Fandom of Manga and Anime in Poland

Abstract

The term “fandom” can be interpreted as a group of people who share a major interest in a particular cultural text and are open about sharing their topic of fascination. On the other hand, this term could also be related to the phenomenon of creative and active participation in the “consumption” of a given cultural text. This study presents the history of manga and anime fandom in Poland and the issues of self-identification within the fandom itself. It aims to find the answer to questions about the reasons behind the popularity of Japanese comics and animation in the “cultural West”.