Oshikatsu, fan culture and collectables becoming more mainstream

I'm an old-fart, from a time when anime and playing video games was seen as things only weird alien creeps were into. I am in the USA, I feel like we're always somewhat behind on trends, yet I've never been one to follow. It was weird seeing anime and specifically Japanese video games getting popular so slowly over the years. Only recently, anime having any sort of "normal" levels of following, instead of just something adult perv, nerds and geeks were thought to enjoy.

Growth in popularity , I don't necessarily feel it's a good thing, sometimes it seems less so, and more of an ambiguous circumstance. Like with (modern, Asian, resin-cast) BJD; when this was a newer thing that nobody really new about, there was less options, less innovation for sure. More so compared to today's variety of choices. However, there were less, if any illegal copies to worry about.

As a huge figure/toy hoarder that tries to limit my own hoarding. It has become a bit of an issue, the amounts of new Japanese IP figures released each month now. It used to be that I would see one figure, if even that released every other year or less (based on the few characters I collect). Now, it's every other day, there's a new announcement for a new figure coming out soon, that I "need. " While it is nice that now I can have a figure based on most anime or video game characters I love, it's also harder to keep up and also there's so much more fake stuff that sucks and it's just bad for everyone.

That is why I feel something growing in popularity is not always good, and sometimes it's probably worse that it did get popular. The popularity will probably fade, but the bad stuff won't go away. I do enjoy the variety you have when something is popular, but not the fakes that inevitably tag along. Of course, that is just my own personal perspective as an old fart nerd. It's not bad to get excited that a hobby you enjoy gets embraced by many others as well. I'm probably just bitter because I'm old and crusty and loath fakes (debating fakes is not allowed on here, that is not what I am attempting. I am just stating that to me, that is the worst part of something becoming popular). (:

 

I'm a bit conflicted -- I think it's fun to see more people getting into doing things they enjoy, and it's nice that (maybe) some of the stigma might fade as a result. I think it might be a generational thing as well, as people who grew up with the internet and more access to fannish communities become "viable customers" to companies all of a sudden.
But I also don't enjoy that it can be so consumerism-based. Not that there isn't a long history of that in the US (where I'm at), but I do worry a bit about the environmental impacts of more widespread adoption of this, and what happens to overstock, etc... But I also think it's fun to see people engaging in new hobbies and things that bring them joy. I have a friend who made a photocard of their favorite NFL quarterback and has been enjoying bringing him around for things like that, which I've really enjoyed seeing lol.

 

I agree with everyone where each person has to engage in it carefully. On one hand, you have people who might get one doll/figure/plush, get it an outfit, put it in a clear carry case/pouch with accessories, and take it with them everywhere. Then you have others who spend all their money chasing the rare/reselling. Some people are in it for the genuine hobby/collecting fun and others are 100% in it for capitalistic gain/social media supremacy. That's where you get your over-consumers/scalpers/resellers/dropsellers. That's what gets my goat as a collector/teacher. I have students who like Labubus/etc. They can go to a local craft fair and by from a reseller/dropshipper an upcharged aliexpress dress/bag/accessory but not know it. I know it because I've seen it on aliexpress.

Now for me, personally, the whole clear carrying bag where you can see my interests, was never for me. I'll wear a t-shirt or tell you! But I am over 40 lol. It has a lot more to do with "Don't steal my stuff!" than "check out my swag!"

 

I didn't know this word before and would normally say I don't relate to it... But I did accidentally get into cinnamoroll...

I'm curious about why this overabundance of technically pointless swag is so popular now of all times because the level of excess seems counterintuitive to the poor economic times. But is it really so popular or are the shelves just full? Two different things for sure.

I think massive overconsumption is so bad. But I think showing your personality and interests through appearance is a vital part of youth culture and something that can act as a social bridge at any age inviting others to interact with you in an increasingly isolated world.

I worry so much these days about all the junk I see in stores, but this is not confined to the oshikatsu items, it's just easy to picture waste with "pointless" items... Like keychain mascots etc.

I don't know... If you ever look back on old photos of shopping malls in the USA a few decades ago vs today you will quickly see how everyplace is now packed to the gills. I have agoraphobia that interferes with my daily life and now there are many stores so overstuffed I can get trapped in aisles so I just avoid going altogether. And the choice fatigue is so severe for me. If I go to the store looking for noodles after seeing 25 different types of noodles my cognitive response is that I actually don't want noodles anymore, I want to flee.

