Older fans and how they view/ participate in the fandom

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

Sorry if something like this has been discussed before (or if the discussion seems irrelevant)  this is just something I've been thinking about.

It's a well known fact that most Hetalia fans (or at least ones that are actively involved in the fandom) are high school and college aged... but there are a few of us old fogies out there.  I hope?  Anyway, I was just wondering how others in their late-twenties plus viewed Hetalia and it's huge crazy fandom.  I personally still enjoy the enthusiasm of all the fans, but stay out of all the drama at all costs!  I don't have quite the time and energy to be a super devoted fan, but still enjoy doing fanart and cosplaying.  I go to gatherings and photo shoots where some of the people are literally half my age.  Sometimes feel like the odd one out.  Fortunatly, I still look sixteen so it's not much of an issue!

This thread is not about bashing the younger fans (I was a sqeeing Gundam Wing fangirl back in the day) I just want to know there are indeed people beyond college who aren't afraid to admit they like Hetalia!

Edit:  So glad I started this thread!  I never expected such a huge response! 

Comments

[sammich]

As someone who is older (gonna be 30 this month. ;A; ) I adore Hetalia still. I try to stay out of drama and sometimes I don't like what goes on within fandom, but in the end I still adore the series and there are some great fans here.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be 29 this week so I'm almost there. ^_^; I know a few other people our age who like it, but a whole lot more who avoid the show just because of the fandom.

[slightlyjillian.livejournal.com]

I'm aging fandom! 31. But Gundam Wing will always be the first love-ha! :)

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

I miss the Gundam Wing days and the old Toonami block. I think GW was the Hetalia of it's day except instead of history we were giggling over the multiplication tables. 1x2? 3x4?

[jammerlea]

I'll be 29 this year~~

I really love hetalia, so I'm glad I'm part of the fandom. I try to stay out of messy drama and the spazzy sort of fangirling, just don't have the energy for it, but overall it's been fun. I've made a good number of new friends I adore, even if they ARE less than half my age sometimes. And I really do enjoy running the file archive and doing fanart when I can.

Definitely not afraid to admit that I like hetalia~

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

It's good to know that there are older fans though I do like hanging out with the younger ones as well. I admit that I can be a spazzy fangirl at times. I just know when to stop!

[runciblespork.livejournal.com]

Oh my, I remember being a silly Gundam Wing fangirl too. I guess it's time to shuffle off to the old folks home?

As an older fan of the series/comic/anime, I try to stay out of the online drama, leave the occasional feedback for fanwork, avoid real world kerfluffles at cons, and generally bite my tongue at the more ridiculous antics that paint the fandom as a bunch of idiots to outsiders.

I enjoy the source material and am not ashamed to spread links to the translated strips if I know someone who might like it who has never heard of the series before. However, I do warn new people that they may encounter some very distasteful or offensive behavior in both the canon material and the fandom.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

Like I said above, Gundam Wing was pretty much the Hetalia of it's day. I can't say anything about the silly things the younger fans do because I used to do those same things. It is sad though that a small group of overenthusiastic fans who don't think before they act give the fandom such a bad name. Most fans I've met have been very nice.

[twhitesakura.livejournal.com]

I don't really have all the enthusiasm/energy to follow everything in Hetalia, but I try to contribute with writing fanfics. Everyone is generally nice, but I sometimes wonder if my age makes it hard for younger fans to reach out and vice-versa. Anyway, it's nice to know there are older fans around. I was feeling like a rare animal!

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am always so happy when I meet someone online or at a con that is actually near my age! For the most part I don't mind hanging out with much younger people, but sometimes they freak when they find out how much older I am.

[abarero]

I'm pretty active in the fandom (fanworks, cosplay, run hetalia_daily), and have loads of friends much younger than me. Quite often, both online and at conventions, I find myself enjoying being around some of the younger kids rather than the old ones who seem ashamed to be in the fandom/ashamed to have a good squee now and then.

Overall, I'm tired of the fandom being painted as bad or inappropriate just because the outspoken minority. I've been in fandoms for over 10 years now and it happens in every fandom- a few people in every one act like idiots, so please don't blame the whole fandom or look down on it for it. This especially upsets me when people in the fandom start acting like "the whole fandom's stupid" or something.

