The Unofficial Guide to Anime Fandom

Use this as a reference by which to determine others' (or your own) dedication to anime:

(note I'm sure you will realize that the AMV Hell part is biased, but I seriously doubt there is a serious anime fan out there that hasn't seen the AMV Hell movies (at least AMV Hell 3- 4 just came out, so we should cut them some slack.)

Entry-Level Anime Fan:

1. knowledge of subs, dubs, and the difference between them.
2. has seen both AMV Hell 3 and 4
3. recognizes at least a few of the animes in AMV Hell 3/4, and has an accurate memory of the associated scenes.
4. Familiar with basic japanese phrases
5. Have watched animes encoded as mkv/ogm.

Dedicated Anime Fan:

1. Instantly recognize most of the animes in AMV Hell 3/4, and an accurate memory of the associated characters and scenes for many of these.
2. Well-versed regarding Hare Hare Yukai "Sunny Sunny Happy"
3. Able to fully appreciate many of the references in AMV Hell 3/4
4. Can speak enough japanese to hold a decent (albeit very basic) conversation in japanese.
5. Is a regular of the following sites: http://a.scarywater.net http://gendou.com http://animesuki.com http://animemusicvideos.org http://animeworld.com
6. has been forced to empty or upgrade hard drive at least twice.

Obsessed Anime Fan:

1. Instantly recognizes most of the animes in AMV Hell 3/4, and an accurate memory of the exact episodes, scenes, and an intimate understanding of the associated characters
2. Has memorized several dozen anime songs word-for-word, beat-for-beat
3. Can perfectly do both singing and choreography for Hare Hare Yukai
4. An intimate understanding of several fansubbing groups.
5. Can speak japanese fluently
6. Active involvement in the translation and production of fansubs.
7. Well-versed in japanese culture.
8. Producer of some well-made amv's

note that for all 3 categories (and particularly the last) being able to identify with everything is not necessary to fulfill the stereotype. furthermore, if you are japanese, being able to speak it fluently, etc. is not applicable to you.

Just to let everyone know, I'm about halfway between "Dedicated Anime Fan" and "Obsessed Anime Fan."