SAN DIEGO, CA – Andy Seung is an avid anime watcher and a long time Sword Art Online fan. His collection of Sword Art Online light novels, video games, figures, posters, and Asuna body pillows is paralleled by few, and he has rewatched the entire series and total of 47 times. However, Seung has never admitted to his peers that Sword Art Online is, in fact, his favorite anime series. Not yet, anyway.

With the recent announcement of a third Sword Art Online season, as well as a spin-off adaptation, a dedicated fan such as Seung would reasonably by overjoyed by this development. However, Seung responds to this news not with delight, but fear.

“This is just going to make it harder to hide the fact that it’s my favorite anime. I know that if I tell my friends I’m excited for the new season, they’ll just say my taste in anime is shit. I like to think that people are accepting of my anime preferences, but the reality is they’re not. This is the struggle of being a closet SAO fan.”

Seung has been secretive about his love for Sword Art Online ever since he realized his group of friends despised the anime series. When discussing the show, Seung would always agree with his friends, describing it as, “one of the worst anime [he’s] ever seen.”

Along with 163,000 other users, Seung created a secondary MAL account just to rate the first season 10/10, hidden from the prying eyes of the friends he tried to deceive.

“I haven’t even told my parents about it,” Seung admitted. “I’m afraid of what they might think of me.”

With widespread attention once again directed towards the series, Seung must exercise caution to avoid discovery. Seung is not alone in this plight, as he is one of many ridiculed daily for their tastes in anime and MyAnimeList favorites list orientations, often by fellow Sword Art Online fans in order to avoid being stigmatized.

“This really came at the worst time. I was thinking that enough time had passed since the first season for people to have forgotten about it, but now it’ll be at least another five years before I can come out,” Seung told Anime Maru. “Please don’t tell any of my friends about this.”

“What a degenerate piece of trash,” one of Seung’s friends, Chad Wilson, said after we immediately ratted him out. “I bet he’s not even excited about FLCL 2. We are no longer friends.”

Seung’s ability to stay so tight-lipped was not achieved without mistakes along the way, as he has lost several friends in the past after admitting to liking other popular anime series such as Angel Beats! and Akame ga Kill!

“At least I still have a few secrets I can take to the grave,” Seung continued. “I mean, it’s not like they’ll be announcing another Tokyo Ghoul anime anytime soon.”