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byu/katsboi from discussion
incomedyheaven
By u/Digitalmodernism, its a fictional story of someone recounting working in Japan during the 1980s where anime is socially acceptable.
In the 1980s I was a high-powered salaryman working in the pachinko industry in Osaka focusing on design and advertising. I had a wife and two children and I drank heavily most nights of the week. Being a fan of anime at the time in Japan was completely socially acceptable and not unusual for working adults. Popular anime series during that period included Urusei Yatsura, Mobile Suit Gundam, Space Battleship Yamato, Captain Tsubasa, Dr. Slump, Kinnikuman, Fist of the North Star, and Cat’s Eye. Many of my colleagues also watched anime or read manga and there were open discussions in the office about recent episodes or plot developments especially regarding Gundam or Hokuto no Ken. Nobody thought it was childish or strange. I once attended an anime convention in Nagoya in the early 1980s. I was chain smoking heavily and very drunk after several hours of drinking. While standing outside the venue I witnessed a stabbing across the street. I did not recognize the individuals involved and I did not approach. I left the area quickly out of fear leaving behind a rare Kinnikuman plush I had purchased earlier in the day. After reaching the end of the street I decided I needed to retrieve the plush. I returned to the area but by then the police had arrived and the suspect was no longer present. I was stopped and questioned by an officer and asked what I was doing in the area. I told him I had left my Kinnikuman plush behind and I pointed to it where it had fallen near a cigarette vending machine. They asked me a few more questions and checked my ID. I was allowed to leave with the plush and was not held. I returned to my hotel alone and did not tell my wife about the incident.