Anime

There's nothing wrong with watching anime. I used to watch anime too, but that was a long time ago and it's been probably 6+ years since I was interested enough to watch more than 5 episodes. I'm sure there's anime out there that have some form of values it's trying to inculcate though majority of it is usually fan service (I'm looking at you, Monster Musume). As much as I don't watch anime, because application of some simple economics tells me it's much better to watch educational stuff online than anime, I do think there's nothing wrong with watching anime. To each their own after all, some people do derive entertainment from watching anime and that's okay. Even the fan service ones filled with crude humour with little values, that's still fine.

But the real problem is when anime becomes your whole life and the only culture you're interested in. There's a term called otaku for these people, it's a derogatory term in Japan, it's shameful to let people know you're one. But here in Singapore, boy oh boy do you see weeaboo (derogatory term: Someone who is obsessed with Japan/Japanese Culture/Anime, etc. and attempts to act as if they were Japanese, even though they're far from it. They use Japanese words but usually end up pronouncing them wrong and sounding like total assholes. - Urban Dictionary. They also usually denounce their own culture, which is what sets them apart from people who are just interested in Japan.) after weeaboo proudly proclaiming themselves an otaku. And they say it with such pride as if it's a good thing. Really though, it's not. It implies an absolute obsession with anime culture. It's funny how they all think it's Japanese culture, really it's not. Japan's rich culture can't be boiled down to Tokyo, Harajuku, Akihabara (I forgot the name to this and googled Japan Anime District. Really amazing how they knew what I was talking about.), kimonos, Japanese high school life, sushi and ramen/udon. Although I'll grant you that there are people who are genuinely interested in Japanese culture and anime was the gateway drug, that's fine. I'm talking about the people who are only interested in anime culture and proclaim themselves as interested in Japanese culture.

Then comes the problem when anime becomes your worldview, all of their opinions and thoughts have some kind of root in anime or manga. So last year, the Mars One project was announced. A weeaboo I know made this very comment on the matter

"It's a bad idea, didn't they watch Terra Formars (Bunch of dudes landed on Mars, Mars has alien roaches that fucked them up, took them over and now humans send teams to kill em or they're fucked big time - synopsis provided by a friend)?"

Now that really rustled my jimmies. That his sole argument against the Mars One project was a fucking anime. Not that it's too costly, not that people who regretted going can't come back, not that the technology isn't likely to be out yet by that time, not that if something fucks up on Mars, those people are on their own but a fucking anime about aliens taking over the minds of the humans and coming back to wreck us. Which goes to show that he wasn't paying attention because they have no way of coming back, and you can take over the minds, but you're still stuck with their biological needs, reference Yeerks, and are probably unlikely to know the physiological needs for humans to maintain homeostasis and would likely lose too many to be able to have the manpower needed to come to Earth.

So really, there's nothing wrong with watching anime but never let it be your source of ideas and opinions for history and innovation is rich in ideas that anime only tries to imitate.