Forum - View topicOpinions About Otaku
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pawnsacrifice
 Posts: 18 Location: Ohio |
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I wanted to get current opinions about Otaku. I would be much obliged if you could answer the following questions:
1. What is an Otaku? 2. Do you know any Otaku? If yes, what do they do for a living? 3. Do you consider yourself an Otaku? If yes, why? 4. What kind of behavior do you expect from an Otaku? 5. If someone were to call you an Otaku, how would that make you feel? Thanks in advance! edit: This is actually for a school project, so if anyone could help me out, I would be forever grateful. |
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Kouji
 Posts: 978 |
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1. There are two different definitions of what an otaku is. The original Japanese definition of an otaku refers to somebody who is so obssesed with one particular interest that they abosuletly don't like or do anything else. Going by this definition, one doesn't have to be an anime fan to be an otaku, but the term otaku can be applied to anyone who has any singular interest that they're so obssesed with that they don't like anything else. But much like the terms anime and manga, the term otaku has been adopted by the English language and the definition has evolved into meaning someone who's an obssesed anime geek, though not neccessarily to the point where they literally have no lives.
2. No, I do not know any otaku. 3. I don't consider myself to be an otaku. 4. For Japanese otakus, I expect them to behave much like the otakus that appear in the anime Otaku no Video, adults very obssesed with their interest and completely unsociable. For American otakus, I expect them to be mostly younger fans, to think all subs are perfect and all dubs automatically suck, to think that all American animation is inferior to Japanese animation, to think that all fansubs are better than official subtitled versions, and to be obssesed with all J-pop music and pocky and to hate anything that's American. 5. If somebody called me an otaku, I wouldn't really care because I don't like using things like labels, so it doesn't really matter to me what another person thinks about me, though I would probably remind them of the original definition of what an otaku is and that they should be careful of who they call an otaku in the future because they might offend somebody if they do. |
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Assassin_
Posts: 154 Location: Manchester, England |
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1. I concur with Koujis definitions. For q 2-5 Im gonna be using his 2nd definition. 2. A few. All students. 3. No 5. I dont think Id be particularly effected either way, but I would feel uncomfortable enough with the misunderstanding to correct them (I have this wierd thing where I hate it when people misunderstand me ¬_¬) |
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outlawwolf
 Posts: 645 |
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1: I think we can all concur that Kouji's definiton of the word otaku would pretty much be exactly what we all would say.
2: I personally knew one true otaku. I have no idea where she is now though or what she does. 3:No I don't. While I love anime, video games, and most facets of geek culture, I don't consider myself an otaku or a true geek. Let's face it, the general sterotype of both of these words paints the picture of a 300+ pound man sitting alone in his parents basement watching fansubs of Cardcaptor Sakura on a friday night. I don't do that. I go out, socialize, hang with a myriad of friends, and pretty much party every thursday/friday/saturday night. I have no trouble leaving Toonami for another Saturday if I can go out and hang with my friends. If I were a true otaku, I would pretty much leave hanging out behind so I can catch the latest episode of Naruto and I can't bring myself to do that. 4: Kouji once again on the first try so read his definition. 5: Honestly, if someone called me an otaku, I would flip him/her the bird and walk on by cause I'm not one. I'm not a sterotype and thus I don't need to be labeled by that word. |
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shinobi
Posts: 7 Location: uk |
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1. Kouji's on the money there
2. I've got a few friends who are otaku, they are really into j-idols and think of nothing else but getting the next issue of any mags with fav idols in or the latest pic book (they consider themselfs otaku) 3.hmmmmm, im going to say im not one arnt i? but like someone else already said, im just a bit of a geek really....well a closet geek behind closed doors where i organize my comic collection wearing latex gloves so i dont devalue them even though they are in plasic covers  (no joke, i really do this!)
4. again kouji hit it on the head 5. considering i live in the uk if someone called me a otaku id be too amazed they knew what one was id be lost for words!
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PantsGoblin
 SubscriberEncyclopedia Editor  Posts: 2969 Location: L.A. |
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Well, since this is for educational purposes...
Ya, Kouji's definition Japanese definition will do. For the English definition I don't quite consider it to be limited to someone who's obbsessive, just a fan of anime. You can be a fan without being obbsessive. Although it could be interpreted or changed into one, I don't necessarily think of it as an insult either.
