How hardcore am I?

[neo-pactio]

This is question I've been asking myself for a while. How hardcore am I when it comes to anime? It's confusing, because I seem to be in the middle.

The hardcore side of me does take the time to research the best anime to watch, and I've watched plenty of Youtube videos and fansubs to see which ones I should buy. I've made Anime music videos, have anime wallpapers on my desktop, and always keep a list that tracks the anime I have and anime I'm thinking of. And I go on this message board.

Despite these traits, I'm an easy to please fan for the most part. I never really complain about the covers on the DVDs or the video quality. I can tolerate almost any dub, even some of 4Kids crappiest work. And I tend to watch dubs more often than subs if I'm given the choice.

So would I fall right on top of the thin line that falls between obsessive hardcore and causal fan?

By the way, here's a poll! POLL ENDS MIDNIGHT ON HALLOWEEN!

NOTE: BY HARDCORE, I MEAN ABOUT ANIME ITSELF. THE PLUSHIES COMMENT WAS A LITTLE JAB IN THE RIBS, YOU KNOW?

[Citizen Klaus]

So would I fall right on top of the thin line that falls between obsessive hardcore and causal fan?


I realize that there probably isn't a set definition for "obsessive hardcore" as it applies here, but from where I'm sitting, the phrase implies a disconnect with reality. Think Yamazaki from Welcome to the N.H.K. or any of the myriad otaku-type characters in anime.

So, I'd say you're probably safe, and well back from that line. I'm not really sure that hardcore status is something to which one should aspire, to be honest.

[Splitter]

At the moment, I'm falling back. I still love anime, but I don't watch nearly as much as I used to. It seems like I hit a sort of glass ceiling regarding collector's items such as figures and plushies and the like because really there's nothing out there I truly crave.

I'll mark down "stuck in the middle" just because I'm still otaku, but I'm most definitely not raving mad and cut off from the world.

[bci110]

I always view myself as a casual anime fan. Nothing more, nothing less. :sd:

[CGord]

Hmmm...I don't really fit any of the poll choices. I consider myself more hardcore than casual when it comes to the anime itself; I purchase it by the truckload, & it's nearly the only kind of TV programming I watch.

When everyone is down for the evening, my wife is watching TV in bed, & I'm at the PC watching this week's Naruto Shippuuden episode. I burn mp3 compilations of anime op/ed themes & soundtrack music for the car.

99% of the shows my TiVo records are anime. I have seen everything currently being aired by my provider (DirecTV), but I still keep 5 eps of everything saved, just in case I want to watch one (& I already have the same episodes either on R1 or fansub).

I bought DVD players that are divx/avi compatible for watching some of the fansub dvd's on the TV's, & have considered buying more pc's just to have access to all formats on the televisions. If I do that, though, I've got to change from regular TV's to monitors, as the TV format crops the picture, often wiping out the subtitles. This is not unreasonable to me, but the expense invloved is not in the budget right now.

Left to my own devices, I can easily spend $150-200 a week on R1's.

I began attending local cons with my kids, & now my wife (!) has said we need to schedule next summer's vacation around ComiCon in San Diego.

So I'm an otaku for the shows themselves, but aside from a couple of t-shirts, I have no interest in swag.

[Draneor]

Yeah. I kind of have to agree with Citizen Klaus that unless you're a hikikomori or a recovering one, you're probably not truly hardcore (Is it even a good thing to be one? I unfortunately spent a year or so as a NEET after college due to difficulties finding employment--and it sucked). Well, you could be hardcore for your group of friends, I guess. It all depends on who you are comparing yourself to.

Personally, I don't consider myself even an otaku for precisely that reason--I don't come even close to the level of Japanese fans. Although it's not exactly something one aspires to or works towards. I believe there was a scene in Genshiken where one of the characters mentioned that you don't just wake up one day and decide to be obsessed about something--it happens gradually.

