Whats What; Things about Otaku and my blog

   Let’s begin by saying that anime and manga have always been apart of my life. It wasn’t until only a few years ago that my brother and I were introduced to the world of Otaku.

Now let me explain what being in the Otaku world means. The word Otaku actually has two meanings.  The first definition, which originated in Japan, simply means “shut-in.”  It’s believed in Japan, that anyone who is described as an Otaku is a very lazy person, who spends most of their time playing video games, watching anime, or reading manga. The American definition strictly defines otaku as a person who reads manga, watches anime, or loves Japanese based video games. In most countries, the American definition is more frequently looked upon to describe an Otaku.  Many people question why that is, especially because the word Otaku did not originate from the United States.  The simple answer to that question is that most people use it as a different form of the word “nerd.”  Just like music, there are actually many different genres of being a “nerd.” You have your “comic” nerds, “sci-fi” nerds, “video game” nerds, and Otaku. To be classified into one of these categories does not exclude you from any of the others; it just simply means you’re into one of those categories more than the others. To me being an Otaku is one of the most interesting things that you can be. Even though the American definition of the word for Otaku is used, many people still have the thought that Otaku’s are people who smell bad, are overweight, live in their parents basement, and are not social at all.  This is actually a falsified stereotype, as many Otaku’s actually live by themselves, have relationships, well paying jobs, and take showers. Most Otakus actually hide the fact that they are Otakus, because they are afraid they’ll be categorized as one of “those” Otaku’s. Most Otakus don’t express themselves until they go to places called conventions, or “cons” for short.  Basically a con is a place where many people go to talk or hangout and meet people who are into the same thing as themselves. One nice thing about being an Otaku is that most other Otakus are very friendly.  Although each Otaku may have their individual favorite anime or manga, there are great conversations about the interests of other Otakus’ favorites.  This type of friendly dialogue, can, in most cases, turn into a really good friendship.

So, as you can see, there is so much more to anime and manga, than just watching and reading. There is an entire world of fans dedicated to these types of entertainment.

Now that I have your interest, come back, because, in the next few weeks, I will be going into more detailed explanation as to what anime and manga are, and the many different genres of them. I am doing this because I believe there are many people out there who would enjoy anime and manga, but don’t know what they are, and I want to help them understand.