This post is more a personal query than anything else.
When I watched Baka to Test’s third episode, I was stricken with an acute sense of familiarity. The episode started with a scene where Akihisa complains about the price of movie tickets and confectionaries, followed by an explanation of his circumstances and lifestyle. His immediate family is working/studying abroad, and Akihisa is essentially living alone.
Yes, in the mornings he splits a cup of cup ramen in half and calls it breakfast and dinner – but by no means is he poor or incapable of affording a proper meal. Well, he may not be able to now, but it certainly isn’t because his parents aren’t providing him the money for it. He’s traded proper eating for an immense collection of manga and games. After all, hobbies don’t pay for themselves.
‘Circle Fenix’ is particularly samui here. Also, Love Minus
I was stricken. Isn’t this how I’m living my life?
It was like seeing a day in my life through a lens, minus all the girls and Hideyoshi. Which is a shame.
Granted of course, I don’t eat off the floor; I’ve at least a pittance of dignity to uphold somewhere. Still, there are those days when I break open a pack of instant ramen and call it dinner – the only meal of that day. Am I given so little living expenses that I’m forced to live in such destitution?
Not at all. However, I admit that my initially full coffers are now running a little dry. Why? Well, An MG AMX-004 Qubeley kit I got recently tallied sixty-some dollars, the supplies to build it nearly rivaling that cost. An arcade fightstick I got totaled upwards of a hundred and eighty dollars. I’ve been getting trading cards in between too, of the Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh! variety, and for the latter, useful, in demand holos come from twenty to even fifty, sixty dollars a card. Those light novels don’t arrive at my doorstep for free either, and I’ve yet to finish reading those Shinigami no Ballad ones I keep putting off.
I suppose I wouldn’t say it’s justifiable, but I’m only studying the phenomenon right now. Simply, the youth of today’s developed cities are on a constant search for pleasures result of a rapidly evolving entertainment sector. Has it reached a stage though where entertainment takes precedence to not only more ‘productive’ activities, but our health?
When one is living as we do, the nutritional values of what we eat actually become very important. Got to make sure we don’t get scurvy or anemia, or are intaking enough fiber so that we don’t poison ourselves.
Akihisa wasn’t featured as an individual case – He and I, and many others with similar freedom are all out there. I myself have at least heard likewise stories. Remember Freud’s super-ego and id? We youths with undeveloped super-egos allow our ids to run rampant when there isn’t anybody to keep us in check.
I once did a post on the youth notion of self-invincibility (lost somewhere in the sands of time/internets). Our elders often tell us about the mal-effects of not leading the ideal lifestyle, not eating properly or rising and downing at nine o’ clock: haunting diseases in our later years, back pains, fatigue, headaches, cirrhosis, coronary artery disease – generally, you’ll live miserably and die sooner. Too ominous a prediction, maybe, but a well-educated young person should know there’s no bluff to call. Bodily repairs happen after eleven PM, eating too many fatty foods can cause plaque buildup in arteries, arteriosclerosis in the coronary artery can lead to CAD and even myocardial infarction. School has made sure these facts are hammered into young minds. I know this. Yet against ‘better judgment’, I still pursue my current lifestyle.
I would throw all my games and light novels in a second, if only. But alas…
Somebody telling us our bodies which are currently packed with stamina and quick to recover will crumble and wither in the far future is simply not enough affirmation for the young mind. It’s much easier to say ‘I understand what will happen’ or even ‘I accept that there exists these consequences’ than to actually change our lifestyles to accommodate for faulty bodies we don’t even have. You’d think a defective body would be enough negative reinforcement to keep youths from succumbing to unhealthy habits, but staying up that extra hour, skipping that extra meal to pay for that game you’ve always wanted is just so much more pleasurable. Telling me I’ll regret it in thirty years? I won’t even think ‘I’ll worry about it then’; I’ll be too busy thinking about that date I have in thirty hours, or that game I’m currently saving money for I’ll be able to play in thirty days.
There’s deep-seated philosophy out there that states humanity lives in the past. The only thing I’d give it is it’s a fact that inferring past experiences is a process of cognition – otherwise, I propose that youths live in the present. This is the ‘tunnelest’-vision part of life; we’ve so few experiences that the immediate is most important. And really, being so young that I can count my age on my fingers if I include my toes, I’m not in any place to talk about how adulthood will be like. Youth is a rush, and I’d like to stay in it for a little longer.