In any case, as for who is otaku, obsessive, or hardcore, it's really a matter of perspective. You mentioned plushies as hardcore, but to me that is mainstream. I guess normal people may not buy them, but do normal people post on anime forums all day, buy thousands of anime dvds, read every manga published, play eroge, buy doujinshi, dakimakura covers, watch an episode frame by frame more than once, memorize the script to a series, know every personnal detail about a seiyuu, regularly take photos of school girls, are familiar with every train ever built*, etc? There is always someone more _____than yourself no matter what area. Personally, I think it's best to just enjoy what you enjoy and not worry so much about labels.

*These are general things that various kinds of Otaku do and may or may not apply to myself or any other person here.

[neo-pactio]

So would I fall right on top of the thin line that falls between obsessive hardcore and causal fan?


I realize that there probably isn't a set definition for "obsessive hardcore" as it applies here, but from where I'm sitting, the phrase implies a disconnect with reality. Think Yamazaki from Welcome to the N.H.K. or any of the myriad otaku-type characters in anime.

So, I'd say you're probably safe, and well back from that line. I'm not really sure that hardcore status is something to which one should aspire, to be honest.

Oh, don't worry. I don't aspire the grand otaku status. Even a bit of fresh air every now and then beats anime. ^_^ I was just curious to see how much of fan I am. I honestly don't give a [insert your choice of vulgar dialogue] about the labels people try to slap on me.

By the way, the poll choices should be based on your love of anime itself. Not just how many wallscrolls, plushies and half-naked female (or male for ladies) figurines you own. ^_^

[nickcreech]

Well I mean, you don't necessarily want to be HARDCORE. Not to offend anyone here, but the hardcore people are usually emo kids without a sense of reality, and are probably very overweight. Hardcore people usually are too picky with anime and critique animes that haven't even seen yet. Many otaku brag to say, "well I'm buying 800 + series right now ... blah blah I don't have anything better to do". When you find a favorite anime, stick with it for a while. And when you "research", limit your searches by looking for certain genres that fit you, such as giant robos, magical girls, love stories or whatever the case may be. You'll be a lot more satisfied then because you can discover the veins of that genre -- such as shoujo giant robos [ex. Gunbuster, Jinki:Extend, Xenoglossia, etc.] or magical boys [ex. DN Angel].

[neo-pactio]

Well I mean, you don't necessarily want to be HARDCORE. Not to offend anyone here, but the hardcore people are usually emo kids without a sense of reality, and are probably very overweight. Hardcore people usually are too picky with anime and critique animes that haven't even seen yet. Many otaku brag to say, "well I'm buying 800 + series right now ... blah blah I don't have anything better to do". When you find a favorite anime, stick with it for a while. And when you "research", limit your searches by looking for certain genres that fit you, such as giant robos, magical girls, love stories or whatever the case may be. You'll be a lot more satisfied then because you can discover the veins of that genre -- such as shoujo giant robos [ex. Gunbuster, Jinki:Extend, Xenoglossia, etc.] or magical boys [ex. DN Angel].

True. My friends are self-proclaimed otakus, but in reality, only one of them seems the closest to being one (and yet that person is still far from ultimate otaku status.)

It is kind of annoying how some otakus don't bothering trying a series and immediately call it crappy. One time on the offical FUNimation forums, when Negima!? was announced, one member immediately bashed the series to no end and proclaimed that his "organization" would fight to the end to stop it from existing. And he never gave solid proof on why it sucked. It was a tad pathetic, IMO.

I'm trying my best to finish the anime I started, which will take a couple months, but I would never buy more than 10 titles at the same time. Like you said, I do keep towards the genres I like (I enjoy mostly action, comedy and both shojo and shounen titles), but once in a while, I'll be brave and try something new.

Wow, starting this topic has shown me how little I really understand about hardcore fans. I just thought anyone who was fairly obsessed was considered hardcore, but I guess you learn something everyday, huh?

[Lego]

I'm more of an "Otaku-lite". I love shows, manga, and the occasional piece of merchandise but I really can't name voice actresses other than one or two and other things like that. Still I consider myself a "hardcore fan". Does this mean I'm overweight? Well lets just say the crane is coming next week to get me out of my one bedroom apartment and they're going to confiscate my 500 cats as well.

