So I slept in most of the weekend. I wrote and played games too (especially Syberia and Psychonauts), but mostly slept. Must have been exhausted. Anyway, since this is more about my life experiences and thoughts than videogame criticisms, I'll spare you my self-indulgence and spread a little of something I know you'll all love: Hate for anime nerds.
First, to clarify, I don't hate anime nerds. Anime is actually pretty great, and if you care, a few of my favorites are Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Metropolis, and almost everything by Studio Ghibli and Studio 4°C. TV shows aren't generally my thing, so if I do watch a show it's usually just a one or two season thing, like FLCL or Death Note. And nerds are really excellent too. Even the most obnoxious guy with a Eureka 7 shirt I've met has been completely friendly, if a bit loud. No, the disdain is for one very specific subgroup of anime nerds: Women.
Again, this is just a generalization that honestly only pertains to the vocal minority, but loud they are indeed. Somewhere on the intersection of feminine insecurity and social rejection rests this seemingly benign group of long-haired, bespectacled women with plain faces and a slight hunch who are absolutely revolted by any deviation from their ideal conditions. Naturally the world is by design less than ideal, so these ladies are always wearing some sort of sneer, but when something specifically irks them, however benign, they explode like someone just tried to eat their children.
I'm no regular member, but every so often I like to show up for the anime club here at the College. Every Friday at 7 in Stern 206 we gather and watch whatever show the club officers think would be fun at the time. Although the purists insist on watching with Japanese audio and subtitles, it's still a really relaxed event, and it's fun because instead of getting really engrossed in the shows, we all make fun of how incredibly stupid the stories and characters are. It's a perfect immediate and involved experience; everyone can join and shout out, and you'll always get laughs if you do.
But back to those women I mentioned before, they're always lurking in the front rows (because they're too hunched and short to see over people), waiting to scream at the audience if they get a little too loud for their liking, grumbling and groaning through every witty quip and comeback. This Friday in particular, before the meeting started everyone was playing around with Nerf guns, shooting windows and quoting movies while aiming at each other. Nobody shot each other, even with the foam bullets, but it was still fun. Until someone decided to aim his Nerf revolver at one of the club officers, who went into conniptions and threatened to throw him out of the club if he dared shoot anywhere near her and put the entire left side of the room in a bit of a nervous mood.
The attitude extends outside of club hours. In fact, some of the well-behaved ladies in the club transform into irritable bitches the other six days of the week. My first encounter with this personality at this school was a while before the club even started meeting. This particular character seemed nice at first; a little self-deprecating and awkward, but me and my friends started encountering a nasty pattern. She was a complainer, which wasn't a problem in itself, but oh, whenever anyone offered help, or advice, she got furious. She was grown up, she would shout, and she doesn't need anybody patronizing her or acting like they're better at anything. Her insecurity was astounding.
Now, aside from encountering this at the anime club, there isn't any immediate reason for me to specifically associate this attitude with anime nerds. It seems like anybody with mommy issues and a social stigma could be an überbitch. True, but there's two specific reasons I do. First, again because I've experienced this almost exclusively with anime nerds, and second, because anime seems to glorify this behavior. If you've watch FLCL, Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, or the show we watched this Friday, Toradora, you've seen what I'm talking about. Absolutely maniacally ungrateful and angry women with distorted perceptions of reality, and most of all no social tact. In the shows it's funny: Tiny, nearly insignificant little girls manage to coerce a small army under their whimsical command. In real life, it's disgusting. Unattractive girls lash out at innocent fun and well-intentioned help.
Anyway, even with some enormous bitches venting hot air into the room, the anime club is still a lot of fun, and I recommend coming. If you show up a little early, a lot of the members get together to play Uno or Magic: The Gathering, and most of them are just fun to talk to anyway. The most you have to lose is a half-hour before you can decide definitively if it's fun for you or leave. Fridays at 7 in Stern 206. Be there.
