Commander Breetai said:
"Otaku?"
How about you save yourself time and tattoo "I am a weaboo; please shun me" on your forehead?
Legion IV said:
ThatOtakuGuy said:
I, like many of the lovely visitors of this site, am an avid fan of gaming/anime/zombies/sci-fi/everything else that is commonly associated with what people perceive as being "nerdy" (No one likes the N-Word).
About 20 minutes ago, I was watching Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. For those not in the know, Gankutsuou is the sci-fi adaptation of a 17th century French story of romance, revenge, phillosophy, justice, repentance, etc etc etc.
While in the middle of watching an action scene, my dad came up to the TV. I could see that he was struggling not to laugh, so I called him out on it. Denying it at first, he broke down and admitted that the show reminded him of a cartoon I had watched as a child called Liberty's Kids, about two teenagers witnessing the events of the American Revolution.
You may ask, "What do these two things have anything to do with each other?" The answer for my dad was, "They're both animated". I've bought several anime dvds, many maaaaannnnyyyy manga, and have a bleach and death note poster up in my room (Put up on the wall over my door so that no one will see it unless they are looking for it, my parent's condition for puting it up).
My question to the Escapisters (Escapees, Escapiters, etc ad infinitum) is this: How can I get my parents to accept the fact that I'm a "nerd" (here used to describe their point of view, as I hate that word with every fiber of my being) and stop making fun of my chosen mediums of entertainment (games, anime, etc)?
Oh also i forget to mention. Are you aware that otaku is actually an insult in japan? lol. Like no joke Nobody in japan would want to be called an otaku. I met a guy who came to my city from japan great guy name was Andy. When i brought up do you like anime are you an otaku? Jokingly cause by that time we are great friends. He said no he isint and that in japan the word otaku is actually used as an insult. They dont want to be called that. Being an otaku is actually worse then being a trekkie here apparently.
the term "otaku" is actually an insult in japanese and means "freak" not "anime freak".
::Sigh.:: Are people still on about that Otaku murderer guy? The word "Otaku" is still being used in Japan. Their former Prime Minister, Taro Aso, calls himself an Otaku. And there are many kinds of Otaku in Japan. Railfans, Military Geeks, the ones who collect dolls and figures..
What gave the word a bad rep was a serial killer called the Otaku murderer- back in 1989, this guy went around committing bizarre murders, and killed four little girls between the ages of four and seven. He became known as the Otaku murderer because a picture of his porn collection included Anime (which may have been added by a photographer seeking to sensationalize his collection). There was a backlash against people who were anime Otaku for a while, and some of the bad feeling occasionally persists, but it's not an insult in Japan the way it was, and there are lots of Otaku who don't see such a label as negative. On the other hand, there is a word that is much worse than "Otaku" in Japan. It's Hikikomori and means "those who withdraw", basically the type of people who stay at home and withdraw from the world. It's worse to be called a Hikikomori than an Otaku in Japan, and the Hikikomori also have a connection to crime.
In Japan, Otaku have been categorized as "A little strange, but good for the economy" since they spend lots of money on their obsessions.
TL;DR- Otaku isn't seen as being such an insult in Japanese society any more.