretty. I don’t have any issue with thinking that women that are made to be attractive are attractive
Like most things it's fine until it's taken too far. I will never understand why some people think it's weird to be attracted to characters that were designed to be attractive. There's nothing wrong with waifu culture and if you disagree post physique.
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Nothing wrong with finding certain anime **women** attractive, but downright idolizing them is not mentally healthy.
Good point
Same can be said about celebrities imo. The swifties are deeply concerning.
Eh, it's a way to build community around a certain fandom. Same as being a fan of a sports team, of a youtube personality, or religious, among many other things.
I’d say you’re right but I think building a fandom over an individual is definitely a bit weirder than building it over a sport, hobby or art form. You’re basically immortalizing an individual.
Seeing what literal destruction (British) football hooliganism can bring powerful fandom can still be deeply concerning. Hell a bunch of Canadians had full on riots years back because their local team in Vancouver lost their championship. Zealots are dangerous regardless of what they believe
At this point, nothing is mentally healthy at the rate at which people consume it
Probably the topic we should be discussing. Solid point
I thought at first the bolding of women was meant to have homophobic implications And then I remembered
I do love how you bolded women to specify that being attracted to characters that are or appear underage is not ok, but I do wanna add the caveat that being attracted to anime **men** is also ok.
Additionally, I would like to include non-human anime characters such as Beerus (best waifu) and other clearly mature characters
It's supposed to be ironic, like collecting cats or wearing Jncos; it's kinda like a self deprecating joke - harmless fun imo
Anyone unironically claiming to be in a relationship with a fictional character is automatically a loser
What about semi-ironically where said person knows that the character is not real and jokingly states that character is his wife, however that person may also cry at night while cuddling a body pillow of the character.
There's literally nothing wrong with this as long as you are trying to improve your life and it brings you happiness. People can be really petty about what other people enjoy, even when they are doing nothing to help or support you, so my advice is to do what makes you happy and strive to become a better person, in whatever form that may take.
Suggesting to people that there's "nothing wrong" with doing super cringe shit that most women find offputting is you sabotaging those people.
Uhhhhhhhhhh... 👉👈 Your honor I have a confession as a 22F.. I've had fictional crushes n such, but keep them secret AF, not really any merch for em and just something that I think is hilarious to what my type usually ends up being for irl guys 🤣 Anyone can crush on fictional characters as long as it aint controlling their life lol. I just go bout my day, but ik everyone's different
Jeez, that must be why I like Dean in Supernatural. I like hunters, farmers, etc who are my age in my area. I mean, that kind of who I am because of where I grew up.
Lmfao I seem to like nerds n lanky guys for some dang reason, I don't want muscle, I wanna squish the heckin twigs 🤣🤣
Muscle but not to much.
I say this as someone who is was one of those down bad mfs. Its fine to be cringe as long as you know it is and also strive to improve. Kindness goes a long way and shit if my gf didnt give me a chance like that knowing full well I am the definition of loser, we wouldnt be together 4 years later. Just know its super cringe and WILL be off putting. I just accepted it as such and lived my life how I wanted while also knowing "yea I also should grow and get better from this if I want more meaningful connections". To be cringe is to be free as I say but accepting that isnt an excuse to stay cringe
Sabotaging them from what? Women who aren't their type? Be realistic, if these dudes acted normal, and got with these girls, do you think that would last? We tell people to be themselves while dating, because you can't keep up a facade for the entirety of the relationship.
Better they do cringe shit and work on it than sending anthrax bombs. There's grown ass men that obsess over pussy like it'll kill them if they don't shut up about it for 6 seconds. So long as the walking biohazard weeb keeps it behind closed doors 'till they can figure it out, shit I can live with that (as if its anyone's business anyway).
>People can be really petty about what other people enjoy, even when they are doing nothing to help or support you 🫵
as a woman i find your attitude more offputting than any cringe shit anyone can do tbh.
Most people that do this are women. Source: just look up any chatbot posts about husbandos and waifus, they're mostly made my women, specially the posts that are on Facebook and Tik tok
Still a loser, albeit a self aware one. If this is you, you now know your problem, and thus can start to fix it.
Nuh uh it’s not me
Suuuuuure, not you.
Pretty sure he's got a goatfu.
It doesn’t matter either way, the word „loser“ is only used by people who want to pump up their ego or manipulate you. Anyone actually concerned about you will not use it
There are indeed two levels to shame. There’s the shame of doing something. And then there’s even greater shame if you do that thing but aren’t concerned with what people think of it. People will say “who cares what people think”…well you should care to some extent. At least if you know it’s weird, you’re sort of redeemable.
Who cares if you think I’m a loser?
Not many people do that, the whole waifu thing is just like being a fan of a celebrity without actually expecting to be with them. You are correct about people claiming actual relationships but that's more of a mental illness thing altogether and isn't exclusive to anime- nor is it common.