As for conventions- like I said above, some of the younger members of the fandom are the sweetest and nicest people. I remember a bunch of them at AnimeFest this year managing to cheer me up after a rough day, even if I did get dubbed 'Grandpa Denmark' due to my 10+ years age over many of theirs.

I'm a little too old to put up with the drama anymore (10 years of fandom makes you grow tired of that kind of stuff really fast) but I don't see the harm in having fun or a good time. A little squee never hurt anyone. It's the bashing and the drama that does.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

It's sad that older fans seen ashamed to like anime. A good portion of my friends are younger then me and I do think younger cosplayers have more fun!

Sadly, in any fandom there are the younger fans who just don't know what's appropriate and can't realize when something goes from being funny to being annoying. (Like the Romano cosplayer that kept harassing my friend cosplaying Germany the whole con and physically dragging me away from her. I played along for awhile, but enough already!)

Despite a few uncomfortable instances, I really do enjoy the fandom. I find it sad that people actually stop liking the show just because of some well meaning but overenthusiastic fans.

[conjure-lass.livejournal.com]

31 in two weeks!

I tend to just ignore the actual fandom altogether and focus on the fun stuff like the fanart and the fanfic. Anything else like discussions I tend to shy away from. Sometimes I think people take this little webcomic a bit too seriously, and I'm too old for that kind of nonsense.

I also shy away from any kind of gatherings. I went to one in the past and just felt TERRIBLY out of place. As the OP mentions...some of them were half my age! I just didn't feel comfortable, and probably won't participate in another.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm all for the fun stuff! Getting really excited over fictional characters is fine. Getting really upset or angry about them just seems silly.

I am lucky enough to know a lot of Hetalia cosplayers that either are my age or at least don't look at me weird for being older. I usually don't mention my age at gatherings unless someone asks.

[jazzchyk.livejournal.com]

I'm one of the older fans (38), who enjoys cosplay, fanart, fanfic-- I don't like drama, after some of my past fandoms, but I enjoy reasonable fun-- which means 'Have fun, but don't be an idiot who endangers lives and scares the bejesus out of innocent bystanders'. Seriously. I'm not bailing your butt out of jail if you scare the wrong mundanes.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

Totally agree! I don't want to go all "mom" on people at gatherings, but sometimes I just want to tell people, "Ok, is that really a good idea?"

It's always good to know that people aren't embarrassed to like cartoons just because they get older!

[sithjester.livejournal.com]

29 here. :) Nice to see some others around my age, don't see that often in this fandom!

I don't do cosplaying or going to meets/conventions like when I was younger, I just stick with online stuff. I write fanfiction, and it's a very weird feeling knowing that many readers are literally half my age. On one of my fics, I got comments from one girl a few times that she couldn't take the bad guy seriously because he had the same name as some guy from some Disney tween show. She was shocked that I don't watch it and didn't know that. XD

Ah, Gundam Wing was my first squeeing anime fandom, too. Man was that the most hateful fandom I've ever been in. XD Whenever people complain about how bad the Hetalia fandom is, I just shake my head and chuckle. This ain't nothing!

[conjure-lass.livejournal.com]

I used to go to conventions and things when I was younger too, but somehow it's just not the same as it used to be. Obviously the change is myself, but I just feel...odd about it, you know?

Was the Gundam Wing fandom really THAT BAD? I've heard things about it, but was never in it. I mean, my favorite fandom is Bleach, and that's just full of weirdos. *giggle*

[fablespinner.livejournal.com]

If you think late twenties is old for enjoying a fandom... I must be Grandpa Rome at 40!

*weeps*

The older you get though the less things bother you, If I don't like something I just don't linger and move on to something I do. I'd never argue over someone's preferences over imaginary cartoon characters who who said make believe characters are sleeping with.

I don't care if the historical "facts" are a bit skewed for comedic value. It's still funny.

I don't mind much actually. Like fine wine you mellow with age.

;)


OH and GUNDAM WING. Boy the crap I did for that fandom. I think like 200 FICS and HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of images. 3x4 Shipper #1 OTP for me.

[wandering-tyki.livejournal.com]

Age is mind over matter: If you don't mind, it don't matter. Right?

BTW and totally off-topic, I love your SuFin works. Not too fluffy, not too harsh. Just..wonderful stuff. (and that Viking!Sweden pic...omg) Thought I'd put that out there. :)

Thanks!

