This was peak Digi for me.
Same for me:Which is why it baffles me even more so that everything he talks and criticizes in that video applies to him now even more than the time he is refering.It makes me genuinely feel bad for him(even if it's all self-inflicted).
I always more gravitated towards Hayao Miyazaki's version: anime made by people who only consume anime was a mistake. What he was worried about was anime glorifiying anime for the sake of it, instead of artistic pursuit.
The only thing that always bothered me about this statement was that when Hayao Miyazaki made his fame there was way more money available for production. Newer productions need to advertise or sell and we all know why ecchi anime exist; sex sells. You actually need money and a lot of it to go for that full artistic persuit without pandering.
I think the problem now is that his critique of
self-insert parody of anime mocking degenerate fans trope being harmful is become standart of anime at this point and it seems like an normative approach nowadays that created it's self-circuit of incesteous relationship with itself on a microcultural level like fans are degenerate,anime is encouraging degeneracy(or at least abjection from normal behaviour),anime affirms itself via fans to produce more to of this shit,anime fans feel catharsis even though they don't do anything substantial to help themselves.
From Miyazaki's own work(I've mainly watch Mononoke and Spirited Away)it seems like he has an pretty anti-escapist outlook on life which is admirable to say the least.
To me he kinda hates that his main audience is the utmost single thing he despises most which is degenerate losers that make the capital afloat.
Video mentioned is "Digibro's Decompression Chamber [Nov.22]". This was peak Digi for me.
In a certain sense I believe Digi when he mentioned becoming the human content machine was a way for him to not have to think about his mental issues. Lots of people run away from problems. But I don't believe Digi suffers from gender dysphoria. I believe being locked in his room on questionable (not saying bad) upbringing, not having any responsibilities aside from his youtube life and mostly online friends didn't turn his crazy either. It was the singular, autistic level focus on anime. I don't think anime promotes transgenderism or LGBTQwhatever agenda, at least not more than western media. But yes, Digi latched onto those elements and the idealized anime form (loli or otherwise). Sometimes I wonder if he brainfucked himself living 24/7 surrounded by young looks anime girl posters. Even though he quit anime youtube, just look at him. Music career not working out? First thing he grabs back to for security? Anime.
I'm saying this as someone who was close to falling down the same rabithole. I spent every waking moment thinking about anime like I was having intrusive thoughts. I think that same think can happen with someone playing World of Warcraft, or being a fan of Lord of the Rings, Star Wars or Star Trek and making those things their identity. But to qoute Ssethtzeentach: "I have a brain parasite; and its called anime."
And now hear me out cause' I'm going to do some heavy armchair psychology here. Why don't Shounen youtubers (people covering, DBS, One Piece, One Punch Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, Black Clover and Chainsaw-man/Bleach TYBW soon) troon out? Right. Because those things are a male power fantasies. He watched a lot of moe stuff and was even hiding the fact from his brothers at first. Now "what is even is 'moe'". I don't know but I don't think it's healthy to keep watching these shows if you're above a certain age, at least watching them unironically. Digi's brain quite possibly imprinted the need for "cute" or "moe" things into his every day life.
I think he has no true attachments like anime ever in his life which is also extremely distressing-He used his development years on an allure of an obscure hobo personality and on obsessive alternative reality to hide himself towards.
I do agree that moe is extremely degenerate also.I remember trying to watch Manabi Straight because digi was suggesting(and I wasn't aware of his mental pit yet) and feeling extremely repulsed from it.It's so uncanny like 'noone acts like this irl and you shouldn't support this'.I think he was subconsiously feeling shame via his acts which is why he tried to cover(back then-nowadays his receptors are probably fried to anything complex to reach in emotional state via weed which probably increase his grandeur self image).
On the irony thing,sure it's possibility on how unreal situations in it occurs but to me digi use it as an cope ailment to hide his true intent of regression(It's not like I am
that degenerate-While covering my room with 15 year old girls like an literal creep)
Shounen does have mostly teenager audience that uses character tropes there to idolize and grow with it on a pyschological level but even then you would expect 30 something year old person like digi would grow out of that to more complex literary levels like idk
actual literature maybe (or at least more mature analysis of it as an literary trope) but he's a manchild with dwindling mental capacity so no I guess.
Also glad you didn't pitholed yourself in same manner as Digi Keeper,seeing people at least not degenerating is always a good thing even on a fundamentally humanist standpoint
Rather entire allure of it back then gathered bunch of degenerates to the point they became the majority of audience which in turn created a market system for degeneracy pandering entertainment to make themselves affirm their detachment from reality.
It's just that as time goes on with development of tools in average consumers hand it's more easy to
convince yourself of doing significant rather than
actual development.
There's still probably good anime being made(or at least tried to being made-I'm looking at you Konaka) but in an oversaturated market with majority of audience expecting something to smirk rather than actually experience different through repetitive standardization each season(with major broadcasters further encapsulating this notion straight out of something like Infinite Jest) it's getting less likely.
' but rather 'I'm scared of myself in utter fear of existential dread'.I bet it felt extremely bad he had to make them public again.
