Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Yes, they’ll say, but that’s imposing an American prejudice on a Japanese art form. Sure, but it’s still true. Just because Japanese adults do it doesn’t mean it’s not childish. Rather, it’s popular with adults here exactly BECAUSE it’s so childish. Enjoy your escape fantasy, but don’t prop it up as a sign of worldly and sophisticated taste. It’s someone else’s borrowed childhood nostalgia, from a culture with a lot of uncomfortable issues between adults and children.