Fans and media

{Yet another late #Animanga festival special yay}

I’ve never given much thought to how important fans really are for the media that they like, or what exactly they impact. However, in this post I will try my best to analyze the positives and negatives of fans and their influence on the media that they consume, as well as fandoms they are a part of.

• Fanart can help find new stuff

How many times have you stopped to marvel at an amazing fanart on Twitter or on Pinterest? On the other hand, how often do you scroll through countless comments and memes just to find the source of it?
Countless hours on twitter spent aside, I think that a lot of people find new anime either by seeing fans talk about it or from fan art! You see a cool looking image online and naturally wonder about its origin; the same goes for AMVs or just clips on Youtube.

For example, one of the reasons I ever started watching Clannad was because of the amazing fanart that I happened to stumble upon, without even having heard the name of the anime. It’s important to keep your mind and eyes open while browsing almost any site, whether it’s Tumblr, Twitter or Pinterest; you can never know what will lead you to your next favorite!

• Fan arts, fanfics, fan edits etc showcase the love for and importance of a work

What’s the best way to show your love and appreciation for a show, how touching and impactful it was for you? There is no one answer, but one of the ways is fanart! Without a doubt, most draw because they truly enjoyed the show and connected with it in one way or another. Here’s an ecample:

Dragon ball was created by Akira Toriyama back in 1984, yet you can find fanart from the anime even today, its impact on people is unquestionable and just shows how many people truly love it.

• Fans influence media and it is often created with the majority’s interests in mind

It’s no secret that anime are usually renewed for a second season if enough fans support it. However, a similar thing is happening with anime trends too. For example, if a lot of people liked an isekai show, it’s likely that a lot of shows will be produced in hopes that they will hit the mark and attract the demographic that it was targeting, resulting in merchandise or light novel/game sales even outside of Japan as well. (Even if anime naturally is mostly based on the likes of Japanese fans, however, I’ll refrain from saying anything else as I want to properly educate myself before making broad assumptions). A basic idea, but fans influence anime a lot more than they might actually be expecting.

• Fans can create both a positive and a negative look for a fandom and therefore can encourage or deter people from watching the anime/reading the manga or playing the game

I’ve mentioned this before in my Haikyuu!! post, I was hesitant as the fandom gave off a bad impression but nevertheless I ended up loving the anime and finding out that the fandom is quite chill. Some fandoms are hyper, while others are more relaxed. However the opposite is possible too, the majority (or a vocal minority) can be obnoxiously pushing their ideas or straight up attacking if you don’t “100% love the anime and everything about it”. I think that it’s important to remember, whatever they push or argue about, those people do not define the whole fandom.

Also, the opposite is quite possible! There are always civil people to be found that you can calmly discuss with, no matter how out there or with a small following the anime is.

• Fans create a community

I suppose this one is the most important one! Fandoms are like big families, while you might not love every single “relative”, there are ones you wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. You can easily find like-minded people and discuss your thoughts with them or learn something new. Friendships are made, and who knows what amazing and inspiring people you can meet!

What are your opinions on and experiences with fans and fandoms? Let me know in the comments below!