CHAPTER
2
DISCUSSION
What are the cause and
effects of Otaku Culture?
I.
Origin
of Otaku
As life started with the creation of the world, the term
‘Otaku’ came from various theories; the first theory states that ‘Otaku’
originated from the social networks and trading that Otakus engage in without
maintaining their relationship with the people they transact with. Second,
another hypothesis states that ‘Otaku’ refers to the fact that Otakus rarely
leave their homes, since the latter literally means “your home” as well as
“you”, this became the basis of the stereotype that Otaku are antisocial and isolated
from the world. Last but not the least, the third theory states that the term
began with the creators of Macross, Shoji Kawamori and Haruhiko Mikimoto,
instead of using “anata” (you) they used the polite term “otaku” which led to
the other members of their studio to use it to refer to the said creators and
to fans of anime, manga and other fandoms. (http://www.cjas.org/~leng/otaku-origin.htm)
All three theories
point out to a specific significance to the term; the first points out to a
sociological cause, the second states a negative outlook that leads to the
stereotyping of the culture and the third states a historic significance to the
term and the culture.
II.
Cause
of Being an Otaku
A. How it Started and the Reasons for
Addiction
Anime
is a style of animation in Japan that caused an uproar to tens to millions of
people internationally. The style is distinguished by the characters expressive
big-eyes, colorful and gravity defying hair, a display of overly exaggerated
emotions and more. Currently, Anime Addiction has captured of many, especially
students and the subject of this research, the Otakus. There are many reasons
to why Anime and other obsessions lead to the addiction of its viewers. In the
case of Anime enthusiasts, Anime itself is the greatest reason to their
addiction; Anime is a trend that any Otaku can relate to. Second, Anime has a
very good storyline that makes the audience hooked and anticipating for the
next episode. Another is good graphics and animation that tickles the eye of
the viewer. Next is peer pressure, when one of your acquaintances watches
anime, it will surely influence you, sooner or later. Lastly, Anime relieves
people of their boredom. Anime with its overly imaginative nature causes its
viewers to be relieved of their stress and boredom, opening their minds to a
world of creative thinking. Generally,
addiction starts on how a perspective object, in this case Anime, Manga,
Cosplay etc. catches the eye of its spectators. No matter how beautiful or amazing
the subject is, if the audience itself isn’t amazed or interested, there is
nothing to offer. (http://knightsjun.blogspot.com/2012/01/anime-addiction-its-causes-and-effects.html)
III. Effects of Being an Otaku
A. Positive Effects
Social Interaction
Otakus are victims of a stereotype that
cats them as loners and being antisocial. When Otakus became interested in
anime, they shared a common connection with other Otakus. Once they are
accepted by other Otakus they overcome their shyness and start making friends
of their own. Otakus who partake in conventions or join online communities open
up more to others. Thus contradicting the bias that Otakus are Hikikomoris
(shut-ins or loners) this is not essentially true because as Otakus get to know
each other, they are welcomed to other types of societies that understand their
addiction and the pain they go through to be accepted by others.
Art
Many
Otakus who take interest in anime also take interest in art. This happens when
avid anime enthusiasts realize that they want to create their own stories and
characters. Society may think that these students are too hung up on drawing
big-eyed, anime characters but nevertheless this will be the starting line to
introducing these people to take up other forms of art. Anime art is something
worth imitating; it opens up the doors to the students’ creative minds. An
example would be the works of Hayao Miyazaki, a lot of animators strive to
recreate the smooth flow of animation that he makes, and they look to anime as
a new way to approach their works.
Japanese Language and Culture
Anime
comes with a Japanese audio and culture. Otakus naturally pick up or take
interest in learning Japan's native language: Nihonggo. Otakus who pursue
careers in Japan say that their love of anime was their drive to study the
language.
B. Negative Effects
Discrimination
The
world is not free of discrimination, everyone is entitled to their own opinions
but nonetheless, some people just take it too far. Otakus are often bullied
because of the mindset of others that being an Otaku means they are too
childish or Otakus are often linked to the Otaku serial killer, Tsutomu
Miyazaki. Miyazaki, presumed to be an Otaku for the various torture videos and
sexual reading materials found in his apartment after the incident, kidnapped,
tortured and killed 4 little girls. After this event, Otaku's were ostracized,
believing that they were the same as Miyazaki, the mainstream usage of
"Otaku" as someone who loves their alleged hobbies became a word
loathed and feared by a lot of people. Hypothesizing that since one Otaku
committed a crime, all Otakus are now criminally inclined. Considering how
Otakus are now co-opted by the media and mainstream society as the black sheep
of society, one might think that anime and manga lovers should just give up the
term and change to something better. It’s not easy and Otakus won’t stand for
it. But the problem still remains, calling yourself an “Otaku” and disdainfully
thinking that you are a sociopathic freak just because you like an anime is a
sad fate. Generally, Otakus are not bad; they are just a group of people,
showing their passion for the things that they love. It just takes a mature and
accepting person to understand what an Otaku really is.
