The "O" Word

"Otaku."

What does it really mean? First of all, let us acknowledge its Japanese origin. It was actually used as a second-person pronoun in an honorific manner to address another individual's family or home. The Japanese language has modernized and simplified since then so no one ever says it anymore. This honorific has instead evolved into a whole other thing.

What I'm going to discuss is the modern day usage as a slang. The closest English equivalent would be "geek" as it describes an individual who is passionate and perhaps even obsessed with a certain subject such as anime, video games, and manga. The term encompasses literally any subject, however, as long as it is the topic of interest. People these days like to associate themselves with the label of the "otaku" much like the punks, mods, and other subcultures. With the growing interest in Japanese pop culture over the last couple decades, those outside of Japan proudly wear their "otaku" badge as well.

In Japanese society, "otaku" is a dirty word. It was and still is a negative label for the obsessed who live in their own fantasy worlds. One should certainly not decree to the Japanese public that they are otaku as they would be shunned in an instant. Little do some people know though is that one might want to tread carefully when uttering such a word. The media does a great job of reminding everyone of the "horrors" of the otaku every time a crime revolves around the suspect who just happens to own some anime and manga in their home. There is a reason that the otaku are an easy target as their hobbies can be of a perverse nature. This certainly only helps in alienating a group of people who most likely lack basic people skills and thus have to seek refuge in the 2-D world. Certainly, not all otaku are complete sociopaths but the label holds such a strong stigma, the general Japanese society will not look kindly upon it.

This fellow here is a "typical" otaku and his 2-D date enjoying a night out.

Being Japanese myself and having lived in Tokyo for several years, I feel uncomfortable with calling myself an "otaku" though, truth be told, I am. I follow the releases of certain games to the day, pre-order collectible figures from import sites, and watch episodes from over ten different anime shows on a weekly basis. I prefer to call myself "geek" or "connoisseur" but that does nothing to change who I am. There just needs to be an understanding that there is the right time and place for everything especially for showing otaku pride.

Welcome to Otakurotica.