Caught a guy at the comic shop gatekeeping classic Ghibli films

I was at my local shop downtown looking through the Blu-ray section and heard this dude telling a new fan that if they hadn't seen the subbed version of Princess Mononoke they shouldn't even call themselves an anime fan. Like come on, let people enjoy things however they want. I get that subtitles matter to some folks but I grew up watching the dubbed versions with my cousins on Saturday mornings and they still hit me right in the feels every time. It's just weird to me that people put up these imaginary barriers to being a 'real fan' when we all started somewhere. Made me wonder how many people get pushed away from the hobby because of stuff like that. Has anyone else run into this kind of elitist attitude at your local shops and how do you deal with it without starting an argument?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethmartinez12d ago

...man, that reminds me of this time I was at a record store and this guy was literally telling someone they couldn't call themselves a metalhead if they didn't own the original pressing of some obscure Norwegian black metal album on vinyl... like, bro, I was listening to that stuff on a scratched CD my cousin burned for me in like 2003 and it still sounded fine to me. It's the same vibe with the Ghibli stuff honestly... people get so caught up in being "authentic" they forget that the whole point is just enjoying the story and the art. I remember showing my little niece My Neighbor Totoro on a dubbed DVD and she was completely glued to the screen, didn't care one bit about subs or dubs. That kinda gatekeeping just makes the whole hobby feel like a weird exclusive club instead of something fun you can share with anyone who likes the movies.

lane.angela11d ago

You can't call yourself a metalhead without the original pressing" - kind of funny how that mindset also ends up hurting the artists themselves, since gatekeeping like that keeps new listeners from discovering and supporting the bands. The whole "authenticity" argument falls apart when you realize most musicians just want people to hear their music, no matter if it's on vinyl, CD, or a tin can with a string. Isn't the real point of any art form making a connection with someone, not proving you're a bigger fan than the next person?