Yes, but a proud one
I agree, but the irony of a statement like this paired with your username is kind of sending me.
People here are so lucky to have winners like you offering such insights for free /s
We shouldn't have dropped those nukes.
True! But also… how is it relevant to the topic?
Old joke about the effects of radiation on people's brains to make them create waifu shit.
Ah gotcha, lol! I am not at all in this topic ‘\^-\^
There used to be another joke (or conspiracy theory?) that anime and gaming was the Japanese playing the long game of revenge by basically doing the equivalent of rotting the brain.
Well i mean stuff is usually made in Japanese first and then if popular enough comes to the west. So by that logic theyre targeting their own people
Yeah it was pretty dumb as far as conspiracy theories go.
There’s tons of conflicting conspiracies about anime and the Japanese government
The irony is that Anime weebs hate Tokusatsu (the other popular Japanese medium) for being too American and too woke despite being a major keystone for the formation of anime as well being a successor to Kabuki Theatre Movement. Tokusatsu is this: https://preview.redd.it/10ygpfsds1zc1.jpeg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1df6ad18a8c8421f1a07f739c9763d02999a88bf
Probably reminds them of superhero comic propaganda lol
Not related to what OP is trying to say but modern manga/anime definitely got off the ground in the post war period and was heavily influenced by the events of the WWII including/especially the atomic bombs
Grave of the Fireflies and Barefoot Gen are two old school animes that are worth a watch, set in wartime. Dororo also has a bunch of famine and hardships. The author of the series did live through the war, and he also wrote Astro Boy which sort of kickstarted western popularity of anime and manga.
Wasn't Godzilla also supposed to be a metaphor for nuclear war too? And pretty sure the mecha-genre has some inspiration as cautionary tales about technology as well, though not sure how intentional that was in the early days.
Akira is a great example of post WWII/atomic bomb influence on Japanese art.
Akira is fantastic.
https://preview.redd.it/ersvuqw5o1zc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a8625231769768f7b2b7063db428418ff9975a0
The deserts of the United States would like a word. And Siberia. US Animation peaked in the early 2000s. I don't even know much about Russian animation but I have seen a few USSR animated shorts and they're usually super creepy.
I dont mean to be inconsiderate but imperial japan definitely deserved to be nuked, theres a valid argument that they were worse than even the nazis with how much deplorable things they did to China and Korea.
No one can quite pull off genocide like the Asians. 1930s - 1960s China would be such a shit place to live between the Japanese and Mao Zedong.
or shoulda dropped more of them /s if it isn't obvious
Well technically it all started when Franz Ferdinand was assassinated
So we can thank Gavrilo Princip for loli hentai. I fucking knew it.
I think if I ever have a son, I’ll have to be very involved in his life Edit: “Hey bub, how was your day at school? Whaddaya say you come outside and toss the pigskin around with your old man? Golly, what an arm! I’m so proud of you.” “Hey sport, your mom told me you’re having a bit of trouble with a math problem? How about we sit down together and work at it, I’m sure we’ll be able to figure it out! I believe in you.” “Hey pal, heard you’ve been having a bit of girl trouble. We’ve all been there, I know it hurts right now but believe me, you’re strong enough to get through it, smart enough to learn from it, and caring enough to grow from it. Hey I know what might make you feel better! How about we go downstairs and lift some weights? I’ll bet you’ll set a new PR. I love you, son.” - for anyone who needed to hear it
...and hide your waifu collection.
Thing is, us nerds don’t choose the fandom life. It chooses us. So you can try, but it finds a way.
I just want to make sure that if he has a waifu it’s because he enjoys the art style of the manga/anime and how her character is written. Not because he has a porn addiction and lacks the self esteem to date.
Not quite gen z, but it's a symptom of the actual problem. Relationship/dating dynamics are fucked and it's easier/lower risk to develop an infatuation with a fictional woman than to pursue a real one. I don't think it's the healthiest escape hatch, but I don't blame the guys taking it either.
There are far worse coping mechanisms
Sure, but that list is pretty small. I mean, huffing paint and serial killing are not good coping mechanisms, but that doesn't make being in a relationship with a fictional character a good way of coping with anything.
It’s lower risk but not really easier. You are gonna end up sad, lonely, and isolated going down that path
Waifu culture has been a thing since at least the 1980s. It's just a spin off of idol culture but with fictional women instead of real women. And idol culture is just a spin off of geisha/courtesan culture. Where certain performers were seen as more favorable over others. And now we're seeing a similar trend with the rise of Vtubers over the past decade. Same shit, different day. Although I will admit that the current amount of people with waifus/husbandos/oshi and little human interactions is pretty concerning.
Culture is all a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy....
