Advice For Dating A Non-Geek
Here at MaiOtaku, we focus on bringing together Otaku with other nerds, geeks, and anime lovers. Sometimes, though, you'll end up with someone who doesn't enjoy the many facets of Japanese culture and fandom in the way you do. It's important to realize that although you may not share your biggest interest, there is still a lot you may have in common.
First, you need to remember it's okay to date a non-Otaku. There are plenty of good, fun, interesting people in the world, and limiting yourself to Otaku exclusively might make it hard to find a strong relationship. If the other person thinks that the fact that you are Otaku, then that could be bad and you might need to think about moving on if you don't want to give up what you enjoy.
Then, remember there are many other activities to enjoy. Although you might not share interests in anime or manga, maybe you could find that you both like pirate movies. Or perhaps you both have the same kind of humor. The key here is to give yourself enough time to find out more about the other person.
Also, it's important to be yourself, and also don't try changing the other person from the start. If you like anime and manga don't flaunt it around, but don't hide the fact either. Your boyfriend or girlfriend might not enjoy these things, so don't shove it on them right away. They'll appreciate being allowed to enjoy what they enjoy, and the better relationship partners might slowly take an interest on their own, just to get to know you better.
Here are some tips good for any relationship.
First, you need to remember it's okay to date a non-Otaku. There are plenty of good, fun, interesting people in the world, and limiting yourself to Otaku exclusively might make it hard to find a strong relationship. If the other person thinks that the fact that you are Otaku, then that could be bad and you might need to think about moving on if you don't want to give up what you enjoy.
Then, remember there are many other activities to enjoy. Although you might not share interests in anime or manga, maybe you could find that you both like pirate movies. Or perhaps you both have the same kind of humor. The key here is to give yourself enough time to find out more about the other person.
Also, it's important to be yourself, and also don't try changing the other person from the start. If you like anime and manga don't flaunt it around, but don't hide the fact either. Your boyfriend or girlfriend might not enjoy these things, so don't shove it on them right away. They'll appreciate being allowed to enjoy what they enjoy, and the better relationship partners might slowly take an interest on their own, just to get to know you better.
Here are some tips good for any relationship.
- Consider your partner's feelings. Whenever you're in a relationship, the most important thing for both people to do is to think about each other's feelings. If you were in the other shoes, how would you feel? Imagine if you didn't like something they love - let's say doing laundry. How would you feel every time they demand you do laundry with them? (I picked this example because I don't think anyone likes doing laundry. XD)
- Consider your partner's interests. While you may not like everything they like, and they might not like everything you like, you can still spend some time learning about the things they like. Not only will this give you a little more appreciation for what they like - it will be easier to understand what to buy them on Christmas ;)