Some of my other friends are into anime so I consider them to be otaku. They're all students except for one who works at clothing store.
Yes. And I won't hesitate to call myself the obsessive type too. I spend most of my free time either online or watching anime. I'm doing what I like and have a passion in it, I really don't think anyone else should have a problem with that. Although I'm probably not what you're all thinking I am though. Nobody at my work knows I'm an otaku and I honestly just look like a normal person. I'm not 300 lb. man who lives in the basement watching Cardcaptor Sakura on Friday nights, although, I honestly don't have a problem with other people doing that, I have other stuff to worry about. I have a job (I know, working at a grocery store isn't that great of a job but I'm still pretty young (20) and I do have a goal in life other then what I'm doing and I'm working for it), I'm not extremely overweight (190? is that really that bad for a 20 year old male?), I get outside at least once a day (I enjoy nature and have since I was very young), and I honestly can't remember if I have watched anime on Friday nights or not... more often then not I'm actually working on Fridays. As far as my social life, it's mainly composed of my friends from high school. I get together with them at least once every two weeks. Some of them are into anime some of them aren't. We all have either jobs or school so it's somewhat difficult to get together any more often then that. Other then that I'm friends with many of my co-workers too. Although I'm not really the party type and don't really like them, I have gone to a few parties with them.
Genshiken is the first thing that comes to mind. The characters in it are really what I see as an otaku.
It depends on if it was meant to be an insult or not. If the person had no ill intentions at all I really wouldn't mind. If the person meant it as an insult... well, I'd probably just ignore them. No one's actually ever called me one before. |
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opaquescum
Posts: 235 |
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1. Otaku is just another term for obsessive compulsive character trait. In other words like an arsonist will often return to the scene of the burn. A otaku will eventually return to their fixation be it strong or weak. Often they will go on binges, and purges. The word is actually quite interchangeable here are some relatives that it can change places with.
Nerd, Fanboy, officianado, buff, geek, dweeb, fetishist, freak, grand master, lunatic fringe, hobbyist, devotee, follower. Needless to say you can drop otaku anywhere, and I have seen it done so. All you need is a desire to make the term sound exotic. Now thats not to say that the term is not preferred for some circled. You rarely hear a member of the lunatic fringe referred to as a otaku. We usually call them things like cult members. Usually after they drink a punch bowl of rat poison. You know just to be nice. On the other hand I have heard RPG players, and even marvel comic readers referred to as otaku. 2. Yes they do the same jobs normal people do. It is not like its a flesh eating disease. They do not transform into some hideous monster by the light of the full moon. You meet otakus on a daily basis. Some are high functioning, and others are not. The question is like asking what do christians do for a liveing. 3. I am under no obligation to answer that. Though I can probabally site about 20 films in my 500 plus film collection that deal with similar subject matter. 4. I do not expect anything from otakus at large. It depends on the degree of affliction. A low level otaku is pretty much invisible. They are smart enough to keep their obsession to themselves. The alphas are even harder to spot. They have usually done something utterly unholy, and they know it. Chances are your going to hear about a few on the news. In either case the loud mouths in between are generally annoying unless you speak the language then they seem really cool. 5. I am pretty good at turning a word, and takeing things lightly. I would thank them for the compliment, and then compliment them on actually learning a new word. Yes I live around alot of ignorant people, and they are proud of it. |
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jaybug39
 Posts: 552 Location: Oregon, Is it FOOTBALL yet? |
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I think this subject is for college age and younger people. Because if you are my age, 42, and you are an otaku, you are probably on some FBI list.
Not an otaku, cats, fish, home, garden, Don't know any otaku. |
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PeaceMaker1
Posts: 40 |
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Okay, so the term "Otaku" means "home" or something in Japanese. Well, my friend considers himself an otaku and yet he claims that otakus are always out there, looking for the latest anime and manga and looking to meet new anime fans. So, is he right? He also claims he has a social life as well.
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku
Otaku, yes; hikikomori, no. Visit my blog to understand why.
Depends on what kind of a person s/he is. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7995 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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I wouldn't consider myself an otaku, no, because even though I like anime/manga, have seen/read a lot of it, and am fairly knowledgible on the subject, I do other things too like socially interact with people. I also like other things like, computers, music, science fiction, reading novels, playing golf, and seeing movies with friends.