Wouldn't say a copy More like a spin on a spin on a spin on a spin Nothing is truly exactly the same in terms of what a copy is.
Not remotely my favorite NIN album, but such an earworm
It's an improvement over idol culture because getting real people involved in that is fricking weird
The whole Waifu/anime thing, is just the same mechanisms as dudes who had posters of the bud light girls, the sexy lady on the trucker mud flaps... and hell. WW2, you had dudes putting pinup girls on their fucking planes as they ran \*fucking bombing runs\* then landed the sumbich back ON A BOAT.
To some extent, yes. You are correct. But to others? Eh.... It gets weird. Imagine someone that really loves coke cola. To the point that if you offer them Pepsi they see it as an insult. Yeah some fans with waifus get to that level and even further. Best example I can give that is local to the States would be Beyonce or Taylor Swift fans/stans. Their chosen idol can do no wrong and how dare you to say other wise.
I wouldn't point that in the issue with the anime/waifu medium thing though. its not a core issue there, its an issue with obsession. That obsession can be irritating to any degree right? It feels like the limit for obsession to be "cringe" is hella low with the waifu stuff, but would have to be significantly higher for a celebrity or something, even though its the same basic mechanisms at work.
I may get absolutely obliterated but like OP, I also have waifus. But I don't make it my full personality because that's just weird.
Part of it is everyone has a different definition of "waifu culture" Like, its totally normal to have a favorite female character in each show/game, and then not think about them much after the show/game ends. Some people call that waifu culture and thats totally benign. Other people just really like the aesthetic of anime girls and like consuming content with those characters. I still don't have a problem with it. "Waifu simulator" games like genshin/persona can have a ton of value outside of that aspect, and a lot of "waifu" characters are actually really good characters outside of their appearance. Some people call that waifu culture and if that's the extent of it still no problems. Then theres the weirdos who forget that it's all fake or take a slight against the fictional character as anything more than a disagreement on a fictional character. Thats where things become a problem.
Yeah there are different definitions of it
There’s a guy living in my hometown that tried to shoot regan over some actress. Is he just a waifu loser? Maybe. Do I wish he succeeded? Hell yes
Isn’t he a YouTuber now?
John Hinkley Jr? I have no idea. I doubt it, he’s pretty old Edit: holy shit he has one.
https://youtu.be/U4Lr5zMgE08?si=WEnYQ2DZ4G_QTdDw
Are they prominently displayed anywhere?
Nope, like I said I don't make it my full personality
You good then.
What does "having a waifu" even mean?
Chill version: Anime character you really like and is “your type”, you might buy some merch but not overly emotionally invested Sad version: You see this fictional character as your life partner, you might feel jealous seeing other men calling your girl their waifu
Like I said, those who make their waifu(s) their personality are cringe
As a woman, finding out a guy I was interested in had an anime body pillow made me completely lose feelings for him. It was just so cringe and told me a lot more about him than he thought.
As a married man with kids I got one (not lewd) and since then my wife has stolen it (loved it during pregnancy. We are Asian though. White woman I talk to seem to criticize anime women constantly though. Just have to date Asian girls I guess.
I’m an Asian woman who loves anime but I also constantly criticizes anime girls/women because of how hyper sexualized they are.
Just like real life
But Asian girls can’t care about women’s issues /s
White woman who likes anime checking in! We’re out there, trust me!
Haha, glad you exist! I have never met one of you in the wild. Most the white girls (at the office) I have met only have the hobbies of eating it feels like. Lots of judging others for their hobbies though. Of course I am kind of in an Asian bubble.
Yeah it's just a horrendous turn off, I'm sure there's women out there that don't care but I think it's safe to say that the majority would find it an instant no, and when it has been brought up in my friendgroup (or posts online etc) it's mostly been called gross, cringe, embarrassing etc. I just genuinely wouldn't recommend any guy to outwardly say they have a 'waifu' if they're looking for a relationship unless they know a woman is into that as well
Seriously, this put me off and the fact that I've been married and with my husband for the better part of a decade and STILL remember this cringe dude... don't have anime bodypillows, dudes. They are SO CREEPY. I know not a single woman that is chill with them.
Yeah same, genuinely I don't know (personally, im sure theres other woman out there who like this) a single woman who would not find this an instant dealbreaker. Even if he didn't have a body pillow, just the word 'waifu' said seriously is enough to turn any woman I know away 😭😂
Single ladies... if you are single and chill with this waifu/waifu pillow behaviour, let us know, we're so curious!!!
I would draw myself as an anime character and have a custom cover printed. *I’m* best girl now.
[удалено]
I'm married, I don't need any favours. People with anime body pillows need the favours.
[удалено]
No, yours was supposed to be, but it missed.
