Round Robin #2: Otaku- stereotypes and perception

Looks like I’m the last one in on the topic. I’d say blame it on my work and Kojima, since there are only 24 hours in a day, and after about 2 days of not touching the bed sleep is no longer for pussies. (On a side note: yeap, the game is THE SHIT!!oneoneone!)

Give your own definition of an “otaku”. Do you consider yourself an
otaku [be honest, try to avoid hypocrisy]? What impressions do you
hold towards an otaku [positive/ negative/ ambivalent]? What issues/
insecurities do you perceive in them? Can you empathize with their
insecurities? Do you personally think it’s acceptable to be an otaku?
Do you think people should care about being labeled an otaku? Do you
think that they are a product of society?

I missed the first Round Robin topic, so I’m jumping the band wagon on this one: The Otaku. I actually do distinguish between two definitions of Otaku: the Japanese and the North American one. I won’t go to wiki to look it up exactly, but basically Japanese Otaku does not have to be about anime at all. Otaku is someone who is obsessed with whatever their hobby is. There are anime otaku, train otaku, military otaku and so on. The term usually carries negative connotations and implies that that whatever the otaku is obsessed over takes precedence over everything else: social life, work, relationships, basic hygiene (lol) etc. Into North America this term migrated via anime culture and its usage is restricted to it. As such in North America “otaku” means an anime fan. Well, more of a fanatic, but it still does not have the same negative meaning as it has in Japan. Yes, the current popular stereotype of an otaku is the one of an overweight NEET with poor hygiene and lack of interest in anything outside their favorite anime genre. But then… majority of North American people are overweight, thus the majority of North American anime fans also is. Now, where do you see anime fans in large quantities? The convention! The insane amount of people, running without showers and often without sleep for couple of days, all crammed into a space of couple of city blocks that consists of small rooms where vents are not designed to handle such crowd. Whoa-la! Behold, the herds of bad smelling, badly dressed, antisocial human beings who talk nothing but anime… yea… and you ask where the stereotype comes from.

Now, do I consider myself an Otaku? Yes by North American definition and almost yes by Japanese definition. I am an anime fan (let’s leave yaoi out of it for now) and a figurine collector. This hobby of mine does take precedence over pretty much anything. Family meeting vs. anime - anime wins. Dad’s birthday vs. anime con – anime con wins. Decent food for a month or couple of figurines and a bag of rice – a bag of rice it is! And so on. Though I’m not a NEET, I do tend to shower once in a while and I do have couple of hobbies here and there even though anime/figurines do outrank them all. So maybe I am pushing it with my otakuness. But to become a hikikomori is my ultimate dream, all I need to do is figure out what to do with all the beautiful things of adult life, you know “the job, the family, the fucking big television, the washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electrical tin opener…” (c)

Now, I actually never had any issues with myself being an otaku. I come from a family of anime watching, video game playing parents (not otakus, but they know a thing or two about anime and stuff). So there was no problem there. And yes they know I like yaoi, no problem with that either. Everybody in school I went to actually thought anime was cool, or at least me liking anime was cool. I have a somewhat ecchi wallpaper on my work computer and my work desk is inhabited by couple of anime figurines. No problem there either, so I’m not sure where all the “they are picking on me because Im an otaku” whining come from. Yes, sometimes you get couple of weird people who, when hear the word anime either go “oh, hentai!” or give you the whole lecture about how anime is for kids. The first guys are actually quite easy to deal with. You either just nod to their hentai remark or come up with something worse, for example: “actually, I prefer yaoi”; and when they ask you what it is shrug and say “animated gay porn”. That usually renders them quiet for a minute or two and then they avoid the topic of your hobby for the next… long time. And the second kind just needs to be told to shove it because nobody asked them for their opinion. But then, I’m getting old and age has a lot to do with my perception of the surroundings. I would probably say my age minus about 5-7 years is the cut off point for my fellow otaku. Anyone younger automatically gets labeled a narutard and gets treated accordingly. I’m not saying I don’t fangirl over whatever character, I just keep it to myself. Hanging around a bunch of squeeling fangirls who can’t even uphold a decent discussion on any anime that does not involve bishonen or a guy who does not know the chronology of UC gundam is well, not exactly pleasant. So its not that I dislike otaku in general, its just when it comes to anime the generation gap, well as well as a culture gap is a little too evident. Ok, come people, fess up, how may references in Ergo Proxy did you get? ^_^

Now, do I think otakus a product of society? Well, NEWSFLASH: we are all a product of society. Everything from the way we look to the way we think, to the way we feel, to the things we know is a product of our society, our surroundings. Anime is not some elite form of art, it does not have a deeper meaning, it is nothing great… anime is a form of entertainment created for the single purpose: to entertain you and relive you of your money. It’s not better or worse than whatever sitcom that is running on CBC, or whatever the latest chick flick that is playing in theaters. It’s same shit, different pile. The only two reasons why I prefer anime to all other forms of entertainment is because a) I find it visually most appealing and 2) I like to see what I want to see and so far no other form of entertainment manages to deliver it. So anime-fags, babylon5-fags, trekkies, d&d-fags… you got the point. The only reason why anime is somewhat cool is because its imported. But if by any chance you end up in a star trek convention – trust me, it’s not much different. Its just we prefer the imported stuff. We’re all freaks, be proud of it, without us otakus the world would be a boring place.

And because I forgot: should people care about being labeled as an otaku? Why should I care? I don’t! ^_^

Second round participants:

• Mei
• Elezend
• Death by Moe
• Hosh
• Fang-tan
• Hynavian
• Biankita
• Animemiz
• Nyachan
• Fuyu Maiden
• Susie Q
• A Day Without Me
• Rachel
• J1m0ne
• Haruda
• Townberry