Who is an otaku?
4 January 2011 | 24 comments
Alternate title: “The Problem with the Geek Event Guide.”
Justin Bieber fans. Are they otaku?
Are you an otaku? If so, what does that mean to you?
The use of the word may have originated in communications between anime fans, most likely business transactions, where neither party was all that familiar with one another. They may have referred to each other in the very formal second person: “otaku” or “your,” which also meant “your home.” Since it was an assumed stereotype for anime fans to not leave home very often, the pun stuck. (My language is very hesitant here because this is just one of otaku scholar Lawrence Eng’s origin theories.)
Whatever the origin, in Japan, the word usually comes with a negative connotation. But when the borrowed word made it to America, hobbyists began to use it with pride. For example, last year Tokyopop held an “America’s Greatest Otaku” contest. It was met with thousands of applications from eager anime fans, all of whom would presumably love to be labeled the greatest otaku in America.
However, I’m not sure every American would find it an honor to be labeled an otaku. This word doesn’t yet have the status of the word “geek.” Today, everyone is a geek, though not everyone has the same idea of what that means. To a fashion enthusiast, it might mean wearing the now trendy oversized horn rimmed glasses or a distressed Nintendo controller t-shirt. To a TV lover, it might mean knowing everything about “Mad Men” or “Lost.” Or, to many, it could just mean owning the latest tech gadget. Have Americans taken an intolerant word and made it their own, or have they expanded the definition so everyone is now geeky? Patton Oswalt addressed the latter in his Wired article, “Wake Up, Geek Culture. Time to Die.”
“Of course, now all America is otaku,” he writes.
They’re Gleeks, they’re geeks, and yes, they’re American otaku.
So if everyone from the D&D Dungeon masters to wine afficianados to the woman who holds a weekly Real Housewives of Atlanta discussion group is an otaku, we’re getting to the big question. What do I put in my Geek Event Guide?
Right now I would say the event guide includes things related to anime, video games, comics, card games, and a few select subcultures. But maybe you’re a sea turtle enthusiast who resents me for leaving out the National Aquarium’s baby sea turtle exhibit this month. If you’re a Civil War buff, were you expecting to see the four or five related DC events on the list? I am constantly resisting including Japanese cultural events, which I personally love, unless they seem to have some geeky significance. A lot of this is political — how would you like if some blogger wrote your entire culture off as being geeky?
So I’m thinking, there’s about 80 of us who read (or write) this blog every day. Surely we can make a list of all the things to include on this guide every month. The things that speak to our personal otaku tendencies.
What do you think? Do you think we can do it? Do you find my gall to even call you an otaku offensive? I’m putting my thoughts in the comments and I hope you’ll follow.
I really like Japanese cultural events, so those always catch my eye in event guides. Also, I like crafty events, like Crafty Bastards in spring and the crochet coral reef at the Natural History Museum. Also, if it sounds like it relates to Internet culture, I’m there.
You’re talking about a moving target–it’s a very different thing when Oswalt used the term otaku in his editorial, which is different than how you are using the term, which is still different than what Tokyopop is using the term for.
In fact the way I see you use it, you describe fandom, not people, with the word. It’s like you’re using the Japanese term in its partial meaning, but differently than what other people are using the term for in English. Like, Oswalt’s slant on Otaku is much closer to the Japanese meaning, where as TP is using it to mean “anime/manga/etc fan”.
IMO, it’s simpler. All these things can be articulated specifically. Why make it more complicated by involving the word, I don’t know.
@omo, in which way would you articulate the different uses? Though they still seem like the same usage in each case to me.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lawrence Eng. Lawrence Eng said: RT @OtakuJournalist New post: Who is an otaku? http://bit.ly/eXmvGy [...]
PERSONALLY, I see the connotation of “otaku” as one that talks about exclusion of other things. Look at the Nunz, they do only what’s required beyond their sacred hobbies.
