Has anyone, (male, female, other) met And Started a relationship with somebody, Because of anime or manga? If you do let's hear it.... H3ll you could even put your close calls... We would all like to know

Thats cool im glad…this is the first iv hurd out her…did ya invite her to this lobby

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Thata boy Keiffer, Happy for ya dude

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Haha if only I had the self confidence to have a relationship :joy::blush:

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An interesting question. Short answer: no.

I’m a Gen Xer and anime and manga were shockingly hard to get when I was young. As such, there is only a small number of diehard fans who would go through the trouble to keep up our interests. Even fewer maintain it today.

I now find myself older, divorced, and utterly unable to find anyone close to my age who has that shared interest. It is a bit depressing, actually.

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I mean I’m guilty of liking all three of those things so who knows, maybe there’s an otaku or two among the ranks of those nearby with those hobbies!

Personally, I’ve met all of my partners through geeky stuff. I should clarify I’m poly, not cheating on anyone. I’ve been with one of my partners for 12 years and 3 years with the second. The first one I met going to Ohayocon back in 2010 or so and we started flirting at the con and well, we kinda stuck together after that lol. The other one I met through Twitter because we both liked Fire Emblem Three Houses a lot and started working on a project for it together and then kept talking about anime and RPGs and the like afterward. I somehow get the feeling that being as big a nerd as I am, trying to date me without being as weeby would cause someone to get tired pretty quickly lol.

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If it’s not too intrusive a question, mind if I ask how old are you? I’m in my 30s and while I remember the days of 25 bucks for a 4 episode DVD if you were lucky, I keep in contact with a lot of otaku I met going through the same in the late 90s, early 2000s. You mentioned being a gen xer so I’m assuming you’re 10-20 years my senior or so, and it’s just fascinating to think about how people hold onto or let go of fandoms contingent on times and generations.

Sorry if that’s a bit rambly.

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I don’t mind at all. I’m 51 physically. However, I feel like I have the mind of a 25 year old and the sense of humor of a 12 year old.

I was always into the nerdiest things around, even as a youngster. I was playing D&D from the age 0f 12, even when it was a terribly taboo thing to do at that time (satanic panic of the 80s). I read and collected American comic books, loved Star Wars and Star Trek, and really loved anime when I could get my hands on it (rarely).

The hardest part back then was finding like minded people. You didn’t want to advertise your hobbies for fear of swirlies and atomic wedgies and there was no internet to make it a snap. Mostly you just had to watch for the subtle clues people would let drop if they suspected you of being part of the tribe.

I was out of a lot of my hobbies for a period of about 10 years due to an overabundance of life. Now, I am a divorced bachelor with no kiddies in the house and enough disposable income to indulge in everything I never could before. Unfortunately, it’s not any easier to find people my age who are still into this stuff than it was pre-internet, at least those with in driving distance and the opposite gender.

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Feel your pain on the situation, I too am a Gen X and pretty much in the same situation. I try to meet but lots of times the fellow gamers are so young and a little freaked out that someone older is hanging around. But life is what you make it and I’ll continue to try and socialise and hope I can find that someone hope good things come your way my friend

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And you as well. I had a 20 year marriage so I’m not exactly eager to jump back into that sort of thing again. I would enjoy some female companionship, however.

It’s hard when the hobby you are interested in is populated mostly by younger people. It’s not even that it is a new thing, we old guys were just way ahead of the curve. I can only imagine how much easier it is for the younger folks to find like minded people to hang out with these days.

Back in college (early 1990s), there was a local bar my girlfriend/now-ex-wife would go to regularly. There was this one older guy who was always there, probably the same age I am now, sitting alone and not talking to anyone. I always felt badly for him. Now, I’m terrified that the younger otakus look at me the same way.

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My wide passed away 3 years ago. Add 10 years on to your total and that’s me trying to find a female whose crazy is compatible with my own.

Quit going to a couple local bars when some of the 30-somethings would pipe up with, “Oh, the pedo is back.”

And the horse you rode in on, Sweets.

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Bingo. I haven’t been on a “first date” in 30 years. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to do it these days. I tried a few apps but it was clear that those are 99% bots and scammers. I’m too old for bars and too much of heathen for church (plus treating the House of God as a dating scene doesn’t strike me as polite). I had hoped to take some sort of continuing education class at the local college but nothing they offer is appealing.

Thus, I am on here. It’s nice to have some discourse with fellow otaku-types but meeting ones my age doesn’t seem likely in my small town. Probably even more so in your age and location, but your attitude seems good and I wish you well.

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I’m so sorry someone made such a comment about you- it’s funny, because those same 30-something otakus are seen as pedos by the 15,16 year olds that wonder why grown people are into anime…what I mean by that is that I hate the hypocrisy as if there’s an expiration date on passion and enthusiasm. As someone in the year 33 myself, I think I can talk to and learn from a 6 year old or a 60 year old. Everyone has something to enrich us with if we know how to listen and learn.

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Whoa whoa someone said that about OUR BEESTIE?!?! I want names brother dont worry about what happens after that lol This is why I hardly get along with people in my age range they kinda lack something in this day and age

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Ah the beloved “pedo” remark, I get that all the time too and the fact my last g/f was 22 years younger than me reinforced their rather narrow POV. Also I find women of my age very demeaning of my hobbies and what I like to spend my money on. So I’m hoping a life of solitude doesn’t await and I can make some friends at least :blush:

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This.

I simply don’t bother even trying to date anymore. Women my age have no interest in my hobbies. An I am well aware if I tried looking at someone younger…calling someone a pedo has become socially acceptable some how. Not sure how or when that happened, but I have my suspicions.

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At the end of the day you are attracted to what you’re attracted to. Like I said women my age aren’t interested in my hobbies and I find them not very interesting. All my partners have been younger than me and if I’m ever lucky to find another then that won’t change either. At the end of the day just trying to live my best life

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This is a rant directed at no one in particular, but as someone who’s worked in the child safety field and still have nightmares about SA cases I had in my caseload 7 or 8 years ago, I deeply hate how popular it has become to just call anyone you don’t like or with the slightest age gap a “pedo”. Sure, different adults can be in different stages of life and power differentials can vary with age and yadda yadda but if you’re a consenting adult, you’re old enough to make those calculations and decisions yourself. Comparing it to child exploitation because it makes you uncomfortable that a 20 year old is dating a 40 year old is just screams into a pillow out of frustration.

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Part of my issue is right now, you can go on any social media site and find about 10 million 20-something (and younger) women specifically saying they want to date an older man. Some are even more to the point…they want a sugar daddy to take care of them.

Reverse that and have a man specifically say he is only interested in dating younger women. He’s a disgusting, superficial, or a pedo. With women, it’s a preference. For men, it’s a mental illness.

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And its for ^^^^^^^^^^^ This reason I am afraid of dating again. I would be looking for someone my age, but I am afraid of being labeled a creep.

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I’m with ya on that as well, I’ve given up trying to find my special someone. I’m 29 and a femboy ( yeah I know), and I just feel like it’s impossible to find someone who loves anime, videogames, manga, let alone all 3. Hell if it were possible I would jump at the chance since I’ve gotten better with my confidence.

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