Running a business like J-List is a complex task. We’re always searching for fun new products we think our customers will want to purchase. We need to manage our brand so that our customers will trust us and want to do business with us. Also, there’s engaging with our fans online, which we do through social media. In this post let’s discuss why J-List is leaving Facebook, which has become extremely unfriendly to anime content.
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J-List Is Leaving Facebook! Why Are We Doing This?
J-List has been around a long, long time — 29 years, this October. So the way we’ve promoted our business and kept in touch with our customers has evolved over time. Advertising on anime sites like Anime Turnpike or 4chan. Sending our visual novels to Zack Parsons to review on SomethingAwful.com. Starting Twitter back in 2008, and immediately clicking with fans there. And building one of the largest anime pages on Facebook, posting fun memes and blog posts.
(And of course, through it all we sent out our email newsletter without fail, three times a week. If you’re not on our mailing list, or were in the past but got removed, please consider signing up here!)
Increasing Limitations on Anime Content on Facebook
Unfortunately, Facebook has been increasingly strict about the anime content that we post to our page, with vanilla anime art being taken down as “possibly exploiting children” and copyright claims coming from posting normal memes. We’ve tried to work with the company, explaining the meaning of anime memes and the kind of content our fans want to see. But unfortunately, leaving Facebook has become the only option left to us.
And so, just as we did when we stopped advertising on 4chan — and using the same “graduation” image — we’re going to step away from our Facebook page, no longer posting fun memes and screencaps.
Why does Facebook hate anime content so much? It’s hard to know for sure. They’re trying to run their company using AI algorithms with very few human employees to enhance their profits. They could be basing their decisions on “community reports,” which are obviously subject to abuse by bots or bandwagons of fans. Or they could have a team of anime-hating mods who are personally offended by any otokonoko content, despite it being wildly popular with all kinds of fans.
In the past, Facebook faced criticism for the negative impact its platform can have on teens and preteens, with many falling into depression due to the content they encounter. The company’s infamous motto of “move fast and break things,” might sound innovative, but when what’s breaking is the mental health of vulnerable young people, it’s no longer clever.
In an attempt to fix these issues, Facebook has chosen to crack down on meme-sharing pages like ours, harassing and banning our editors. It reminds me of Canada’s blanket ban on anything hentai — another example of what I call, “trying to do the right thing, by doing the wrong thing.”
The Current State of Social Media for Anime Companies
When it comes to engaging with anime fans on social media, there is no shortage of platforms. The main ones that anime fans use are:
- Twitter/X. Although it’s far from perfect, I love this platform and have written posts defending it as “the last, best hope for anime boobs.” Without X, we’d all live in a Zuckerberg-controlled dystopia in which posting a single anime pantyshot could destroy years of hard work. Find J-List’s X account here.
- Bluesky. J-List started posting to our Bluesky account a few months ago, and it’s a fun place to hang out. That said… Bluesky is not a place any business can find success, due to low engagement.
- Facebook. J-List used to love posting to our Facebook page because I could put out a topic for discussion and get 100 thoughtful replies. Finding “Facebook-safe” memes was a real source of stress for me, however.
- Instagram. We have a J-List Instagram account and will continue to post to it. But engagement is a tiny shadow of what Facebook is (was), and I’d frankly rather take my dog for an extra-long walk than come up with another post that will only get 75 views.
- Threads. This site is built around meaningless “threads” of discussion over whatever topics the algo thinks you might like, with nothing allowed to ever get popular.
- Reddit. This is a great site that I use a lot… but hatred of any form of self-promotion is built into the DNA of the community. J-List could advertise, but all 18+ businesses are banned from buying ads on the site, even on the NSFW subreddits.
- Discord. This is a fun way to connect with our customers, and we do this through the J-List (Official) Discord. Why not join it now, and hang out with our writers and me?
What’s the Best Way to Stay in Touch with J-List?
The best thing you can do to keep getting content from J-List is to join the J-List email newsletter, which has been going strong since we first launched it back in 1997 or so. At various times, the mailing list has been reset, and many loyal readers ended up getting removed. We hope you’ll join our email list so you can receive emails when I post blog posts! Of course, we never send spam or share your address with third parties.
If you’re active on these platforms, follow the J-List X page, our Bluesky page, or our Instagram account. If you are on X but only want all-ages content, we’ll be posting some fun stuff to the J-List Box X account going forward, so give that a follow, too!