[radittz.livejournal.com]

I'm 25 :) I'm happy to more older people around!

Well, this year I'm preparing real cosplay for a first time and I draw fanarts. What makes me and my friends in similiar age different from younger fans is fact that I can travel and meet fans from other countries quite often, sad thing is that my best fandom friends live in a few different countries so we see each other only a few times a year.

Sometimes I feel strange when I have discussions with people that are 10 years younger, still it depends - some fans in this age can be also really mature :)

...sorry for my poor English @_@

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

It's always great to know there are other older fans. The best thing about being an older fan is having the transportation and vacation time to go to conventions and to meet up with out of town friends.

[wandering-tyki.livejournal.com]

Another older(ish) fan here (29 in just over a week from now)! While I like the energy and enthusiasm of the fans of this series as well as the much-renewed interest it gives to subjects like history and geography (two of my faves in my school days), the level of said enthusiasm can be more than a bit overwhelming to those unfamiliar with the fandom.

I also prefer to avoid the drama that can happen within any group/fandom. So glad I decided to dive in regardless of how..intense..some of the other people I've seen behave. ^__^

Ah, yes. Gundam Wing. Good times...

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

Wow our birthdays are close! I'm going to be 29 this Saturday.

I'm glad I got into the fandom when it was pretty obscure and much less intimidating!

[i-boudicca-i.livejournal.com]

I'm 26. I'm not much involved in the social aspects of fandom, but that's because I'm not particularly social, not because I'm older than the average fan. Meanwhile, I love to read and write fanfic, appreciate fanart and the like.

It's occasionally a surprising to realize how much younger others are, but it's not a bad surprise, more like "you're only 17 and you can draw like that? I'll never catch up..." It makes me wish I'd taken drawing and writing more seriously when I was younger, 'cause I'd be pretty good by now!

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

When I talk to people online or look at their art or fic I usually don't realize how much younger they are. I agree that there are some really amazing artists and writers out there that are still in high school!

[zalia.livejournal.com]

I'm sort of... 25 going on 40, and man, Gundam Wing was my first online fandom too XD

I write a lot of fanfiction, and am happy to talk people who want to, but I tend to just stick to posting fic without getting involved so much in the social aspect, and I avoid drama like the plague. I'm here for fun, as a break from RL, so I just get on with my own thing and let other people get on with their's.

I also go to conventions and cosplay, although that's more with my own group of friends who I stick with rather than going to fandom gatherings. I tried going to a couple, and while everyone was very nice and friendly, I felt very out of place. The age gap seems much larger between someone my age and an 18 year old, than it does between my age and someone in their 30s/40s I guess.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

I miss Gundam Wing even though the fandom was a little harsh at times. I think all fandoms have that.

I feel like I fit in at a gathering until they all start discussing school and complaining about their parents. Then I feel out of place.

[mirdan.livejournal.com]

I'm not yet 30, but I'm in my late 20's as well. I'm usually a lurker, more interested in the webcomic translations and fansubs. I enjoy the fan works, but other than the few times that I've commented on fanfics and certain topics about certain characters, I don't really join in most of the discussions. I don't want to be involved in the more intense discussions, mainly because I always feel like I might kill the discussion with my stodgy input orz

I've never been on any Hetalia-related gatherings either (Those days are over for me... Work has taken over my life) and to be honest, it's not really something I was ever interested in doing. But more than anything, I'm pretty impressed with the fandom in general. There are so many intelligent Hetalia fans, a lot of whom are half our age, who have greatly contributed to the face of this fandom. And that's why stick around and continue to lurk.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

I'm always a little scared to get into the discussions because sometimes people over think things or just take things way too seriously. On the other hand, this fandom seems mature compared to others I've been in. There is not nearly the amount of flaming, bashing, or pairing wars.

[iroh-fancier.livejournal.com]

I'm 30 and moderately active in the fandom, despite having two full time jobs and a family who needs me. It's really really nice to see that there are a few other fans in their 30s and 40s because I honestly thought I was the oldest person in this fandom.

I was never really into Gundam Wing though lol.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

It gets harder when your older because there are so many more real world responsibilities you need to deal with. It is always nice to know that people can still find time for anime!