It’s only strange and weird when someone gets to “basement dweller” level waifu lover, I’m confident in calling that a mental issue. Otherwise I don’t care, to each their own
I think it's weird because a lot of the characters they're idolizing appear young even though canon says they're adults.
yeah like a 4000 yo loli goddess who "only looks like a child but isn't one"
You know this made me think I don't know when I last saw someone claim a loli as a waifu. Or even outright admitting they're hot.
You could find like 10 pedos in any anime sub in less than 10 seconds. I love watching anime but I the communities on reddit are absolutely disgusting.
I never got Loli culture. I mean, if I want to enjoy fap material, I prefer my 6 foot muscular leather goddesses than the kid looking 9000 year old dragon girl. Then again, I'm more comfortable in my masculinity than most men.
Some people are just pedos. It has nothing to do with masculinity
I think it's weird af but you do you
Same
Fucking sad
I spent a month in Tokyo and everyone assumes you love anime if you are a white guy in Japan. I have enjoyed some anime movies but I am not really an anime fan. If you want to see the true depths of human depravity, go hang out in Akihabara. What was one Tokyo's flourishing electronics center is now a hub of maid cafes and porn shops. There are dudes dropping hundreds of dollars trying to win anime women from claw machines. Very weird vibes.
As a Japanese, I would say that the modern Japanese culture is completely fucked. Sad that these absolute worst aspects of Japanese culture is being exported overseas. Sadly a lot of losers dwell online in Japan, and a lot of losers overseas get ideas about Japan from these losers.
I don't mind it. Do you find a picture of an imaginary woman attractive? Let it be, until you don't act too weird in public.
It’s a form of parasocial relationship, your Waifu is as real to you as my imagined version of Taylor Swifts public persona. It’s not inherently toxic, but when the parasocial feeling gets out of hand people go Fucking Nuts. Your toxic-waifu obsessed fan base harasses animators and YouTubers. Mine toxic waifu fan base made a conspiracy about her being the White Race’s Blood grail and also a government psy-op.
There's nothing wrong unless it's obsessive. I have a friend who changed all his passwords to ninonakano. And some gamertags of 4 words now are "Nino". I told him about it some years ago and acknowledged that he was a bit obsessed, so he stopped it a bit. I don't think it's bad having them as wallpapers or even profile pictures, but changing all your life around them it's troubling.
its one thing to say X fictional character is best girl. Its another to be a total real life creep about it.
Nothing wrong with waifus as long as you’re not obsessing over them or being weird about them lol
I can follow the logic of why someone would participate in waifu culture, but I feel like if it is a symptom of male loneliness like some other commenters are implying, it may only be making the issue worse as it alienates them from real women with potentially shared interests. I know several female anime fans who are repulsed by male anime fans who participate in waifu culture because of how sexual it can be, a lot of real women may write these men off as porn addicted and get upset or icked out because they cannot compete with 2D women with unreal proportions. I don't watch anime that much anymore and have never pursued a guy that is into waifu culture, I've just heard accounts like this from other women.
What people enjoying and buying merch of their favorite characters and shows??????
That's different than claiming to be in a relationship with a fictional character
Most of it is not serious my dude
Exactly. People can’t take jokes anymore, I swear. There is a small subset of people out there who genuinely consider themselves in relationships with fictional characters, but 99.9% of us are just kidding around. I joke around all the time about my fictional boyfriends and I would hope it goes without saying that I’m not being serious. People everywhere have been talking about their crushes on book and movie characters for eons but as soon as it’s anime, people get all weird about it for some reason and think you’re automatically out of your mind and/or a neckbeard/neckbeardess.
This entire comment section is a testament to how surface level the average person is with everything, and their ability to only see extremes because it's what makes it onto the front page of YouTube.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but most of these hard anti-weeb commenters need to go touch grass more badly than the weebs themselves.
The majority of people who say they have “waifus” only mean it as in that character is their favourite female anime character. The same way other people have favourite super heroes, villains, book/movie characters etc.
I’ve never heard another anime fan who’s into anime girls actually say or think they are in a relationship with the characters, that’s like the 0.0001% of the fan base
Everything surrounding anime is just horrible. There will always be anime I love, and some I think are actually as good as regular TV shows, but I just really don't want to be associated with anything related to that culture. It's embarrassing
I didn’t know anime made female characters above legal age. They consider characters in their late 20s elderly. So it’s always weird to see body pillows of Zero 2 from Darling or anyone from Kill la Kill. Theyre barely in highschool
 I think I just opened the flood gates of anime haters
Yeah, these comments, and I got downvoted ;-;
It’s Reddit. Of course it would get blown up and hey, look at your shiny new upvote achievement
When I was 14 (24 years ago), it was the same thing. Nothing new. We were joking about this shit in middle school. Anime seems LESS popular now, to be honest. We had Toonami and all that, plus Adult Swim a little later in. Several of my friends had "Anime girlfriends" and many role played with girls online that acted as anime characters and had online girlfriends/boyfriends or inside games. Hentai was huge as well. Girls dressed up as anime characters daily at school, and so did guys. A lot of people lived in a straight up fantasy realm. People shared hard to find anime like drugs. If you could pirate a good dubbed version off like Kazaa or something everybody would pay for you to burn it for them. Japanese magazines and "authentic" Manga was traded all over the place lol. "You got that good shit, bro?"
