Post 12: Otakus and Hikikomoris

 Have you ever heard of the word Hikikomori? Hikikomori which literally means "pulling inward" or "being confined" is a Japanese term for reclusive adolescents who withdraw or shut themselves from social life, resulting to extreme levels of isolation and confinement. These abnormal phenomenons now cause another misunderstanding for Otakus.

According to Lawrence Eng's The Current Status of "Otaku" and Japan's Latest Youth Crisis, Otakus and Hikikomoris are now being flocked together. You may think that there's no problem, after all, Hikikomoris are just social shut-ins or loners but no, Hikikomoris are not just limited to isolation, they often conduct grave acts of violence thus the crisis at hand.

Unlike Otakus, Hikikomoris are almost entirely free of positive connotations.The main point of controversy is not whether the kids are extremely drawn away from modern society -as Otakus already covered that basic part- but whether they are likely to commit acts of violence. This is also the reason to why Hikikomoris are stereotyped as  being modern-day killers.

People used to be afraid of Otakus and their obsession to anime, manga etc. because such behavior was literally unknown to them, therefore Otakus were labeled as a 'possible' cause for social problems, however when the time came that blaming Otakus for everything unproductive was becoming dull, more concrete problems have forced their way to the public eye. In time, Japanese have somehow understood the Otaku fanaticism. They are aware that their obsession doesn't entirely connote that they are inclined to antisocial and violent behaviors, and that maybe other social problems lead to the youth's psychological damage. In comparison to Hikikomori, otaku seem like well-adjusted members of society, if only slightly weird.


In a recent anime I have watched, namely Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojou (The Pet Girl of Sakurasou) one of the main characters is a hikikomori. Ryuunosuke Akasaka is a shut-in or hikikomori who rarely leaves his room. But despite the term, Ryunosuke does not partake in any violent acts, actually his being a shut-in is purely caused by trauma from the betrayal he received. Other animes like Chaos;Head and Welcome to the NHK, also present such characters but are different from the said character for their reasons are based on their own decisions.

Character design for Ryuunosuke Akasaka

In closer inspection,Hikikomoris and Otakus are different from each other. We Otakus are naturally friendly-despite society criticizing us as socially inept and unable to make friends- we spare no bounds to extend our hands to other otakus in need, wherever they maybe. We Otakus have an identity in the modern world in which Hikikomoris do not, that may be the reason as to why they commit their violent acts.

Actually, Otakus and Hikikomoris are quite the distant cousins. This is for the fact that a lot of Otakus whom are shunned abused by society are inclined to withdraw from society all together and be Hikikomoris. In my opinion, society should stop stereotyping Otakus and blaming anime and manga for creating sociopathic monsters, instead they should focus on the real problems amongst their youth that are completely resistant to simple solutions. Take a long look at how Otakus change the world and maybe you will learn the truth.