We hear many words in anime series and manga
that we do not know about.
Especially for people who are new to this
world.
A word we hear again and again
is "otaku".
Today I will tell you about the history and
meaning of the word
"otaku".
We will talk about the meaning, origin, and
usage of the word "otaku".
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Otaku is a Japanese term for people with consuming
interests, particularly in anime
and manga.
Its contemporary use originated with Akio
Nakamori's 1983 essay in
Manga Burikko.
Otaku may be used as a pejorative; its negativity
stems from a
stereotypical view of otaku and the media's
reporting on Tsutomu Miyazaki, "The
Otaku Murderer", in 1989.
According to studies published in 2013, the
term has
become less negative, and an increasing number
of people now identify themselves
as otaku, both in Japan and elsewhere.
Otaku subculture is a central theme of
various anime and manga works, documentaries,
and academic research.
The
subculture began in the 1980s as changing
social mentalities and the nurturing of
otaku traits by Japanese schools combined
with the resignation of such individuals
to become social outcasts.
The subculture's birth coincided with the
anime boom,
after the release of works such as Mobile
Suit Gundam before it branched into
Comic Market.
The otaku subculture continued to grow with
the expansion of the
internet and media, as more anime, video games,
shows, and comics were created.
The definition of otaku subsequently became
more complex, and numerous
classifications of otaku emerged.
In 2005, the Nomura Research Institute divided
otaku into twelve groups and estimated the
size and market impact of each of these
groups.
Other institutions have split it further or
focus on a single otaku interest.
These publications classify distinct groups
including anime, manga, camera,
automobile, idol, and electronics otaku.
In 2005, the economic impact of otaku was
estimated to be as high as ¥2 trillion ($18
billion).
When we talk about the main origin of the
word, Otaku is derived from a Japanese
term for another person's house or family.
This word is often used metaphorically,
as an honorific second-person pronoun.
In this usage, its literal translation is
"you".
For example, early in the anime Macross, first
aired in 1982, the characters Hikaru
Ichijyo and Lynn Minmay use the term this
way to address one another until they
get to know each other better.
The modern slang form, which is distinguished
from
the older usage by being written only in hiragana,
katakana, or rarely in rōmaji,
first appeared in public discourse in the
1980s, through the work of humorist and
essayist Akio Nakamori.
His 1983 series Research for "Otaku" ("Otaku"
no
Kenkyū), printed in the lolicon magazine
Manga Burikko, applied the term to
unpleasant fans in caricature.
Animators Haruhiko Mikimoto and Shōji Kawamori
had used the term between themselves as an
honorific second-person pronoun
since the late 1970s.
Supposedly, some fans used it past the point
in their
relationships where others would have moved
on to a less formal style.
Because
this misuse indicated social awkwardness,
Nakamori chose the word itself to label
the fans.
Morikawa Kaichirō, an author and lecturer
at Meiji University, identified
this as the origin of its contemporary usage.
Another claim for the origin of the term comes
from the works of science fiction
author Motoko Arai, who used the word in her
novels as a second-person pronoun
and the readers adopted the term for themselves.
However, different claim points
to a 1981 Variety magazine essay.
In 1989, the case of Tsutomu Miyazaki, "The
Otaku Murderer", brought the fandom, very
negatively, to national attention.
Miyazaki, who randomly chose and murdered
four girls, had a collection of 5,763
videotapes, some containing anime and slasher
films that were found interspersed
with videos and pictures of his victims.
Later that year, the contemporary
knowledge magazine Bessatsu Takarajima dedicated
its 104th issue to the topic of
otaku.
It was called Otaku no Hon (lit.
The Book of Otaku) and delved into the
subculture of otaku with 19 articles by otaku
insiders, among them Akio
Nakamori.
This publication has been claimed by scholar
Rudyard Pesimo to have
popularized the term.
In modern Japanese slang, the term otaku is
mostly equivalent to "geek" or "nerd"
(both in the broad sense; a technological
geek would be gijutsu otaku and an
academic nerd would be bunkakei otaku or gariben,
but in a more derogatory
manner than used in the West.
However, it can relate to any fan of any particular
theme, topic, hobby, or form of entertainment.
"When these people are referred to
as otaku, they are judged for their behaviors
- and people suddenly see an otaku as
a person unable to relate to reality."
The word entered English as a loanword from
the Japanese language.
It is typically used to refer to a fan of
anime/manga but can
also refer to Japanese video games or Japanese
culture in general.
