Introducing..."Butthurt Anime Fan!"

I watched this College humor video this morning, and I had to share.



First of all, I patted myself on the back for getting the references.

Second, I don't think I've had the experience of running into someone quite this bad when it came to the fandom.  I'm not saying they don't exist, and I know for a fact that they do.  Maybe I've just been lucky enough to not run into anyone this annoying at the cons that I've been to (although I've gotten into discussions with at least one gentleman in my age range about whether the younger generation appreciates the history of the medium, but that was a fairly civil discussion).

Third, I honestly think that some fandom communities can get a little ridiculous when it comes to excluding potential fans.  Last year, Cracked had an article about fandoms that hate their own members.  It doesn't specifically mention anime, but it does talk about how these three particular fandoms can get exclusive because the people within them won't allow people to "join" them unless they know every single obscure detail about their fandom.  If we have too many fans that act like the fan in this video, we can run the risk of being a fandom that "hates its own members."

Honestly, there are a few debates in the community that I wish would just go away, mostly because I can see both sides of it.  Most annoying to me is the sub vs. dub debate, probably because I'll watch both and have different reasons for wanting to watch either version.

1) Subs are good for when you're watching shows online that are still airing in Japan and haven't been dubbed yet, you're learning Japanese and want to get more listening practice, or you want to get more accurate translation of what they're saying.

2) Dubs are good if you have issues with subtitles (like my stepson -- he has ADHD and can't pay attention to reading and the action at the same time), just want to put on something in the background but want to know what's going on, and for introducing people to anime.

I will admit that I lean more towards dubs if they're available, but oftentimes I'm "impatient" enough to watch the subs. (Right now, two shows I'm following on the FUNImation site are the dubbed version of "Assassination Classroom" and "Ultimate Otaku Teacher," which is subbed) But dubbing these days is better than it has been in the past, thanks to actors and ADR directors who put care into making sure it's a good experience for the audience.

I don't know how this turned into a discussion of my personal preferences...moving on.

Anyway, any fandom has these types of people in them.  The cartoon probably exaggerated these traits only slightly. But let's not let these hyperactive fans ruin the fandom for the rest of us.