And that’s my question to you. What are your thoughts on today’s young notion of ‘seek pleasure with reckless abandon’? How is, or was, your times of adolescence? What in the name of the world am I doing, or am I getting to?
I seem to be one of those young’uns that managed to step back and reflect on what lifestyle he and similar peers are leading, yet has no idea what to make of it.
Again, I love the liberties the fansubbers took.
Ningyo
And no, I don’t actually have a date in thirty hours. You didn’t really think…
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January 30th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Ugh, Im pretty much doing almost about that right now. Im guessing all the otakus I know are doing that right now. Recently my spendings have been nendoroids, figures and my delayed cosplay. I know that I have a untouched bank account full of money but I need to save that for all my really IMPORTANT necessities, not my otaku related hobbies =.=. Still even if I was actually broke, bread on the ground is a no no for me. I shall be picking my lunch at the local bread store with Hikari kun :3. Dont we just love the teenage life (no I cant imagine how adults are living the same lives as we do, especially when danny’s hobbies are 100% free >.<)
January 30th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Well its great to know that youth today compared to youth back in our parent’s time is much more relaxing and worried free. But at the same time, youths today are too reliant on electronics for entertainment and much more spoiled with all these media make us very much spoiled. Its true that being a youth is to experience lots of variety of things and just have pure fun. But it’s also a time to learn and things.
I’m somewhat to the same life style you are on ehe-_-. I uno, typically i want to change my lifestyle to a better one, yet theres no motivation to make me do it, and even when I do change, it won’t last, and I revert back to my original life style. Not saying that it’s bad, but technically it is. When I look back at the end of the day on my bed before I doze off, I feel really pathetic that I practically did nothing except stare at a computer screen for 8 hours. I wish I did something better, and I promised myself that, but then the next day I end up being the same position all over again.
But seriously, i should really change my lifestyle soon anyways, for the sake of not getting early diabetes, and having to be blind before the age of 30-_-
January 31st, 2010 at 12:42 am
I suspect it’s partly a lifestyle expectation, too. If you’re a starving artist, eat bread and drink cheap wine. If you’re an anime fan or gamer, eat Maruchan and drink Mountain Dew. Know what I mean?
Reading the way you live makes me want to come over to your place and make food for you… This really won’t do, you know! By my estimates (from watching my older friends and such), you have until around 25-26 years. That’s when the metabolism slows and all the bad habits start to catch up. It sneaks up on us.
So be careful, okay? Don’t eat too much of that ramen stuff. :)
January 31st, 2010 at 12:52 am
hehe funny enough it is my job to fill in the craving kids with sophisticated (sometimes educational) entertainment. Most of the time it is for free too.
Now I feel good about myself :P
January 31st, 2010 at 1:51 am
USOTSUKI!!!!! TAICHOU YOU’RE EATING THE MOST EXPENSIVE STUFFS OUT OF THE 4 OF US!!!
and sensei…you’re starting to lag for watching animes ah…
gandamu wa subete janai zo
January 31st, 2010 at 2:46 am
@imouto
Ehehehe, the hikariman up there is attesting that you’re eating more than you let on…
Otaku related hobbies and really IMPORTANT necessities are in the same circle in my venn diagram ;)
Danny’s throne is the best place to be when it comes to hoarding great amounts of anime goods. It isn’t a realistic dream, which is why I’ve disregarded his position completely. Yeah, as 2DT said above, us enthusiasts eating little is iconic.
@mat
I’d like to defend ourselves with the justification that the employment struggle is a lot more grueling than it was back in the day. Hiring companies have much higher expectations now, so we’re going through more difficult curriculums in school as well. The living standards for us today are definitely leaps and bounds ahead of our parents’ time, but their standards were also leaps and bounds ahead of their parents’. I don’t think you need to think of our generation as ‘the sinfully entertained’.
Ahaha, seems we’re all guilty of the same things. I’ve really stopped promising myself I’d change for any sort of imaginary ‘ideal life to lead’, because I know the id would win out every time. Well, you won’t be blind, you’ll just need very heavy glasses ^^; And really, I feel that my blogging is meaningful enough. Besides contemplating on a certain matter and improving my writing in the slightest, the second best thing I can think of is going out to exercise a little. Facing the computer all day isn’t completely degenerative, it also depends on what you do while on it. Doing a part-time or going to school are always meaningful, but one doesn’t spend ALL their time there.
@2DT
Ah, what we do seems romantic when you put it that way…
It certainly is characteristic of the avid anifan. We sit in dimly lit rooms, unwashed dishes in a corner while we hunch over a computer screen plotting about which figure we’ll get next. It’s almost offensive typecasting that I want to stand up against, until I realize that I fall in line with a lot of those defining traits.
