Forum - View topicINTEREST: 'Otaku' Term Extends To Introduce Diverse Meanings and Impact on Economy
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Trypticon
 Posts: 80 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
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I guess I can start with the simple; I despise the term “otaku.” I always have, I hate everything there is to hate about the term. I hate the imagery the word produces, I hate the connotation of the word; I hate how the word sounds, its very structure and I will never ever in this lifetime or the next self-identify by using the word “otaku.”
To me, it’s just another word people use to put others, and sometimes themselves into a nice little categorization compartment. It’s like a lot of these other fan terms like “brony,” or “trekkie,” it’s another step a person makes towards internalizing their fandom, which I don’t think is a good idea. Simply put; I refuse to allow some of the art/entertainment I enjoy, define me as a person. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a fair sized collection consisting of a few figures/PVC statues, wall scrolls and Blu-rays/DVD’s. Most of the figures however, I collected when I first got into anime around my mid 20’s and while I do have some pretty nice ones, I also have some crap boxed up somewhere. The last time I bought anything that isn’t Blu-rays/DVD’s was back in 2012 when I ordered a figure and some wall scrolls to decorate my basement area. I don’t discuss anime with people who don’t watch it and I don’t try to get others to watch it. I don’t bring anime up with people in conversation unless they ask what sort of art/entertainment I enjoy, and most often it doesn’t come up. So I don’t hide the fact that I watch anime, I’m not ashamed about watching it, but I take no more pride in engaging with an anime series than I do when I view a movie/film. There's really no reason to either way. The perfect analogy is how my house is set up; most of my anime merchandise, figures, wall scrolls and physical discs I have in my lower basement area while upstairs it’s mostly framed pictures that have a significant meaning to me, or are just nice with a little anime stuff. I do have a legitimately nice Inuyasha picture and a Tinkerbell picture that I want to get framed and put up sometime soon. What a person sees upstairs in my house: 
(Living room) 
And downstairs in the lower basement area: 
So, I like anime quite a bit; it makes up a large chunk of my entertainment consumption along with music and movies/film when I get time to engage/indulge in them. I like a lot of different shows for similar and different reasons; ultimately what I get from them, and I like to discuss it with other people who also watch anime on a regular basis. However, I won’t allow it to define me as a person and that includes using the term “otaku” to describe myself, as I said; I hate the term and as always; it's just how I feel. |
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relyat08
 Posts: 4125 Location: Northern Virginia |
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I can certainly agree with that. I wear anime apparel, have a nice big collection, even have a couple of bumper stickers, and I will openly talk about anime with people who are interested, but I will never be that guy who tries to force others to watch it. I've always found that trying to push someone toward something they don't like usually ends up with them resenting it. I have introduced a lot of people to anime, but if they don't express the interest, I'm never going to force them into it. Not entirely related to the rest of your comment, but I feel like a lot of entertainment fans, in general, have a problem with that. I can't even count the number of times I've walked in on a conversation where a coworker is being told that they have to see Fullmetal Alchemist or Death Note, or that they are missing out on life if they don't start keeping up with the current season of anime. I understand that people are excited about the things that they like, I certainly am too, and it can be hard not to tell everyone about it, but I've been forced into watching things for friends, and rarely does it make the experience more fun. I'll recommend shows to people who are interested, but if you don't like anime, that's okay. You don't need to watch it. |
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Otakuteen18
 Posts: 30 |
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So there more types of otaku,s now great he said sarcastically
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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There always were, the author's just trying to convince others in Japan of the fact. We wish him luck. (No really, we DO.) 
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5120 |
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Eric--
Is that a Royal We?  
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hyojodoji
Posts: 585 |
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I bought and read Harada Yōhei's New Otaku Economy when it was released. Actually, to regard the term 'ReaJū Otaku' in the book as 'casual otaku' is not appropriate. Harada Yōhei divided ReaJū Otaku into ReaJū Otaku Gachi and ReaJū Otaku Ese, and ReaJū Otaku Gachi described in the book are people who are deeply hooked on otaku stuff whilst they are well-dressed (and perhaps good-looking), also have/do many non-nerdy hip things and communicate/associate well also with non-otaku people including people of the opposite sex. Whilst I had read Harada Yōhei's Yankee Economy, it seemed that Mr Eric Stimson did not read the book by Harada when he wrote the ANN article, in which Harada's term 'Mild Yankee' was mentioned. Have you read Harada Yōhei's New Otaku Economy, Mr Cadorniga? |
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Sariachan
 Posts: 1494 Location: Italy |
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I'm a (not so) casual otaku, I guess.
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