The American
magazine Otaku USA popularizes and covers
these aspects.
The usage of the word
is a source of contention among some fans,
owing to its negative connotations and
stereotyping of the fandom.
Widespread English exposure to the term came
in
1988 with the release of Gunbuster, which
refers to anime fans as otaku.
Gunbuster
was released officially in English in March
1990.
The term's usage spread
throughout rec.arts.anime with discussions
about Otaku no Video's portrayal of
otaku before its 1994 English release.
Positive and negative aspects, including the
pejorative usage, were intermixed.
The term was also popularized by William
Gibson's 1996 novel Idoru, which references
otaku.
When we talk about classification and types
of the word otaku, The Nomura
Research Institute (NRI) has made two major
studies into otaku, the first in 2004
and a revised study with a more specific definition
in 2005.
The 2005 study defines
twelve major fields of otaku interests.
Of these groups, manga (Japanese comics)
was the largest, with 350,000 individuals
and an ¥83 billion market scale.
Idol
otaku was the next largest group, with 280,000
individuals and ¥61 billion.
Travel
otaku with 250,000 individuals and ¥81 billion.
PC otaku with 190,000 individuals
and ¥36 billion.
Video game otaku with 160,000 individuals
and ¥21 billion.
Automobile otaku with 140,000 individuals
and ¥54 billion.
Animation (anime)
otaku with 110,000 individuals and ¥20 billion.
The remaining five categories
include Mobile IT equipment otaku, with 70,000
individuals and ¥8 billion; Audiovisual equipment
otaku, with 60,000 individuals and ¥12 billion;
camera otaku,
with 50,000 individuals and ¥18 billion;
fashion otaku, with 40,000 individuals and
¥13 billion; and railway otaku, with 20,000
individuals and ¥4 billion.
These
values were partially released with a much
higher estimation in 2004, but this
definition focused on consumerism and not
the "unique psychological
characteristics" of otaku used in the 2005
study.
NRI's 2005 study also put forth five archetypes
of otaku.
The first is the familyoriented otaku, who
has broad interests and is more mature than
other otaku; their
object of interest is secretive and they are
"closet otaku".
The second is the serious
"leaving my own mark on the world" otaku,
with interests in mechanical or
business personality fields.
The third type is the "media-sensitive multiple
interest"
otaku, whose diverse interests are shared
with others.
The fourth type is the
"outgoing and assertive otaku", who gain recognition
by promoting their hobby.
The last is the "fan magazine-obsessed otaku",
which is predominately female with
a small group of males being the "moe type";
the secret hobby is focused on the
production or interest in fan works.
The Hamagin Research Institute found that
moe-related content was worth ¥88.8 billion
($807 million) in 2005, and one
analyst estimated the market could be as much
as ¥2 trillion ($18 billion).
Japanbased Tokyo Otaku Mode, a place for news
relating to otaku, has been liked on
Facebook almost 10 million times.
Other classifications of otaku interests include
Vocaloid, cosplay, figures, and
professional wrestling 
as categorized by the Yano Research Institute.
Yano
Research reports and tracks market growth
and trends in sectors heavily influenced
by otaku consumerism.
In 2012, it noted around 30% of growth in
dating sim and
online gaming otaku, while Vocaloid, cosplay,
idols, and maid services grew by
10%, confirming its 2011 predictions.
When we talk about the media, Otaku often
participates in self-mocking through
the production or interest in humor directed
at their subculture.
Anime and manga
otaku are the subject of numerous self-critical
works, such as Otaku no Video,
which contains a live-interview mockumentary
that pokes fun at the otaku
subculture and includes Gainax's own staff
as the interviewees.
Other works depict
the otaku subculture less critically, such
as Genshiken and Comic Party.
A wellknown novel-come-manga-come-anime is
Welcome to the N.H.K., which focuses
on the subcultures popular with otaku and
highlights other social outcasts such as
the hikikomori and NEETs.
Works that focus on an otaku character include
WataMote, the story of an unattractive and
unsociable otome game otaku who
exhibits delusions about her social status.
Watamote is a self-mocking insight that
follows the heroine's delusion and attempts
to reform herself only by facing reality
with comedic results on the path to popularity.
An American documentary, Otaku
Unite!
Focuses on the American side of the otaku
culture.
That is all for today folks!
What do you know about the word “otaku”,
tell us in the comment section?