Violence
By
definition, Action is by far one of the most common genres out there and the
name basically explains it all. On the other hand, Gore or Graphic violence is
the realistic depiction of serious physical injuries involving blood, flesh,
bone and internal organs. Does violence in Anime themes beget the audience to
do the same?
Little kids are the audience of cartoons,
on the other hand, Anime’s audience is generally a larger age group, scaling
from children to people to their 50’s or even older, thus many of its antics
are easily imitated. This leads to anime being ridiculed by
parents-specifically in America- and they basically rip off that all anime
genres are the same. This leads to the distinction of anime and western
cartoons. Against the light, visual-slapstick comedy that cartoons give
children, Anime is enormously different. But besides the fact that Japan offers
this type of violence, Japan doesn’t exhibit such offenses; Japan is known for
its low crime rate and peaceful society. This is to the fact that Japan has a
lack to bear arms in which we realize how easy it is to possess a gun in
America. In realization, we can conclude that Japan serializes such shows to
open the eyes of the children that whatever life throws at them, they
have to deal with it. While America continues to shelter their children to
false truths about the world, sugar coating facts to save them from the
suffering of knowing what reality is.
Sexual Influence
Hentai
is equals to Anime? This is a bias that non-Otakus associate with Anime, they
think that some or more accurately, all Anime shows are Hentai. Hentai is a
Sino-Japanese compound term widely used in modern Japanese to designate a
person, action or state that is considered queer or perverse, particularly in a
sexual sense. Unlike the English term 'queer', however, Hentai does not have
predominantly mean homosexual connotations but can be used to describe any
sexual acts or motivations other than what might be termed 'normal' sexual
relations. Examples are fetishes like sadism, masochism, Bakunyu (Bursting
breasts or big breast fetish), Incest, Lolicon and Shotacon.
There
are no words to how large the Hentai market is, this is supposedly because of
Japan's early start to sexual influences since the Meiji Era. But besides this
information, let's face the facts, Hentai is just a part of Anime, meaning not
all anime are to be perceived as Hentai. Even though a lot of anime are
subjected to sexual themes and innuendos, they are not to be taken seriously.
This might be a gimmick as to make the audience laugh or make them more
interested in the series. Anime is not a sexual outlet, the genre Hentai, is
just an expression in which the desires of the director/author comes alive. So
whenever someone tells you that they are interested in anime, think open
mindedly, Anime is not equals to watching Hentai.
IV. Survey
Number of respondents = 15
A. Survey Questions
1.
Do you have a problem being an Otaku?
|
Options
|
Number of
Respondents
|
Percentage
|
|
Yes
|
3
|
20%
|
|
No
|
12
|
80%
|
|
Total:
|
15
|
100%
|
2. How
do you express your passion as an Otaku?
|
Options
|
Number of
Respondents
|
Percentage
|
|
Anime/Manga
|
13
|
37%
|
|
Cosplay
|
4
|
11%
|
|
Games
|
6
|
17%
|
|
J-pop
Idols
|
3
|
9%
|
|
Collecting
Figures
|
4
|
11%
|
|
All
of the above
|
2
|
6%
|
|
Others
|
3
|
9%
|
|
Total:
|
35
|
100%
|
3.
What are the positive effects of being
an Otaku to you?
|
Options
|
Number of
Respondents
|
Percentage
|
|
Social
Interaction
|
3
|
14%
|
|
Art
|
5
|
23%
|
|
Knowledge
on Japanese Culture and Language
|
2
|
9%
|
|
All
of the above
|
9
|
40%
|
|
Others
|
3
|
14%
|
|
Total:
|
22
|
100%
|
4.
What are the negative effects?
|
Options
|
Number of
Respondents
|
Percentage
|
|
Discrimination
|
4
|
27%
|
|
Inclined
to Violence
|
2
|
13%
|
|
Addiction
to Sex
|
1
|
7%
|
|
All
of the above
|
0
|
0%
|
|
None
of the above
|
5
|
33%
|
|
Others
|
3
|
20%
|
|
Total:
|
15
|
100%
|
5. Do
you think that Otakus are being discriminated?
|
Options
|
Number of
Respondents
|
Percentage
|
|
Yes
|
10
|
67%
|
|
No
|
5
|
33%
|
|
Total:
|
15
|
100%
|
B. Survey Results
1. Do
you have a problem being an Otaku?