However, back on the topic of the mainstream presence of merch I admit I feel excited when it is what I'm into, cinnamoroll. I do have a fair collection now, started several years ago:

Spoiler: If you are curious

Cinnamoroll build a bear, 3 other small cinna plushies, Cinna mascot keychain, Cinna nail clippers, Cinna notebook, Cinna stickers I need to put on something, single tiny blind bag cinna and turtle cinna my friend went out of the way to get for me in a Mc Donald's happy meal...

But actually my source of excitement about the mainstream aspect is not community or buying more stuff for myself, it's that the prevalence of this junk creates the cinnamoroll hunts. I intentionally leave the house and go places to try to see as many cinnas in the wild as possible. This has become a valuable pick-me-up activity for me that helps me overcome some agoraphobia to get out and do something that technically costs nothing. I rarely buy something on the hunt because all the selection turns my scarcity brain off. It is something almost totally experience based for me.

 

I think with TikTok, instagram, and the other social media apps, we just see sooooo much more fandom stuff. In the 2010’s nerd culture was very popular, though I would say it was mostly western franchises like Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, Doctor Who, etc. There was the rumblings of anime, manga, k-pop too, but it was way more niche. Other than Pokémon, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, and Hello Kitty of course. But def post 2020, fandoms have exploded in popularity. And there seems to be so many more too. We have a whole world of IPs and characters to enjoy and it’s all at our fingertips.

For me personally, it’s all too much Trends seem to shift weekly, I really don’t know how anyone can keep up, including the influencers without going into debt.

I do understand being obsessed with certain characters or franchises though. I was total a Potterhead back in the day. I would spend my free time on the Harry Potter wiki, memorizing random tidbits, I watched hours and hours of fanmade videos on YouTube. And I did collect a fair amount of merch. I would have been elated to buy up all the cheap merch they make for Harry Potter these days, had they been made 15 years ago when I was a teen.

So I think fandom culture and the spending that goes with it, has always been around. It’s just that these days you can buy all your fandom wants incredibly easy, almost mindlessly. And there’s just so many more fandoms to be aware of and to take part in.

 

You can't stop new people discovering your fandom and you shouldn't gate keep but I think there can be room for someone like a bridge keeper with riddles that are easy to answer if someone really wants to become more than a casual fan. I'm personally dealing with this on a band level, I'm by no means an expert, but there's always been people who can't name anyone but the lead singer. A fine example being someone who calls themselves a mega fan, reviewed their recent concert film, could only call the others "the bass player" or "the keyboard player" when it's been the same line up for over 10 years.

Learning more about the fandom should be exciting and rewarding (not in a buy more stuff way) and hopefully some longer term fans should welcome fresh people. I grew up before the internet etc and even getting something beyond a precious magazine article or two was a struggle, and if you already had trouble making friends at school or they didn't like you then there wasn't anyone else to share it with. At least with the anonymity of the internet you can get info and decide if it's the fandom for you.

 

Oshikatsu is consumerist to start with, in many ways, but that's just what the essence of it. I'm not really into it myself, but I understand it as a reflection of one's individual hobbies/interests/fandoms. Where it becomes a problem imo, is when this interest gets picked up by an entity that has nothing to do with the fandom just as a venue for profit, or when it starts being aggressively marketed towards everyone, regardless if they are in the interest group or not (i.e. you've never been into apples and fruits do not interest you, but all ads and social media now tell you to get apples, and everyone has apples, apples are THE thing now, you are so untrendy unless you have apples, every store has shelves and shelves of apples piled on top of each other). And then the microtrend is over, and since most of the people consuming the "apple" merch weren't into fruits, it just ends up in landfill.

On the other hand it's cool that more people can get into those things now, and that the fandom communities can grow, but numbers don't necessarily make a good community. It's a bit like the example that the internet used to be a place for weirdos (I mean it respectfully, positively) to gather, but with social media opening up for everyone, or "normal people", it's become full of ads and unpleasant interactions. What once was a space for fun and knowledge is now something that is used to churn out profit most of the time - most people did not get online to connect with people with fellow interests, but rather because social media has been advertised so well because someone figured out how to make profit off our data and interactions. Tl;dr, more people engaging in an interest doesn't necessarily make it nicer to engage with. Not that I'd want to gatekeep or say that someone is a more "real" fan than the other, but I think genuine interest is what really connects people and creates positive experiences, and that takes a little bit more effort than just buying what is easily available or following ads. I really love seeing DIY merch or when merch has been acquired as a souvenir for a special experience, or when a collection has been curated with a bit of a thought behind it, it's just a fulfilling, human connection.