2. Yes I do know some people I would consider otakus. The president of our anime club (Occupation: Professional A******) who thankfully will be graduating at the end of next semester. He always finds something to complain about in everything we watch and is extremely close minded. There's rarely a series that he and I can both agree was good. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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I really don't see why, by your definition, an otaku must not have other hobbies and interact with other people. Read the definition of Hikikomori first, guys.
There are a-hole otaku and a-hole non-otaku. There are a-holes of any race, religion, nationality, profession, or hobbyist group. With my standard, most l33t-speaking fanboys (who are a-holes without doubt) are NOT qualified as otaku. |
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Kruszer
Posts: 7995 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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I wasn't trying to generalize the definintion with negative conotations I was merely pointing out the fact that watching anime is not my sole passtime. The big reason for me really is because I just don't like being labeled with a term that means something in one language and is interpreted with a different skew in ours. I'd rather just call myself a fan and leave it at that, it cuts down on the confusion factor, and eliminates any negative factors that could be tacked onto my reputation. To use an analogy it's like the word spoiler[fag], slang for Cigarette in the UK but an insult in the US used against homosexuals.
Well, aside from me he's the only person I know of who has been with the club longer than I have and has seen a great deal of anime. I'm one of the officers myself and I joined about a year and a half ago because I didn't know anybody else who was into anime at the time. We're all poor college students with part time jobs bumming anime off of each other really with varied levels of knowledgabillity. There's really only 3 regular guys that have been arround for a while, 3 that joined last semester and 2 new people who came last Saturday to our open auditorium, lunch buffet/anime screening extravaganza. |
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GospelX
Posts: 185 Location: Ann Arbor, MI |
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1. An otaku is an individual who is so obsessed with something that he spends a great deal of time toiling in that particular hobby. The root of the word implies that the individual spends a lot of time at home, but as these hobbies are found to be more popular, the boundaries are expanded. Whether or not these individuals are socially awkward or simply withdrawn save for within their hobby is debatable, but the term was made derogatory at some point and so undesirable social traits are greatly implied. (I don't know if hikkomori would be a better label for those who express the negatively connotated social withdrawel, but from what I read it seems more like hikkomori is a social disorder akin to social anxiety disorder rather than a result of obsessiveness.) For some time, though, otaku's meaning was adapted as an honorific of sorts amongst certain fandoms, like anime. This practice was then carried over to American anime fandom. Here it would seem that being an otaku requires a certain amount of dedication, such as marathon viewings of anime, a certain amount of pride in one's knowledge regarding anime, and the adoption of Japanese lexicon into one's personal vernacular.
2. Yes, I've had some interactions with otaku in the past, and I'm not sure what they do for a living. Well, some are students, and I think they were going into Computer Science and Chemistry. 3. No. I did back in middle school, but I decided against it. I'm a fanboy, sure. I'll wear an anime shirt every now and then, purchase anime in bulk when I can (I kind of see no point in getting anything less than a complete set), and I have some anime posters on my walls. What can I say? I like the stuff. At the same time, I generally refuse to regularly interact with many self-described otaku thanks to a less than enjoyable experience in an anime club on campus, plus I find it annoying to use Japanese language in everyday speech in the midwest despite how cool others think it might be. I can also go well over a month without watching anime. 
4. The dropping of Japanese words and phrases into conversations whent they're really unnecessary to do so, an unfounded belief that their opinion is the end-all when it comes to discussions about anime, great pride in personal statistics when it comes to their anime habits (number of titles owned, number of titles watched, how much was watched in one sitting, number of cons attended, how many gigs of anime on one's computer, etc.), and sometimes an excessive amount of enthusiasm when it comes to anime (a sharp spike in energy when the topic is brought up, not to mention a high pitched squeal from some of the females). 5. Empty inside. OK, I'm kidding. I'm not a big fan of being called it, but I can live with it. I'm a longterm fan of Japanese animation, so I'm pretty used to it. I just prefer being called a fan. |
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Gorgoroth
 Posts: 15 |
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1. Otaku, like all things, has become amerianized, therefor watered down.
2. I know no one who earned the title otaku 3.No, I do not consider myself an otaku. although I do spend 2 to three hundred dollars of japanese entertainment every couple of months, I found that is a small ammount to some. 4. For the most part normal, exept for the boasting as gospelx described 5. stare and do nothing |
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