Is it awkward to talk about Anime/Manga to random people?

Like say you're talking to a random person and you're getting along fine but you suddenly get the urge to talk about Anime/Manga. Do you do it? Personally I consider it the same as having an interesting in a certain tv series or cooking or a particular whatever and we should all be okay with that because it's who we are and what we like but I know that's not how it works. A lot of people I've tried talking to about it immediately consider it childish because of "cartoonish" graphics or really nerdy because it's like reading a super hero comic book, not to mention the foreign language barrier (such as being subtitled) is weird. I kind of hate it because these stereotypes are ruining what could easily be some of the best experiences of someone's life. What do you think?

honestly, liking anime nowadays is not unusual and i was surprised to see how many of my coworkwers liked anime altho i never mentioned it to them. (one of them brought a free! figurine into the office lol) also, people who will judge you based on a harmless interest can fuck off, you don't need them. so imo, if you think that person is nonjudgemental, tell em u like anime. if they still think youre a weirdo, move on.

I don't have any problem talking about it. The only problem is getting random people to understand what it is to begin with. Feels like those people who randomly approach you on the street and ask you about Jesus.

Random? Like just walking up to a random person on the street? Yeah, that'd be weird no matter the topic. The majority of people I work with at least have watched some, even an older (60's) guy I work with. Anime has become way more mainstream than it used to be even back in the early 2000's.

Err when I say random person I mean someone you're in the process of getting to know like a potential friend or co-worker. Not literally random people on the street lol.

The forum title was so misleading then haaah. It is a little awkward to open with your favorite anime. I think it's better to lead into talking about your interests. Anime is very popular now though so it shouldn't be difficult to find someone who's interested. Wearing a cool anime shirt, having an anime keychain, or carrying an anime wallet are good conversation starters.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You see that person above me? They've got the right idea.