well, I think it's fine that American's have taken the word and made it mean something slightly different, that seems to be alot of what anime-fandom is about. I mean, think about all the japanese words that have a new meaning. "Anime," for instance, is simply the japanese simpliflication of the english word "animation." It's a blanket term for all animation, from japan, america, or any where else. The same is true of "manga" which doesn't just apply to japanese comics in japan. Anime in America is a completely different culture, and we've claimed words for out own. I see no real problem with it, but it's always nice to be aware of what we're miss-using. Personally, I thought the true meaning of "otaku" was pretty much common knowledge, but I could be wrong...