Nerdy conventions and gigs can be lots of fun, a great way to meet like minded people and share a love of something with others. They also have a reputation for smelling bad, as some visitors may not take care of themselves as well as you would hope…or, in some cases, don’t bathe at all. So, a popular singer and voice actress decided to gently and sweetly ask anime lovers who came to her next concert to at least take a damn bath before they showed up.
The few conventions I’ve been to have mostly been fun experiences, where I’ve bought cool art, I saw a great cosplay, and even attended a few panels that I found interesting. But none of that could change the fact that the whole place smelled like nerds, geeks, anime lovers, gamers, and other sweaty people crammed into a single room for an entire weekend. This is not a new phenomenon. People have been grappling with this problem for years, and some people even write survival guides on how to deal with smelly anime or game cons. So it’s nice to see someone with some clout and popularity making a pre-emptive attempt to solve this stinky problem.
As first reported by insiderAnime voice actress and singer Rie Takahashi tweeted a hand-drawn guide to help her fans better enjoy her first concert, which took place late last month. The 29-year-old actress—best known for her roles in Genshin Impact And Seiyu’s life!— reportedly gave some sensible advice, like bringing a backup battery for your phone and keeping valuables in a small, secure bag. However, she also added a section where she politely asked her fans to bathe and clean themselves before coming to the performance.
Bottom right of the handcrafted infographic, Takahashi drew a person who cuts his nails and washes himself with soap and water. She explained that this would help avoid bothering other people with unpleasant body odor. A fan replied saying that 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 receive a commission
You might be ready to explain to me how a bunch of fans hassled you over the suggestion of bathing and taking care of yourself, but it seems that’s not the case. Most of the fans were impressed by her well-drawn instructions and found the bathing instructions amusing.
To be honest, most of her fans seemed just happy that she was performing live in concert and didn’t take the guide’s recommendation as an insult. It’s also likely that most of their fans understand that geek-oriented conventions and concerts have a history of body odor being an issue. So Takahashi wasn’t mean. If anything, she might have helped make her concert a little more enjoyable for her fans. And if that’s the case, give this woman a medal.
