Recently, Wil-o’-th’-Wisp was invited to my mom’s Catholic middle school to give a presentation to the kids. They’ve recently discovered anime and manga, but don’t have anyone to talk to them or help them, so they’ve gotten into some very mature series. They’ve also blended the line between reality and fiction, which has caused a lot of problems at school. This has also led to rampant cyber-bullying. We were asked to give a presentation about what anime and manga is, to remember that “you are what you read”, and to address bullying.
Fishie wasn’t in town, so EarMuffs and I drove up to talk to the kids. We went in casual cosplay, sporting Sanosuke’s jacket and the Attack on Titan half-cape. It went very well!
After giving a general overview of what Anime and Manga is, we talked about the differences between Japanese and Western cultural morals, and how those differences are reflected in anime and manga. It isn’t bad, but it’s good to be aware of. Whenever you read popular media it’s important to have a good understanding of what you believe and find important, and to find series that match.
After talking about morals and cultural norms, we talked about the story behind the story, that is, the morals and ideas the story reflects. You are what you eat, or, in this case, you are what you read. If you only read one particular type of story, you’ll eventually start believing what it holds. I’ve seen this time and again. After explaining this concept, we went over a couple of case studies and talked about the ideas behind Death Note and Pokemon, two of the more popular series in my mom’s classes.
As they were thinking about this, I told them about a test that I’ve been using for the past fifteen years the “Hero Test” (when I mentioned that I started using this fifteen years or so ago, I got some strange looks. That’s when I remembered that they weren’t even fifteen years old yet…). Think of someone you really admire and look up to. This is someone you emulate. Then imagine showing them your favorite series, books, music, etc. How do you feel? If you feel embarrassed because it’s “kiddish”, then that’s okay. It’s fine to like things that are “below your level.” But do you feel ashamed or uncomfortable? Why is that? After using this test, I’ve dropped several series, simply because I’ve realized that it isn’t healthy for me, and is contrary to how I want to be as a person. I want to watch and read things that are true to what I believe.
For most of these kids this is their first foray into the wide, wide world of nerds. Most of them don’t know how to express themselves without hurting others, so we talked about fandoms and how to interact with people. Pretty simple things, such as respecting others, not to bully, think about what you’re doing, and that it’s okay to be different. Then we gave several examples of how to show your love of series, such as finding like-minded friends, creating clubs, fanart, fanfiction, fanmusic, and cosplay.
This led us into a conversation of how to be a nerd with others, and went over real-world examples of what happens when things go wrong: elitism, shipping wars, fandom wars, and isolation. We ended with encouraging the kids to be themselves and not to feel obligated to like something or to force others to like things. After all, don’t sweat the small stuff! It’s our differences combined that make us strong!
Don’t get so worked up over small details that you loose yourself. Remember to separate fiction from reality, and celebrate what’s most important in your life. “Let it Go!” It’s a much larger world than just what’s found in anime and manga.
This was a great opportunity to talk to the kids. They were very excited to talk about their favorite series and to ask us questions. They didn’t feel like they had anyone to talk to. I assured them that I had my mom well-trained, and that she would be happy to answer questions or just nerd-out with them.
Special thanks to EarMuffs for helping me with this presentation! Check out her DeviantArt (http://nobodypuppetprincess.deviantart.com/)!
The Adventures of a Nerdy Gear Head 
Wonderful. I’m glad your talk was well received. I think it’s important to mentor kids in a positive manner. I do enjoy knowing about your “hero-test” and I think this is something that will help the kids when trying to decipher their own actions.