Phew, I had almost thought you meant I had until 25-26, period ^^; The parental units often told me that back when they were still around, and my habits hadn’t fully become as potentially lethal as they are now. I guess in the end, it’ll just have to take me ten more years until I’m smart enough to eat and sleep properly.
Getting a meal cooked for me really sounds like the most pleasant thing ever right now, given how I can’t cook at all. Maybe when I ever fulfill my dream of teaching English in Japan I’ll seek you out for that delightful meal. At any rate, thanks for caring about the welfare of a lonely little boy in a tiny basement flat :) I’ll lay off the noodles for a while.
Really.
@klux
Does that mean it can come for free for me too :)? Well, when it comes to ‘experience of youth enhancing’ entertainment, I don’t think I’m too lacking. I’d much rather prefer a good three course meal… Or even better, a good three galgames.
@hikariman
Oi oi, you’ll have to specify to the audience who our taichou is, or else they might get the wrong idea and think I’m lying ^^;
Relax, I’m doing my watching. I can post about an episode I’ve finished, right? Just so you know, Zeta Gundam takes forever to go through…
January 31st, 2010 at 5:17 am
Mmmm that’s interesting. I think sometimes i was lucky not having internet when i was an adolescent which prevented me to buy a lots of stuffs without moving from my chair. There wasn’t stores easily accessible for me for buying mangas, animes and figures either.
But i did save my food money to buy video games and Magic the Gathering cards. When i was in University i skipped lunch and use the money to buy mangas.
I know i don’t have a “healthy” lifestyle and i’m often harassed by people who tell me to do sports. God dammit leave me alone with sports, i hate sports and moreover i hate the people i have to meet to do sports since it’s difficult to have a tennis court in your own yard.
I love to eat bad foods when i watch an anime and i’ve never been able to stop that.
I have no health issues whatsoever right know except maybe mentally.
I think young people (at least those who are a bit aware of their environment) desperately need to escape from the real life who can’t stop from sucking big time.
I do this myself, escaping, always escaping because i feel oppressed all the time and i know if i payed too much attention about the real world i would go crazy.
I don’t plan my life too much in the future, that’s pointless for me. Maybe it’s a bad think to do and maybe it’s a false judgment.
I sound aggressive lol sorry but the past few days were kinda frustrating :)
January 31st, 2010 at 9:17 am
Well, I admire you for coming up with such thoughtful post (after watch Baka to Test!?). I think it’s a good idea to plan ahead and eat properly but as I’ve been working in a hospital for a while, I think it’s wiser to relax and let go from time to time. Anything could happen any time. Living ideally doesn’t really guarantee a disease-free life. ^_^
January 31st, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Sounds like me as well. “Seek pleasure with reckless abandon”.
I don’t eat well, and perhaps more significantly, I don’t sleep well.
I don’t know if this is a phenomenon that faces only the youth. If you look at hardcore party goers, certain celebrities, rock stars, they are arguably doing a similar thing at coke parties and such.
Anyways, there are actually quite cheap relatively healthy alternatives to ramen, but they all taste really really bad.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Globally, since i’m an otaku who live reclusive at 80% on my home, i took some bad food habits.
Since i spent most of my times on my computer, i eat prepared meals ready to heat up or i eat pizzas or i go to the fast-food to get some hamburgers.
Not very dietetic all that. And even when i prepare dinner myself, it’s not light because i love to eat.
For now my body holds up…
But it happen i only eat the minimum so i can buy figures i want. A way like another to spare some money.
Maybe in few years, i’ll regret to not have payed enough attention to my health, even if it scares me a bit, i can’t find the courage to change everything.
February 1st, 2010 at 2:00 pm
@Katsura-chan
Perhaps; I actually rather liked going out to get my anime goods – I could see everything else for sale, in a form I could touch and hold. Here though, anime goods stores are so sparse I’m forced to order online…
Ah, you played Magic too? I’m actually horrible at that game ^^; I stick with it though because one of my friends is avid for it.
Well, one way to get some exercise could be jogging around the neighborhood, but that’s a lot of work on its own. I’ve always disliked sports also; it seemed pointless to train one’s body in an information oriented society. Of course, I never actually thought that much about it, and shrugged it off because it was troublesome. Tiring. I’d rather train my mind. Sure, exercise isn’t only to improve the body, and some get pleasure or fulfillment from it, but I’ve just never related to that.
