Otaku Unite! 2012

*NOTE* While glancing over the my post be sure to check out the videos I attached. I found them quite humorous and I hope you do too.

The translation of Otaku literally means “your house” and it has become the name of a large and still growing subculture in Japan. It is a properly given name considering otaku are known for rarely leaving their homes if ever. In America we generally associate the word otaku with anime and manga or the people who are considered fans of one or both. In Japan however the term is used to describe a person who has an obsession with any form of entertainment, hobby, or topic. Anime and manga otaku are still the most generic in Japan but there are so many variations.

There has been a growing negativity towards otaku in Japan in the recent years. Between the years of 1988 and 1989, Tsutomu Miyazaki (known for his quiet behavior), killed and raped four girls from the ages between four and seven. He would later be dubbed the “otaku murderer” for a large collection of anime and “slasher films” were found in his apartment. Because of the ”otaku murderer” a case concerning the slaying of another little girl 15 years later would pinned to otaku culture long before the actual murderer was caught. This murder was committed by Kaoru Kobayashi who was in fact, not an otaku. Both of these murders however would forever be associated with otaku but specifically a subgenre called “figure moe zoku” or rather “figure budding clan”. The word moe (budding) is now often associated with the growth and development of young girls and is used by otaku to describe something cute. Figure moe zoku are known for collecting small figurines of anime characters and are believed to have agalmatophilia (the sexual attraction towards statues, dolls, or figurines). Due to the fact that figurines are non-living and that in both cases sexual molestation happened after the victim was dead, figure moe zoku are all considered to be potential criminals. The connections between the murders and otaku were all generated and delivered by the media. However in Japan it would take only one murder for a subculture to be slapped with a negative connotation and due to the vile nature of the crimes it is easy to see why. But even with the murders put aside, it is understandable that otaku are viewed with a certain negativity because after all their obsessions are with things deemed “uncool” by the general public. Because of the negative association (apparently 30 year old man with an obsession of anime meant for 5 year old girls is frowned upon in today’s society) otaku lack social skills and confidence and usually seek a life of solitude. This kind of lifestyle has become even more preferable to otaku due to the recent development of the internet.

Any otaku can get his fix of anime, manga, and etc. through the internet. And about 70% do just that. Obviously, if they are collectors of certain items (which most are), they can have whatever it is delivered to their door through purchases on online stores. Since the recent development of social media on the internet (such as forums, blogs, and so forth) otaku now have less reasons to leave their rooms. Otaku are generally shy and submissive and therefore prefer online interactions because it does not require a face to face encounter not to mention otaku online are usually socializing with other otaku who share the same interest(s). The typical home for an otaku is usually a one room apartment with extensive shelving (to hold figures, models, manga, and etc.) a computer, a television, a bed adorned with anime themed sheets, walls covered in posters, and the floor is cluttered with game consoles and everything that did not fit onto the shelves. I was asked in class how otaku are able to afford everything if they refuse to leave their rooms. I believe I said that they mooch off their parents and it turns out that I wasn’t too far off. Some otaku still live with their parents and some can afford to keep up with their hobby and have a one room apartment by becoming a computer programmer which doesn’t require them to leave their rooms. Some even become competitive gamers, joining tournaments, and getting paid depending on how well they perform. So for these reasons an otaku hardly ever has to leave his room. Hikikomori (literally meaning “pulling inward” or “being confined”) is a Japanese term used to refer to social withdrawal which many otaku are considered to have. People who suffer from hikikomori stay in their rooms for up to six months or longer. Hikikomori, or generally the otaku obsession, cuts into their studies (since hikikomori is mostly associated with younger males) and therefore the typical otaku is not usually assumed to be smart. The Japanese Ministry of Health estimate there are 3,600,000 hikikomori living in Japan but due to their reclusive nature it is extremely hard to accurately estimate how many there actually are.

If ever an otaku was to venture out beyond the sanctity of his room, it would be to Akihabara. Akihabara is a shopping district in Tokyo known for selling electronics and anime goods and has become sort of a refuge of otaku. Maid cafes have become very popular in Akihabara due to the loyal following of Otaku. In maid cafes young women dressed in traditional maid attire serves their customers very expensive drinks and food. Otaku simply find this appealing due to the women, their dress, and the fact that they sometimes have to flirt with the customers. Otaku are known for being quite perverse, after all they lack any kind of romantic relationships in their lives and this usually leads otaku to become romantically and sexually interested in their favorite anime characters (who are over sexualized anyways) thus, an obsession is formed.

Unlike many subcultures that are almost always classified by their physical appearance, otaku lack a sense of fashion and therefore a very significant style. It is also hard to talk about the stereotypical image of an otaku since most otaku are hardly ever seen. However, I believe the stereotypical image of an otaku is that of glasses, a heavy coat, and with their shirt tucked in (pants well above their waist). I can’t so much about otaku fashion except for I am sure not all otaku wear glasses… and the origin of the rain coat/parka is an interesting story. The anorak (parka) was popular amongst youths in the UK for a brief period of time in the 1980’s. Eventually when it was deemed unpopular the only people who were still wearing them were, by the Japanese term, otaku. Rail fans (or train spotters) adorned the heavy coat for it was practical for their hobby and they did not care about their appearance. Therefore, the heavy coat was from then on associated with nerd and geek culture.