Our Customers React to J-List Leaving Facebook!
We made a post to the page explaining why we were leaving Facebook behind, and got lots of kind comments from our followers. Here are some of them! (Memes and visuals are added by me.)
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J-List is a fantastic page l’ve been following for many many years. Far as not just posting great insight on what’s going on in Japan but the information on anime and anime industry. The art books, the otaku culture I personally look no further than this site for ALL my cultural wants and needs. You guys lift my spirits when I’m feeling rather low. Love you guys and keep up the great work!
I really enjoy the community you’ve created, and I enjoy reading the articles about Japan as I find Japanese culture very rich and fascinating. Fanservice is part of what I like, I’ll admit. Sorry to hear you are leaving Facebook!
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Noooo! Say it ain’t so! The J-List posts are one of the brightest spots in my otherwise depressing Facebook feed.
I’ve been a fan of J-List since like… 2006? (bring back the Bocky shirt!) I just love the weird variety of funny and actually cool stuff that you don’t really find anywhere else.
More Reactions About J-List Leaving Facebook Behind!
I remember coming across your site back in 2005 or so. As a small town kid that just discovered anime, it was so exciting to see a place where my new interest was neatly gathered. Not just anime but the unique culture of Japan was on display as well. I got some chopsticks, tabi socks, barley tea, bulldog sauce, and various other things over the years. I enjoy your posts and blurbs about anime and sometimes your life in Japan. We get to live vicariously through you, haha. And for fans of more risque content, I know of no other way to legally obtain or support the creators without actually buying it in Japan. So thanks for being you!
This page is funny and knowledgeable. I’m sorry that Facebook is being stupid. がんばれ!
Manga and anime opened up a whole new world of creative imagination that is harder to achieve through live action. We are living in a world where its very easy to get scrutinized for every single little thing that we do, but Otaku culture never stop to prove how true we could be to ourselves.
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I love J-List because of all of the relatable content that shows up on here through memes. I love how J-List has been a gateway to items from a whole different culture/language/food variety. There are many things that just aren’t made over here in the US that are made in Japan: high-quality goods, wall scrolls, memorabilia, foods. I’m very thankful for J-List to have been my first gateway to those goods. Thank you, J-List mods. You are appreciated.
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I find your content interesting and very close to my taste. I always read every post and sometimes comment. Your site is such a positive vibe in a negative world.
Logging Off Facebook for Good
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J-List is a fun and respected site with a wide range of posts based on humor, anime recommendations, and opinions, as well as interesting merchandise. I like this site mostly because it gathers people with hobbies like mine that are also about my age, so our tastes, experiences, and opinions are aligned. The community is great and respectful. And I have been pointed to some recommendations here that I would have missed, so I very much like this site and its work.
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I love the posts you make here. Anime helps boost my imagination and wash my stress away.
I like J-List for the same reason I like anime. It’s not afraid to deviate from those oh-so-precious Western norms.
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I discovered J-List from the K-ON days! I’m an old-school Otaku and because of J-List l’ve been able to collect goods from Japan that I can not get here. Sentai, Anime, home goods, and like I was able to get them because they were the only ones offering the service. Likewise, through J-List and their Facebook posts, I connected to other fans of Japanese culture. And it’s a blast to “rap” with other fans, especially when we can meet up at events like Anime Expo. None of this would have been possible had I not discovered J-List. Keep it up, gang! I may not always comment but I read everything! No lie! I read EVERYTHING! Even about the “naughty” bits!
Thanks for Your Warm Support of J-List!
Thanks for reading this blog post about J-List leaving Facebook behind. Remember, the best thing you can do to keep getting content from J-List is to join the J-List email newsletter. If you’re active on those platforms, follow the J-List X page, our Bluesky page, or our Instagram account. Thanks again!
Let’s Chat
You made it to the end of this post! Thank you! As a token of our appreciation, enjoy an extra 5% off your next order when you use the code BLOG at checkout. Also, don’t forget to follow J-List on all our platforms!
- Twitter/X, where Peter posts anime booba for you
- Bluesky, where we post several times a day
- Facebook, where we used to share memes and discuss anime
- Instagram, where you can look at sterilized anime memes because it’s Instagram
- Discord, if you want to chat with other J-List customers of culture
Do you wish you had a cute female childhood friend to date? Now you do, thanks to the OSANA-NAJIMI Narrow Hole series from Magic Eyes. Read my detailed blog post about all three ero toys, here!
