Forum - View topicIt is really wrong to call someone an otaku?
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Ente-Geminis!
Posts: 5 |
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In japan, the word Otaku refers to obsessed fans of something, principally anime/manga, Outside it refers to Anime/Manga fans.
The truth is: not all otakus are freaks with no life, some are just anime fans who have a life and doesn't obsesse with anime/manga. unfortunately, the society is insulting the otaku subculture with stupid arguments like "Stop watching anime and grow up" or "Don't watch that! you're not chinese" or another incoherent critique. I consider myself an anime/manga fan and i think im a otaku, but not a obsessed otaku, a normal otaku. |
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Spotlesseden
Posts: 3514 Location: earth |
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I think if you watch more than 5 hours of anime per week, you are an otaku, no normal adult(US or Japan) would watch this much anime.
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Chiibi
 Posts: 4829 |
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I'm not sure if the amount of time you watch anime has to do with being an otaku. I'd say no way. Because I've realized that unless I'm marathoning a series, I spend way way more time drawing fanart, discussing anime-related topics online, or looking at anime-related things than just sitting and watching it.
And I am an otaku, no doubt about it. The term actually stems from "one's house", meaning they don't leave it because they'd rather be inside, being a geek, doing geeky things than outside in the real world and....yeah, that's me.....lol
Define "normal".  Anime is just a medium of entertainment. There is no difference between an adult watching anime and watching sitcom or drama TV shows, except one is moving artwork and the other is seeing actors being paid to "play pretend". You're still investing your time into fictional characters in a fictional world. That's why I'd consider an adult watching five hours of anime a week no less "normal" than one who would watch five hours of movies or TV a week...and it's very easy to do this. Five hours a week isn't really all that much. That's only fifteen episodes, actually. Meaning you're watching only three episodes five days a week.
Five hours a day....now that's pretty bad. 
Last edited by Chiibi on Thu Oct 31, 2013 12:23 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11440 Location: Frisco, TX |
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That's a bit of a blanket statement. By that logic, watching 2-3 live-action movies or 5 hours of any other combination of TV shows per week would equate to the same amount of time. And I think any one of those mediums can make for a viable form of escapist entertainment just as much as anime. Heck, you could even lump other mediums like reading, listening to music, or playing video games as something to "obsess" over, but nobody really has a problem with those. Watching anime as much as doing any of these other things per week is perfectly normal. There's nothing "wrong" with with people in U.S. or Japan taking part in their favorite pastime. EDIT: Chiibi beat me to the point. Nice going, you brain wavelength thief! Last edited by Tony K. on Thu Oct 31, 2013 12:15 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Sohma_Curse
 Posts: 512 Location: New York |
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I watch at LEAST an hour of anime a day, sometimes way more...3, 4, 5 hours+ if I'm off all day (scattered throughout the day, of course, not 5 hours straight). If I'm busy, though, there are days where I wont watch any anime at all.
Do I need to watch anime? No. Do I enjoy watching anime? Absolutely. Do I prefer to stay in and watch anime instead of going out? Sometimes. Do I have a life/job/friends? Of course. Now, am I an Otaku? Who cares, really. If someone considers me to be so, then so be it. But I'm a 30 year old adult male with bills to pay and rent to make every month - there are more important things for me to worry about 
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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You're welcome. 
But, yeah, seriously since two and half hours are starting to become the norm for movie length, all you need is two Harry Potters or two Lord of the Rings over the course of one week and your quota is filled. 
Haha...I've done this maybe once or twice...waaaay back in high school when I didn't have to work on weekends, I think.... :< I have a friend who gave me advice: "Don't ever watch Evangelion and Serial Experiments Lain in one sitting, back to back. You'll lose all faith in humanity." My response ".......what.........why........WHY would you even try doing that....Matt.....?" O___o |
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Sohma_Curse
Posts: 512 Location: New York |
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I was considering doing this for my first watch of Texhnolyze to see if it will bring me to the brink of soul-shattering despair. 
