Otaku culture

[Mr Cat Dog]

Got any thoughts on this? Would you consider yourself an otaku? Is being an otaku a good or a bad thing (or something inbetween)? Do you judge people who claim to be otaku? [Insert other generic question about otaku here]

 

[Uecil]

I would class my self as one, to an extent of being obsessed with anime, manga etc. and I see it as a good thing, depending on how you think of/about it, but I wouldn't judge anyone if they claimed to be an Otaku.

 

[Esper]

Once upon a time I suppose I was one, but I'm not now and would be annoyed if someone called me one. I don't think it's a good thing to be. When I think of otaku I think of someone who takes a hobby so seriously that it's hard to interact with them and talk about other topics. Like in one of my Japanese classes there was a girl who was really into this one fighting game series. Not just video games. Not just fighting games. This one series. She couldn't not talk about. If we had to write she'd write about that. If we had to practice dialogue she wanted it to be as characters from the game. And so on. I thought it was really unhealthy.

I'm not saying every otaku is as bad as she was, just that it's good to have some perspective. I'm someone who doesn't really understand obsessions though.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

To an extent. Anime is pretty much all I watch, I've been to the conventions, and I've even cosplayed at many of them. I spend copious amounts of money on the DVD's, and the figurines, and most recently a pencil board imported from Japan. But I'm not so obsessed with anime culture that I don't talk about other things, I'm not that hardcore type of otaku.

And actually, I kind of like hanging out with otaku. It does give me a chance to discuss anime with people who actually "get it."

 

[Weeaboo Name]

Otaku are obsessive over their chosen poison so of course it's a bad thing.

 

[Rivin]

Otaku are obsessive over their chosen poison so of course it's a bad thing.

Exactly. And anyone in the "know" would never call themselves an otaku. It isn't a compliment. It doesn't mean you like anime and etc.. It is a pejorative term... It seems like new fans of Anime want to identify with their newfound hobby and therefore call themselves otaku, whereas older fans whom are aware of the original negative connotations that being called an otaku held, will never call themselves an otaku...

 

[Killjoy]

The closest I've come to this would be my Skyrim fixation a couple weeks ago lol

Seriously though, no. I don't necessarily understand the wold enough to talk about it in depth, but I have a life. I love video games, at times a little to much (see Skyrim lol) but there's so much else in life that's so much more worth it.


I just have one question though; How does an Otaku make money? If your fixated on one thing, stuck in your home all the time, where are you getting the cash to sustain yourself?

 

[Rivin]

The closest I've come to this would be my Skyrim fixation a couple weeks ago lol

Seriously though, no. I don't necessarily understand the wold enough to talk about it in depth, but I have a life. I love video games, at times a little to much (see Skyrim lol) but there's so much else in life that's so much more worth it.


I just have one question though; How does an Otaku make money? If your fixated on one thing, stuck in your home all the time, where are you getting the cash to sustain yourself?

Eh, Otaku (as classically defined) aren't shut-ins as much as they are overly obsessive "nerds". (Remember that Otaku is essentially the japanese derogatory term for nerds of ANY KIND.) They live normal lives like most people, although they spend every bit of spare money on their fixations. I think you are talking about hikikomori... Those are people that don't leave their homes. Whilst some hikikomori are otaku and vice-versa, they aren't one and the same...

 

[Haguri]

I would not consider myself one, even though basically the only kind of show I watch is anime.

I enjoy History a ton though, and many other activities. I'm definitely a nerd, but aren't otakus as well? This is why I'm kind of swayed on it. I know I once sponsored an anime club for a few kids once and they all called themselves "Otaku" I never quite understood what it was. Though I always knew it was basically obsession with anime, I couldn't find a deeper meaning I suppose would be the correct terminology to use.

To a point some people in there I would have called Otakus. I do not have disdain for people like that, but obsession can only go so far.

I think that Otaku is not bad as long as it is not from an extremist. I try to vary all the things I do, and I think everyone should have options with things. As Sc Scarf stated about the girl and that ONE fighting series, you can't just stay focused on one thing and only talk about that ONE thing. People will eventually grow bored/tired of it.