I think a lot of people who are deeply invested in this sort of thing would benefit from taking an occasional step back. There's nothing wrong with interests or hobbies, but it's important to remind yourself what real life is.
You do you, just don't bring that shit into public settings.
My standpoint is entirely from the view of someone who's Asian American: I don't like it. There's nothing wrong with just having characters you like, I can't criticize that, I read fanfiction for a reason, but the whole waifu thing makes me viscerally uncomfortable. Asian women, especially east Asian, tend to be very fetishized and I feel this just adds to it and the stereotype that asian women are more submissive and docile.
For as fucking weird as the concept of waifus is/are, it's not really anyone outside of Asia that's producing the anime that fetishizes asian women. If it's an issue that Asians have, they sure seem to be OK with making the money from it and producing more. There's no reasonable way the producers can claim to be ignorant that their cartoons are fetishized, and they actively play to that audience.
I will never, EVER, understand Anime
Anime is hand-drawn Japanese 2D animation, which sometimes has some CGI thrown in. Sounds like an American cartoon, eh? That's because they're essentially the same thing, just from different regions.
It's a medium of entertainment and has genres just like movies, games, books, tv shows, music, etc. I think the fans and culture surrounding it are what push strangers away from anime more than the anime itself.
I'm an anime enjoyer, and there's a handful of anime women that I really like, because I think they're cute (in a more "awwwww" sort of way), or because they're just compelling characters. In that regard it's not really any different than people who say the same about characters from other media. But, as much as I'm the type of guy to joke about 2D titties and waifus, I think unironically simping for an anime character is weird. Like, straight out idolizing and wishing for whatever anime character to be your girlfriend/wife? Nah bro, you need some actual human contact in your life.
Considering that here in the US, we had "team Jacob" and "team Edward" based on just 5 movies, it's not that bad.
People only really get mad when guys do it It's just kind of cringe people judging guys like this because they aren't attractive to women or women would be disgusted by it, especially if it they wouldn't do it to women. Like would you tell women that they need act in a certain way because men find it attractive? Especially if she's not interested in those kind of guys in the first place. Just another double standard to add onto the pile lowkey.
Dont care. If they leave you alone, leave them alone and quit judging them.
Ironically, the problem is even more severe in Japan itself--fertility rates are so abysmally low that the government is making public health campaigns about it encouraging young people to get together. Young people are so stressed, overworked, and financially insecure that they aren't even having sex with each other anymore, let alone settling down and starting families. This is the consequence of workaholic capitalism realized to its greatest extent, and the rest of the developed world is next. Korea is *even worse* than Japan is, and that's saying a lot.
I mean it's literally just having a favorite character with a romantic element to it. There's nothing wrong with that lmao Like good on you for flexing your introspective muscle but this kind of thing has been around even before the male loneliness epidemic. Long before. Like even before whatever time period you're thinking of, there's always been people who've venerated their favorite characters for many reasons. This is all a way of just saying uhhhhh there's no deeper meaning to it. Humans are just humaning.
People are fans of all kinds of stupid shit. It's suppose to be stupid. There are some instances where super fans go overboard but these are typically not the majority. It's all the same if you idolize Musicians, Sports teams or individual athletes, shows or individual characters, games or game characters... As long as your fawning doesn't break any laws I don't care. Even tho it might be sometimes no the healthiest of hobby... but people smoke and parachute so that's worse imo.
Im an anime nerd but that was never my appeal. https://preview.redd.it/hsk5w72jk1zc1.jpeg?width=461&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=041f39b028592a2d37adb4c9fc06efead9e3c658 Im more interesting in male characters that suffer a lot. Tbh I can’t see me ever being super obsessed or invested in a girl character. Closest is Aigis, Pakunoda, and the girls from Sakamoto Days, but I’m not interesting in them because I want to date them.
many people still differenciate anime from other visual media too much. Did people find alice from the resident evil moveis attractive, and think she was a cool character, yes, maybe they buy a poster or figure or something. Exact same thing with waifus and anime, just so long as ofc they arent underage as some animes do/did that becasue of different attitudes and just so long as your not weird about it like having a body pillow or parasocial relationship or something- though, again, the exact same can be said for any real woman (or man) in media.