My tastes are really weird and different from a lot of others. I like certain shows for different reasons and I'm a huge slice of life guy. I don't really put myself above others fan wise but I'll defend something that I like show or music wise.

[Speedy Boris]

Not sure where I'd place myself. I have quite a few anime DVDs (granted, not as many as some here), I generally keep up with anime news, whether it be new shows, R1 licenses, or DVD releases, I review some anime DVDs, I have a knowledge of many Japanese directors and previous shows/movies they've worked on, and I have a handful of manga and CD soundtracks.

But anime isn't the only thing I watch, I've never been to any anime con or cosplayed, and VERY rarely do I keep track of who the Japanese VAs or staff, other than directors, are. Furthermore, I really don't own very much non-DVD anime merchandise, like figures or artbooks; I only have two anime "posters" and they happened to come with two of my DVDs (Excel Saga vol. 2 and Read or Die).

So I guess I land in the middle, huh?

[joelgundam01]

I'm in the middle. I personally don't care for anime related merchandise, except for what I get in LEs.

Despite these traits, I'm an easy to please fan for the most part. I never really complain about the covers on the DVDs or the video quality. I can tolerate almost any dub, even some of 4Kids crappiest work. And I tend to watch dubs more often than subs if I'm given the choice.

That describes me pretty well. :sd:

[Foxfossil]

I'll say I'm a casual fan. I watch fansubs, my R1's, and read some manga. I've only bought plushy because my Niece liked the cat from .hack//sign. I've got some figures from outlaw star, FMA, and Gundam models. I also like getting the artboxes with vol 1's or now 2's with ADV of some of my series.

[Chuplayer]

I consider myself to be on the extreme low end of hardcoreness. I have lots of DVDs, some figures, and a lot of manga, but sometimes stuff slips me by because I don't keep up with it. For example, two years ago when the Rayearth economy sets came out. I literally yelled "oh shit!" when I accidentally stumbled upon their listing somewhere. I didn't even know they were out.

[something]

Hardcore is defined in so many ways.

I'm of the opinion that someone can just watch anime and bypass all the other related aspects of the wider fandom (amvs, manga, novels, non-media merchandise, etc.) and be perfectly "hardcore". So long as "hardcore" simply means "very dedicated to and interested in", as it does for me. I don't get much more specific than that with it, worrying too much about definitions just leads to escalating "more-elite-than-thou" silliness.

[Njr Scrawl]

You are a careful casual :)

[StudioZEL]

Hardcore is defined in so many ways.

I'm of the opinion that someone can just watch anime and bypass all the other related aspects of the wider fandom (amvs, manga, novels, non-media merchandise, etc.) and be perfectly "hardcore". So long as "hardcore" simply means "very dedicated to and interested in", as it does for me. I don't get much more specific than that with it, worrying too much about definitions just leads to escalating "more-elite-than-thou" silliness.

Simply put, hardcore people don't need to prove how hardcore they are. *looks in your direction* :sd:

[Garasharp K7]

I'm just a fan. That's pretty much it, really.

Despite the huge amount of dvds,(anime and others) manga (as well as comics in general) and video games I own, I don't really consider myself to be hardcore. I'll buy a few dvds every month, the odd expensive box set, maybe a few R2s now and then. I've a couple of artbooks and a fair few figures (mostly Godzilla stuff, mind) knocking about, and I listen to anime music, video game tunes and movie soundtracks more than anything else.
And yet, even with the massive manga backlog, I still don't consider myself an otaku. I'd imagine some folks might think otherwise after looking at my stuff, though. :)
I sometimes go through phases with my interests: sometimes, I'll watch nothing but anime, other times I'll be glued to Godzilla flicks or whatnot, or it could be '50s sci-fi the next. Other times, like now, it's kind of a mixture of everything.
And while I could be passionate about some shows or whatever - there are definately movies and shows I love - It's not quite an all-consuming mania, and I don't think it could match the fervor that many of the Japanese fans have. I've never been to any conventions, cosplay creeps me out and you won't catch me doing the Haruhi dance in public. :) (I have to admit, I admire the creativity some of those guys have - like the guys who put together stuff like that dancing eva thing, the Super Robot Wars parodies or the Lucky Star/Cowboy Bebop animation, and some of those doujin artists are good enough to go professional)
So I'm probably somewhere in the middle - not casual, but far from hardcore.
Bah! I hate labels - they're pointless and silly anyway. I just enjoy the hobby and leave it at that.

