Anime: are in universe or out of universe (or both) types of questions allowed?

Question

Proposal: Anime & Manga

What "angle" should questions here have? Should they all be "in universe" questions which ask about specific anime? Are "out of universe" questions which don't ask about specific anime or manga allowed?

The vast majority of questions posted so far are of the "in universe" type. They ask a question directly related to a single anime/manga and ask for an answer based on the story line of that anime/manga. However, there are a few questions which ask about more general topics that relate to anime in general (here, here, and here). For the most part, these questions are voted as off-topic, with one notable exception.

So, for future posterity, let's hash out some guidelines for the expected "angle" of questions.

Answer 1

"I plan to cosplay" is both NAGE and off-topic. The actual question ("should I dye my hair?") is off-topic for this group, and the sub-question ("I'm cosplaying, what are the pros / cons of this approach?") is NAGE because it's subjective listing.

"Where can I legally watch Anime for free" (WCILWAFF) is a good question. Unfortunately, it's probably not a good fit for SE because the answer might be too localised. "WCILWAFF; I'm in the US" is very different to "WCILWAFF; I'm in Holland" and will have some differences because of licencing and distribution deals. I am surprised it got so many Off Topic votes.

"Does anyone know of an anime club in [PLACE]?" is too localised, and thus would be closed as not a good question. (A better form of the question might be "How can I find a local anime club?")

I can think of plenty of out-of-universe questions that would be a good fit for this SE site. EG: "Who licenses [ANIME]?" or "Did [Anime] ever get a Region 2 DVD release?" or "Who is the actress playing [character] in [anime]" etc etc.

Answer 2

Those three are all crap questions, the fact that they're out-of-universe is irrelevant. You should have a good reason for rejecting out-of-universe questions, something defensible, rather than concluding they won't work because 3 examples are bad.

A good out-of-universe question should be on-topic, in my opinion. In particular I think a question about what recurring themes in anime represent, with appropriate detail, and similar questions could work very well. And I think it would be a mistake to reject those questions; you are likely to have many users familiar with multiple manga universes who could answer them, and the answers will be useful to other users.

Answer 3

Why aren't the on-topic, off-topic and NAGE choices sufficient?

So far as I can tell, the notable exception is only an exception because the OP badgered people into voting for it as on topic. My issue with it isn't that the question is subjective, but that it's about whether someone should bleach their hair or wear a wig. That could just as well be a question about a Halloween costume as about Anime, and as such, is not an on topic question.