When words change meaning they generally do not do so in a sudden fashion, but will instead take on new shades, which can overlap and occasionally conflict with earlier ones.Ī splendid example of this may be found in the history of one of the words that is nearly synonymous with otaku, which is the aforementioned geek. So is the use of otaku derogatory, or is it inoffensive? Both senses may exist simultaneously, depending on the speaker, the audience, and the intent in which it is used. Dana Lewis, The Los Angeles Times, 21 June 1992 "Otaku," as they are called, are obsessive fans who pour all their energy into obscure pursuits, whether collecting Barbie dolls or hacking computer networks.
Anime otaku story series#
The series also became fodder for the "otaku" boom. We first begin to see evidence of otaku used in English in the early 1990s, although it often seems that the word is being used in a non-naturalized fashion, in which the writer indicates through the use of quotation marks, italics, or explicative asides that the word belongs to a different language. Fumi Matsumoto, The Nikkei Weekly (Tokyo, Japan), 2 Jul. Otaku men seem more down-to-earth and earnest." She said she is not necessarily into anime and games but doesn't agree with the common characterization of otaku as being "creepy" or "nerdy." They're all bluster and don't listen to others. She said she has been to mixers, but "'carnivore' type men are always talking about themselves. Makoto Fukuda, The Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo, Japan), 19 Sept.
Anime otaku story full#
There are reporters, including myself, at each newspaper company who openly admit they are otaku, and present reports full of their otaku tastes in their papers. There is evidence, however, that the Japanese connotations of otaku are becoming less pejorative, at least based on English writing in Japanese publications in recent years.īut you also cannot say there is no media coverage favorable to otaku. In Japanese, otaku may function as a formal second person pronoun, and also has the meaning of “house.” When it added the meaning of “obsessive enthusiast” and began to be applied to the subcultures of anime, manga, and computer technology, the word had a strongly negative meaning in Japan. The plural form of otaku in English is generally the same as the singular, although otakus will sometimes be used. The word is used primarily as a noun (“an otaku”) in English, although it may also be found as an attributive noun (“an otaku man”). Otaku are often perceived as a group to be possessed of poor social skills, although, as with many other aspects of the word, this perception is shifting. It is similar in some fashion to earlier senses of geek and nerd (there is a perception that otaku are single-minded enough in their pursuits that they avoid leaving the house), although many people feel that it has a far more negative connotation. The word is borrowed directly from Japanese, and in English use tends to refer to a person who has hobby-related interests that might be regarded as obsessive, particularly in the fields of anime and manga. Some feel that 'otaku' carries the sense of “reclusive and potentially dangerous,” while others think it could mean “mostly harmless and quirky.” In truth, the word's meaning has shifted multiple times in recent memory.
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