On June 24, 2026, a post titled "Why do Japanese people, on the contrary, discriminate against 2D culture?" appeared on China's SNS Xiaohongshu (RED), drawing a reaction from Chinese netizens.

The poster asked, "Isn't Japan the birthplace of 2D culture? I had thought that Japan was tolerant of 2D culture, but I was surprised when a Japanese woman I met through the language exchange app HelloTalk told me, 'Actually, not a few people in Japan view 2D culture with prejudice, and many people dislike cosplay.' Why do Japanese people, on the contrary, discriminate against 2D culture?"

In the HelloTalk screenshot uploaded by the poster, the Japanese woman on the other side is seen explaining the reasons, saying things like "(Even in Japan) quite a few people are not good with cosplay," and "Many Japanese people have traditional ways of thinking."

In response to this, Chinese netizens commented, "It's often depicted in anime too, but people want to hide being an otaku, and sometimes they're disliked if it's known," and "If you think about why there are many depictions of heroines trying to hide being a fujoshi or otaku in Japanese anime, you'll understand," pointing out that prejudice is also reflected in the portrayal within works.

Also, "I think there's a stereotype that many otaku are introverted, and that's why they're prejudiced against," and "People who lead fulfilling lives in the real world don't get that deeply into 2D. So, those who lack social experience and act outside of common sense in communication with ordinary people likely acquired the image of 'otaku'. Japanese society places great importance on rules and harmony, so I think such views emerged as a result," were among the opinions that followed one after another.

In addition, "Japan is a society with strong peer pressure, so if you do something different from others, you tend to stand out. Lolita fashion and 2D culture originated in Japan, but in reality, you can't freely wear what you like at school or work. Especially for office workers, it's difficult to wear whatever they like even in office jobs that don't involve customer service," was another comment seen.

Furthermore, "In Japan, there was the Tsutomu Miyazaki incident in the past, and that became a trigger for strengthening prejudice against 2D culture," and "Japanese otaku culture is different from China's, and in Japan, heinous crimes by otaku that could nearly destroy the anime industry have also occurred. I think it's not unreasonable that the general public's acceptance is not very high," were voices claiming that past incidents were one of the causes.

On the other hand, "In old Japan, it was 'otaku culture' rather than '2D fans,' wasn't it? Otaku have long been viewed unfavorably and were criticized as a 'hopeless generation' along with NEETs. However, I think it's just that it has become so common now that they are no longer spoken of in that way," were among the voices that spoke about the change in perspective towards 2D culture.

Additionally, comments mentioning the situation in China were also seen, such as "In China too, otaku hobbies used to be hidden. It's just that the scope has rapidly expanded in the last few years," "Even in old China, otaku were discriminated against, weren't they? It's only after 2D culture became popular and its reach expanded after 2020 that such prejudices have gradually faded," and "I think in China, 2D culture has become like a trendy item for the younger generation, and it has spread as something different from original otaku culture." (Translation/Editing by Iwata)