In that vein, I rarely describe myself as otaku within the community. To outsiders, I do all the time (this seems backwards, no?) because I find it’s playfully self-deprecating and a good shorthand for my anime hobby. But at the same time, I mostly WATCH anime. I don’t cosplay, my room isn’t packed with figurines and posters (although its getting there), and I hardly touch VNs. Within the community, I feel like a poseur sometimes (although, for the most part the community is nice so they don’t hold it against me). To become real otaku, I feed I’d have to give up climbing and hanging out with my non-anime friends, and reallocate some of my income to really achieve the feeling of suffering for my anime hobby.
But enough about me. What I think this nuance means for the geek event guide is that expanding it increases its utility (I like the idea of adding other geek subcultures), but decreases the likelihood that every reader would attend every event on the list.
This is because SUBCULTURES are equally about identity as they are about content, and they exist even within apparently unified larger cultures (notice how John describes himself as a MECHA fan when pressed about anime?).
This is a rambly response that went nowhere…. MEANWHILE, It WOULD be interesting to see some extra geek things crop up on the guide (for curiosity’s sake). Those of us not devoted entirely to one subculture to the exclusion of others might appreciate the change to expand our horizons.
@Patches, for me, an otaku is a serious fan of something. The difference between the words “fan” and “otaku” for me is that one includes much more passion.
Now, I’m like you. I have other hobbies, too. My room is full of books, not anime or figures. But anime related are always on my mind. (Hence this blog coming into being.) And I am certain when I say I identify as an otaku. In a world where a “geek” is merely a hipster with an iPad, there’s simply no other word that describes the passion I feel about my hobbies.
For me, being a nerd/geek/otaku/whatevewr means that you are intensely interested in a variable “something.” You could be a geek about wine in the same way as you could be a geek about Pullip dolls because you will attack these subjects with the same sort of enthusiasm and voracity. The social roles within the group of like-minded fans may even overlap, but the topics will be different. That is what I see as geekiness, or fandom participation, or whatever you’d want to call it.
Still, because you like A and C, and C equals A + x, x doesn’t necessarily equal B, and it so happens that you detest B (I really hope that made sense, I always sucked at algebra). I don’t see any reason to feel like all geeks are going to be interested in the same things, or that every avenue must be explored to make sure that everyone’s being included. Maintaining focus isn’t a bad thing. Even maintaining narrow focus isn’t a bad thing. Keeping your blinders on may keep you from seeing a larger picture, sure. I don’t think it’s bad to let the lines bleed between topics as long as you’re able to always bring it back to the original topic. Japanese cultural events make sense as discussion fodder for an anime blog. The cultural event might ultimately be ancillary to anime, but there’s a context because anime/manga will sometimes include cultural events that aren’t celebrated in the western world.
When people decide to make connections between topics at a factor of 10 or something, you cheapen the value of the original interests. I think that’s what Patton Oswalt was trying to say (that and expressing dismay at the fact that people enjoying Snookie would discuss Snookie with the same sort of attention to minutae as people who were into the original Battlestar Galactica). People love Dragoncon and A-kon because they cater to pretty much every conceivable nerd interest, related or not. That sort of audience pandering is exactly why I don’t have any interest in attending events like that. I’m interested in anime and manga but I could give a rat’s ass about TV sci-fi, and I even find some of the events at big nerd-media-conventions to be downright repellant.
In closing, if a sea turtle enthusiast was really angry that you didn’t list their sea turtle funtimes, I think that’s an audience member with some funny ideas about entitlement.
@Mara, thanks for commenting on my blog! This is a much more complicated subject than I originally anticipated. The fact we seem to agree on: when everyone and everything is geeky, the definition of a geek is diluted. This is why I call this blog “Otaku Journalist” and not “Geek Journalist.” “Otaku” dovetails more closely with the topics I discuss. (Maybe not when I discuss Juggalos, though you have to admit they’re fascinating.) I am surely using the American definition of “otaku,” but that’s the only one I’ve ever known. Otaku never had a negative connotation for me until I started reading a couple years ago about how the word originated in Japan.