-
Survey shows that most Otakus the
researcher had interviewed say that they do not have any problems with being an
Otaku. Though there are some who had said ‘Yes’ to the question. The follow-up
question stated with the 1st question namely “If yes, state your
reason” states the motives of the 3 respondents. One respondent said that she
couldn’t afford the anime merchandises she wants because, apparently there are
a lot and the prices are not cheap. Next, another student wrote that she
doesn’t have time to watch all the anime shows that she wants and lastly, a
student wrote that he had social problem, specifically communicating with other
people outside of the Otaku society. This maybe the problem that is to be
associated with being an Otaku, many Otakus have realized that Anime is their
anti-drug, meaning it is a positive substitute to drugs and thus, it occupies
the time and financial reserves of the person who is addicted to it. Being an
Otaku may have its ups and downs but nevertheless as this survey shows, there
are less people who are affected by said problems.
2. How
do you express your passion as an Otaku?
-
As the survey illustrates, there is a
massive indication of passion towards the Anime/ Manga fanaticism. Games,
cosplay and collecting figures rank 2nd and 3rd
respectively. This shows that Anime/Manga really is the foundation of all Otaku
obsessions, for Anime/Manga is the epitome of a world where dreams come true.
There are no cosplayers who don’t know of anime characters, for these are their
guides and inspiration towards the perfect cosplay role. There are no gamers
who aren’t exposed to the brilliant animation and graphics that embody anime,
in addition, anime series are sometimes provided with their own games, in which
gamers and Otakus take pleasure in. Finally, figure collectors wouldn’t have
any figures to collect if there are no anime characters that complete the
figure-collecting mania. Whatever an Otaku does there is passion that only they
know.
3. What
are the positive effects of being an Otaku to you?
-
There are three main effects to being an
Otaku: Social Interaction, Art and knowledge on Japanese culture and language.
Survey shows that many Otakus benefit of all three effects, showing a
percentage of 40 in over all evaluation. Unbeknownst to the public eye, Otakus
are really socially competent. Whether you are fat, thin or have any flaws
whatsoever, Otakus don’t care, as long as you share something in common and you
understand each other, you are accepted within their circle. Many Otakus -as
proven by the researcher- pursue the field of arts. With creating good anime in
mind, they are inspired to do creative tasks from scratch. Some Otakus are
gifted with the artistic ability but some are not, fortunately with their
driving force they strive to finish what they have started. Lastly, knowledge
on Japanese culture and language gives an advantage to many Otakus. By just
watching tons of episodes, Otakus are exposed to the culture and language of
the hometown of anime, Japan. These
effects are evident to all Otakus; it just takes a keen eye and whole lot of
understanding to perpetrate the social barrier.
4. What
are the negative effects?
-
Survey proves that there are Otakus who
are not influence by the aforementioned negative effects. None of the above
gets a 33% rating and close second is discrimination with 27%. This confirms
that there is a discrimination within the anime society. 20% of the respondents
answered Others and stated that they had problem with time management, and
Anime basically interferes with their study. Inclined to Violence garners a 13%
rating while Addiction to Sex has a rating of 7% with only 1 respondent ticking
the said choice. Fortunately, no one answered All of the above, proving that
some Otakus albeit exhibiting some positive effects of being an Otaku, they can
control and limit themselves to their addiction.
5. Do
you think that Otakus are being discriminated?
-
Going straight to the survey results,
67% of the respondents agree that there is a discrimination of Otakus. As there
was a follow-up question, the respondents were able to share their experiences
with the researcher. Most of the reasons were that as Otakus they are being
accused of being childish, addicts, losers, weirdoes, freaks, nerds, good for
nothings and society thinks that Otakus just waste their time, money and effort
for something totally unworthy it. Another respondent said that people think
that being an Otaku is a psychological effect when in truth, being an Otaku is
just a normal occurrence. Last but not least, a respondent shared an event that
gives a casualty to all Otakus. Last January 26,2013, there was an anime
convention namely Otaku Expo when a sudden robbery at a pawnshop stirred the
mall customers to a panic. Apparently as there was a cosplay convention going
on, mall security wasn’t able to pick out the perpetrators. This was a big deal
to Otakus as the first report implied that they were wearing costumes when in
fact they were just wearing matching white polo shirts. Irresponsible social
mediums linked the incident to Otakus when in fact, the Otakus were the ones to
quall the panic that was evident to the mall customers. Otakus are not the
enemy, they are friends. Society just has to accept that Otakus are people too,
they just have a hobby that goes beyond the border but not necessarily to the
point that it conquers their lifetsyles.
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