Otaku Behavior Essay Example

Anime lovers or also known as otaku which refers to fans of men or women that are obsessed with the aspect of popular culture, mainly anime or manga. It gives fans the idea of being in a virtual world, a world of a different genre from fantasy, romance, comedy… etc. With this virtual reality, some people do become attached to the idea of something not real, this impacts a person's behavior that leads them separated from society.

It started in World War II when people suffer from depression and poverty, and watching anime or being in a virtual reality eases the stress, a distraction from the cruel world. Otaku was derived from a Japanese honorific meaning “you” or “your house”. This word was first used by an essayist Nakamori Akio in 1983 to write his essay, “Research for Otaku”, a way to mock people that watch anime. After that anime fans start using the slang calling themselves for fun self-mockery. Later on, in 1989, the word “Otaku” became widespread after the murders of four young girls committed by the murderer known as “The Otaku Murderer” Tsutomu Miyazaki. According to the article, “What is Otaku? Meaning, History, Types and More”, by Cindy Fan, it stated that, “the media labeled Miyazaki as an “Otaku murderer” and the event generated a moral panic against Otaku, marking them as dangerous, aberrant murderers. Even now, some Japanese still hold negative views of Otaku because of this event.” Fan (2020) This impacted the community of anime watcher, implying that otaku’s can potentially be murderer separating them from society. Eventually, the meaning of otaku gradually changed in time from murderer to people that are passionate in a popular culture, as the otaku subculture began to bloom, it became widespread throughout the world. Currently, anime and manga that once originated from one language are being translated into different languages for viewers to understand and increase the otaku subculture. 

Being an otaku is a lot harder than most people think, they differ from most cultures, some do not care about what people think but most consider it as a hobby. Knowing few people who watch and are obsessed with anime tend to communicate differently with someone who watches anime and someone who does not. Mahsa Amiri anime fan explained that talking to someone that does not have the same hobby feels like she bothers but in a conversation talking to someone that has the same hobby she feels excitement as the other has more to contribute, she also added most can be persuaded to watch anime becoming passionate for the culture, wanting to watch more, and happier in days where there is nothing to do. (M. Amiri, phone interview, April 10, 2022) This interview shows otaku culture as a hobby, as an entertainment that functions in society. Anime or manga give joy to individuals, a virtual world to rely on but in other circumstances being obsessed with anime or the visual world is considered a health problem. Addiction to anime is also an addiction to the internet, in an article, “Are You Addicted To Anime?” by Chris Kinkaid, it stated, “Otaku culture tends to attract certain personality types, some of which may be in danger of addiction. However, the culture isn’t any worse than other cultures.” Kinkaid (2017) Researching and watching anime takes a considerable good amount of time and dissipating energy. Instead of sleeping or eating, people spend their time on screen causing health problems such as sleep deprivation, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke… etc. Otaku subculture has its pros and cons but like any other culture, it functions in society as something people can rely on.

Otaku’s can be viewed as someone who is different but inside the subculture, a lot of them consider themselves a different type of otaku, some healthy, others not, and some just not as passionate. Based on the article, “Otaku: Japanese ‘Obsessive’ Subculture Explained” by Eli Civil, stated, “types of otaku based on the individual attitude towards fandom”(2022), this type of otaku’s are the closet otaku, serious otaku, media sensitive multiple interest otaku, fan magazine-obsessed otaku, and trivia otaku. Closet otakus are fans that like to keep their interest in secrets, these fans are mainly not disconnected from the real world and can socialize without feeling anxiety. Serious otaku's are individuals that take their passion very seriously and want to bring change through their creativity such as manga artists. Media sensitive multiple interest otaku is people that are interested based on what the media say is popular constantly looking for something new. Fan magazine-obsessed otaku are fans that have a strong level of attraction towards a character, some call it love and some call it friends, mainly consisting of groups of females and some males. Lastly, trivia otaku, this type of individual are obsessed with the character, learning everything about the character and almost considering that they are real. These behaviors affect individuals and society. Stranded in a virtual reality, people mix the real world vs the virtual world which might cause violent tendencies. It may also result in self-consciousness, in a virtual world appearance can be alternated, some fans are self-conscious about the way they look and find the virtual world as an escape route.

Otaku is a major part of the world we live in, it has expanded to a certain point where the majority of society accepted the idea of an otaku subculture. Currently, otaku has reached the industry, media, and weekly, monthly to yearly events. Anime-con is an event otaku subculture constantly waits for, anime conventions are gatherings of fans with a focus on manga, anime, and Japanese culture. These weekly, monthly, and yearly events are a time where fans can express their feelings, the growth of anime-con is unreal, in an article, “The Growth Of Anime Events” by Dallas Middaugh, inspect, “So if we look at turnstile numbers it turns out that Anime Expo, with almost 400,000 attendees, is, in fact, the largest anime convention in the world outside of Japan.” Middaugh (2019) This shows the fact that the otaku subculture is now worldwide, gathering almost half a million outside of the place where it originated. The growth of the otaku subculture has industrial companies making customized outfits from shoes, dresses, hats, and even weapons. The purpose of these costumes are for cosplay, it is a practice of dressing as someone's favorite character in manga, anime, book, and movies. With the internet’s rapid rise, cosplay in some perspectives is considered a career, uploading videos on media like TikTok, youtube, or Instagram based on followers, views, and likes, cosplayers are making more than minimum wage, based on an article, “Cosplayers Are Dressing Up and Cashing Out” by Deena ElGenaidi, states, “27-year-old Enako knows how to market herself online. After announcing in December 2020 that she made half a million dollars per year cosplaying and selling merchandise, she is proof that dressing up can be a lucrative business. In fact, many cosplayers regularly make between $100,000-200,000 per year.” ElGenaidi (2021) this explains the growth of the otaku subculture, from anime watcher, hobby, and now a career field. Like any other culture such as sport and gaming, it creates a social impact on individuals that affect society, luring people to join the otaku subculture. 

Otaku subculture is hard to understand to most people but it is very important to our society, the idea is the change of behavior. With many different types of otaku, it can be dangerous, virtual reality or not some people mix the difference, and the outcome may be violent. In most cases it helps society, more specifically it helps an individual escape from the bad side of the real world from bullying, anxiety, depression… etc. Otaku subculture became a hobby, a distraction, and an entertainment to individuals that are anti-social. “Anime and manga were seen as ways to escape from cruel reality.” Fan (2020), even now the idea of escaping from cruel reality still stands. This just shows the importance and the impact it has on society.

References

Civil, E. (2020, June 10). Otaku: Japanese 'obsessive' subculture explained. Japan Yugen. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://japanyugen.com/otaku-japanese-obsessive-subculture-explained/#Otaku_subculture_outside_Japan 

Fan, C. (2021, May 25). What is otaku? meaning, history, types and more. LingoDeer Blog. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://blog.lingodeer.com/what-is-otaku/ 

Middaugh, D. (2019, June 13). The growth of anime events. LinkedIn. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/growth-anime-events-dallas-middaugh 

ElGenaidi, D. (2021). How professional cosplayers make money on social media - Linktree blog. Linktree. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://linktr.ee/blog/how-professional-cosplayers-make-money-social-media/ (Amiri M., phone interview, April 10, 2022).