Do you care how others perceive you?

How you answer this seems to inform what category of fan you fall into. The more someone cares about their perceived image, the more likely one is to avoid controversial material, works of eroticism, and anything deemed to be too “weird” for the general populous at large. On the flipside of this is the individual who has neither concept nor care about their projected image. They will enjoy anything with abandon and feel genuinely puzzled by those that object.

If I may be straightforward here, I belong far closer to the latter cluster than the other. While it is certain that there is a large gray area in the gap, most of the middle-dwellers seem to be relatively ambivalent unless something specific pushes their buttons. To illustrate this point, witness this comment made in response to a news article that would potentially “make otaku look bad.”

“Who cares if someone likes ero figures or if they take their obsessions TOO far? Stop caring what other people think about you or whether someone wants to cum on their Asashina (sic) figures.” – goddessofanime

I found this statement rather funny. The sentiment is a reflection of my own. However, I do find it inconsistent that she rants about dakimakura shortly after this comment. Really, is a pillow with an anime character on it that much more offensive and creepy than some guys dumping their genetic paste on overpriced figurines?

Live and let live. Live and let weird people empty their biological gelatin on their figures. Live and enjoy whatever you like.