[teaotaku.livejournal.com]

I clicked on this thread out of curiosity-I had no idea there were people above college age who were remotely involved in the fandom! It's amazing what a range of ages there are here.
A lot of you are saying that it feels strange talking to people so much younger than you...so I just wanted to say that it's the same the other way around.I'm...well...There's a bit more than a 10 year age difference between most of you and me. More like 15-20. *slinks into corner* It's really hard leaping age barriers, no matter what level of maturity one is at. I almost never say anything about my age in fandom communities; sadly, my age group doesn't exactly have the greatest reputation on earth. Once people know how old I am, it becomes strange for them to communicate with me, and I don't blame them at all.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that there are such a wide age range of people here! I really don't have anything against the majority/fans younger then me. Don't feel embarrassed to be young. Enjoy it! I've met people at cons and talked to them for awhile before getting to our ages. Sometimes when they find out I'm older they get all shy and uncomfortable and there is really no need. As long as people get along, age doesn't really matter. (Unless it's dating... Then it matters a bit more. ^_^; )

[iroh-fancier.livejournal.com]

Hey folks? I've been contemplating starting a comm for older hetalia fans (age 25 and up) for awhile now. If I did, would any of you join?

[anubismito]

If you do, please, send the link!! X))

[anubismito]

Well, I'm 26, and I graduated from school almost 10 years ago ^^Uuu... When I was at school I was somewhat History-tard. This is one of the reasons I love Hetalia, because it parodies some important historical facts.
I don't care too much about fandom, I'm starting to get used to it, or simply ignoring some rabid fangirls ^^Uuuu.
I enjoy drawing fanarts of Hetalia.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

There really are a lot of nice, sensible fans here (and now I know there are some around my age too). I'm not going to let the fandoms' bad rep ruin that for me!

[lonym82.livejournal.com]

As someone turning 30 next month, I have throughly enjoyed Hetalia and its fandom. Not only is the series adorable, a hilarious comedy, and full of warm and fuzzy moments, but it has a huge cast of characters to play with! Like England said: "There's over 300 of us!"

As for new material, heck, we don't even have to wait for the author to draw us new material; just turn on the news and there is stuff to work with. Or open up a textbook. LEARN something while enjoying a series.

There's so much to work with when it comes to drawing, writing, and other fan stuff with this series.

As for the fandom, well before I got into Hetalia, I've been avoiding fandoms of series I've liked. I just got tired of the dramu with past fandoms. Yet here I am, an active participate in the fandom. So, I think that says something about this fandom. Yeah there are a few people who need to CHILL OUT, but that's everywhere.

But yeah, so happy I got into Hetalia. Many thanks to my friend Sarah who told me more about it and linked me to the Chibitalia strip which would get me hooked on this series.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

This is the odd series where the fanwork is just as important to liking the series as the series itself. There is so much material to work with without having to go against what already happened in cannon.

I think any fandom that gets this big is bound to have some drama and, actually compaired to a lot of other series, there isn't that much.

[awesomeness01.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad I'm not the only 'old' one over here :D. It's nice to hear that there are others around my age who like the same stuff. It's how old you feel from the inside that matters isn't it.

I'm 26 (gonna be 27 in 5 days D: )and I openly like to admit that I like Hetalia, although to be true it's not like I'm going to cosplay or other events. For example, I would like to go to a Hetalia day event but am just scared that I'm the only one that is 10 years older than everyone else and feels uncomfortable about it. Am also just shy though. I've also never told anyone in real life that I like Hetalia or anything anime. Maybe I'm ashamed but I think that they would never be interested in it anyway. I'm more like being a fan by reading something or watching fan-videos but that's about it. I've never been a crazy anime fangirl (or even liking boybands) to begin with so it's stuff I never get involved in. But I had some occasions were I participated in a discussion with all seriousness and you get some really immature responses back. But that could be older fans as well, so can't say that for sure. I've met very nice people and had very nice conversations with some who were much younger than me.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

I did feel a little awkward at this years' Hetalia day because none of my close friends could come with me. I did feel a bit out of place being the oldest one there, but everyone was very welcoming.

I usually don't bring up anime to people who aren't already fans because I don't want to bore them or force it on them. It is always nice to have some people around who you can talk about it freely with.

[7owti5.livejournal.com]

I turned 41 last week - Hi to Grandpa Rome, I'm China, aru!