I think a lot of the availability we now have of those things comes from interest/hobby/subculture being turned into a trend (apart from the trend it is actually about... idk how to explain better), and will be a bubble that will burst itself over and over again. Plus all the fomo-marketing just doesn't make it feel good, especially with blind boxes. Obviously oshikatsu comes with lots of spending and excess in many ways by itself in its core, but I think this acceleration of pushing the goods makes it kind of mindless and besides the point sometimes.


Whoops wrote an essay I think it's cool to have this great availability for those items if that serves an interest you already have, but I think this massive availability is not in exact proportion with the actual demand... so more demand gets "invented" by aggressive marketing to sell more stuff. But then it's not genuine interest and the merch gets discarded soooo quickly, which is very sad in many ways. It's both a great and incredibly complex time to have hobbies!

 

It's the willful laziness that gets me sometimes. Five minutes of curiosity will tell you why they're different and specific colors and that will open up a world of lore.

Your value as a human being doesn't depend on which item you own, and if the people you surround yourself with believe otherwise then you need different people. I can't exclude a curious fan because they don't have something, I was there as a child, but I also see the need for the occasional space where everyone gets the same in joke so we don't have to constantly explain ourselves.

 

Yeah that is a good point and absolutely true! I also think there's a DIY culture that's a part of the gradient, that really gets pushed on the backseat when buyable merch is so available so easily (unless it is a driving force between a socmed account for instance). Then again, this is a trend for all collecting hobbies these days, I also see parallels with BJD. The passive experience you mentioned above certainly makes it harder to realise how moderation or alternative methods are the actual norm, we are just so used to seeing the excess it's become harder to picture.

 

I've been there, collecting and spending hundreds on my oshi because it felt like the right thing to do. It felt like a way to show my love and dedication when I later realized what truly matters is the time spent, not the money spent. I've struggled with impulse collecting and having a desire to see many of the same or similar things. I don't like having a mishmash collection because it makes me uncomfortable. Oshikatsu and shrine building felt like an answer to my problems but really all it did was put me in debt and have a whole lotta stuff to resell and not make my money back on. Not to mention some shame over letting myself get sucked into that.

Nowadays I try to steer myself away from oshikatsu culture because I know it's not healthy for me or my wallet. I do like seeing the shrines people post because there is a part of me that still appreciates that pure dedication, but I try to approach it with an understanding that it's a slippery slope for someone like me so I can only look but not touch.

Modern oshikatsu absolutely promotes overconsumption. I say that as someone who experienced it. Selling different pieces of easy to produce merch all with the same image on it and randomly packed so you're encouraged to purchase full sets, even multiple full sets, just to build a collection is a marketing ploy.

The handmade stuff like custom fans, handmade decoden polaroid cases and decorated itabags (not the Japanese style where it's just the same pin 25+ times, as much as I do enjoy seeing those from time to time) are still good in my book though. They encourage creativity rather glorifying purchasing power.

 

Definitely agree on this!! I really enjoy seeing people's handmade or more cultivated collections/itabags/whatever, and how much they enjoy them. (I also enjoy a shrine or can badge armor pic now and again as well, tho.) I think at its worst oshi/fan culture can definitely prey on people, though.

 

Okay, I’m coming back to this topic, cuz for reason I just find it so interesting. I’ve been reading all the responses, and it feels so familiar. I remember these kind of discussions the early 2010’s. Mostly on YouTube via video essays. That’s where I hung out so that’s mostly where I heard it, though I’m sure people were talking about in other places.

What I mean is, when a hobby, scene, subculture, etc gets boosted in popularity it was common for the people already in the fandom to get nervous. The newbies complain of gatekeeping and the long time fans question if the sudden interest is fleeting. Personally I think the fear is less about newcomers, and more about what happens when something is mainstream. The companies come in to pander. What once was a hobby or fandom with creativity, diy, or the elusive merch that felt like a treasure hunt, becomes a consumerist hellscape of cheaply made trinkets or overpriced “limited editions” and “rare exclusives”.

And with all that marketing comes the popularity contests and “who can own the most merch” contests. The constant one upping, the elitist mindset of expensive = better, and that people who bought more were “bigger fans”. The root of the hobby gets pushed to the wayside. Inside of enjoying the fandom, people start enjoying the merch collecting and watching other people collect and show off their merch on Tik Tok or Instagram. It feels hollow.