[Fudce]

Hardcore is defined in so many ways.

I'm of the opinion that someone can just watch anime and bypass all the other related aspects of the wider fandom (amvs, manga, novels, non-media merchandise, etc.) and be perfectly "hardcore". So long as "hardcore" simply means "very dedicated to and interested in", as it does for me. I don't get much more specific than that with it, worrying too much about definitions just leads to escalating "more-elite-than-thou" silliness.
Some people would say Hardcore is those who buy the most, others would say it's those who watch the most, and some might say that it's those who know the most.
I'd call it a mix of the three, but I will never define somebody as hardcore, or casual. That is for everybody to decide on their own.
To some people, hardcore could be a lot softer-core than others, and some people can be touchy about whether they are hardcore or not. Some people throw around hardcore and casual as insults, but in reality, it doesn't matter.

I don't care if I'm hardcore, or if I'm casual. I'm Fudce, and that's all that matters to me.

[neo-pactio]

My tastes are really weird and different from a lot of others. I like certain shows for different reasons and I'm a huge slice of life guy. I don't really put myself above others fan wise but I'll defend something that I like show or music wise.

I really love life of slice shows too. They're really unique sometimes, especially Lucky Star and ARIA the Animation.

Oops, off topic!! :sd: My DVD collection in general (not just anime), is SMALL. I think it's just a bit more than 10 DVDs. But I watch a lot through other sources like fansubs, TV, video store, on demand, YouTube etc. I do have favorite voice actor/actresses (Crispin Freeman and Luci Christian, thank you very much!)

[The Great Bear]

How hardcore?

The simple answer is: I don't care.

While I do things that might be considered hardcore by others (hey, I post here, I occasionally import some R2s, I buy a figure every now and then), personally, I don't really care. I simply like anime, and occasionally, I like to discuss aspects of them with people here. But I'm not interested in labelling myself. I don't think it really matters.

[dunno001]

I'm sort of between middle and hardcore. Sure, I've long lost the view of the fence, but I see a lot of people further away than me, and truthfully, some of them scare me. So while it is a good part of my life, I'm not done in for... yet...

[Chacranajxy]

I've seen what "hardcore" anime fans look like, and they're not the type you want to associate with. Ever.

So, casual.

[relentlessflame]

Some people would say Hardcore is those who buy the most, others would say it's those who watch the most, and some might say that it's those who know the most.
I think you're right that those would describe how most people would describe it. Personally, though (and to be clear, this post isn't directed at you, Fudce, in particular -- it's more to the larger thread), I think it's probably more useful, in terms of gauging yourself, to take it from a "time, talent, treasure" angle (treasure meaning money/resources, talent also meaning skills, etc.). How much of each of those things do you invest in this hobby? The problem with the traditional definition of "hardcore" is that a lot of it is circumstantial -- someone with a lot of money can spend a lot, someone with a lot of time can watch a lot, and someone with a good memory can know a lot -- just doing those things alone doesn't "make you hardcore" automatically. It's about how you're investing yourself into the hobby. The next step would be to consider "encroachment" (for lack of a better term) -- how much does this interfere or step over the bounds of other areas of my life. That's where things start crossing over to "obsession" and the real "otaku" territory; where the hobby encroaches on things that most others would consider absolutely essential (like hygiene, proper eating, employment/education, going outside, etc. etc.) But that's also where that saying mentioned earlier about "obsession being gradual" comes into play; what's starts as a small hobby can pretty easily end up taking over what you used to consider your "normal life".

