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Update: Waifus
🕑 Added 2022-11-27 16:39:20 +0000 UTCHey! I'm making my next video on anime waifus. And I'd like to hear your opinions on them. Do you like them? Do you think they're weird? And what does 'waifu' mean to you?
I think this video is going to be a sort of follow-up to the fanservice one. Just like fanservice, waifu culture has a bit of a dark side to it. Namely in the fact that anime, manga, and now even VTubers all seem to capitalize on interest in cute anime girls. In fact, the largest money maker in the entire anime industry is merchandise. With a large portion of that being figurines and other waifu-centric merch.
And this leads to a problematic pattern. One where anime girls can be written as two-dimensional fantasies for the male audience. Sometimes by authors who have never even had female friends before. Then, because of this, many anime fans can get distorted views of women in general. Which can end up in some dark places, such as hikikomori (and even worse, l*licon).
So that's my idea for the video. A sort of dissection of the history of waifus and their darker side, covering and expanding on some of the same topics I did with fanservice. It's all just ideas for now, nothing concretely written down. But I want to hear your thoughts on the subject.
Comments
Lextorias
Thanks for the recommendation!
Noah West
For me personally Wiafu's are part of an aesthetic and culture of cuteness or Moe. And while I only really engage on a surface level so my thoughts are equally shallow, I find the exploration of Moe and Wiafus to be fascinating. This being the case I recommend three videos from the YouTube channel "Pause and Select" starting with "What is Moe(phobia)?" He is well sourced in his exploration if you want a few more papers to read. I look forward to your video and how it will all come together
qper
i agree with the above comment. id say having a waifu (or multiple if youre into that) shouldn’t be taken all that seriously. thoughts on certain fictional characters should barely, if at all, overlap with reality. it might reveal what your type is, but thats where it should stop in my opinion. a good example is vtubers – do with their avatar(s) what you will, if you wanna tattoo it on your body thats your choice, but under no circumstance should you think of the human and the avatar as one. thats problematic, and i doubt i need to say why. at the end of the day, having a waifu has its limits and should be carefully moderated by oneself. lets not tarnish the delicate beauty of “waifu”. ...oh yeah, i guess husbandos exist too.
Loaf
I think it’s a funny conversation to have with friends and argue whose the better character. Plus you can’t really do much about liking a certain character female or not. It’s when you get people who take it too far that ruin the fun.
Voidmarked
I used to find it funny, but honestly the way so many gross dudes with no concept of decency have made waifu into...whatever it is now, kinda ruined it for me. Especially with characters who are underaged, or the old "1,000 year old vampire" but it's just an excuse for a l*li. Seeing a character you really identify with is one thing, but waifu culture is way beyond that. I imagine you'll do a great job with the video but also expect to get a lot of hate from people with no self awareness.
