Otaku- noun, adj.(in some cases)- Everyones favorite Japanese word to make up their own definition for.

I.E.- n. "I'm an otaku and Proud of it!" -.-

ALRIGHT SO, I've seen a buddy of mine (Misuto) has been trying to explain to everyone here what an Otaku really is, so i thought I'd help out. :)

Okay Otaku is extremely negative in meaning as it is used to refer to someone who stays at home all the time and doesn't have a love/social life whatsoever (most TRUE otaku's become hikikomoris). They instead fill that emptiness with anime/manga/games.. etc. These things begin to become an unhealthy obsession to them to the point of it possibly being life threatening lol. Western culture has been fooled into thinking Otakus are awesome thanks to ANIME! :D In anime Otakus are usually ~adorable~ characters, such as: Katsuragi Keima from TWGoK, or Erika and Walker from Durarara!, or things of that nature. HOWEVER lol that is not "reality" (I wish to stress that). Otaku is by no means a positive word. In fact, people in western culture who consider themselves Otaku and think being an Otaku is a positive thing are just confused ^_^ They SHOULD refer to themselves as a -->weeaboo<-- or something with a less derogatory meaning lol.

I can't imagine a true Otaku running around to everyone they meet and saying, "WOO, I'm an Otaku and PROUD OF IT!!!" because.... that person would be the definition of a living contradiction.

Also don't take this the wrong way, I'm not attacking anyone lol I mean, I watch anime all the time, and i love the Japanese culture, but I would never dream of calling myself an otaku. I'm just trying to inform you of the truth. So when that time comes when you pack your bags and travel to Japan after saving up for years and learning Japanese fluently from Rosetta Stone, you won't get INSTANTLY rejected by everyone you meet after announcing yourself as an otaku.

^'unhealthy obsession' :)

>>1 Mael, you're my hero.

Otaku is basically what "nerd" used to be in the 50's, a very negative term you don't want to be called. While nerd has been reclaimed by the nerds themselves and is a more neutral term today, the same isn't true for otaku. Of course there are otakus who use it to refer to themselves and their friends in a sort of self-deprecating or positive way, but it is important to understand that the average Japanese person would consider it a very negative term.

So yeah, thank you for making this thread.

>>1
That's what a real Otaku looks like? He's not very adorable at all :(

Aw, I'm a buddy of yours.

You summed it up quite succinctly. Good job, yo :U
Now people can just be linked to this thread if the need arises, instead of retyping walls of text and arguments.

>A less derogatory term
>Weaboo

Mael, your well intentioned post hit a brick wall of derp. Maybe it depends on your point of view, but I'd much rather be an otaku - shut in obsessed individual - than someone who is trying to emulate, and/or refer to themselves as a life style they neither understand nor live correctly.

With very few exceptions, people who know enough about their obsession to adequately be labeled an otaku (social habits not withstanding), don't generally call themselves that... Which points out that the "weaboos" are the ones who don't know what they're calling themselves, and are self-demonstratingly stupid enough about the thing they supposedly are "obsessed" with.

Honestly, the term Weaboo is both an insult and mockery to the term otaku. At least the otaku know what kind of life they lead and about the subjects they claim to schedule their lives around.

Further more - otaku is not restricted to anime. It is literally a term for obsession. Gun otaku, game otaku, people who have an obsession with X subject. The idea that all otaku are social rejects is also stereotypical and generally wrong. A great many of them are still able to function in society - and do so, from day to day - while keeping their obsessions to themselves, or others of their clique.

Like everything else, there are labels. Otaku is much like the term nerd in the 50s - and this thread displays that very well. Just like in the fifties, no one bothered to acknowledge that nerds had levels of social effectiveness in their own little circle. Some nerds were worse than others, while some were simply nerds as a fact of life and it didn't effect them otherwise.

A biased "informational source" is worse than no source at all.

>>6 For all intents and purposes though, the point was made well enough. Given past attempts to shed light on the topic and personal experiences with steadfast dumbasses, it's more than I could ask for to put the word in the correct connotation, usage aside. Using the term "otaku" in an otherwise english statement implies in itself that it refers to an obsession in japanese culture, but for the sake of possible misunderstanding, you're right that this is far from its full usage. In fact, it could be argued that its understood meaning in an english context is part of the misunderstanding itself.

