The hobby has been important to me and I have experienced a sense of belonging through it. It has also been fun to have something of my own. The hobby is a big part of my life and I don’t think I could ever give it up completely. It’s a lifestyle. (b.1992)
The hobby was the most important thing in my life when I was younger, it brought enormous joy to my life. Nowadays, I relax with my hobbies in my free time and fully enjoy my favorite series and games. The hobby helps me recover from work and other stress, so it helps with my mental health! (b. 1990)
Later, when I discovered fandom, I found people who were like me, I found my own wonderful group of friends that I belonged to and with whom I did a lot of wonderful things. I found friends, real lifelong friends, who became like family members, and who are still strongly present in my and in my whole family’s life. I also found my beloved husband through it, with whom I have now been together for 19 years, and with whom I have a wonderful family. (b. 1981)
Stories created in Japan are so different and the contents are often much richer and deeper compared to, for example mainstream Western animations. The stories and Japanese culture in different series are fascinating. I simply just enjoy these stories, it’s the media I want to consume and support. I also like the art of several Japanese manga and anime artists and the concept of Japanese cuteness. Especially in Finland, where things are often black and white and therefore boring in my opinion, the cute and colorful world of Japanese manga and animation is refreshingly different. (b. 1986)
I am a so-called first wave Japan hobbyist. I started reading translated manga when I was in middle school around 2004 – 2005, as well as watching translated anime. My interest grew gradually and in 2008 I started making cosplay costumes, and in 2009 I started attending conventions. Japanese content was fun, colorful, fast-paced, high quality – and exotic. In high school, I also became interested in Japanese street fashion because it was more open-minded than the mass fashion at school. (b. 1989)
The hobby no longer feels like a hobby but a lifestyle. I live my passions and my childhood every day. I don’t let things that are considered “childish” stop me from pursuing my passions and I get a lot of joy and pleasure from my collections and hobbies. (b. 1993)
My hobby has opened up new doors for me, been strongly present in the contacts I have created, in meeting new people, and in maintaining relationships. I have always felt that Japan and “nerd culture” are very welcoming. I have never felt like an outsider there. On the contrary, among “normies,” I did not feel the same sense of belonging, although I did talk about horses with horse girls when I was young. In university, I also got to know my classmates through cosplay. (b. 1999)
Expansion has occurred with the growth of availability, the easier it is to access, for example, games, manga, or fan products, the more they are consumed. The widespread use of the internet has also been essential for the hobby, I am from a small village where no one was interested in Japanese stuff, so I found friends online. (b. 1985)
Especially earlier (in the 2000s), the hobby was significantly stigmatized, but after the “anime boom” of the early 2010s, prejudices have clearly decreased. You still encounter the term ‘colorfully dressed youths’ in the press annually, but typically the hobby is viewed more openly. (b. 1989)
Hmm, I always admire people who boldly express that anime, manga, and nerd stuff are really important to them and have approached it with the attitude that there’s nothing embarrassing about it! I’m more reserved myself and worry about what others think. (b. 1992)
My hobby has been approached positively, I would say more positively than I have thought. There have been prejudices against anime and manga mainly because of its difference, which is why I didn’t dare to bring my hobby up in the early days. Nowadays, it feels like anime and manga are no longer considered so different, and the fan base in Finland has expanded significantly. Because of these factors, I’m now more open about my hobby. (b. 2004)
I still receive the most astonishment from my parents’ generation, i.e., from middle-aged individuals, who believe that the interest in “Japanese stuff” was a teenage phase and not a significant part of my life. A similar attitude is also seen among younger, teenage hobbyists, who consider engaging with anime and Japanese popular culture in my thirties as embarrassing and childish, even though anime, manga, and cosplaying characters are available for every age group.” (b. 1993)