And we’ve seen it happen before, many times at this point. So when “your scene” is next on the chopping block, you get nervous, sad, or even angry. Because on some level, yeah, the newbies need to learn their place. You can’t barge into an established fandom or subculture and start changing the rules or insulting the people there before you. That’s not how a fandom grows. But if new people aren’t welcomed the entire fandom dies. If only the companies making soulless junk just stayed out of it. I think we would all be better off.

 

Might I suggest listening to Jumping Someone Else's Train by The Cure? It might be a soothing anthem in this trying hobby.

Alas in a consumer culture it will always be about who can own the most no matter what it is. You have to decide for yourself if that is going to work for you. I can only say that personally when I finally had personal money I could spend on something I did have a completionist mindset, and it was doll related, due to not having the ability to afford anything like that growing up. It's still a struggle but I am also armed with the knowledge to help myself see that it has nothing to do with my self worth. Some times I have to remind myself to enjoy the things I've squirreld away but it's getting easier.

You have to take a moment to reflect why you're in to your hobby and ask yourself are you really enjoying it? And there's nothing wrong with having realistic limits on yourself. I can count the number of Funkos I have, as I find them unattractive, because it's the only time a certain group I like released any sort of doll or figure of themselves. I have exactly one of another kind of collectable because I wanted the head for a hybrid transplant. I'm sitting at my desk looking at a themed advent calendar I bought because it was a cheap way to get the critters inside, I'm not happy with it, it's not "rare" or special, so it's a batch of eyes crews away form becoming a fun piece of jewelry.

 

I would venture to say a lot of the "Is ( ) ruining ( )?" is rage bait and AI garbage. The only hobbyist you can control is yourself. Be the example you want to be, post what you want to post, and like minded people will see what you're doing and hopefully want to positively engage with you.

Looking at things from a BJD perspective with everything going on the "on topic" dolls are nowhere near trending like the little blind box ones. Full set BJDs generally cost quite a bit of money, most dolls require a bit of customization which is too much work for many people, and they aren't the easiest to show off on a keychain. You certainly wouldn't give a breakable doll to the average child. Even if a full set is limited that doesn't seem to have the same feel as a rare blind box.

 

I appreciate it. It took me some years to get to this point and be self aware enough to not drop so much into these money sinks anymore. I agree with you, there will probably be sales of collections in the coming years as people realize this lifestyle isn't for them or that they need to turn around their spending. I think many see others with large collections and think they need to do the same to show how much of a fan they are.

Learning what I truly want was a big part of my BJD journey too, actually. It took many dolls and rehoming them to understand I'm happiest and my wallet is safest when I only have one doll. It really is an experience most hobbyists go through- the initial excitement and wanting everything to eventually creating a more refined collection. Of course, some are content with their collection from beginning to end but that definitely wasn't my case. I try to share my story whenever oshikatsu comes up just in case it can help steer someone in a healthier direction.

 

This. Working at a fabric store for over a decade you'd always hear people laughingly state "she who dies with the most fabric wins!" After hearing about a lady who died with multiple SHIPPING CARTONS of fabric... yeah, there's never an end to that way of thinking. It's never enough.

Growing up, it was always pushed in my family if you collected anything it was to be part investment. That "someday it will be worth something" After selling off my care bear collection and seeing the rise and fall of so many fads, I'm fully in the camp of collecting ONLY if you want it. You don't get a medal or recognition for having that rare item or full set.

I do however appreciate how much easier it is to get a decent looking anime figure now.

 

@Dofuuhua I don't know if I was mentioning any other collectable in particular. My weakness right now is surprise ball miniature food, and stuff like Re Ment, because I didn't have the dollhouse I would have been over the moon for as a child. I still joke that I have to take RepressItAll to deal with the unpleasantness of my past.

A lot of my mixed feelings come down to being excluded for not having a Cabbage Patch Kid, I was also too young to realize those excluding me were #$@! but that's a whole blog post, wanting to be the welcoming person I didn't have, then seeing someone in a band shirt for an album older than they are do a review of a recent concert film saying how much of a fan they are while only being able to name the lead singer. Half the band in the film made that album you walnut.

 

Not to double post but I just remembered this morning about something that perhaps all fandoms will face, the "know it when you get there" thing that may cause a fan to deal with something about the character or how it's made or something they learn about someone involved with it that will make them stop and examine their relationship with the fandom.

For example the creator of the whole thing likes dogs, something that could easily by learned with a five second search, when the fan only likes cats. Have they suddenly made their whole life around a thing created by someone who likes dogs? What now?

