How much of what you fan on is produced by your own culture/country? Most of it is from Western countries, none of it from my own.
How much of what you fan on is originally produced in your native language(s)? Nothing.
Have either of the above changed over the course of your time in fandom? As a child (up to about 13/14 years) I of course had no choice but to watch/read in my native language, but even then the things I consumed were probably 70% translated. As a teenager (14-18 years) roughly 80% of my fandoms were Asian, the rest Western, and while I consumed most of these fandom sources in English (as dubs, subs or translations) I related to other fans in German. I started writing in English when I was about 17, and now (at 24) I fan exclusively in English.
If/When consuming material not originally produced in a language you are fluent in, how do you access it? (e.g., dubs, scanlations, muddle through the raws and just enjoy the pretty people/art/voices, etc.) I prefer subs, because I enjoy the sound of these languages and I tend to dislike dubs.
Are there any culture’s materials you particularly avoid or seek out? (e.g. you avoid anything Japanese, be it anime, manga, video games, etc.; you love anything British, TV, books, etc.)If so, why? If anything, I avoid materials in my native language.
The first time you watched/read/listened to something produced by a culture whose material you had not previously fanned on, were there details you had to adjust to (e.g. narrative styles, character depictions, pacing, cultural references, etc.) ? All of these when it came to anime/manga. I actually learned a fair few Japanese words by osmosis. I never quite learned to appreciate Japanese humour, but did for a time quite enjoy their character depictions and narrative styles. With English-speaking fandoms, this was most extreme in the case of Smallville, because that fandom strongly emphasizes American culture. Another sort of culture clash: fanning a source that is not only not from your country, but not from your time (for example old comics, or Doctor Who from the Sixties/Seventies). Here of course you have to adjust to attitudes towards gender and race, and to the fact that since the Eighties, pop media has become increasingly dark/realistic/violent.
Are there any particular tropes/stereotypes/character traits/plot devices you particularly associate with a certain culture’s material? Two character stereotypes I associate with anime/manga in particular: girls who are extremely kind, naive, polite, girlish and vulnerable. Often these girls are also portrayed as quiet and not very smart compared to their peers, there's an element of strong self-depreciation (I recognize some of these traits in Twilight's Bella). The opposite is the tough, rude, loudmouthed tom-boy.
At a guess, are the majority of the people you regularly fan with your nationality? No.
Do you think this changes depending on what fandom you’re in? Not very much.
If you go to live fan events/conventions/meet-ups, have you attended different fan events for media of different cultures? (E.g. have you gone to both conventions for an English-language series (such as Supernatural) and anime conventions?)If so, have you noticed any differences between such conventions? I haven't.
Have you ever attended fan events/conventions/meet-ups in more than one country? If so, did you notice any differences? Haven't.
Has fanning with people from various countries ever caused surprise/confusion/misunderstandings? I don't recall any extreme cases, but it still surprises me each time an American (usually they're Americans) says things like "darling" or "sweetie" to me.
Do your expectations for the fandom and its fanwork change depending on the source culture? I expect anime/manga fans to be younger, to embrace slightly different gender stereotypes, to produce higher quality visual fanworks, but lower quality written fanworks.
Nationality: German Native language(s): German Language(s) you most often fan in : English Is it all right for me to reference you directly in the final paper: yes If yes, how would you prefer to be called: Bagheera / Nadja If needed, would it be alright for me to contact you for more questions/details via email/skype, etc.? yes
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Date: 2010-07-10 09:45 am (UTC)How much of what you fan on is produced by your own culture/country?
Most of it is from Western countries, none of it from my own.
How much of what you fan on is originally produced in your native language(s)?
Nothing.
Have either of the above changed over the course of your time in fandom?
As a child (up to about 13/14 years) I of course had no choice but to watch/read in my native language, but even then the things I consumed were probably 70% translated. As a teenager (14-18 years) roughly 80% of my fandoms were Asian, the rest Western, and while I consumed most of these fandom sources in English (as dubs, subs or translations) I related to other fans in German. I started writing in English when I was about 17, and now (at 24) I fan exclusively in English.
If/When consuming material not originally produced in a language you are fluent in, how do you access it? (e.g., dubs, scanlations, muddle through the raws and just enjoy the pretty people/art/voices, etc.)
I prefer subs, because I enjoy the sound of these languages and I tend to dislike dubs.
Are there any culture’s materials you particularly avoid or seek out? (e.g. you avoid anything Japanese, be it anime, manga, video games, etc.; you love anything British, TV, books, etc.)If so, why?
If anything, I avoid materials in my native language.
The first time you watched/read/listened to something produced by a culture whose material you had not previously fanned on, were there details you had to adjust to (e.g. narrative styles, character depictions, pacing, cultural references, etc.) ?
All of these when it came to anime/manga. I actually learned a fair few Japanese words by osmosis. I never quite learned to appreciate Japanese humour, but did for a time quite enjoy their character depictions and narrative styles.
With English-speaking fandoms, this was most extreme in the case of Smallville, because that fandom strongly emphasizes American culture.
Another sort of culture clash: fanning a source that is not only not from your country, but not from your time (for example old comics, or Doctor Who from the Sixties/Seventies). Here of course you have to adjust to attitudes towards gender and race, and to the fact that since the Eighties, pop media has become increasingly dark/realistic/violent.
Are there any particular tropes/stereotypes/character traits/plot devices you particularly associate with a certain culture’s material?
Two character stereotypes I associate with anime/manga in particular: girls who are extremely kind, naive, polite, girlish and vulnerable. Often these girls are also portrayed as quiet and not very smart compared to their peers, there's an element of strong self-depreciation (I recognize some of these traits in Twilight's Bella). The opposite is the tough, rude, loudmouthed tom-boy.
At a guess, are the majority of the people you regularly fan with your nationality?
No.
Do you think this changes depending on what fandom you’re in?
Not very much.
If you go to live fan events/conventions/meet-ups, have you attended different fan events for media of different cultures? (E.g. have you gone to both conventions for an English-language series (such as Supernatural) and anime conventions?)If so, have you noticed any differences between such conventions?
I haven't.
Have you ever attended fan events/conventions/meet-ups in more than one country? If so, did you notice any differences?
Haven't.
Has fanning with people from various countries ever caused surprise/confusion/misunderstandings?
I don't recall any extreme cases, but it still surprises me each time an American (usually they're Americans) says things like "darling" or "sweetie" to me.
Do your expectations for the fandom and its fanwork change depending on the source culture?
I expect anime/manga fans to be younger, to embrace slightly different gender stereotypes, to produce higher quality visual fanworks, but lower quality written fanworks.
Nationality: German
Native language(s): German
Language(s) you most often fan in : English
Is it all right for me to reference you directly in the final paper: yes
If yes, how would you prefer to be called: Bagheera / Nadja
If needed, would it be alright for me to contact you for more questions/details via email/skype, etc.? yes