Nerdy conventions and concerts can be a lot of fun, a great way to meet like-minded people and share your love of something with others. They also have a reputation for smelling bad, as certain people attending may not be taking care of themselves as much as you would hope…or even bathing at all, in some cases. So it is that one popular singer and voice actress decided to gently, sweetly ask anime lovers coming to her next concert to at least take a darn bath before showing up.
The few conventions I’ve been to have been mostly fun experiences where I bought some cool art, saw some awesome cosplay, and even sat in on a few panels I found interesting. But none of that could change the fact that, yes, the whole place had an odor as nerds, geeks, anime lovers, gamers, and other sweating humans piled into a single space for a whole weekend. This isn’t a new phenomenon. People have been dealing with this problem for years, with some folks even writing survival guides on how to deal with smelly anime or game cons. So it’s nice to see someone with some clout, some popularity, take a preemptive stab at solving this smelly problem.
As first reported by Insider, anime voice actress and singer Rie Takahashi tweeted a hand-drawn guide to help her fans better enjoy her first concert, which happened late last month. The 29-year-old actress—best known for her roles in Genshin Impact and Seiyu’s Life!—reportedly proffered some sensible advice, like bringing a backup battery for your phone and stashing valuables in a small, secure bag. However, she also included a section politely asking her fans to bathe and clean themselves before arriving at the performance.
In the bottom-right of the hand-crafted infographic, Takahashi drew a person cutting their nails and washing with soap and water. She explained that this would help avoid bothering other people with nasty body odor. One fan replied, saying they couldn’t bathe due to an injury and would use perfume instead. Takashi pointed out that some people don’t like the smell of strong perfumes, either, and suggested they use wet wipes to clean themselves.
G/O Media may get a commission
You might be ready for me to now explain how a bunch of fans harassed her over the suggestion to bathe and take care of themselves, but it seems that’s not the case. Most fans appeared impressed by her well-drawn guide and found the bathing instructions amusing.
Honestly, most of her fans just seemed happy she was performing live in concert and didn’t take the guide’s recommendation as an insult. It’s also likely that most of her fans understand that geek-oriented conventions and concerts have a history of body odor being an issue. So, Takahashi wasn’t being mean. If anything, she might have helped make her concert just a little bit more enjoyable for her fans. And if that’s the case, give this woman a medal.
Leave feedback about this