So, anyway, to go back to the main topic, I would first ask myself "how much of my time, talent, and treasure am I investing in this hobby?" Give them a percentage if you can, and compare to other things in your life (even the essentials, like sleep, work/school/homework, etc.). Then ask yourself, considering the last six months to a year, whether there's a trend of the hobby encroaching on things you used to consider a normal part of your life. Second degree, things that you would rationally consider an essential part of your life. And third degree, if it will encroach on things that would be a desired part of your life (goals/aspirations/etc.).

If anime is taking up a most of your spare waking thoughts, and using most of your available money... if you're finding ways to use your skills/talents to invest in the hobby further (which could include time spent on this forum!), and maybe it's starting to encroach a bit on things you used to consider normal... then maybe you are, in fact, "hardcore". That's not necessarily a cause for concern though, nor would it necessarily be worth boasting about; it's just self-reflection. But if you find anime is starting to encroach on things that really should be considered essential in your life, then it may be a cause for concern -- not for someone else to be concerned about you (it's not about judging people), but for you to be concerned for yourself. That's something, of course, only you can decide.

So, anyway, all that to say that it really doesn't matter whether other people consider you hardcore or not. Frankly, from a personal perspective, I'd rather people see me as neutral and (as Fudce basically said) as "me". But it may be interesting to ask yourself the question, so you can make sure you're doing what you want to do with your life.

Anyway, just a thought. As you can see, it's something I've been thinking about a bit. What that means about me though, I'll leave unsaid. :sd:

(And like I said, even though this board is threaded, the reply is more directed at the original question, and I'm using "you" in the generic sense.)

[something]

So, anyway, to go back to the main topic, I would first ask myself "how much of my time, talent, and treasure am I investing in this hobby?" Give them a percentage if you can, and compare to other things in your life (even the essentials, like sleep, work/school/homework, etc.).
Haha, by that definition I'm profoundly hardcore. If I'm not at work or asleep, chances are I'm doing something anime-related.

And very nearly 100% of my non-necessities spending is towards anime-related goods, primarily R1 DVDs. I have put aside all other hobbies save reading, and I don't need money for that. We have libraries in this country for a reason.

And talents? Well, I don't really know how much "skill" it requires, but I spend hours and hours and hours on danbooru in the database and all that, using my "skills" at organization to keep things tidy, source artists, etc. And I also use my "skills" to post about shows here, either in discussion threads or recommendations threads, etc. I put major emphasis on helping out people who have questions about shows, insofar as I can.

But I think the above isn't so much skill or talent -- I can't draw doujins or put out remix CDs or create awesome parody flashes or anything -- so much as sheer attention to detail and perseverance.

But I do it all because I like it, not because I need people to think I'm hardcore, or what have you.

[Suwako Moriya]

Here is how I see it. I am a person who enjoys watching anime and because of that will purchase certain series. That's good enough for me. The whole hardcore and casual labels are meaningless in the long run. Especially since trying to live up to either them with random criteria decided by random people is futile anyway.

Plus regardless of what my status is the fact remains I got to experience a variety of rather nice series over the years. Sure there will always be more to check out, but that in itself can be considered a good thing. Save for the part about deciding which ones to get, but well take it one step at a time.

[neo-pactio]

Wow, I been using hardcore pretty liberally until now. I always thought that obsessive automatically equaled hardcore. Turns out it's:
obsessive X 10 - other needs = hardcore.

I've never really exceled in math. :sd:

[Mr. Nail Bat]

Casual is the way to be.

[coyotemalito]

Well, in my case, I consider myself as a cassual fan; seeing one or two once with my friends, but I rarely like one.

However, from the two series I like the most (Please Teacher and Read or Die), I become so obssesed to the point that I got all the merchandise I could from those series, including (and not limited to) Figures, trading cards magazines, etc.

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

Casual is the way to be.

That's how it should be.

Elitism and needing validation by others of ones own hobby are for the insecure.

In other words, who cares if you (the general 'you'; not anyone here in particular) or I or anyone else is "hardcore" or not? As long as we are watching, buying, and collecting what we want because we want to and not because we feel obligated to or fear rejection by the so-called "hardcore" fans (overzealous fans might be a more accurate term in many cases) if we don't do those things that they consider 'badges of honor'. Then, it just becomes a popularity contest.