And about the term "weeaboo," it is a matter of perspective - from an external view, the term is more derogatory than otaku for the reason you mentioned, but it's functionally better to be a weeaboo than an otaku: being wrong about a chosen unhealthy lifestyle, in the sense you believe it is perfectly healthy, can only lead to a healthier lifestyle than if you were right. (And living the lifestyle exactly how it is makes you just that - an otaku, not a weeaboo.)

Point being: clearing up the misusage of the term. If it didn't give fully the correct usage, at least it explained its incorrect usage.

>>6 Ahhhh always so harsh aya lol.. But thanks for pointing everything out, i guess i didn't look to deeply into the term weaboo. So i apologize for being under informed.. I'll try to be more informed next time.

>>5>>7 Hell yeah your my buddy lol and I was only trying to help clear up a common misunderstanding, however due to my ignorance This thread has become even more informative lol... so its all good i guess?

I know someone who is an otaku/hikikomori and he's always shut in his room barely seeing sunlight >.>
Know any ideas to help him live a healthier lifestyle?

>>9 Help him make friends that like going out more. Just off of personal experience, less-social people tend to be shut in because they don't have anything else to do. Unless he actively dislikes going outside.

Just be more forthright in going out places and dragging him along. It's how I dealt with people with similar problems - but that's on a case-by-case basis. Dunno if this helps.

>>9>>10 Misuto is pretty much correct about this, although if the reason he's hikikomori is fear/trauma based you will need to take things a lot slower.
Have you ever spend time with abused animals? The process of getting a fear/trauma-based hikikomori outside regularly is surprisingly similar to getting said abused animals trusting of people. It takes a great amount of trust and time to get there, but spending time with that person constantly and encouraging him/her to slowly expand their horizons will get you there eventually.

Sources: Actually having been the side of the equation that you're trying to fix (...but I still prefer spending time inside :P)

They will go out... just not by themselves. Always go places with them, eventually they will get used to doing things by themselves. Some people just need time.

The problem is he and I have a 7 years age gap and he doesn't hang out with me or my friends, I don't know how to introduce him to others :/

>>13 - okay Natsu, I'm assuming you're 20-something and he's a teenager. First step: Take him to an event that panders to his interests. Anime to an anime convention, gaming to gaming events or a pop-culture event (ala Supernova), or so on. He should meet someone similar enough to talk to. Just make sure you go with him and push him towards anyone and everyone who actually shows interest in him :P. With luck you should be able to find someone relatively near where you live.

Second step: After confirming that both people are located near each other and (respect each other's opinions)/like/(are interested in) each other, start arranging times they can meet each other and possibly find ways to integrate said other person into your own social group - thus possibly drawing the person you are worrying about into your own social group, hence making it more likely to get him outside and out and about with people more often.


...Now that I think about this, this sounds kind of like how all my friends try to get me to date people. That usually fails spectacularly - but remember getting people to meet and getting people to date are two completely different things.

>>14 Ahaha our ages are the other way around. Today I asked him if he wanted to come to a convention thats nearby during the summer and he rejected right away ;A;

>>15 I think you just need to talk to him a lot. Hear him out or have him convince you to do something he likes. Maybe playing games or talking about something until he feels comfortable enough to hang out with you outside his safe zone. :) I met someone like that and I pretty much stuck with talking to him and being around him a lot on weekends and listening to what he has to say. I eventually convinced him to go out and all.

Okay. I think I have a better understanding now from Mr. Misuto's comment on the other thread I was on. And because of my lack of knowledge, before now, my Anime Club is using "Otaku" to call themselves and others and have actually proclaimed the club to be "Otaku Club". I feel responsible for this and terribly ashamed that I have been letting my beloved club call themselves something that they don't fully understand the meaning of.

I'm planning to tell them the truth of the word "Otaku" (and probably ramble on more about other things) but I also liked to ask for advice on how to plan out my words so they can understand what I'm saying. (They're only sophomores, juniors and a few seniors in high school. Most of them are stubborn when it comes to things that they are so accustomed to, suddenly change.)

There's a difference between the meaning of a word, and its connotation.

"Otaku" basically just means "nerd" or "geek" (or "enthusiast", generally). However, in Japan, it has a negative connotation, and is usually used as a pejorative. (Also, any unnecessary use of Japanese strikes me as symptomatic of being a weeaboo. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Weeaboo&defid=2099371)

http://www.jekai.org/entries/aa/00/nn/aa00nn70.htm

Thank you for the tl;dr of the entire thread, V2.

Those beef bowls look fucking delicious, why doesn't anyone ever mention that?