I think you’re right about Japanese events. On the off chance that a Japanese American is offended, I can explain that my interest in these events originated in watching anime.
How much of a doll otaku am I? Enough to spend hours making a spreadsheet to carefully track the names/prices/thumbnails of dolls that I own or would like to own. I WIN.
@Mara, that’s so cool! I don’t know much about dolls except that the Angelic Pretty dolls are adorrrable. I like the one with pink and blue hair.
Ah, I getcha. In that context, I deliberately avoid calling myself otaku both because of the negative connotation (I generally prefer “self-hating nerd” to describe myself) and also because, well… I’m American. If otaku is analogous to geek or nerd, then I guess that’s what I am.
And OMG, the Angelic Pretty dolls are like at the top of my carefully-prioritized list. I am too old/too tubby to rock lolita style, but I am happy to live vicariously through dolls. *_*
I’m not an American myself, so please excuse if I make the wrong comment.
Until I was 16, Otaku was meant as a slight insult. Then I met a transfer student in my class one day, and he was the first person I’ve ever met that was very proud of his otaku culture. His otaku level is comparable to that of a hikkikomori. I’ve been an avid fan of the Japanese culture as a whole and exclusive fan to a number of anime and manga and the merchandise, but it was then I was surprised to meet someone like him.
Of course, I’m not a full otaku myself, mainly due to self-consciousness and financial issues (Being a full Otaku costs a lot in my dictionary). To me, geek is different from otaku, whereas I think Otakus are more exclusive to the Japanese culture, if not completely. I think westerners who are heavily influenced by this certain culture should be recognized as Otakus, instead of geeks, as geeks can suggest a wide array of meanings to each individual.
I apologize for the long comment. I’m pretty sure I’ve lost track of what I was saying half way through.
@Neo, no problem. It’s really interesting to hear.
I agree that otaku is a little more narrow of a definition than geek. And I think that we should all be able to be proud of being otaku.
What you said about not being a “full otaku” makes me think of the elitism among people in our fandom. Like only some people deserve to call themselves otaku, based on some huge equation of how many figures you have/how much manga you own/how much Japanese you speak. I don’t think that’s true at all! There are no “poser” otaku! Anyone who feels like they are an otaku should be allowed to call themselves an otaku.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for linking to my article (re: the origins of “otaku”). Have you seen, by any chance, my discussion of the Oswalt piece?
http://www.lainspotting.com/2010/12/patton-oswalt-on-how-internet-is.html
@Lawrence, no I hadn’t seen it! Just read and am leaving a comment now.
Who is an otaku is a really tough question… I don’t know how to describe it really but I know one when I see one. It usually involves an attention to detail, and an intellectual presuit fandom knowledge.
A person who wears Star Wars T-shirts is a geek. A person who reads “Star Wars and Philosophy” is an Otaku…
That’s how I view it anyway.
Repeatedly consuming subculture goods = geek
Transversing from a consumer to a participant / scholar of a subculture = Otaku.
@John I LOVE your positive definition. Maybe my issue is that I’m too caught up in the original Japanese definition of the term (probably comes from being a history major instead of a journalist/cultural anthropologist).
I like the idea of claiming forward territory in the “obsession wars” against those who have rushed in to take advantage of geek chic, but at least at AP, it seems that people defend the old definition with pride (and seem to use it to define themselves). I will see if I can make some inroads. XD
Geek has always meant to me someone who is devoted/fanatical/truly loves something be it sports, video games, anime, movies, etc. In a way we’re all geeks, but towards very specific things.
@Lauren
When Oswalt uses the term, it reminds me of the elitist aspect of the otaku word (in its Japanese menaing). More precisely, this slang:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Oldfag
Which is kind of ironic because it is closely related to the popular known origin, and in sync with what he is advocating.
