Otaku
From Mod Mania
Otaku
By : Elita Lay
Have you ever thought about how the term otaku become widely used these days and what is the actual meaning of the term? Otaku generally refers to people who are passionately interested in particular sort of hobby. A source mentions that otaku appears to have a large influence in social networks where goods and information are traded. Even though they contribute in many social contacts, otaku rarely have an intimate contact with each other, their business tends to be straight and temporary.
However in Japan, the term otaku is popularly used as a negative term referring to obsessive fans of manga (Japanese comics), anime (Japanese animated videos or movies), and gemu (video and PC games) and pop idols. The stereotypical otaku is often depicted as teens to twenties males, who are anti-social, unpopular and nerds who hang out in Akihibara, which is a district in Tokyo famous for featuring the latest electronic gadgets, videos, manga and anime collectibles. There is also a term for female otaku, which is fujoshi.
Akihibara district, Tokyo, Japan
Otaku is used as an honorific second-person pronoun apart from a Japanese extracted term for house or family (お宅, otaku). Lynn Minmay uses the term as an honorific term in the anime Macross, which first aired in 1982, it is the modern slang form, which is differentiated from the older usage by being written only in hiragana (おたく) or katakana (オタク), or rarely in rōmaji (Japanese term of Latin alphabet).The writer Akio Nakamori appears to made up the term in his 1983 series, An Investigation of "Otaku". The term has been used as an honorific second-person pronoun since the late 1970s by animators like Haruhiko Mikimoto (Macross character’s designer) and Shōji Kawamori (toy designer for Diaclone). From the series onward many people began to use the label otaku for themselves in proud defiance and half joking self-deprecation, accepting their position as fans. However most Japanese would feel insulted when they are called as an otaku.
Macross Frontier
Even though otaku most commonly used for anime, manga, cosplay, video games and idols, the term can be applied to anything else, for example, music, cooking, fashion, etc. Maniakku or mania, which come from English, are usually used in order to address specialist hobbies and interest, it can be said as a positive term of otaku and it is softer and unlikely to offend other people.
Nowadays the perspective about otaku has changed, with a true love story of a nerd who met a beautiful woman on a train posted on the largest internet bulletin board. The story has then written in novel form, several comic book adaptations, and a movie was produced and released in June 2005. Furthermore, its television series aired from June to September 2005. The closer look about otaku culture was pointed out in the novel and was shown in the drama and it soon becomes one of the hot topics in Japan. Though these productions the main character who is an otaku has played a big part in reducing the negative stereotypes about otaku and people begin to accept some otaku hobbies.
Looking from a broader view, otaku can be used for understanding the postmodern movement. Not just artistically, but as a transnational social phenomenon with its own values and norms, its own customs, language, music, and level of consumerism. Otaku culture’s has brought us to look deeply into varying perspectives on human nature, heroism, sexuality, and civilization. Both Japanese and western otaku have been using the language of otaku, which is to borrow each other languages and slang in common conversation and use it for anime production. J-pop has become the anthem of otaku because most Japanese musicians have taken part in providing the soundtrack of the anime and some other work as seiyuu (voice actor) for the anime character in the production. By using these relations, otaku has larger boundaries of nationality and it will attract a various countries and backgrounds.
Otaku as a loanword from Japanese in English, is used to refer to an obsessive fan of anime, manga, Japanese video games or any other Japanese culture. This kind of understanding often causes wrong idea in front of Japanese. For people who are aware of the negative connotation of otaku, another term, Trekkie, which means fanboys/fangirls, is usually used to call anime fans.
Obsessive fans of anime are usually involved in Cosplay, where the fans will have to make their own costume or buy them online following their favorite anime character they wanted to be in an anime convention. Cosplay is a term that originated in Japan but is based on the English words “Costume Play”. Anime convention is the place where fans from all around will gather to talk about anime, show off their anime costume, buying and selling anime product, some fans even cross dress, anyone can just go to the convention and have fun. Otakon, is the second largest convention in the US and the largest on the east coast, the label comes from the short term of otaku convention.
Cosplayers are divided into two types, basic cosplay and Masquerade. Basic cosplayer is only act like their costume’s character, either in the halls of a convention or on stage. Meanwhile Masquerade is much more engaged into the character, they tend to act as the character and might prepared some lines based on their character.
Anime Cosplay
There are some crimes came from otaku. Japan faced its first otaku serial killer during the early 90’s. A 27 year old man turned out to be a child molester and murdered four girls. Furthermore, the police found out that he had huge amount of slasher videos and pornographic manga collections. It was quite a shock for the almost crime-free Japanese society.
Some otaku might not be able to fit around other people because of their lack of social interaction with the real world. They are rejected because of their weird behaviors and customs. Therefore, people in the society might not notice but these geeks are the one to form the otaku culture.
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