 

I haven't been into fandoms or followed anything like anime or video games in a long time, but I still enjoy seeing the designs. There's a lot of neat ideas so I understand going after fandom goods.

But one side-effect I dislike is that, because most people inevitably move on from one fandom to the other, they'll collect the next thing the following day and never mention or show what they bought before again. It's less of a phenomenon with character BJDs, but it's disappointing to me because I like following what the owner does with the same dolls over time, rather than new ready-made things which all look the same in the end.
A lot of people also get, say, a Hatsune Miku doll - off the top of my head, she's popular - and never dress her up in anything but the "official" outfit. I understand associating the character with the outft, but you can always switch back to the fullset at any time, so why not play with it? I think it's fun to see a character doll in different outfits.

The shelf culture is one of the reasons why I left action figure collecting quickly. It wasn't the fact that most figures were related to media I didn't follow, as much as the celebration of hoarding that put me off. I honestly don't care how many figures or dolls someone crowds on a shelf, or that he owns a rare item he's never taken out of the box. They even started making boxes with a transparent window so you could see the action figure without having to break the seal. Figures that literally rot inside the packaging. I always thought, dude, just get into the stock market if you enjoy this kind of thing, or collect stamps... they take a lot less space While that did not affect me directly, I do believe there's truth in the idea that a certain trend can "ruin" a hobby, for example many action figure companies stopped working on improving joints on their figures, or reverted to worse jointing that didn't even look good, or began issuing figures with fixed-pose limbs that you could swap out instead (you can't do this all the time without breaking something). Because the main purpose of the consumer is just to put the thing on a shelf, and this kind of collector is generally the "whale" who buys a lot of stuff compulsively. I enjoyed posing the figures, so this kind of stuff was a net negative for me.

I think there will always be at least a slice of the BJD hobbyists who enjoy posing, customizing and dress-up, rather than just hoarding merch, so I don't feel there's a direct threat, but maybe a push toward a more creative direction would be nice as new blood joins the hobby through fandom merch, blind boxes and so on.

 

lol at the stock comment I never thought of it that way, but you are so right. The people who worry about resell value over their own enjoyment with whatever it is they collect probably would fare better in the stock market.

I think there are few factors that make BJDs, I guess protected? From becoming a fleeting fad. But the main one is the wait. It’s not unusual to wait 3 months to a year for a single blank doll. Trend hoppers are likely to jump ship after the first wait lol I guess there is the second hand market, but it takes a bit of background knowledge to navigate.

I think the doll fads will continue with the blind box dolls or fully assembled playline or collector dolls. They are so much easier and faster to acquire, especially in large numbers compared to BJDs.

 

The only blind box BJD I bought, a mermaid because I wanted an example of the join mechanics, was under $50. Then again that was before the tariffs. And of course I got the one colorway I liked the least. The only other one I have is a centaur, again for an example of the jointing, but I traded for her. The only thing keeping me from getting a dragon is I have an old Dollzone version.

At least I can say is you do reach a point where you do feel done with general collectables and it's got to be something very specific for you to want it. I have bunches of Re Ment but it's not American and western food. As an artist I'm a sucker for doll sized art supplies of all scales. Still I do tell myself "Re Ment is for Littles (1/6 scale)" which keeps the clutter to a minimum.

Just know why you're in to what you're in to, make reasonable rules, and enjoy.

 

I feel this, I do not carry clear Ita Bags if I'm just going out and about during my day. Doing so does make me worried about theft. The one Reson I do buy them though and is Meetups/Conventions! having a bag with your favs/ dolls ect during a Con is such a good way to find other who share your specific interests that the risk kind of balances out for me!

 

The average thief looking to snatch is after money, phones, fancy sneakers, jewelry, and things like that they can quickly sell. Not paying attention to your surroundings makes you a target. It will be someone in the fandom, like at a convention, who knows what they're looking at who will want to specifically target your fandom merch. Or a child. The only time I was followed by someone actively following me and grabbing at something I had was a kid.

The only stand out fandom experience I've had so far is someone wanting to trade t-shirts because they liked the particular VHTF one I had, but I like it too so I kept it.

 

I did end up buying an ita backpack for an upcoming convention but I am using it as part of my cosplay so I don't have to verbally explain who I am dressing up as hahaha

@DollyKim That is true but the recentish bizzare behavior around collectible plush keychains has me even warier. Not that I have one of those in my ita backpack. Plus you can lock your display part of your bag if you don't mind the look of a small lock on it.

