A common argument I see regarding certain anime is that "people love to hate" popular anime. I’ve seen this geared towards Your Name., Sword Art Online, Haikyuu, and many more. On one hand, I can see this as a way for people to be playing devil’s advocate so that people don’t blindly jump into a show without being aware of its faults. This is especially true of Sword Art Online. I can’t say I’m a fan of the show at all, but I can see why people are drawn to it, and the same things that I may dislike, other people might not mind. However, I’m sure there are people who label an anime as overrated and boring simply because the show is popular. What are everyone else’s thoughts on the argument that people like to hate popular anime? Why do you think that is people try to tout this particular argument?
There are quite a few topic suggestions already concerning anime at The Artifice, so perhaps it would be worth combining a few of these into an overall analysis regarding the pros and cons of anime and what, in particular, people find displeasing or enjoyable. I think a lot of the hatred boils down to personal taste and that eternally ridiculous question of what's the 'best' or 'greatest'; highly subjective at best, which I've made comments about regarding another anime topic suggestion. Having said that, perhaps the simple fact that a popular anime series or film is just that, i.e. 'popular' automatically triggers the hate response in those who feel a burning need to hate popular culture, for whatever reason. Going slightly off topic a moment, but still (sort of) relevant, being a loyal fan of the original Sherlock Holmes stories I resisted the new BBC 'Sherlock' series because I didn't think it would work in a modern day setting...and how wrong I was! Hmph, lesson learned. Regarding anime, we also have to consider the blind preconceptions many in the West still have about 'cartoon' entertainment being only for children, but I'm in danger of repeating myself here so I'll stop. Anyway, a good topic suggestion in my opinion and you get my vote. – Amyus6 years ago