I hate how much money anime makes.

For years I've loved anime. I have loved anime since I was a kid watching Pokémon and Cardcaptor Sakura. But these days I am growing to despise anime.<br><br>During the pandemic, I started to notice a large influx of ignorant, obnoxious people who claimed to be "otaku". There was a certain boastfulness to their declaration, as if having spent their entire lives cooped up in their parent's basement, avoiding affection, jobs and experiences, was something to be proud of.<br><br>During this time too, it seemed as though the popularity of anime skyrocketed. I started to see cosplay pictures of people in anime costumes on facebook, redbd, tiktok and instagram. I saw a rise in not only interest in anime, but a rise in popularity of Japanese culture as a whole. Ramen bars and Japanese restaurants were springing up in every city. The formerly obscure and niche hobby of Japanese collectibles (like gachapon) became extremely popular. Japan became less of a weird place most people knew little about, but more of a place where "all the weirdos go".<br><br>I use the term "weirdo" very specifically here, because the kind of people that anime (and Japan) attract now are largely people who are socially inept, dregs of society, degenerates, pedophiles and all manner of other unpleasant people. Things like ddlg, lolis and traps are becoming more socially acceptable and widely known about. I've seen people shamelessly declare themselves to be a pedophile. I've seen people proudly declare their fetishes, such as feet, diarrhea, vomit, etc. I've seen a rise in degeneracy, and on a larger scale.<br><br>But the final nail in the coffin for me was when I learned that anime is a multi-billion dollar industry. This makes me feel sick to my stomach. Knowing that so much money is made from satiating the fantasies and desires of degenerates makes me feel sick. Knowing that a lot of this money goes towards the funding of future projects that will also cater to degenerates makes me feel sick. Knowing that such a huge amount of money goes towards the creation of media that caters to the lowest, basest, most depraved aspects of human nature makes me feel sick.<br><br>I feel like the popularity and wealth of anime is a symptom of a larger problem in society; the decay of traditional values and what's happening in the wake of that decay.