[neo-pactio]

Casual is the way to be.

That's how it should be.

Elitism and needing validation by others of ones own hobby are for the insecure.

In other words, who cares if you (the general 'you'; not anyone here in particular) or I or anyone else is "hardcore" or not? As long as we are watching, buying, and collecting what we want because we want to and not because we feel obligated to or fear rejection by the so-called "hardcore" fans (overzealous fans might be a more accurate term in many cases) if we don't do those things that they consider 'badges of honor'. Then, it just becomes a popularity contest.

Speak the truth, NeiA! SPEAK IT!

It seems like almost anywhere, there's a popularity contest. Hell, there's a Facebook group meant to be a fan club for a guy in my high school. Now that's what I call obssesive...

[relentlessflame]

But I do it all because I like it, not because I need people to think I'm hardcore, or what have you.
Right on -- and to everyone who echoed the same thought. I think it's one of those "if someone has to tell you they're hardcore, they're definitely not" sorts of things anyway. :sd:

And yeah, by the way, you got exactly what I meant by "talent" (they all had to be "t" words!). It doesn't necessarily mean that it's some really great skill or anything, but you're applying your brain at it, and not just being passive and "soaking it all in". And hey, don't shortchange yourself either. :)

[Nork22]

You (and I) are what I would like to call it, a casual hardcore.

[Sensuifu]

not as hard as I think. See, there are the hardcore and there are the wanna-be hardcore. I'm what you would probably call the wanna-be, sans stereotypical otaku characteristics and any odors associated with them.

[HitokiriShadow]

Am I hardcore? I guess. Probably. I spend a lot of money and time on it. If I have free time, I'm probably watching anime or doing something related to it. I sometimes decide to play video games or do something with friends, but the vast majority of my free time is spend on anime or something related to it. So I think I qualify as "hardcore", or at least I do to myself. I sure can't be considered "casual" by any strech.

But to what degree or in relation to other fans? I don't really think about it because I don't really care.

[leongsh]

Rate myself: Casual anime fan :D

However, that doesn't fall into "A causal fan just walking by" unless you would count a near 30-year following of anime as "walking by" :D Does buying R2 Japan anime DVDs on a regular basis in addition to R1 anime DVDs count as hardcore?

All I know is that I enjoy anime and have been doing so for a long time. I don't consider myself an otaku because I'm not that obsessive over it. So, on that, I presume that means I'm middle-of-the-road then.

[Citizen Klaus]

some of those doujin artists are good enough to go professional

A fair number of them are. I always keep tabs on my favorite artists to see if they have a wide-distribution tankoubon out, and then pick it up on Amazon. It's almost always worth it. Urotan's Newmanoid Cam, for example, is at least three times as hot as anything he's done for Comiket.

[Njr Scrawl]

I don't consider myself as hardcore, but an
enthusiast-hoarder and overspender with accumulated knowledge & certain acquired tastes & distastes. O.O

[Buckeye]

I'm in the middle as well. I watch tons of anime and have a small collection of anime merchandise. But I don't go overboard like a hardcore does since I do not cosplay or frequently go to cons.

[something]

I'm in the middle as well. I watch tons of anime and have a small collection of anime merchandise. But I don't go overboard like a hardcore does since I do not cosplay or frequently go to cons.
Heh a good example of why "hardcore" is so subjective. I'm sure a lot of people who go to cons and cosplay might say the same (in reverse) if they have small to no collections and watch less shows than you. To them, you might be the "overboard hardcore" and they're not. :sd:

[GrateSaiyaman]

You are not hardcore until you've gotten you car towed away for missing "a payment" (never mind it was the same one . . . 8 months in a row), because you spent all your money on anime.

Knew a guy like that once . . . almost got kicked out of his apartment after getting his car repo'd too.

O.O

[vtr9kvictor]

You are the "diet coke" of hard core. Only 1 calorie, not hard core enough.