Being inspired by animation characters to adopt new hobbies or change styles is common in the community, but some decisions can go badly wrong. A user sparked huge online discussion by posting a photo holding their first pack of cigarettes, admitting shamelessly they started smoking only after watching the anime Yani Neko.

The post showed an unopened pack of Seven Stars, with a message explaining the user’s motivation. The public reaction was swift, with harsh criticism pointing out that smoking is unattractive on its own, but doing it to imitate an anime character is even worse. Fans of the series also noted a glaring mistake: the protagonist Sato Yaniko smokes Mevius Original 10mm cigarettes in the original work, so the user didn’t even buy the correct brand for their imitation.

Other users and experienced smokers joined in to advise against continuing the habit. Comments highlighted high costs, exceeding 200,000 yen a year, as well as persistent bad smell on clothes and hair, dental damage, and social rejection. Many opinions agreed that the series doesn’t romanticize smoking, as it shows the protagonist living in dire conditions and searching for used cigarette butts when out of money, making it contradictory to use the show as an excuse to smoke.

Yani Neko is a comedy based on a manga by NyanNyanFactory, which started publication in late 2022 before moving to Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine in 2023. The story follows Sato Yaniko, a 21-year-old cat girl whose daily routine revolves around smoking while living in a dirty apartment in the fictional city of Nyagamihara, accumulating rent debts and causing trouble for her neighbors and younger sister Imoko.

The anime adaptation is produced by Bibury Animation Studios under the direction of Taku Kimura. Scripts are by Takashi Aoshima, character design by Riki Matsuura, and music by Keiichi Suzuki. Voice actress Yuko Natsuyoshi plays the protagonist Yaniko, with the band Wasureranneyo providing the opening theme “Nanmo Nee” and Nekiraitoky the ending theme “Kemuri to Blue”.

What do you think about people making life decisions based on anime character behavior?