This is not a criticism but an observation - this fandom is really young!! It is also incredibly talented, educated and funny, but damn I feel really ancient around you guys. At any rate, I agree with what so many have said above: I love costuming, I love the stories and playing around with current events/how would this translate into Hetalia, but drama is meh.

[iroh-fancier.livejournal.com]

It really IS a young fandom! But I'm glad that so many teens and 20 somethings are into history :)

this is my icon for tl;dr posts

[saturndjinni.livejournal.com]

I'm 27, and I'll readily admit that most of the time I feel really... iffy about posting my age online in relation to fandom-related stuff, because most of the time I feel so damn old compared to everyone else I associate with. :/ Nothing against them, of course, just some weird overly-paranoid thinking on my part. though maybe I should be a bit more concerned with still being a die hard Pokemon fan at my age :P

I'm... sort of a quiter fan, I guess? I do draw a LOT of fanart and have a few fic ideas I've been kicking around (but am way too under-confident in my writing abilities to write them down...) and do try to join in civil discussions here, but overall I just kind of stick to my little corner of the internet and enjoy the series my own way. I'll admit I have gotten myself tangled in drama before *coughdubwankcough* but all that did was get me frustrated with the whole fandom for a while, so I try to stay out of that now.

I honestly don't understand it when older fans complain about all the younger fans around... yes, sometimes they do REALLY facepalm-worthy stuff but hell, I've seen older fans do some pretty crazy crap as well, and for the most part as long as someone's having fun (which is the whole point of fandom, after all!) and not bothering anyone, I say let them enjoy themselves however they like.

And yeah, I'll admit it... I still squee over cute stuff and tend to enjoy the more silly fluffy adorable fanworks over super serious stuff. Which seem to get stereotyped as things only the young fans are into...

Re: this is my icon for tl;dr posts

[abarero]

I honestly don't understand it when older fans complain about all the younger fans around... yes, sometimes they do REALLY facepalm-worthy stuff but hell, I've seen older fans do some pretty crazy crap as well, and for the most part as long as someone's having fun (which is the whole point of fandom, after all!) and not bothering anyone, I say let them enjoy themselves however they like.

And yeah, I'll admit it... I still squee over cute stuff and tend to enjoy the more silly fluffy adorable fanworks over super serious stuff. Which seem to get stereotyped as things only the young fans are into...

I couldn't agree more with this. Us old folks still love the cute/comedic stuff and know how to have some fun too! There's crazy on both sides of the age line and I wish people would remember that.

[haro.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be twenty-seven in a little over a month, and I've been involved in fandom for over a decade. There are things that I used to be more passionate about that I sometimes feel like I'm tired of doing now (i.e. a lot of debate), but on the overall it's fine.

Most of the time I don't feel awkward in fandom. Sometimes it surprises me to find out how young a particular fan is, but I find that fandom is a great place for people of all ages to get together and have fun. I participate in online fandom, go to conventions and cosplay, run panels, moderate communities, write fic, etc. I have many, many friends who are even older than me that do the same. It's a wonderful and relaxing thing to use my free time on.

Personally some of the most mature fans I've found in fandom are often quite young. There are older fans who act like twelve year old drama-bringing fangirls, and there are fifteen year old fans who are amazing and mature and awesome. I think that people put too much emphasis on age in fandom, a lot of time.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

I agree that age and maturity level don't really go together at all sometimes. I think the biggest difference with older fans is their life style. Having more responsibility takes up your time, but having more freedom lets you do more.

[deadtree.livejournal.com]

I just turned 26, but you know what, thank you for making this post because I was starting to wonder if I was alone out here in my old age =_= Aaah old people, let us gather together over a warm milk and reminisce about the good ole days.

Anyway yeah, I feel awkward when I find out I've been talking to people half my age >_> And I feel bad when I argue with people that age, too, lol. I feel like a bully.

I haven't been to a con in many years, though-- I stopped going to save money for moving to Japan, and when I got back I felt like I was too old. Now I feel like I'm WAY too old, even though I admire my friends of the same age/older who still cosplay and stuff.

[haylerzz.livejournal.com]

I had been debating on making a post like this for awhile and I'm glad I did! I have nothing against all the younger fans, but it is nice to know that everyone doesn't get to a certain age and "grow out of it"

There are a lot of people in there 20s and beyond that still go to cons. Actually I've been seeing more and more people bring their young children, but the parents are the ones cosplaying!