Goth. Anime. Hm.

Goth I understand.

I like the surly antisocial tone. I like the utilitarian all black, all the time wardrobe. I love black eyeliner. And I've had my flirtation with flat black and technicolor hair. Plus I like the sinister use of Edward Gorey illustrations, the allusions to Poe and Baudelaire, and the bordering on nihilism go-to-hellness of it all. The B&D, S&M-ness of it all.

Anime I don't understand.

All that sweetness makes my teeth hurt. And it's such an underdeveloped prepubescent little affectation. Kawaii ("supercute"), my [crudity deleted]. It is regressive; Saturday morning cartoons as real life. "With black contact lenses, now turning Tokyo teens into walking manga characters, poised to hit the States, artists, manufacturers, and style makers show no signs of coming down from their collective sugar high." (style.com)

If goth is seething with anger and illicit sexuality, anime is sex put on hold. It is fear of sex. Fear of adulthood. *edit: and, of course, I must now qualify this assertion to note that I am talking about HelloKitty and Sanrio, not the porn also associated with some forms of anime. Although the pedophilic quality of that "art" still leaves one the option of talking about sex-in-fear-of-adulthood.*

And maybe that is the appeal. The ultimate escape from a moving-too-fast-in-the-wrong-direction world: pretend you're perpetually 11 years old.

afterword: Why is this such a hostile post? What underlying fear do I have of Asian cartoon characters? Can further therapy help me get past it? I'll keep you posted.