The Akihabara neighborhood of Tokyo, a popular gathering site for otaku

Otaku (おたく / オタク^?) is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.

Etymology[link]

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Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family (お宅, otaku), which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun. The modern slang form, which is distinguished from the older usage by being written only in hiragana (おたく) or katakana (オタク or, less frequently, ヲタク), or rarely in rōmaji, appeared in the 1980s. In the anime Macross, first aired in 1982, the term was used by Lynn Minmay as an honorific term.^[1][2] It appears to have been coined by the humorist and essayist Akio Nakamori in his 1983 series An Investigation of "Otaku" (『おたく』の研究, "Otaku" no Kenkyū^?), printed in the lolicon magazine Manga Burikko. Animators like Haruhiko Mikimoto and Shōji Kawamori used the term among themselves as an honorific second-person pronoun since the late 1970s.^[2]

Another source for the term comes from the works of science fiction author Motoko Arai. In his book Wrong about Japan, Peter Carey interviews the novelist, artist and Gundam chronicler Yuka Minakawa. She reveals that Arai used the word in her novels as a second-person pronoun, and the readers adopted the term for themselves.

In Japan[link]

In modern Japanese slang, the term otaku is most often equivalent to "geek".^[3] However, it can relate to a fan of any particular theme, topic, hobby or any form of entertainment.^[4]

The former Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso also claimed himself to be an otaku, using this subculture to promote Japan in foreign affairs.^[5]

On the matter, in recent years "idol otaku" are naming themselves simply as Wota (ヲタ^?) as a way to differentiate from traditional otaku. The word was derived by dropping the last mora, leaving ota (オタ^?) and then replacing o (オ^?) with the identically sounding character wo (ヲ^?), leaving the pronunciation unchanged.^[6]

The otaku term can be applied for both males and females. Reki-jo are female otaku interested in Japanese history.

In English[link]

The term is a loanword from the Japanese language. In English, it is usually used to refer to an obsessive fan of anime/manga and/or Japanese culture generally, and to a lesser extent Japanese video games. It is sometimes used without the Japanese association with "geek" and "otaku" being exchangeable, indicating a person who is intelligent and obsessive about a subject, but not necessarily to the point of social ineptness.^[7]

The term serves as a label similar to Trekkie or fanboy. However, use of the label can be a source of contention among some anime fans, particularly those who are aware of the negative connotations the term has in Japan. Unpleasant stereotypes about otaku prevail in worldwide fan communities, and some anime fans express concern about the effect these more extreme fans can have on the reputation of their hobby (not unlike sentiments in the comic book and science fiction fandoms).^[8]

The term was popularized by William Gibson's 1996 novel Idoru, which has several references to otaku.

Negativity[link]

In Japan there has been some negativity towards otaku and otaku culture. Tsutomu Miyazaki became known as "The Otaku Murderer" in 1989. His bizarre murders fueled a moral panic against otaku.

In 2004, Kaoru Kobayashi kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered a seven-year-old first-grade student. Japanese journalist Akihiro Ōtani suspected that Kobayashi's crime was committed by a member of the figure moe zoku even before his arrest.^[10]

Although Kobayashi was not an otaku, the degree of social hostility against otaku seemed to increase for a while, as suggested by increased targeting of otaku by law enforcement as possible suspects for sex crimes, and by calls from persons in local governments for stricter laws controlling the depiction of eroticism in materials which cater to some otaku (e.g. erotic manga and erotic videogames).^[11] Nobuto Hosaka criticised a lot of the hype.^[11]

Otakon[link]

"Otakon" (short for "otaku convention") is a convention organized by Otakorp, Inc, a non-profit organization. Otakon is focused on anime, manga, East Asian culture, and its fandom. The second largest convention of this type in the US and the largest on the east coast, it began in State College, Pennsylvania, in 1994 and has been held in Baltimore, Maryland since 1999. Currently, the largest convention of its kind is Anime Expo which takes place in Los Angeles annually.^{[citation needed]}

Otakorp Inc. gave permission to Konami to use the name "Otacon" in any of their Metal Gear video game series.^[12] "Otacon" is the codename of character Hal Emmerich, a scientist and self-professed otaku.

See also[link]

	Anime and manga portal
	Japan portal
	Speculative fiction portal
	Video games portal

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Otaku

Look up otaku in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• "I'm alone, but not lonely" – an early article about Japanese otaku, December 1990
• The Politics of Otaku – a general commentary on the usage and meanings of "otaku" in Japan and internationally, September 2001
• An Introduction to the Otaku Movement (academic paper in English).
• Meet the Geek Elite, Wired Magazine, July 2006
• Michael Manfé – Otakismus (German)
• Kitabayashi, Ken (2004) The Otaku Group from a Business Perspective: Revaluation of Enthusiastic Customers Nomura Research Institute

Kiriko Takemura (竹村 キリコ, Takemura Kiriko^?, born January 29, 1993), better known as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ, Kyarī Pamyu Pamyu^?), is a model, blogger, and recording artist from the Harajuku district of Tokyo.^[2] Her official stage name is Caroline Charonplop Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃろらいんちゃろんぷろっぷきゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ, Kyarorain Charonpuroppu Kyarī Pamyu Pamyu^?).^[3] Kyary's debut album, Pamyu Pamyu Revolution, was released in May of 2012, topping charts internationally.

Career[link]

Kyary started as a fashion blogger, and then began her professional career as a model for Harajuku fashion magazines such as Kera! and Zipper.^[4] After achieving a measure of fame, she began to establish herself as a businesswoman by launching a line of fake eyelashes called "Harajuku Doll Eyelashes by Eyemazing x Kyary"^[5] and appearing at fashion shows.^[6]

In April 2011, she frontlined the charity event "One Snap for Love" with Japanese fashion editor and photographer Yasumasa Yonehara and Japanese brand 6%DokiDoki for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.^[7]

In July 2011, she began a musical career by releasing her first single, "PonPonPon". The music video, a psychedelic tribute to kawaisa and Decora culture, was released to YouTube and became a viral hit.^[8][9] The single was produced by Yasutaka Nakata and is the first release from Kyary's debut mini-album, Moshi Moshi Harajuku, which was released August 17, 2011.^[10] "PonPonPon" was released on July 20, 2011. On July 31, 2011, the song entered Billboard Japan's Hot 100 chart at 72.^[11]

On August 3, 2011, her second single "Jelly" was internationally released via iTunes.^[12] A week after the release of her debut mini-album, Kyary released an autobiography about her rise to fame titled, Oh! My God!! Harajuku Girl.^[13][14]

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's third single and music video, "Tsukema Tsukeru", was digitally released internationally on December 7, 2011 via iTunes. Kyary visited Culver City, California on December 9 to perform in a fashion show and play two of her songs. It was the singer's first time performing overseas and her first time performing "Tsukema Tsukeru".^[15] Her first physical single titled "Tsukema Tsukeru" was released on January 11, 2012, which included a special edition photobook.

Kyary released her second physical single "Candy Candy" on April 4, 2012. Along with the announcement of her second single, it was revealed that she will be holding her first nationwide tour in June, as well as launching an official fan club in spring.^[16] The tour will kick off on June 2 at the Namba Hatch in Osaka. It will continue in Hiroshima, Nagoya, Sendai, Sapporo, Fukuoka and then finish in Tokyo on June 29.

Discography[link]

References[link]