I'm gonna dump it in this thread to keep the other on topic but I feel the need to chime in myself here. I agree with
@Patient-X - I don't see an issue with just liking what you like. We're all entitled to like different things at the end of the day and it would be pretty damn boring if we were all the same.
I'm a case in point: I actually find anime
really hard to get into. Sure there are things I do like and enjoy, but as a medium, I don't find it as approachable as say Disney or Dreamworks, or classic cartoons like Loony Tunes or Tom and Jerry. It's
very niche, and with so many styles and genres out there to cater to different demographics, how can you
expect to like everything? I'm really selective about what I choose to even look into, because I just
know I'm not going to like everything. My appreciation for it lies mostly in it's aesthetics , and even then, there are certain visual styles that I prefer over others - some just don't appeal at all! Then there's characters - I tend to find characters in anime very hard to gel to, and often, plots and storylines can be confusing and hard to follow. Combined with potential factors such as poor writing; bad scripting etc - I never have high expectations when watching an anime, but I need to like enough of it's elements otherwise it's lost me!
I personally don't think you always have to bite the donut to know that it's sweet. I'm someone who isn't going to watch something "just because it's anime". I'm just not even remotelly
compelled to check out everything. I was only recently being open to
@Neil.T about this very thing actually - about how I'm acutely aware of the fact that we have differing levels of interest in anime, and we're both totally cool about it - I respect 1000+% that he's well into it and loves to read up on stuff. He's really knowledgeable about certain things, but that's because he
wants to know that stuff. Personally, I'm just not bothered about all of that - my interest is purely casual in nature by comparison. That said though, I've already said to Neil that I'm
definitely up for checking out some of the ones he owns, because there are certain ones that he really likes, but, he knows I'm not going to want to watch
everything (I put my foot down at Space Dandy - sorry
@HWR!). Even I've made the effort to check things out since I've been here, because I
wanted to.
@IncendiaryLemon makes an excellent point about how narrow-mindedness can be of detriment to your appreciation of what's out there, and I agree with that sentiment generally, but at the same time (and as much as it pains me to admit it), I do feel where
@Girls wIth Guns is coming from. Sure, he is
reeeeeeeally selective in what he likes, but at the end of the day, what's really wrong with that? He likes what he likes and he's happy with that. I personally find it much easier to be open-minded about stuff I already have a fundamental interest in, like art or music for example.
So long as you're not bashing someone else's interests and what they like, then, happy days! I have no interest
whatsoever in the type of anime that GWG likes. But, I respect that he likes those things. Let's all just celebrate that we have something in common: we like a bit of anime!