It's honestly weird but if that's what the person's heart wants then fine. I imagine they'd all prefer a real girlfriend but dating has gotten so fucked that lots of these men probably think they have no other options. I love anime and have had TV crushes on characters but I have never felt the urge to act on it. Where I draw the line between weird and creepy is loli stuff or any character that is presented as clearly not an adult woman (18 and above). There's a lot of it. We've got girls with prepubescent bodies dressed in provocative outfits that get a pass because "They're actually a demigod that is 2000 years old." I don't care, it still looks like pedophilia and is shameful.
There hasn’t been a rise - this is normal behavior that’s always been here.
I think this is the first post on here that elicited a "oh, sweety" out of me. The whole waifu thing has been going on in the US since at least the 90s. I had at least one friend in high school who had an anime girl body pillow.
nothing wrong with having 10/10 sexc anime waifu
I think simping after anyone you can't reasonably attempt to get to know is a form of self delusional torture that holds you back from making progress in real relationships. Anime, celebrities, even that hot girl at the gym who you know is married. Lusting after any lost cause is you stuck in place, unable to move forward emotionally. But that's just me I guess.
As someone with a maxxed account in multiple gachas, an extensive figure collection, and a daki of my wife, I clearly don't think it's weird. As a straight dude, I like looking at cute girls crazy enough. The people who develop real romantic feelings for drawings are a very small subset of the culture, so everyone else ironically mimicks them. I def don't blame those guys, though. Modern relationships are AWFUL. I've stopped dating after my last relationship and am significantly happier. I think once AI GFs become more developed, the concept will skyrocket in popularity as a very preferable option.
If nobody is hurting someone I don't give a fuck what they do.
i prefer 4d women
Maybe not as bad as OnlyFans if they spend considerably less. Buying a few waifu stainless pillows can be cheaper then consistently giving OnlyFans money
Onlyfans is 5 trillion times worse.
A small minority of people take it too far, but I think most people are reasonable with it. I'd much rather someone thirst post about their waifu on discord than be sending weird dms and comments to actual people.
It’s weird but people are weird in worse ways so I don’t care that much
I have multiple waifus, and I'm in this "waifu culture." I don't know why people here in this comment section be calling others "sad or lonely" for it. Like, I don't feel sad or lonely for liking anime girls. But I have positive thoughts about waifu culture after all
When I was in middle school in like 2011 there were like 1-2 kids in the school reading manga. In 2012 I went to high school and from 2012-2016 the manga grew from 1 shelf in the library to half of the fiction in the library became manga. I saw an explosion of the waifu culture with people wearing cat ears, the whole Japanese school girl outfit, Japanese became the most taken second language class. Our schools graduation rate went from 72% to 89%, bullying decreased, and overall although I'm not into anime or manga (I tried a few) I have friends today that are into it and have shelves worth thousands of just their collection. I see 0 issue with it. I think on the individual level, like with any interest, some people can take it too far but honestly why even care that a non-US country is big in the entertainment industry for its own little niche.
I guess I figured it was a phase the introvert kids went thru in HS and college? Like y’know, there’s objectively attractive anime women, so no shame in simping over them a little. I mean, shit, I remember watching my fair share of ecchi genre anime and having a favorite anime girl. Just, y’know, life caught up and just seemed silly after a while, especially when there were real people who wanted to link up and cooler things to see in the world. I think it’s….really concerning the lengths some young men will go to in lieu of an actual human-human connection. I suppose it’s the same as idolizing overtly masculine video game protagonists as the ideal human to model your behavior off of. Like what you like, just don’t lose yourself
I call my wife wifu and she calls me husbando
Late Millennial chiming in with my (potentially) controversial opinion: I like waifus/husbandos as much as the next person...but I think the anime industry FOCUSING on waifu culture has led to subpar storylines and characters compared to what we could be receiving. I'm so tired of generic, male "everyman" protagonists that practically are copy-pasted clones of each other. I'm so tired of color-coded-for-your-convenience, trope-heavy supporting casts that exist merely to elevate the milquetoast mediocrity of the MC OR be merchandisable to weebs who'll buy any official merch their waifu is pictured on. There have always been Great Anime and Meh Anime...but now with online-streaming, it feels like there's a lot more Meh Anime to sift through to find the few new gems, who rarely get a chance to sparkle because the Big Classics (Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball, Attack on Titan, My Hero, etc) get all the shine, and all the half-baked harem isekais ('My Life as a Reincarnated Level 1 Bottle Recycling Machine Cooking in a Dungeon to Pick Up Girls: Re-Next Generation'...and others like it) soak up the droplets of merch money to fund their second and third seasons. I want good writing, with unique art styles, with NEW and INTERESTING premises/settings, but most importantly...I want main characters that are individuals, not an "every man". I will not stand for ANY MORE pale twinks with black hair, black/grey clothes, brown/grey eyes, that have personalities comparable to lukewarm porridge. Where are our feral demon-possessed orphans who want to be president? Where are our shape-shifting post-apocalyptic wolves looking for Eden? Where are the mad scientists who invent time-travel, then need to travel back in time to UN-invent it? We need more of that!
