The first theatrical anime film, "Chainsaw Man Reze Arc," is absolutely crushing it, not just with merchandise flying off shelves, but also with exclusive movie特典 (special bonuses) that are practically impossible to snag in Taiwan.
Recently, a discussion on X (formerly Twitter) in Japan about otaku "character self-identification" blew up. It all started when one user pointed out that female otaku these days seem to project themselves onto characters like Reze from "Chainsaw Man" (whose movie is currently in theaters) and Ubel from "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End." This observation immediately resonated with a ton of netizens, who then flooded the comments with their own cringe-worthy "character self-identification" stories from their youth, turning the whole thread into a massive chuunibyou nostalgia fest.
The original poster who sparked the debate stated their belief that contemporary female otaku, when projecting themselves onto anime characters, tend to see themselves as either Reze from "Chainsaw Man" or Ubel from "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End."
However, some quickly chimed in with a dose of reality: "Hold up, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Didn't we all used to think we were Kirito from 'Sword Art Online'? If they want to be Reze or Ubel, that's cool. We'll just stick to being Kirito."
The comment section was a riot, with many laughing and saying things like: "Chill out, all you Hachiman Hikigayas out there." "Actually, I'm Denji." "Seriously, didn't we all used to think we were Kirito, Shinji, Ash, or someone similar?" "I remember there were like ten Ken Kanekis in my class back in the day, constantly cracking their fingers during self-study exams, super annoying XD." "That's just how otaku are; the more chuunibyou, the better. That's the true otaku spirit."
There's really no need to differentiate between male or female otaku when it comes to "character self-identification." Deep down, we're all the same, fueled by that glorious chuunibyou spirit.
Many netizens shared their own "chuunibyou dark history" moments:
"In college, I even called myself Light Yagami, wearing a white shirt, trying to manipulate the world. Achieved absolutely nothing, though, www."
"After watching 'Chainsaw Man,' I'd start talking like Denji. After 'Demon Slayer,' I'd grab a stick and pretend it was a sword."
"Back in my student days, I played 'Devil May Cry' so much I'd constantly switch between Dante and Vergil."
"I even pretended to be my crush senpai managing an account." (Wait, what?)
But when you really think about it, aren't we all the same? Whether it's Kirito, self-identifying as Reze, Ken Kaneki, or even Light Yagami, the core truth is "we've all been chuunibyou." Looking back now, isn't it just a form of self-enjoyment? XD
This seemingly hilarious "character self-identification" topic unexpectedly stirred up a flood of youthful memories for many otaku, allowing everyone to find a common understanding and resonance through mutual teasing.
via： togetter