Forum - View topicPoll: What does Otaku Mean? Part 2
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Dargonxtc
 Posts: 4463 Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋 |
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I don't understand, the second option says the degree is irrelevant, and the 4th option says "something not covered by the degree of their infatuation". Is there no option where the degree becomes a factor? Or am I missing something
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Nagisa
Moderator
 Posts: 6128 Location: Atlanta-ish, Jawjuh |
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Seeing as I voted "Other," I feel I should explain my choice.
Personally, dedication and knowledge are secondary in my view. It's more how..."openly enthusiastic" one is about their anime fandom. How much one gushes in public about loving anime, how vocal one gets about this or that niche aspect of anime fandom in public, whether or not one resorts to pidgin Japanese and their favourite characters' catchphrases in regular discussion, how much they engorge themselves on mountains of anime merchandise and perhaps aren't seen without at least some sort of Inu-Yasha t-shirt or Gungrave baseball cap on, how often they blow off hanging out with friends to watch that new DVD...generally just how overwhelmingly flaming an anime fan they are, regardless of how much they actually know of it or how much they actually care about the medium. Granted, this level of blatant display usually coincides with at least the dedication, if not both dedication and knowledge, but there are many cases where it doesn't. One can be knowledgeable and well-dedicated to anime as a major hobby of theirs, but they'd otherwise be seen as normal, sociable people, well away from the common view of what an "otaku" is. They don't drape themselves in gaudy shirts and shout "Oro!?" every chance they get, but they're die-hard fans all the same. These people I personally wouldn't consider to be "otaku." Just big fans. Myself, for example; I know for a fact that just what I know about Japanese animation would make my college friends' heads spin. For every show they've seen, I know I've seen at least eight more. Yet I'm just naturally casual about it, while they're the ones running through the halls shouting..."DATTEBAYO!" or whatever and wearing Sharingan contact lenses all over the place. I don't consider myself an otaku because I don't play it up to such obvious and over-the-top levels, but I'd certainly regard them as such because they do "live it up" so much. Or at least that's my take on it. How extravagantly "out" you are with your fandom determines "otaku-ness" more than knowledge or actual dedication to the fandom. |
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championferret
 Posts: 765 |
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I'm going with the vast amount of knowledge and dedication to the fandom.
Has anybody read the manga series 'He is my Master'? It's quite funny, and parodies the otaku culture alot. There is a chapter where the maid's otaku master has a 'quiz battle' with another young man to see which is more of an otaku, and the questions are all pertaining to rather obscure knowledge, ie about relatively unknown series or just obscure facts about anime producers. Wasnt there also something like that with real otaku, and teen idols asked them the questions? I think I saw some pictures of it once. |
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one3rd
 Posts: 1818 Location: アメリカ |
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I voted "Other" for reasons similar to Nagisa's, although I don't hold a strong enough opinion to be able to state mine so eloquently.
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Jerseymilk
 Posts: 157 Location: Wouldn't YOU like to know. |
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I'll add my two cents in and also back up Nagisa's post. I also chose "other" for similar reasons. I will always view the term of "otaku" as having negative connotations, and I'd sooner be subjected to being locked in a room for 48 hours with only screeching Sesshoumaru fangirls watching an IY marathon on a surround sound, big screen TV, than call myself one.
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Same here. On the contrary, however, I'd rather call them "fanboys/girls" and distinguish myself as an otaku. You might want to take a look at my opinion previously stated, if you haven't done so already. Thus I chose the first option, as many of you would expect. 
Anyone heard of Redology? (Abunai and xuebaochai: no need to answer that)
You've already differentiated fanboys/girls from otaku. |
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Brack
 Posts: 291 Location: UK |
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I went for "Other" for 2 reasons.
Firstly, I don't believe being an Otaku is limited to anime or manga. Secondly, I'd class it as not so much an infatuation as a fetishisation of a subject matter. You can know a lot about anime, but not be an otaku. For example, a military otaku wouldn't just seek out military knowledge, they'd also want military things to possess. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Read the poll question again, dude.
You know, I happen to be one, but law restrictions prohibit me acquiring them. OT: Before I start Googling, does anyone want to tell me which state(s) in US allow foreigners to own personal weapons as easy as US citizens do? Personally I don't expect any.... |
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Jerseymilk
Posts: 157 Location: Wouldn't YOU like to know. |
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That's not what my point was about. It was just an example to show how much negativity I associate with the word. As well as trying to add some humour into the conversation. You didn't need to take the point so seriously. |
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Brack
Posts: 291 Location: UK |
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Ah, I was looking at the original poll question and the thread title. But I still stand by my choice of Other. It's making a subject a fetish rather than an interest that makes you an Otaku. |
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Dargonxtc
Posts: 4463 Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋 |
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I chose other because it was closer than the other three, which just weren't detailed enough for my tastes.
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Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10461 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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The one that says "Must have a certain amount of dedication to their fandom (the degree is irrelevant to this question)" is the one you want. What I meant by "the degree is irrelevant" is that I'm not asking you how dedicated they need to be, just that you feel that a certain amount of dedication is required. -t Last edited by Tempest on Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:49 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tempest
I Run this place. ANN Publisher Posts: 10461 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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I think that would fall under the X amount of dedication where you feel that X would be "fetish extent." I assume that by fetish you mean something like, "Someone who lives for anime and/or manga and has no room in their life for any non-essential activities that aren't related to anime and/or manga" or is it something else ? -t |
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Tempest
I Run this place. ANN Publisher Posts: 10461 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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So you feel that an anime otaku absolutely must collect goods as part of the definition of "otaku?" So your choice would be "knowledge + dedication + collection" ? If a person has the drive for knowledge and dedication, but doesn't' collect good, then they aren't quite an otaku. Did I understand right ? It makes sense, collection is certainly one of the most common characteristics of any extreme fan, but I think in my mind I'd classify it not as being a prerequisite of being an otaku, but rather an extremely common trait. -t |
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Brack
Posts: 291 Location: UK |
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No, I was merely using that as the most obvious and common expression of fetishising something. And the one that is most exploited by the manufacturers of merchandise for shows aimed at otakus. The investing of a series or character with a meaning and power that isn't actually there, could also be an example of fetishising anime. I'm sure we can all think of obvious examples. |
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