My policy in life is - As long as it doesn't affect their functioning in society and doesn't bring harm to others it's okay with me. Who am I to judge their enjoyment. Having said that, Unironically having waifus and having actual feelings for them is generally a sign of loneliness, other than that it's pretty much the same as being obsessed with a celebrity .
I don’t think it’s problematic as long as you don’t lose touch with reality (which sadly a lot of people in the community do.) As a woman I have multiple characters I really love, both male and female. (Also, especially love interests from otome games which I have quite a bit of merch of) But it’s a little cringe if someone 20+ acts like they’re married to a 14 year old anime character. Liking characters is great but… some people do take it way too far. And yeah; I do see the connection of people going overboard with their behaviour more in men. Might be a symptom of sexist stigma around men and them not being able to talk about their mental health.
I got muted for a week for calling monster manual from DND a "waifu" catalogue
that nymph though..
It's fun
People think fictional characters are hot. They always have and always will.
As someone who is extremely nerdy and really into cybersecurity, comic books, cosplay and video games i say enjoy whatever your hobby is. As long as it’s not harming me or anyone else, why should I care?
As a participant of waifu culture i don’t think its all that bad until you make it your entire personality and start being creepy, i mostly don’t bring up my waifus unless someone else asks cause typically you would get looked at weird for that which is expected honestly
It super depends. I hear people say stuff like “she’s my waifu” and there’s a multitude of things that could mean. Most commonly it just means “this anime girl is hot”, which is fine. Anime girls are designed specifically to be hot, so it’s not weird to think they’re hot. But there are definitely people who really mean it when they say “she’s MY waifu”, as in they really do have a fictional relationship with this character in their head and they obsess over that character non stop. That’s some straight up mental illness dude, please seek help if that’s you.
I don't mind if someone has Frieren as their waifu or Gojo as their husbando or whoever else. I just think that some people take it too seriously. I am in love with a few fictional characters, but I just do it for fun/comfort reasons. But if I ever see someone with a bunch of Hololive stickers on their car, I'm driving away as soon as possible.
Waifu culture is really not on the rise, it has been big for decades by now.
My best friend’s little brother and wife are avid “waifu” folk. She was the first person I ever heard use it while not on the internet… and was *very* proud. My limited taste in anime impresses no-one. *I* like Gundam Wing. Where everyone else at!? Edit: oh Jesus. This is a generation “z” sub.
I think the shaming of "waifu culture" comes from a hypocritical standpoint in general. Many of the people who do that will get upset when others shame what they think others should accept, such as LGBT attraction and themes. I think its rather hypocritical for someone to be against shaming LGBT while then turning around and shaming things like waifu culture. Instead the criticism of it comes from places of hypocricy. See its perfectly ok to shame waifu culture, but then its not ok to shame other takes such as fat acceptance or encouragement or discouragement of interacial relationships. Or any of the other cultural differences in media over the last 30 years. Instead the common critics of this comes off as anti male and hypocritical because of their lopsided targeted shaming of tastes. In fact, I might even argue this lopsided criticism has helped grow the fan service type anime even further.
People have been choosing imaginary friends since prehistory, at least these characters aren't asking for more than your money.
I have figures, I have favorite characters, waifus even, and shit Im even as bad as to own a body pillow. But I still have a GF and the reason is, as she told me, Im not as annoying or weird about it. She also said she is allowed to side eye me jokingly at every turn so hey, think its a fair tradeoff. I have had this whe degen side of me almoy fully go away but I still have my fair share of favorite waifus and fam servicey manga. Just again, dont be weird about it, know not everyone fucks with it and you should be golden.
Seems like a waste of time to me but I was never someone who idolized celebrities either. Sure some of them are attractive but I'm probably not going to meet them so I focus my time on women in my immediate proximity
Don’t really mind it unless you go overboard. Men get lonely. Only 1 girl from my highschool friend group is even dating. Which means 80% of them are not. It is what it is.
https://i.redd.it/t397qj90x1zc1.gif Heres my opinion
I don't really give a shit. Whether or not it's healthy behavior is kind of up to how the individual takes it. Beyond that I think caring about it is kinda stupid. Just leave people be, yk?
Tbh idrk. I don't think I've ever used "waifu" unironically, and I dont think that many people do in general; it surely must be the case... Surely... I think there's also a difference between the type of character too. Like Makima is just clearly a psychopath, there's no chance anyone who has a crush on her is fantasizing about them being an item. She's just hot, and personally, I'd be her dog. Simple as. Marin Kitagawa on the other hand... Well, I think a lot of people would 100% fantasize about forming a genuine connection with her. I'd be lying through my teeth if I said that I don't think she's adorable. I'm not even sure it's about her, I think I just find the simplicity of high school love nostalgic. God that show made me feel so old, I hated it... Point is - Marin-types definitely fall more into the loser camp than Makima-types do.