(though, from what I hear, it'll do that regardless of how I choose to watch it) |
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getchman
 He started itPosts: 9134 Location: New Hampshire |
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15 hours of anime in one sitting. how the hell did he manage that? |
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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I have no idea.....
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10015 Location: Virginia |
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In answer to the original question, I would say yes it is wrong.
Otaku is a term that has different meanings depending on where you are and who you are talking to. This can lead to endless misunderstanding. In any case it is probably wrong to call anyone by a name they have not used for themselves. Especially online, it gets to be a problem when someone takes offense and you have to go back and claim, "that is not what I meant". In English, we have a perfectly functional word, Fan, that can handle anything from the casual person who watches two series a year and the more dedicated individual who watches a dozen or more a week. Even applying the word to yourself can be problematical. The world gets smaller every year. I have a cousin who lived extensively in Japan and has a Japanese wife. I'm not about to use the word around them, they would probably take it wrong. I know it is fun to use Japanese words, but this one is a landmine. If you have to ask it is probably best to not use it. |
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EricJ
 Posts: 876 |
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Even the Japanese otaku themselves brag that adopting the word means you're only in it for the sexually-repressed niche fetishes (glasses, kneesocks, panties, etc.) Which sort of insults the anime if you ARE into it for the "higher aspirations" of the characters and scripts: We grow up in the free West, where boys actually talk to girls, and have no need for such neurotic compensation, why borrow someone else's? (I mean, unless you grew up in a Catholic school, which I guess would be close enough...) Sort of the equivalent of going to a Star Wars convention, and bragging about how it gave you your first hard-on to see Leia in the slavegirl outfit. The rest of us don't need your help reinforcing everyone else's intolerant stereotypes, thank you...
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VORTIA
 SubscriberPosts: 943 |
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Okada would disagree with you, but then again, he's largely alienated himself from the otaku community himself. I'd say the easiest definition for otaku that you could achieve general consensus on would be obsessive fandom to the point you don't care what society thinks. That can have positive and empowering connotations (be true to yourself! Don't sheepishly conform to others!) it also can have very negate connotations (I'm going to take my dakimakura with me to the party, I don't care what they think of Hina-chan!) Japanese culture places a strong emphasis on the importance of proper public behavior. Politeness and altering one's behavior so as to prevent others from feeling uncomfortable or embarassed is practically a moral imperative. Ergo, when one announces oneself as otaku, one is sending the signal that one does not feel bound to live or act according to societal standards. If I had to pick a term that elicits reactions in the United States the most similar to those elicited by otaku in Japan, I'd say "atheist". I identify as both, and have publicly affirmed myself as such both in the US and Japan. Reactions to both were eerily similar. "Neat, me too!" "Don't say that, that's terrible!" "I can understand that." Or perhaps my favorite "No you're not!" Ergo, while I have no qualms with identifying myself as otaku, it's not the type of term to throw around without thinking about the listener, certainly not as a label for them |
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Spotlesseden
Posts: 3514 Location: earth |
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yeah, If you play too much video games, watch too much movie, you are otaku too. the term "Book Otaku" or "video game otaku" exist in Japan. The best way to test it, go to Japan and you tell a normal people you watch average 5 hours a week of anime. Lets see how people react. Maybe i should change it to i "watch alot of anime, collect anime bluray and/or anime figure" that would make you an anime otaku. Last edited by Spotlesseden on Thu Oct 31, 2013 8:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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VORTIA
Subscriber Posts: 943 |
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I'm pretty sure if you pick an average Japanese person off the street, anyone talking on an anime internet forum is an automatic otaku! |
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Spotlesseden
Posts: 3514 Location: earth |
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that too. yeah, also watch TV drama is different, normal watch them. Not everything is created equal. It's about the society that you live in. too. Otaku can mean different in different country. You can be a video game otaku in Japan, but not a video game otaku in US. |
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