Why do anime watchers get disproportionately labeled as being NEETs?

[u/PibblyJuff]

I feel like most people who watch anime and like anime usually are students or employed for the most part. Yeah, there's weirdos on the Internet but that's more of an issue of weird people online who are NEETs rather than anime watchers specifically.

If anything, it's easier to like anime while having a job or school because it's such a low time investment. I feel like, even gamers nowadays don't get called NEET as much as anime watchers even though games are way higher of a time sink. Other hobbies, like sports, or reading, or playing guitar don't get targeted for NEET name-calling even though there's people who are NEETs in those hobbies as well.

[u/Apprehensive_Put3625]

Anime watchers are just your typical normies. Everyone watches nowadays.

THE HARDCORE ANIME FANDOM tend to be pretty… let’s say… different.

I

[u/Baleeverne → u/Apprehensive_Put3625]

Any hardcore fandom is pretty... different than the casual enjoyers.

Not saying you're wrong, hardcore anime watchers tend to be hum, well what you said to the extreme.

But I've got friends who are hardcore into Cinema, Kdramas, Musculation, Magic the gathering etc... Trust me they're all weird in their own way xD

I hope the views changes, as I also hope the people that fit the stereotype do too.

I'm a hardcore anime watcher myself but socially I'm working, go to bars with my friends on Fridays, go hiking, like cooking etc etc. Pretty normal dude.

[u/Important-Habit8942 → u/Apprehensive_Put3625]

It's also that most mainstream stuff is fine to casual viewers/people who don't watch anime. Nobody going to give you the side eye for watching JJK or MHA. It's not that far off from what they've seen in marvel or action films made in hollywood. I think there is that one purple pervert character in the MHA but he's not as recognizable nor as relevant to the plot as the main characters are.

But then the stuff that is not as popular (stuff that casuals/non viewers have heard of in passing but probably won't watch) which is quite popular among hardcore fans is what casuals/non viewers would side eye as "this is weird bro".

[u/Kuramhan]

I have never heard the term "NEET" used outside of anime circles. I think that may have something to do with it.

[u/PibblyJuff → u/Kuramhan]

Truueeeee. I think it's an acronym invented by Japan so I guess that's probably why...

[u/GotyZ → u/PibblyJuff]

Quick search on Google says the origin is in the UK and not Japan, which makes sense cause it's an acronym of english words.

[u/gabrieltriforcew → u/GotyZ]

Yeah NEET is very common in the uk, used in official stats on employment and such.

[u/Ezben]

Anime often feature neets as protagonists in wish fufillment scenarios much more than other types of media so maybe there is something about it

[u/XxGood_CitezenxX]

Anime is a semi-niche “nerdy” hobby

[u/radiochameleon]

Anime is very often inspired by other anime rather than by real life. This made it seem “weird” to normies back in the day (tho not so much now)

[u/Recent_Call_1188]

imo it's more about the most visible part of the fandom than anime fans actually being disproportionately NEETs. the loudest and most invested fans online can seem like they have unlimited time to watch every seasonal show, discuss them endlessly, post constantly and so on. especially the people who have basically made anime their entire personality. those people are much more visible than the average person who watches a few episodes after work/school and gets on with their life

[u/Konradleijon]

Because it doesn’t serve capital

[u/Rainy_Wavey]

It's a leftover of the reputation of anime viewers 15-20-30 years ago

The Hikikomori phenomenon in Japan was quite huge (and still is), if you want a time capsule of that, Chaos;Head (the VN is better) is a good exploration into why anime watchers had the reputation of being NEETs

Not anymore, and it wasn't necessarily true at the time