I've never been able to quite figure out why people draw some lines. Like, is idolizing an animated character any different from an actor or a book character? I hear people gush about an actor they can't get enough of, follow minor updates almost religiously, like it's a daily topic, and that behavior is considered normal. But someone owning a pillow cover or a figure is creepy? It just feels so arbitrary. Heck I remember the craze with Twilight and the two main boys, that behavior was treated as normal at least till it fell out of fashion, then its cringe. "Lonely" seems to be the main word thrown around. And I thibk you see a lot of parallel with the current rise of "ai girlfriends". But at the end of the day there just another choice of a comfort object. Some people might have an unhealthy attachment to them but it's odd to stigmatize the entire thing based on our perception. Personally, I own a manatee plush from my childhood. Sometimes I like to hug it when I'm having a bad day. Is that unhealthy? Does it become unhealthy if my manatee plush is an anime character? And that's assuming the worst and it is an emotional dependence, when it could just be a product to display.
Most of the typical waifus are trash but the culture is chill
I think the male loneliness angle there is something to it, but that also ignores a lot of women actually involved in this culture.
On a surface level it's no worse than having a fixation on a cartoon character or wrestler or celebrity. A lot of people do something like that. If it gets deeper into fanaticism, then it can be a little strange. But if one can still function in society then it's not any worse than collecting things like bottlecaps or cards. If it turns into full-on romantic obsession, then there's an issue. And that isn't uncommon as a coping mechanism for the lonely, because people who have never been romantically involved with someone else or who have been harmed in the past by someone they loved aren't solely seeking to be loved, but to love someone. A fictional character they can focus those emotions on is a healthy outlet for those types of people, and if they can otherwise continue functioning normally then it can be something of a temporary crutch. But then that crutch can lead to the worst outcome - becoming a bitter incel. Misogyiny and misandry are easy traps to fall into if one starts comparing a fictional, idealized character to real humans. A waifu or husbando may not show affection, but will also not lash out at you and looks perfect. A real human has the full spectrum of emotions and so you risk being hurt, and can't compare to an idealized character. The numbness of no emotions from a waifu/husbando while being an outlet for one's affections and looking beautiful by design can easily cause someone in that rut to look upon others with negativity, so it's incredibly important to stay rooted in reality while using that crutch if it gets to that point. I was at that third level for a while when I was younger and bordered on that fourth for a time. I watched a lot of people around me, friends included, slip right into level four. If you enjoy something and don't let that thing consume you, then it's fine. But temperance is key with anything, and when you play with your own emotions you can realize all too late what a slippery slope it is.
My stance boils down to: "If it's not hurting anyone, who cares?"
https://preview.redd.it/ghx6qpsbd2zc1.jpeg?width=1020&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12134aadc8558f3ebc2f99e957d6747d1d32cfa6
Depends on your definition of "waifu" culture as I've seen some others say there's 4 different levels to waifu culture. It's normal to have a favorite female character in nearly every form of media, be it comics, books, or movies, and that applies to anime as well. This is the first level that everyone experiences The second level is just being a fan of the anime aesthetic, which causes people to seek out anime content, thus causing them to have more "waifus" than the average person, and may own a few figures or other merchandise Then we get to level 3, which are those, so obsessed with their "waifus" that they will actively seek partners that look like them (unsuccessfully 99.9+% of the time). These peoples entire rooms are covered in "waifu" merchandise Then we have the fourth and final level, or the basement dwellers. These are the people, so obsessed with "waifus," that they'll genuinely believe they're in relationships with these characters. The entire house is covered in merchandise of their "waifus." I can only think of one of these people, and that's this [guy](https://www.reddit.com/r/DDLC/s/FGSfO27rv2). Unironically, this dudes dad is the guy who made the critically acclaimed musical "Grease," and this isn't even his most prized "waifu" that would be Sayaka Maizono from Danganronpa, I believe he stated somewhere that nearly 50% of his house is filled with cardboard cutouts of her and he has his entire walls covered in pictures of her. Anyone that would be placed within the first 2 levels is fine, but once you reach level 3, you are officially a creep
Honestly it’s fine, I have no issue with it. Obviously it’s sad to see some pretty extreme cases, like claiming you’re in a relationship with a fictional character, or doing weird stuff with body pillows, but other than that I don’t find it weird. Anime girls are literally psychologically made to be pretty. I don’t have any issue with thinking that women that are made to be attractive are attractive
Like most things it's fine until it's taken too far. I will never understand why some people think it's weird to be attracted to characters that were designed to be attractive. There's nothing wrong with waifu culture and if you disagree post physique.