I wonder if avoiding exercise is also part of our trade ^^;
I think it’s still alright to enjoy the present. That’s where we live in, after all. Considering the temporal state of things, planning for the future almost seems silly. Let us splurge.
And I hope those last few days weren’t TOO frustrating. Remember, if the earth didn’t suck we wouldn’t be standing on it ;) (That’s becoming a Ningyo phrase…) Hang in there!
@Canne
Aw, thanks. And that certainly is a statement on the other side of the spectrum, but it’s very real too. I naturally become complacent in the average, the everyday life, and forget that anything can hit at anytime. And I’m probably not the only one. Living ideally really doesn’t guarantee longevity; eye-opening statement of the day.
@Yi
I read an article somewhere that we who skip out on sleep won’t make up for lost hours even if we sleep overtime on another day. Well.
I’d think proper eating is more important than timely sleeping though. Eating is primary sustenance, whereas early sleeping means your body’s maintenance cycle won’t be screwed up. Seems logical that way ^^;
That’s true, it certainly also applies to those ‘dame-ningen’ types. I don’t remember saying it was particular to we enthusiasts up there though, but if I did, then it’d be a big mistake on my part.
Are there? Maybe a salad, but that takes a lot of effort to make… Instant ramen is starting to taste pretty stale to me too though now :/
@Lylibellule
Yes, the heat-up meals! I just microwaved myself one for brunch. Also the fast food. So much more affordable than restaurant food, and so much easier than whipping something up for yourself. Well, I’m alright about eating, but I don’t particularly like it, and nowadays I’m just feeding myself to keep myself alive, out of obligation. I think that’s actually worse than your case; liking eating would mean you’re at least eating enough.
And well, as I said to mat up there, it really is difficult to break old habits. You’re not alone; I doubt any of us can easily change our lifestyles for the better.
February 1st, 2010 at 2:17 pm
“live for today as tomorrow may never come.” – yea, say that to my bill collectors :P
I had to leave my job to move to where my wife was. She had to go to a different state to get a job, so I needed to follow. Now I am playing Mr. Mom (need a maid outfit) and looking for a job at the same time.
It has been the library for me if I want any new Anime or Manga.
FYI – add hot dogs and veggies to the raman for extra flavor as you do have a full meal then. I usually get several packs raman, 1 pound of Hot Dogs and a mix bag of veggies (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower). Then I have food for the week.
February 1st, 2010 at 4:07 pm
It’s sad (in more ways than one) when you have to change your lifestyle and spending choices because your higher priorities are your hobby.
I have somewhat neglected my personal grooming (I have a lot of old clothes) a tad because of this. Fortunately, my wife keeps me in check, so I never fall too far into self-destructive oblivion.
It’s also sad when you’re unable to spend money on the hobby that you enjoy. I’ve set a solid rule for myself now, that my figure/anime budget is based entirely off of what I earn from it. Commission work that goes into paypal funds for all my anime figure pre-orders. Cash sales of figures locally go towards funding my video game purchases, etc etc.
This has minimized the impact on my normal life significantly. Keeping a budget tracking is good too – to date, my spending has been on track, which is relieving to me. :)
February 2nd, 2010 at 3:12 am
@Ningyo : Well in fact these were very frustrating days and i can’t do anything about it.
What’s weird is that i love shopping, looking around stores and displays without even buying anything. That’s what i like with clothes, i can try them, feeling good in them for a few minutes and leave without anything under my arm.
For figures there’s … well nothing. Maybe i can find a store 30min by car away who display 10 figures maximum.
Internet is the only choice for me.
Yup i played Magic lol, i wasn’t very good too … but i enjoyed it’s complexity. I still have all my cards and sometimes i surprise myself looking at them.
What i dislike the most in sport are the competition, almost all sport need several people to be played and all the time it’s about “who’s the best”, “let’s break down the weak”, “humiliate the looser” … that’s so annoying.
I also hate to sweat so that didn’t help ^^
Sometimes i wonder if my whole body may be completely useless. Do i really need it ? And i immediately think about Ghost in the Shell ^^
Strange that you don’t really like to eat, me i loooooooove this soooooo much. It’s one of my big big pleasure :p
And yeah breaking habits is hard … hard because it’s reassuring.
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:47 am
Mm.. .Yes.
Money is always a bitch.
Well of course. I’m quite a saver but I do like to spend money as well. It’s just that I worry too much that I might be wasting my money on something unnecessary despite the fact that I may want to buy. E.g: A graphic card, shoes, clothes, speakers, iPod, etc.