I agree with Enni. They look really good D8

>>19 No problem. :P

I've heard of the guy in the pic. I think it was an article on Kotaku or something. He says that the girl on the pillow is his girlfriend and he someday wishes to marry her. He takes the pillow everywhere and treats it like a real person. o.o

This made me Lol a lot XD Prefect definition and awesome well represented pic!

I don't suppose those idiots that keep making that "otaku love" room have read this thread?

>>23 I read that 3 times. xD

Well, some guy did marry a character from Fate/Stay Night.

oh give it a rest. some of you guys had a problem with us, we changed our name for ya coz we don't like fighting.
you hadn't even given me the chance to explain myself since you kept jumping me, but that's okay.

enjoy yourselves.
i'm not coming back to read replies to this.

That's good, cos you're a cunt.

>>28 well thats a bit uncalled for

>>3 Taro Aso, the prime minister of Japan, called himself an otaku. Then again, he isn't the "average Japanese person." Apparently he mentioned it during his campaign.

>>6 Oh, I never noticed that post for some reason. But yeah, you're right. You can also be an idol-otaku as well. I know a lot of those. xD

>>29 Just ignore it.

I'm an on and off person when it comes to watching anime. Sure, I shut myself in my room, but I mostly listen to music or draw.

Personally, I consider weeaboo to be a far worse and derogatory term and associate it with the same obsessions an otaku holds in a far less intelligent/informed and annoying nature. Otaku may be a very negative term in Japan, but words can have their context and meaning changed. In America, I believe that has happened with the word otaku. Much like nigger and guido were derogatory insults, and in some cases still are depending on context, they are now used by some of those to whom the terms refered and is used quite proudly. In a way, it makes sense, they dominated the words, conquered the context, like a game of king of the hill. In that, otaku CAN still be used as an insult and derogatory mean can still be associated with it, but weeaboo... Nothing but stupidity, annoyance, ignorance, etc comes to mind win I hear that word. There is a clear difference between otaku and weeaboo, geek and nerd, hipster and indie, punk and scene, etc etc etc.

If I had to pick one to be called, I'd pick otaku. But yes, defining myself as such brings with it the negative, some true and some not for me, connotations.

...Mael, you sure used to use "lol" and random faces a lot before.

Anyway, bumping this up. I feel it's good for people to be reminded of this once in a while, since there was a mostly uninterrupted thread supporting being an otaku on the main board just a few minutes ago.

>>1 So how does this guy plan to eat four beef-bowls and a plate of rice and curie? I hope that he's not eating alone; and the Neru-chan body size moe hug pillow doesn't count as a person.
...
Wait did I just reveal myself as an Otaku by pointing that out?

If Neru-chan doesn't want to eat it right now he'll probably save it for her for later ' -'

Although judging by his appearance he could probably scarf down all four in one sitting. He'd have to eat for two if he's serious about his waifu there.

Also,
>reveal myself as an Otaku
If you've read this thread, you know that's a bad thing to flaunt, right?

>>33 shutup. :I

I'm simply an anime fan :) who occasionally says Japanese phrases/sayings (around my anime loving friends) and pronounces them CORRECTLY.

>>32 Good point. Too me, it depends on how you use the word. Like you can call yourself an Otaku/Nerd in a good, or funny way. Or if someone calls someone else a Nerd/Otaku, you can usually tell by the tone, or context what way they mea it. It can be used as a good word, or bad. I personally use it mostly as a good thing because I find I relate somehwhat to that lifestyle, and I like that, but I still use it sometimes to refer to someone who doesn't seem to have a life, or leads that sort of lifestyle........Idk, racoon explained it better.

>>38

How someone means it is entirely their own prerogative.

The problems comes in people using it ignorantly.

It's one thing to know what it means, and mean it in a different manner - It's another entirely to be taking pride by throwing around a term you don't understand and labeling yourself with something you don't identify with just because you heard someone else do it.

>>39 I still don't think people are actually grasping the definition of the word "otaku" here. It makes me feel disappointed.

>>40 So essentially an otaku is someone who has no friends and who's life is so damn lonely that the only way they can fill the need for social interaction is by spending all their time watching anime or playing games, and developing an imaginary relationship with the characters... Is that about right?

What. I don't even...did you even read the first half of this thread?

Otaku in it's original sense was meant to define a person who holds an obssessive nature to regards to a certain thing. Most of the time, when people are referring to "otaku", they're referring to people who are quite literally obssessed with anime, or manga, or video games. These people are obssessed in such a way that they tend to gather extreme collections of merchandise or materials related to their particular obssession and may hold encyclopedic knowledge with concerns to their particular interest.

