Another Commentary on the "Women Don't Like Anime" Concept

By Stacey Ahrens

Yes, the title is a tad long winded. I get that way sometimes. Now, to get to the actual point of this editorial...

When I first read that thing about "what? a girl watching DBZ?" I just about fell over. Excuse me, but is he the most ignorant cretin ever to walk the Earth or am I just having a bad day?

If girls aren't supposed to be anime fans, what do Japanese girls do? Order in subbed American cartoons? And yes, for those of you with the slow-working brains, that was sarcasm.

And how did I react to this insult to females? I left the site (sorry Meri!), went to Yahoo Chat, and went on under a DBZ name and insulted every male I could find. I'm truly sorry about that, but that wretch sending Meri that Email pissed me off.

Girls don't watch anime. Right. Granted, the majority of American girls don't, but look at the quality of what they are expected to watch. So American guys aren't big anime fans either.

I babysit for half a dozen families around my apartment building, and I'd like to take the time to point out a few things I've noticed.

1) I know, myself included, 6 currently or previous Sailor Moon addicts. Three of them are guys.

2) I know, myself included, 5 currently or previous DBZ addicts. Three, count them, three are female.

3) I am female and pay out an average of $25 a month to Columbia House to be in their anime club. There goes my entire babysitting paycheck.

4) The reason, in my opinion, why many Americans don't watch Anime is they lack the necessary intelligence. Anime shows have more complex plots that go places American shows are scared to. Americans are raised on Warner cartoons.
Think about it. As children we actually laughed at people getting smashed by an anvil... Sad but true. We are a shallow people who don't posess the emotional depth to get anime. (Come on, who wasn't moved by Piccolo sacrificing himself for
Gohan? I cried and I'm not ashamed to admit it.) Most Americans don't outgrow this hideous society caused shallowness.

Sadly, most of my friends didn't. My mother didn't and she is one of those who annoy me most - the anime haters.

People who hate anime after seeing 3.5 minutes of the worst. I won't start because I could write a whole editorial on them alone.

Thank you for listening to my ramblings. Even if Meri doesn't post this I vented and feel much better.

Stacey Ahrens