People born around the early 90s: until what age was it socially acceptable to tell others you watch anime/read manga?

I think Dutch 90s kids had less exposure to anime on TV than German kids. So, anime was more likely to be seen as childish amongst Dutch teenagers, especially the ones wanting to act cool. These kinds of shows, like Pokemon, Digimon, Beyblade and Hamtaro, were associated with kids. But, shows like DBZ and Gundam Wings weren't shown for a long time. Was it more socially accepted for German teens to tell others they watched anime like DBZ? Does the type of school matter too? (Maybe teens in Haupt and Realschule try to act grown-up sooner.)

But in my class, it depended on age and social circle if people watched Pokemon or not. At that time, I didn't even know what anime was.

Anime became popular in 1999 when Pokémon started. At that point, people enjoyed it, but there was no social pressure to do so. This was the case at the Gymnasium.

some people might be judged in high school for watching anime, while others may have enjoyed watching anime without any social judgement.

I was born in 1990 and anime was already popular in Germany. My mother even watched shows like Heidi and Mila Superstar when she was a child without knowing they were anime. This genre was accepted during the 70s and 80s.

The 90s brought series like Sailor Moon, Pokemon and Digimon which caused a huge anime boom in Germany. I was a shy girl who loved anime and manga, but I got bullied for it. When I was 13, my classmates would say things like, "What is this manga stuff? You read that wrong, we're in Germany, not Japan." Some boys liked DBZ, but other anime were considered "for babies only".

I had no one to talk to about my hobby, which was sad. Looking back, my school was quite backward. Even at my job, I was laughed at for watching anime. My coworkers would say, "Anime is just a cartoon and cartoons are for children."

I was born in 1990 and I watch anime. I don't talk about it a lot, but it's quite common among my friends. I'm not sure how much that has changed among teenagers nowadays.

My sister was born in 1983. During her school years, she was bullied a lot, partly because she liked anime. In our rural area, watching anime was seen as immature; the popular kids would rather smoke and drink from age 14 than read manga.

At 30 years old, I still watch Anime. I can discuss it with my friends and girlfriend, but not with my parents. My cousins, who are around 10 years older than me, don't seem to like the topic, so that might be the limit.

I'm a 90s kid and when I was in middle school (Realschule), my classmates and I were all into reading manga. We started when we were around 10 to 12 years old, and we'd go to bookstores after school. One Piece and Dragon Ball were particularly popular. For most of us, it was just a phase that lasted two to three years, but some of us still like manga and watching anime.

years

I'm in the age group where anime has become popular again, and I was at a party on Saturday where we talked about it for over an hour. It's cool again, 19 years later, depending on who you're with.

In the mid-1990s, German translations of several manga became available, including Akira, Gunsmith Cats, Appleseed, Tank Police, Ghost in the Shell, and Battle Angel Alita. In 1999, a well-known Berlin video rental shop had a section of anime, half of which were pornographic. At the time, people who were knowledgeable about anime were likely to think it was mostly crude Japanese BDSM stuff. Other titles, such as Kamui, Mother Sarah, Striker, and Xenon, were also available, but none of them were suitable for children.

Wait until you find out that there are some animes that are not suitable for children to watch.

At my school, anime wasn't seen as socially acceptable. When I was born in 1999, most people didn't know that Pokemon, Beyblade or Digimon were even anime. For whatever reason, people thought of anime as soft p*rn. Back then, it was only socially accepted when boys played Pokemon. Nowadays, teens don't feel embarrassed when they talk about anime. However, our supervisor, who is a decade older, still views anime as socially unacceptable.

After school, Naruto was a popular TV show, dubbed in English. During the Chunin Exam arc, it was the topic of conversation in the schoolyard. Younger kids enjoyed Pokemon and Yugioh, while the emo crowd was into Death Note. Naruto Shippuden was more mature and violent, appealing to older audiences. The general consensus was that Shonen was good and socially acceptable, while Slice of Life was (and still is) considered embarrassing.

I was born in 1992. Anime started to become popular in the early 2000s because of Pokemon and other shows. I remember RTL2 had hours of anime programming, like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Digimon and One Piece. It wasn't mainstream yet, so only people in my small circle knew about it.

the less, we have to be vigilant

We need to stay alert.

by me

I was 20 years old when I accepted it.

When I was in 5th grade, Sailor Moon and Dragonball manga became more popular. I had one classmate who shared my interest in anime and manga, but games were much more widely accepted. I'm not sure who else watched Pokémon, but I knew who played the games. I was never made fun of for my hobbies in school, but now that I'm in my 30s, I sometimes get strange looks from other adults who still think animation, manga/comics, and games are only for kids.

Growing up in the Netherlands, reading manga was considered nerdy and cool. However, when anime porn became popular, it was seen as something only pervy wankers would do. The popularity of shows like "Dragon Ball Z" and "Pokémon" didn't hurt the manga scene as much as tentacle porn. In the eyes of many, manga was only for the "dirtiest of wankers."