THE FAMILY THAT GEEKS TOGETHER, KEEPS TOGETHER

Talking to your family about Anime

HELLO, WE ARE NERDS

We are a family who has been able to make Anime the best of the pastimes and traditions, and now we want to help you to do that to. But before we do that, here’s a little about us.

Person Handle Favorite Anime

# Of Anime Cons Gone To

# of Times Cosplayed

Greg (‘Child’)

The Comic Nerd

(Original) Yu-Gi-Oh!

13 5

Jennifer (Mom)

The Music Geek

Neon Genesis Evangelion

13 5

Con (Dad) The Game Freak

Spirited Away

9 2

WE DO NOT HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS

You have some answers too!

And of course, Your Mileage May Vary

WHO’S HERE TODAY?

Parents? Not (yet) parents?

Because after all, every one of us is somebody’s child, and some who are not now parents might choose to be later

Who already watches anime with their family?

Why are you here?

ANIME – A VERY BRIEF EXPLANATION

Warner Bros.-type cartoons – short, gag-based

Disney-style retelling of fairy tales

Where Anime Comes From What Anime Isn’t (mostly)

Part of a long tradition of fantastic in Japanese art

Hiroshige woodcuts lead to manga (complex narratives)

Tezuka leads toanime everythingfrom Miyazaki toPokemon

THE CLASSIC PARENT COMPLAINTS

Staring at the screen all day Creativity – making costumes, AMVs, fan art, etc

This is weird scary stuff Compared to Woodstock, Punk, New Wave?

A CLASSIC KID COMPLAINT

Stop bugging me about how much time and money I spend on anime and gaming!

Why is this different from any other time/money management issue? Parents set limits, duh!

WHY KIDS LIKE FAMILY FANDOM

If your parents are into it too, they’re likelier to buy some, get a better Netflix account, take you to Cons, etc

More interesting conversation at family dinners

Somebody always gets it when a number is over 9000

Sometimes parents can introduce you to older stuff in anime or other genres IMHO, no childhood is complete without Monty

Python A common language: LOLspeak

WHY PARENTS LIKE FAMILY FANDOM

Parents of pre-teens and teens are often desperate to find common ground with their kids Having fun together helps

Opportunities to talk about big issues (parents love that) Religion Philosophy Relationships Death

WHY KIDS DON’T LIKE FAMILY ANIME FANDOM

Not everybody wants to welcome their parents into their world There is a time and

place for safe teenage rebellion and separation from parents

Parents might hog the big screen TV with their Miyazaki films and Speed Racer re-runs when you want to watch FMA

WHY PARENTS DON’T LIKE FAMILY ANIME FANDOM

Anime scares them, especially if they don’t understand it

They feel strange being the oldest people at the con Saying they’re “brave” does not help

Some themes or opinions may challenge their world view Gender issues, violence, theologies

SO, NOW WHAT, SMART GUY?

Yeah yeah yeah, that’s all great, but what do we do now?

ADVICE TO OFFSPRING:

Maybe tell your parents that since anime is important to you, and they are too, you’d like to see if you can find a series you both like I know, yuck! But it just might work.

Consider manga too! If your parents read a lot, they might be more interested in printed matter

Be nice – remember your parents are nervous n00bs. They actually do know a few things you don’t

Think about the other TV/movies your parents watch, and consider anime with similar themes

IF Y

OU

LIK

E…

….

We’re building this list based on ideas from panel audiences

What would you add to the list?

GATEWAY DRUGS

Cowboy Bebop is a great intro for almost anybody, especially music lovers

My Neighbor Totoro, or many other Miyazaki films

Osama Tezuka’s Metropolis

In all cases, the English dubs are pretty good, helpful as subtitles are intimidating to some n00bs

Do not ever begin with Neon Genesis Evangelion! This should only be attempted by professionals on a closed track

ADVICE TO PARENTS:

Start ‘em when they’re young! Kimba, Pokemon, Totoro….there’s a ton of stuff young’uns find appealing

Don’t freak when they get older and their tastes change, and Totoro yields to Death Note

Don’t be afraid to talk about the big issues that shows will bring up Sometimes this will creep your kids out, but you are still a parent

You don’t have to agree with the values expressed in order to discuss them!

QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION?