Otaku the World

Anime in America has always been fan driven. It was the original geeks in their basements, watching bad video quality fansubs, who originally started a national interest. Corporations have stepped in, releasing new shows and manga series, but it’s still in response to what fans are in favor of. Without fan support, anime would have never become the mainstream phenomenon that it is today, and it would still be regulated to flipped manga and a limited shelf at Best Buy.

 

Likewise, conventions are run by the fans and for the fans.  Even as anime conventions thrive throughout the country, they pride themselves on being run for the fans.

That’s why I want to talk today about what you can do to help shape the coming anime world and make your opinion known.   Who knows how far your campaign for change will get; it all depends on how much energy you throw into it and what strategies you take. Age doesn’t matter when making a change--it’s just something to take into account and factor in. Maybe it means you can’t drive as far (unless you’ve got a parent on your side), but sometimes you can get more media attention because you’re young and society finds it novel that you’re taking a stand. There is no sure-fire way to bring about change, but there are a lot of ways to try.