Otaku itself is not limited to just anime or video games, you can have an otaku who is obssessed with tanks, for instance. The very nature of an otaku doesn't allow them much freedom when it comes to interacting with others, or really much else.

It's like...if I draw a comparison of a savant who is gifted with playing the piano, but their skills in other areas are highly dysfunctional, you can see what I'm trying to say here. Otaku are people who have a very highly specialised focus of interest to the detriment of everything else.

So I find it remarkably annoying when people with a mediocre level of interest in anime call themselves "otaku". I find it degrading to those who are actual true otaku.

>>42 I didn't have time when I posted that, but I just went through and read it. And thanks for posting that explanation. Much appreciated.

>>43 Yup; that definitely sounds like me. I use about 70% of my paycheck buying anime related stuff; I also watch anime everyday and keep up with brand new releases in Japan and begin to watch those too (I never miss any season of any anime unless I don't like it). I also keep track of new releases of figures (that I recently started collection) and always go to Akihabara to spend at least 25,000 Yen on that one day on figures and goods (every payday). Most of my life is involved with anime and I just love it so fucking much it's like im crazy. Though im pretty sure im not because I still socialize, and work for a living. I don't depend on anyone to help me with money or a house or anything; im completely independent. Im just saying that so people don't start saying I live in a basement or some shit like that; not all Otakus are pathetic.

>>1 Weeaboo: Someone who is obsessed with Japan/Japanese Culture/Anime, etc. and attempts to act as if they were Japanese, even though they're far from it. ---Urban Dictionary
So a weeaboo is pretty much a wanna-be Japanese person.

"In fact, people in western culture who consider themselves Otaku and think being an Otaku is a positive thing are just confused ^_^ They SHOULD refer to themselves as a -->weeaboo<-- or something with a less derogatory meaning lol."

I am an anime-lover, which is what most people in the US recognize as an otaku. A weeaboo is generally a negative thing to be, and I'm not sure what you think what it means, but most people who are "otakus" are definately not weeaboos. They are, in fact, far from it, because they don't have the WANT to be a Japanese person. (Going off of the definition above)
So, if they are only anime-lovers, (also known as "otakus" here)
why should they refer to themselves as weeaboos? To me, it sounds pretty stupid.

>>46 You'd be really surprised how often an American anime fan wants to just go to Japan, and live in Japan, and be Japanese. It's so fricking common..

>>46 You're missing part of the point. Otaku stands for an unhealthy obsession with something or other. The weeaboo comment was disputed later in the thread, but the main point is still there.

It's a gross misusage of the word.

>>46 I don't think he ever said an otaku and a weeaboo are the same thing. He was just saying that people that consider themselves otaku don't actually match the original meaning of the word and should maybe find another word for themselves. Probably not weeaboo since pretty much everybody takes that as an insult.

This whole thread is meant to clarify where otaku came from and what it means in its country of origin. And how people from the US and other countries have borrowed the word, but lost the meaning. Words often change like that from language to language, but you should be more careful with using it, or stop using it at all.

And honestly reffering to yourself with a japanese word that refers to a cultural japanese thing, is pretty indicative of at least a bit of Japanophilia if you ask me.

>>47 Of course, to be fair, there are a lotof people like me who want to visit Japan, but not live there. That might change if I visit Japan and just absolutely fall in love with it, but for I highly doubt that I'll like it enough to move out of the U.S.

>>49

>Probably not weeaboo since pretty much everybody takes that as an insult

... Pretty much everybody takes Otaku as an insult too, in japan. It's just a cultural insult difference.

"Otaku" came from the polite way of saying "Your house" in Japanese. From what I've read to me you all speak of the Otaku that looks like this おたく。As a term that someone (either the person themselves or by others) uses to define an obsession they have. Also...not all "Otaku" end up like the man in the picture at >>1 . Some end up like the man known as Train_Man if anyone has seen, read or even know of the story.

"Otaku" also became known as a bad thing in Japan when the man known as "The Otaku Murderer" or "Child Killer". He killed four young girls (grade school age) and the media used that term later after his arrest. Mainly because of all the anime and slasher films that were found upon his arrest at his household. Using that, the media fueled moral panic against "Otaku" saying that those two things fueled his becoming a murderer. He was found clinically insane with the multiple personalities disorder. His name became part of a self-claimed nickname for another man who killed a child but was not an "Otaku". It became a term used to describe pedophiles in Japan for a three to four decades and in present day Japan is used as their slang word of "Geek" or "Nerd".

