Tonight, I’d like to try something a bit different from the usual “Off Night” posts. I know that the streaming episodes are getting a bit old – so, after it’s done, the feature is finished. It was an experiment that just didn’t work out. Ah well – C’est la vie.
Two nights ago, Matt Brown presented a heart-felt piece on anime, the need to share it, and the way we tend to hide our interest instead. In the piece, he brings up a particularly interesting sentiment – something I’ve heard from fellow enthusiasts, albeit in less formal terms:
Anime isn’t contraband, though, and there’s no reason to hide what we like from anybody. What we like has artistic merit and entertainment value, even if it’s necessary to dust off Cowboy Bebop (or just about anything else from Sunrise) to prove it. The thing is: I don’t know about you, but sometimes the fact that I can’t share my love (or hate) of a particular anime with real-life acquaintances bugs me, and just watching more anime won’t make the feeling go away. We need other people more than we need something to pour our feelings into. Without fresh perspectives, what starts as a transformative experience becomes a broken record of tired sentiments.
So, tonight, I’d like to take the discussion to you, dear reader. Have you tried sharing your favorite titles with friends or family? Do you keep things to yourselves? Why is this?
And, ultimately, do you enjoy anime as a personal experience, or do you prefer sharing with friends?