The last time I bought anything for MYSELF was actually last year which was actually just to buy new basketball shoes. That was only because my sister threw away my sneakers >_>
But I also do what you call “Having a cheap unhealthy meal just so that you can save up money for what you want to buy”. Not all the time though.
I don’t mind delaying my desires a little bit just so that I could live longer to actually enjoy it for a longer period of time or enjoy the future. (Yes, there is a future. 2012 is bawlz)
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:42 pm
[...] to some degree of irony that I fell ill immediately after making my ‘Eating Off The Ground‘ post. 102 degree fever, bedridden all day. Ignorance is always bliss in my opinion, but I [...]
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:28 pm
@bluedrakon
Ahaha, surprisingly I seem to have a good relationship with anybody who perpetually leeches my money. I suppose it’s because I never voice out.
I’ve heard ‘not being able to win bread is the bane of a man’s existence’. That’s not playing out for you, I hope?
The local library is rather sparse in those matters, so it’s still the pocket-washing way for me.
And that sounds like a wonderful idea. Cheap, and most importantly, not time consuming. Seems I’ll live like kings now, ohohohoh~
@radiant
I won’t really think of it a ‘sad’. Call it ‘desperate compromising’. I’d like somebody to rescue me one day, but for now, I seem to be enjoying the self-destruction.
That makes sense. I haven’t what one would call a solid income though, so I have to skimp on what I have, a la Akihisa. That would be a good way to manage funds and keep life partitioned though.
@Katsura-chan
I see. Well, we’ve all days like that once in a while. Try thinking about the worse that could happen; it probably isn’t life threatening, so there’s no reason to be too frustrated.
Makes sense; the magnitude of products you can see makes or breaks window shopping. A meager amount wouldn’t be worth the journey. In Hong Kong they really had entire shopping complexes of anime goods, but here… I’m on the internet as well.
Competition might just be the consensus ‘underlying purpose’, but nowadays sports teams do play with a degree of sportsmanship (and really, that’s where the word came from, no?). Though it’s human nature to want to come out as alpha female/male, the triumph of fair play is hammered into everyone’s mind through the media.
I hate sweating too – just an uncomfortable sensation. That’s why I only willingly sweat if I know a shower is in order soon afterwards. But that was back then. I really don’t sweat at all now.
Ghost In the Shell is too much existentialism. Too much.
And yeah, the regular, ‘normalness’ does provide us with security. I’m often told to ‘break that habit early’ but already it’s too ‘normal’ to let go of.
@nish
‘Money is always a bitch’. That’s it man. That’s the statement of the day. Nay, statement of the century. Hell, I wouldn’t work if it wouldn’t pay for the hobbies.
Ehehe, I remember that, your sneakers getting thrown away. We used to eat the cheapest stuff, no? I suppose my reason generally was for the figures, but I didn’t really think about it then. Saving money just seemed to be the norm in our little clique.
I think it’s simple. If there’s a huge meteor looming over our heads in 2012, buy every game and figure I can get my hands on, find a soapland to get to. If there isn’t, live as always.
February 10th, 2010 at 2:45 am
Hmm… well… I’m much older than you, but I’m still living the way you live, with the exception that I still live at home ^^; So I guess I’m glad because a lot of my money goes towards the hobby while the rest is taken care of. No, I’m not proud of it, but lord knows I try to stray from this path, but everyday is a constant battle not to purchase something. If it’s according to your post, I prolly won’t live another 5 years, lol.
February 11th, 2010 at 12:22 am
@rob
Well, the anifan life is the good life :D
Living at home means food comes with less effort though, Something I really could use right now. I can’t believe there was a time when I used to be fed by other people >.>
The best way to control one’s expenditure is to have no money to spend at all after spending it all, like me! I haven’t bought anything I’ve wanted to buy in ages.
Naw, I think you’ve greater longevity than that. Buying anime goods shouldn’t be a death sentence of its own; you’re still eating enough, right?
February 11th, 2010 at 5:12 am
I may be eating too much. When I watch anime, I can’t help needing to do something with my hands (unlike a video game). That “something” is usually eating. I’m actually thinking of hardly any sleep and sometimes not eating very healthily… Which is why I downgrade my longevity XD
March 5th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
I earn enough to be able to buy whatever I want, but still cannot bring myself to spend like you (and rin) do…arrr whats wrong with me –* (must be the accountant side of me)