However in America, the term "Otaku" has become known to those as a word describing anyone who likes Japanese anime, manga and to an extent video games. So, an American that calls themselves an "Otaku" may not actually know what they're calling themselves. Which, the word "Weaboo" is what R2D2 says all the time by the by! "Weaboo" is as insulting as "Otaku" since in America they mean the same thing basically. An American "Otaku" may want to go live in Japan therefore that makes them a "Weaboo" in which I'd like to see them go over there and see how many Japanese just stare because they're obviously not understanding something. I can say that about the rest of you. You say "Otaku" is a bad thing yet.... I didn't see anything about the history of the word itself and why it became a bad word. Since the other meaning to the world is no longer used. The Japanese consider themselves lazy and like to use shorter versions of another word. Some do say "Anata no iie (Your house)". Two different cultures does not mean the same meaning to every word.

I do like anime and at one point did use the term "I'm an Otaku" but never said "I'm proud of it." cause it was true I liked anime therefore that made me an "Otaku". People can grow out of it or take it to far like the picture in >>1. Yes I want to go to Japan as well but not for the reason that is considered "Cliche" and "Common Reason" for someone going. The food, culture, and even the history is really interesting to me. So would you also call a Hoarder an "Otaku" since they become obsessed with something if so then everyone who is a real life "Otaku" needs mental help.

>>46 Thanks for that... but did you read >>6?
It doesn't seem like it...
I made this thread nearly a year ago. ._.

>>53 .... Oh. o.o'' My bad... I feel like an idiot now. >~< Sorry!

>>54 Lol its alright...

It may be time to remake this thread in light of everyone calling me out on that...er...mistake.

>>55 Ah, I see.

>>52 You do make a good point, and the origin of the term is interesting, but this wasn't technically a post made to be a history lesson in the first place. It was to dispell the gross misusage of the term.

Once again, the main point is: Otaku carries negative connotations in Japan. Western culture adopted it without considering this. Hardly anybody who uses it realizes it's used as an insult, or a label of shame in the worst cases.

As Blue said very early in this thread, it's very similar to how "nerd" used to be considered a bad thing. It might have been saved from its negative connotation now, because honestly it was just a bigoted way of thinking bad then, but "otaku" carries negative connotations for good reasons.

The thought process was like,
>man gets arrested for killing children
>man is found to own lots of anime and other media
>media is blamed for influencing him
>"otaku" becomes a word for obsessors
>western world catches wind of it
>only hears the part about him being obsessed with anime
>adopts the word to mean "anime lover" for some reason

Logic dictates that it's kind of like everyone using the term is referring to themselves as one of the child murderer's own kind. But that's taking it to its logical, historical extreme.

I'm otaku. Of course I'm not proud of it though. I didn't have much chance to be one. I started this whole otaku things when I was three. Now it's too late to change. Grades are in the abyss, social life...well it's uprising...(isn't that just...odd?)...and I'm whiter than the...words I'm typing!!!

RAMEN!!! NOM NOM NOM! SSSSSOOOOO MUUUUCH RRAMEN!!!!

>>58 You can always fix it. In all honesty you wouldn't have had the brain capacity to be unhealthily obsessed with something like this from the age of 3, that's just an excuse to not change.

Rework your priorities, if you realize this. Saying you can't change just because you've been doing it a long time just means you're a lazy ass. Which is also fixable.

By not being a lazy ass.

>>59 :|

>>60 form now on i will refer to things like >>59 as "MGBT" syndrome. due to failure to read the post or make a relevant comment.

>>60
I know, but it's horribly difficult to do! Even at school when I don't have much tech I always have my nose in a book. I've tried doing the important things first, but I always end ed going half away and playing games. Often times I stop and think about manga ideas and being in an anime. Sure at age 3 I wasn't addicted, but I'm sixteen! That's thirteen years of addiction. I'm not the cold-turkey kind of guy! And I'm not lazy, I just can't stay focused on anything!I'm even going through therapy to help, but(as I figured) I'm getting worse..

need more word of the days from Mael.

>>64
I second this.

>>6 I completely agree.

Christ almighty Mael used to type like a weeaboo

I'm glad the sage button exists so I can express that thought without bumping this.

>>67 LOL　

>>67 I thought you were mummy boy for a second.

Never mind, you're good.

>>68 Get out.