What Is An Otaku?!

[Keenon Williams]

To you, what does it mean to be an otaku? I wanted to get people's opinions on this.

And no "miserable little pile of _____" answers please. That's too easy.

[Kimiski]

Whats an otaku to me?
To be an otaku you have to live and breath anime.
Like, make it part of your daily lives.

LOL definetly if you cant go one day without saying random japanese words and you dont intentionally do it.

[laurifer]

I'm not one, so I wouldn't know *shurgs*

However...in Japan it is a derogatory term (kinda like how we use geek or dork or whatever). Yeah some may wear the label more proudly than others but it is considered a derogatory term over there. My cousin and I had a discussion about it lol XD

[Kimiski]

I'm not one, so I wouldn't know *shurgs*

However...in Japan it is a derogatory term (kinda like how we use geek or dork or whatever). Yeah some may wear the label more proudly than others but it is considered a derogatory term over there. My cousin and I had a discussion about it lol XD

Hey people call me anime geek all the time and I just smile at them and say "better than you" or "yep" or something xD Insulting someone for something they love is... lol not an isult really.

[Keenon Williams]

Derogatory term? Huh, not to me. I embrace my Otakuness. I will openly admit I'm a geek. Have been a total Otaku ever since my introduction to video games.

Mmm... Mega Man 2... *drool*

[laurifer]

I'm not one, so I wouldn't know *shurgs*

However...in Japan it is a derogatory term (kinda like how we use geek or dork or whatever). Yeah some may wear the label more proudly than others but it is considered a derogatory term over there. My cousin and I had a discussion about it lol XD

Hey people call me anime geek all the time and I just smile at them and say "better than you" or "yep" or something xD Insulting someone for something they love is... lol not an isult really.

Well I'm not saying you have to be ashamed of it...just take a look at the Akihabara district in Japan...they're otaku and they're proud of it! So yeah even though it is a derogatory term, it doesn't mean you can still be proud for being one

[TomtheFanboy]

Otaku means house!

All anime fans are grumpy doctors who can do a very good American accent even if they are from another country!


Seriously though, otaku became the term for Japanese "super fans" because they would never leave their house. People who fancy themselves Japanese experts make a big deal about it being derogatory but it seriously doesn't matter at this point. Being a geek or a nerd used to be a really bad thing but now it's nothing. I means seriously, if it was that bad there wouldn't be a "Geek Squad" at Best Buy.

Nowadays it's all about empowerment and "taking it back" and in American circles it really has no strength as an insult because even if an American "superfan" understood the venom and implied insult, it's still a Japanese term and that is way cooler than any American insult.

[totemo_oishii]

To me, otaku is just "fan of anime".

[leashy]

Hmm to me an otaku is someone with an appetite for anime, manga, and other japanese items as well as culture.  Someone who actively seeks out new shows and things to interest them within that catagory as opposed to someone who would just casually watch a dubbed show on tv.

[dakrum]

Hmm to me an otaku is someone with an appetite for anime, manga, and other japanese items as well as culture.  Someone who actively seeks out new shows and things to interest them within that catagory as opposed to someone who would just casually watch a dubbed show on tv.

about the same exact thing that i think

[leashy]

about the same exact thing that i think

mwuuu.. Even if you have the same general idea of an otaku, at least add something of your own to the post ;-; stop biting off of my posts

[dakrum]

ok ok fine then.... what i think a otaku is, is some one who goes looking for anime or manga and doesn't just sit around waiting for it air on tv. who goes out and buys the anime or manga to watch it/read it when ever they want. or in some cases they cant wait for to even get licensed and watch fansubs (which i fall in to this category xD )

[Washougal_Otaku]

I see "Otaku" as meaning anyone who is into anime that does not include Pokemon, Yu-gi-Oh, or Dragon Ball Z.  (If you like them, you're not disqualified).

They must be into a wide variety of anime, not just one.

They have to have some understanding of Japanese culture & how it reflects in anime.

Cosplay is not mandatory, but it helps establish the status all the more.

Being able to speak Japanese is not mandatory, but it makes you cooler, even to those who don't like anime.

Finally, you have to be able to convince an anti-anime person that there is more to the artform than Pokemon and porn.