Strip is directly inspired by this. Here is it translated into english.
I certainly disagree with the message that criticism can destroy an enjoyment of something. But there is some sort of culture of sorts that seems to derive enjoyment from not being able to enjoy anything. I was kind of like that and the thing is I was only really doing it so I could fit in with the other people being miserable so I could feel... better about myself somehow. Like how /v/ doesn't enjoy video games despite being a board about video games.
I think another part is that people are trying too hard to enjoy things by trying to always be "up to date" with the seasons or whatever and it feels less like a hobby they enjoy but more like a job they feel like they have to do. Lord knows I've seen people whine about how everything is otaku-pandering these days even though there's been shows released in previous seasons that aren't like that, but said shows aren't really popular so they get overlooked. I think we're choosing to overexpose ourselves to all anime now then back in the "good days" when we only got the best stuff while the pure shit stayed in Japan.
As for the comic itself, I think both people are at fault here. The MC shouldn't let people's harsh judgement of a thing they enjoy stop their enjoyment (though I understand how it can happen I've dealt with it myself though for different reasons), and the MC's friend should have a been a bit more mindful about what they said. And I don't mean they shouldn't have said that they didn't enjoy it, just don't go into some sort of self-righteous rant about how Anime is Ruined Forever (the MC's friend wasn't as bad as some people I've seen online about these sort of things).
It seems to me like BKUB is poking fun at that comic here with his characters. Popuko's criticism is pathetic on the order of magnitude of the worst of /a/ shitposts, and Pipimi's reaction to it is ridiculously melodramatic.
But there is some sort of culture of sorts that seems to derive enjoyment from not being able to enjoy anything. I was kind of like that and the thing is I was only really doing it so I could fit in with the other people being miserable so I could feel... better about myself somehow.
I can't put into words how relieved I was when I realized that I was allowed to like Tik Tok. Because, like, when she was at her most popular, hating Ke$ha was the "in" thing to do, you know?
Ke$ha's not the only thing that this applies to, Ke$ha's just the first one that my mind always goes to when I think about how much happier I got after I started rejecting the whole "I hate everything" part of internet culture. I would hate to hang out with myself eight years ago, because eight years ago I was so negative about everything, and now I have trouble dealing with excess amounts of negativity. Too much negativity makes me feel... tired, really.
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