 

It is very strange for me, having grown up in the era where being into anime/KPOP/east Asian media was a fairly surefire way to be treated as an outcast weirdo by your peers, to now see those same peers openly celebrating that same media. It's up there with the strangeness I feel over seeing Ramune at my local grocery store and anime merch at Target -- sure, I used to daydream about it being that easy to get ahold of the imports I liked, but I never expected it to actually happen outside of a Hot Topic or dedicated conventions.

I don't necessarily think it's "tacky," but I do have concerns about the hyperconsumptive nature of the beast here. In some ways, I understand how we got here -- real American "luxury" brands have fallen prey to the same enshittification that's hit everything else, so you're paying top dollar for planned obsolescence junk a lot of the time. People's budgets are tight, and tightening more every day thanks to the current global economy, so we don't have a ton of extra money to throw around in the first place. Combine those two factors together and it's easy to see how small luxuries have increased in popularity. You can get it relatively cheaply, especially if you don't care which blind box you get and aren't hunting for rares, and most of them really aren't horrid quality if you're purchasing legitimately.

In a way, a lot of it can also be blamed on TikTok. Short-form media is great for making these flash-in-the-pan microtrends go super viral, lead to crazy advertiser money and merchandise movement, and then it's over and gone, collecting dust in someone's car or basement until it gets thrown away. While I like my little luxuries and fall prey to my own microtrend temptations from time to time, I also see how this both encourages mindless, excessive consumption and is likely to lead to increased waste over time, like fast fashion and other hot button issues (curse you, Temu/Shein).

However, big but but but, I do think it's great that the younglings coming up today aren't burdened with the same issues that we were surrounding being fans of things, even if it is more consumption-based than creation-based. They have enough problems already surrounding anti-cringe culture, shifting sociocultural dynamics, and gestures vaguely everything else, at least let them have their cute silly little blorbos without getting harpooned at every possible opportunity for it. And who knows? Just because something starts as a hyperconsumerist microtrend for someone doesn't mean it will stay that way. Each microtrend will inevitably attract its own long-haul artisans and dedicated consumer base if given enough time, which may be enough to sustainably maintain it as its own hobby space for years or decades after the original idea took off.

 

@jessholy I just had a regular type of purse but the whole thing is made of clear plastic so you could see everything in it and that I didn't have anything in it that I wasn't supposed to have. No one was ever going in it or going to take anything off of it. The time I was getting followed by a grabby kid was years ago when I had my first BJD with me at a craft store looking to see if any of their doll stuff would fit him. I had to put him in the car to get the unwatched brat to stop.

One thing about figuring out what fandoms you do truly like is reaping the rewards at the junk store. I have in demand name brand plushies and a custom OOAK doll repaint and reroot I tracked down and found that it sold for $$$ on Etsy that were no longer wanted. Just because they aren't trending at the moment it doesn't mean I don't love them.

 

Honestly what I really enjoy about seeing teens with their ita bags or trinkets etc etc is that they remind me of me back then, and confirm that this awkward teenage stage still exists, haha. I really feel like many teens and kids these days look and behave very differently, somehow the trends and access to, idk, an unified social media experience, I guess?, have lead them to look more mature/put together than I can ever even aspire to in my 30s But to see younger people still embrace their interests in this playful way, and maybe dress and style themselves in a way they'll surely look back to in an "oh god, cringe" manner in a couple of years gives me hope that kids can still try things out and just be kids in this weird pre-adulthood stage. To have so much more of this stuff available these days will maybe hopefully also grow humans who are more confident in choosing what they like themselves over what peer pressure tells them to like? I sometimes really worry that it must be so weird/hard to grow up in the messy times like we have right now but maybe the kids are alright after all.

 

I still take RepressItAll to deal with having any sort of interest in anything not conforming to the household or to my peer group, and I'm sure that things aren't fun if you can't afford them isn't going anywhere. Cringe is what you make of it after you've reached your mid 20s, lol. Looking back at my top three middle school emotional support interests one never went away, one I had to take a break from but we're in discussion and slowly easing back in to each other when I'm able, but the third can go away and never come back as it was a case of any port in a storm and it's too anchored in the most unpleasant years of my life.

Sailor Moon and Pokemon might have helped turn the tide on anime in the west tho. And I'll tell you what, you go to a community college and take a class with people outside of your age and financial group and you'll be opened to a whole new world of things to be interested in.