How much of what you fan on is produced by your own culture/country? None at all, I think
How much of what you fan on is originally produced in your native language(s)? About 20%? Not too sure.
Have either of the above changed over the course of your time in fandom?
Somewhat. I used to be a huge consumer of tvb (hong kong) drama series, particularly wuxia series and they are originally produced in Cantonese which is my mother tongue. Since 2000, my consumption of them has decreased a lot. I don't even watch tvb series anymore because I prefer veteran actors over the new actors. Now, 90% of what I fan over are from Japan while the remaining 10%, US and UK.
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.)
Scanlations and subs mostly.
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?
I avoid Korean and Taiwan dramas. I usually get really annoyed at the characters. I seek out Japanese animation/manga because I like them. Sorry this response is not very helpful.
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.)?
I guess more cultural references than anything. Can’t think of any off the top of my head.
Are there any particular tropes/stereotypes/character traits/plot devices you particularly associate with a certain culture’s material?
Yeah. Sentai and magical girls I will always associate with Japan. Evil sects are not evil and good sects are actually kind of terrible, and EPIC BROMANCE of “we will mix a drop of our blood in a bowl of water and drink to be brothers forever” I will always associate with wuxia. The main charac will always save the day in the nick of the time, I will always associate with American stuff… just to name a few.
Fandom Questions:
At a guess, are the majority of the people you regularly fan with your nationality?
Yeah.
Do you think this changes depending on what fandom you’re in?
No, not really. I’m not a very social person.
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?
Only ever been to anime conventions so this question doesn’t apply.
Have you ever attended fan events/conventions/meet-ups in more than one country? If so, did you notice any differences?
Nope.
Has fanning with people from various countries ever caused surprise/confusion/misunderstandings?
Sometimes. I used to be more social than this, so I did have some fan friends from other countries. As I grew up watching Japanese animation/reading Japanese manga, it never occurred to me that Japanese humour/narrative style is something people sometimes have to get used to. I like open-ended endings but some find it really hard to accept. Also, kickass ladies who can defend themselves/do awesome things was not new to me due to exposure to wuxia (where female characs are usually fighters themselves or awesome in other ways. PERHAPS I AM BIASED BUT I’D SO LOVE TO BE YAN SOU SOU FROM DRAGON SABRE HEAVEN SWORD. ) so hearing about how rare strong females are in tv series had been an eye opener for me. Do your expectations for the fandom and its fanwork change depending on the source culture?
A little. For example, I expect at least ONE tentacle-sex fic/art from Japanese animation/manga but not so much from other cultures unless it is populated by people who also fan over Japanese animation/manga.
Additionally, there are a few details that’d be helpful for everyone to include, if they could:
no subject
How much of what you fan on is produced by your own culture/country?
None at all, I think
How much of what you fan on is originally produced in your native language(s)?
About 20%? Not too sure.
Have either of the above changed over the course of your time in fandom?
Somewhat. I used to be a huge consumer of tvb (hong kong) drama series, particularly wuxia series and they are originally produced in Cantonese which is my mother tongue. Since 2000, my consumption of them has decreased a lot. I don't even watch tvb series anymore because I prefer veteran actors over the new actors. Now, 90% of what I fan over are from Japan while the remaining 10%, US and UK.
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.)
Scanlations and subs mostly.
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?
I avoid Korean and Taiwan dramas. I usually get really annoyed at the characters. I seek out Japanese animation/manga because I like them. Sorry this response is not very helpful.
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.)?
I guess more cultural references than anything. Can’t think of any off the top of my head.
Are there any particular tropes/stereotypes/character traits/plot devices you particularly associate with a certain culture’s material?
Yeah. Sentai and magical girls I will always associate with Japan. Evil sects are not evil and good sects are actually kind of terrible, and EPIC BROMANCE of “we will mix a drop of our blood in a bowl of water and drink to be brothers forever” I will always associate with wuxia. The main charac will always save the day in the nick of the time, I will always associate with American stuff… just to name a few.
Fandom Questions:
At a guess, are the majority of the people you regularly fan with your nationality?
Yeah.
Do you think this changes depending on what fandom you’re in?
No, not really. I’m not a very social person.
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?
Only ever been to anime conventions so this question doesn’t apply.
Have you ever attended fan events/conventions/meet-ups in more than one country? If so, did you notice any differences?
Nope.
Has fanning with people from various countries ever caused surprise/confusion/misunderstandings?
Sometimes. I used to be more social than this, so I did have some fan friends from other countries. As I grew up watching Japanese animation/reading Japanese manga, it never occurred to me that Japanese humour/narrative style is something people sometimes have to get used to. I like open-ended endings but some find it really hard to accept. Also, kickass ladies who can defend themselves/do awesome things was not new to me due to exposure to wuxia (where female characs are usually fighters themselves or awesome in other ways. PERHAPS I AM BIASED BUT I’D SO LOVE TO BE YAN SOU SOU FROM DRAGON SABRE HEAVEN SWORD. ) so hearing about how rare strong females are in tv series had been an eye opener for me.
Do your expectations for the fandom and its fanwork change depending on the source culture?
A little. For example, I expect at least ONE tentacle-sex fic/art from Japanese animation/manga but not so much from other cultures unless it is populated by people who also fan over Japanese animation/manga.
Additionally, there are a few details that’d be helpful for everyone to include, if they could: