In the “About” section of Ogiue Maniax, I state that I “want to have a strong sense of its lifespan, to appreciate its history both in the context of the work itself as well as its influence in society throughout the world.” I think this accurately portrays my stance towards anime and other topics which I choose not to discuss on this blog, but I often wonder what made me the anime fan I am today. While a lot of it has to do with the shows I’ve watched and the fellow fans that I’ve known, that’s more of a “how” and not a “why.”
In a recent conversation with my mother, she told me that I was extremely inquisitive. I would always be asking, “Why?” Not to the extent that I’d be accompanied by a dog named Buttons perhaps, but she said that there were times when she would get fed up by my insistence on asking questions. A typical conversation would go something like:
Mom: Play with this toy. It’s fun.
Me: Why is it fun?
I remember a large amount of my childhood, but I don’t remember being so eager to learn why things are the way they are. I do remember that in high school, when a friend of mine would say he thought something sucked, I would get kind of agitated because he couldn’t back it up with why he thought it sucked. I thought this was something I developed around junior high, but apparently I was wrong.
So it might be the inevitable conclusion that I ended up interested in all those things “beyond” anime and manga: the history surrounding it all, the interaction of fans and creators, the way anime and manga differ from other forms of entertainment, not just on a qualitative level but emotional and societal levels as well.
I mean, this is probably why I devoted so many posts to discussing WHY I like Ogiue.
OGIUE MANIAX 
Wait, so you just wrote a post explaining why you ask why?
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Strange thing is, I’m a person that kinda does that as well. Although in my case, I’m a hypocrite, because when I’m asked why I do things, a lot of the time I can’t come up with an answer. Or rather, an answer that satisfies the people querying me. :P
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>>Mom: Play with this toy. It’s fun.
Me: Why is it fun?
So you were Rei Ayanami as a kid. Cool!
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Why not?
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BigN: Sometimes when I’m asked “why,” I start to consider all the various sides and it prevents me from giving an immediate answer for fear of it not being a proper one. Maybe the same thing happens to you.
This sort of situation occurred in the hotel elevator at Otakon, where an old couple asked why so many kids at this convention liked to dress up. While I prepared to explain how there wasn’t just one reason, as well as the idea of idolizing fictional characters due to the fact that they can embody ideals and ideas without being marred by human flaws, another congoer just kind of gave a quick, convenient answer and they chose to listen to him instead.
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Did it bother you that they chose to listen to the other answer instead of yours?
I find it irritating when people listen to the “wrong” answer. Maybe it is because I too am always asking why. And to try to give someone an astute answer only to be ignored is downright vexing. Especially when they choose to listen to an inadequate one instead.
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