>>280223375
>being interested in something that's unknown doesn't make you special
No it preserves what's special about the thing you're interested in. You can already see the effects of anime going mainstream in the west with all the censorship in new anime and the constant complaining about "omg those characters are teenagers!!!" Anyone who thinks gatekeeping is bad has never had an original thought or interest in their life and just go with the crowd because if they did they'd already know the negative effects that mainstream popularity has on ANY niche interest or idea. Commercial success is the least important thing to someone who genuinely enjoys something and having to share that thing with people who don't appreciate it for what it is with all of its nuances and peculiarities is like watching a part of you die slowly as you watch what you once love get watered down until its indistinguishable from all the other garbage around you that you've never had any interest in. People like you are cultural vampires and the reason why nothing good in life ever lasts.