You might know how the the term evolved in its meaning over time (in Japan and abroad), and how different otaku subcultures in Japan also have the same fragmentation issue that you see with the word geek today. And of course how mainstream Japan sees the word versus a real otaku. But in Japan otaku don’t call each other as otaku; it’s more an outsider-insider distinction. I mean fellow geeks don’t call each others of the same kind geeks, they may call other geek splinters by their appropriate labels, or he or herself, but that’s it.
Although I think the word otaku doesn’t always overlap with geek, in most cases they might as well be dictionary translations. As in, if I go back to your post and use the word geek where you use otaku (as appropriate) I think it would come out the same.
The thing TP and other corporate entities tried to do is to create a label, a word, that is unique and distinct to represent the type of stuff they do: otaku is a natural choice for a label that includes anime geeks and the like. I still remember reading a icv2 interview from a Viz PR manager who came into the job without any anime/manga experience. He learned the word from his job, that the word otaku is synonymous to anime/manga fans. Which when you think about it makes perfect sense, totally in sync with how the word is used in PR and marketing. Unlike Japan, though, westerners don’t already have a preconception as to what that word means (if they’ve even heard of it), so it has become a prevalent definition as a result of marketing.
I’m not sure if I sufficiently answered your question, so I’ll give you a couple of use cases.
John earlier mentioned that one SW person wears a shirt and one may read a SW/Philosophy book. To me that’s more like one is a wannabe/hipster and the other is a nerd. Neither activity are particularly defining of geekness or the consumer/participant nature.
Furthermore I don’t think otaku (at least the Japanese use of the term) has anything to do with being a “participant.” It has more to do with the obsession quality of it. And one would have to be really obsessed. The “ideal” otaku is a collector first and a socialite second (or third or fourth). Most otaku don’t write fanfic or draw doujinshi, although some do; majority only consume that stuff. If there’s participating it’s largely by the act of consumption.
But this isn’t how anyone defines the term on this side of the Pacific.
The rest is just an exercise of cultural appropriation–American fans are taking Japanese things and redefining it to their own terms.
@OMO
When I say participant I don’t mean you have to create and give back, or talk about it with others. I mean that instead of being passive about your hobby you become active. Example, I’m a fan of taking walks and sight seeing. If I just go on a walk I’m “consuming” but if I plan out my walk in advance due by doing research on Google Maps to find the perfect route on which to take to see the maximum amount of sights… then I’ve strayed from being a passive consumer to an active participant.
That’s a stretch of an example. Let me give another less far out example.
I walk into a gamestop and buy a game. Does that make me a Gamer geek? Maybe by some definitions gaming is geeky… What if I spent 5 hours researching the games I wanted to buy, reading all the reviews and in depth analysis I can find… taking notes and making a spread sheet to optimize my game playing schedule… (Note I don’t give back) does that make me a Game Otaku… IMO Yes. The difference is how much effort you put into it… when you start to put considerable time into being a fan you go from being an fan to an otaku… I rank otaku as more obsessive then geeks, but that’s just me.
This also follows the original Japanese definition fairly closely… – the stigmata.
Additionally for Clarity:
I said being an otaku involves some intellectualism because when you start to put time into your hobby and start studying up on all you can find your basically becoming a scholar on a very specific subject.
@John B.
I have an OCD friend who does this with everything. When he bought some floor lamps for his pad he took a few hours to do research. Granted they were like $40-80 a pop. For his new computer monitor he spent maybe 10 times more manhour doing the research but he paid about $1000 for it. Is he an otaku? No. He’s just a nerd/geek/ocd/retail-aware indivivual.
However I think I get what you are saying. It’s about internalization. A better example would be someone who after watching, say, Glee, simply walks away and forgets about it versus someone who finishes the show and then begin doing all those fan things.
Which to me is what the word “fan” or “geek” means. But not otaku. Otaku is a lot more than just that. Oswalt uses the word to basically highlight this difference. (Regardless if he got it right or not.) I think Lauren is trying to explore that difference in this post, but I’m not sure if we can come to any sort of real conclusion here.
But one thing I know it isn’t: Otaku is not just a geekier geek.
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