We often talks about toxic fandoms.
For fandom (for the uninitiated) we mean a "subculture formed by the community of enthusiasts who share a common interest in some cultural phenomenon, such as a hobby, a book, a saga, an author, a film genre." –Wikipedia
For toxic fandoms, on the other hand, communities in which being social is not at home: arrogant people who do not respect the opinions of others, give easy insults and even ready to react aggressively to the slightest problem tending to make it worse.
For those unfamiliar with this world it may seem absurd that there are people who start a fight for nonsense such as cartoons and video games ... yet this is reality. Indeed, you can even list which are the most toxic fandoms on the internet.
But in this article I don't want to talk about this aspect (maybe in the next one).
I want to dedicate this space to the good and positive side of fandom, in particular to one in which I still find myself particularly well even if by now not very active.
A while ago, in 2000 or thereabouts; this particular cartoon called "Jackie Chan Adventures" was broadcast on the national network. As you may have guessed from the name, it is linked to the legendary figure of the martial arts master Jackie Chan.
In summary it is a series of animated adventures in which our idol of action films plays the role of a simple archaeologist (rather than a fighter or actor as in reality) who will be catapulted into a series of events related to magic and legends of Chinese mythology. Dragons, demons and even magical talismans are just some of the many elements that can be found in this series that has lasted for five seasons.
It formula has made its way into the hearts of many people, nothing is missing: we have the action, the magic, the humor ... there are even many quotes to the films in which Jackie was the protagonist.
If in Italy this cartoon has gone almost unnoticed, a completely different story is for America where the success has been great.
Fan fiction and fan art keep popping up around the internet even after the show has long since ended and the fans who find them rejoice like children. I understand perfectly how they feel because I also continue to adore this show, those who follow me will have seen that some of my drawings are often centered on its characters. But what can I do about it? In addition to giving me a good dose of inspiration for comics and illustrations, it was also an excuse to start changing my style of drawing. Being able to recreate those characters as I saw them was the push that forced me to improve, the first step in developing my style. Not to be arrogant but I think I succeeded.
And the fandom? It is, after all, the subject of this article.
Unfortunately I arrived late in this group and I missed the beauty of when it was still fully active ... but those few people who are left have been incredible: they have always found something to talk about or create together, they have always found the time to comment on my works and always leave positive reviews. In short, I am happy with it.
I don't know any toxic situation ever happened when it was alive and animated (and I sincerely hope not), but I am happy to have been present for that positivity that should characterize fandom groups in general.
In my upbeat little world I keep hoping that one day they can re-broadcast this cartoon. Not so much to review the good against the bad, but to rediscover the pleasure of talking to many people who adore the same thing.
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