Despite the negativity that follows otaku, they have been presented extensively and quite positively through the media. Otaku in popular forms of media are almost always depicted as comical and most of the time too stupid to be anything other than innocent. A popular story concerning otaku is the story of “Densha Otoko (Train Man).” This is a very popular story for it is widely considered to be true. Densha Otoko first started out as a book but would later be turned into a film, TV series, manga, and would have several anime adaptations. It is a story of an otaku who stands up for a woman who was being harassed by a drunk man on the train. She admires his courage and they begin to date. As they are dating, the otaku creates a message board asking for help because he has no experience in dating a woman. Eventually this otaku is able to overcome his obsession, throwing away his collection, and the supposed belief is that he and the girl he is dating live happily ever after. This was a very popular story long before the book based on it was ever created. The supposed total of replies on this message board is around 30,000. The story is depicted through these various forms of media as romantic but also comedic. It is however a very inspiring story considering otaku usually have unhealthy obsessions and to overcome this is quite a tremendous feat.

A funny scene from the tv series:

Another funny scene from the tv series:

Another story worth mentioning is “Boys on the Run.” It is the story of a 29 year old otaku who is still leaving at home. He is not in the serious stages of hikikomori and is one of the few otaku who has a job that requires him to leave home (even though that job is working on computers). He is a socially awkward guy and also very sexually frustrated. He is quite obsessed with pornoprapghy and sex. However he meets a girl who takes a liking to him and he becomes very emotionally attached to this girl. He gives up his sexual desires in hopes to have a meaningful relationship with her. I don’t want to ruin the movie but due to certain events he and the girl split and he later adopts a mohawk (ode to “Taxi Driver”) and is forced to fight in her honor but to no avail. It is a very good film but is also very serious and touches on very sensitive topics. If you are a fan of off-the-wall foreign films I highly recommend you watch it. I attached a trailer below.

Trailer: BOYS ON THE RUN

As anime and manga became popular in the United States, naturally the term otaku did too. The term was often used in anime and manga and some (as I described in the previous paragraph) deal with the natural lives of otaku in normal society, void of all science fiction and fantasy elements. Otaku culture was naturally adopted as a successor to trekkies (star trek fans) her in America. Popular events for otaku to attend here in the U.S. are the annual anime conventions where fans can go dressed up as their favorite anime characters and socialize with other fans. The growing number of anime conventions and attendance continue to grow and some of the biggest conventions take place right here in PA. Many people who grew up on anime (starting with our generation) had no clue such shows like “Pokemon”, “Dragon Ball Z”, and “Power Rangers” were Japanese creations because of the localization process. As this generation grew older and more educated the popularity of anime became more popular along with other aspects of Japanese culture. Anime and manga inspires its fans to learn the Japanese language and to take classes involved in Japan area studies. I guess you could say I am an example of this.

Of course otaku are not bad people and shouldn’t be seen as though. I believe as older people die off and the more considerate younger generation takes their place, otaku will stop being looked down upon for their interests in things that aren’t necessarily popular (at least anime and manga and nothing too extreme).

I plan on adding more concerning other otaku characters in different forms of media. Also I might post more on anime conventions, just some basic information about the big name conventions and what kind of activities go on at these things.

Sources:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=otaku

http://www.japansociety.org/otaku_unmasked

http://www.japansociety.org/otaku_talk

ATTENTION CRITICS

Just want you to know I am running a little behind but I will have a post for you to comment on before the deadline is over.

Thank you

Strawberry Voice

"Strawberry Voice" is a piece of the artist, Mr. (one of the superflat artists apart of the Kaikai Kiki Co.). It is a pretty large piece and intitially i thought it was a tribute to or an adaptation of the baby dolls. One of the eyes being different than the other in this piece made me think of the old dolls that had the "closing eyelids" feature but now, being old and worn, one of the eyelids are broken. I also noticed the deliberate action to prevent symmetry in this piece. Such as the differences between the two eyes as well as the difference between the two pigtails. After looking at this photo further and finding other images on the web I realized that their is a lot more to this piece. "Strawberry Voice" is in fact a structure, having a room inside. AS you can see the room inside is extravagantly girly. Mizenko sensei had mentioned a scene from the film "Family Game" in which a girl had decorated her room so intensely that it had become a whole new realm that was better suited to her perceptions. In strawberry voice he plays with the idea of thought vs. reality. This girly/fictional reality that takes place only in a girls mind has now become quite real yet without leaving the confides of that girls head. Very cool piece.

The Castle of TinTin

I really liked this one out of all Murakami's works becuase the unique sense of movement that takes place in the image. Like many of his images it is a warped and distorted adaptation of the character DOB. In this photo there is an obvious sense of motion but it looks as though the movement is portrayed. That is the mass of twisted DOB faces is growing upwards. But I don't really agree with this. There is movement. The spiral of who knows what (does look similar to that of A Lonesome Cowboy) that surrounds the mass of faces suggests this. But it also gives me the sense that there is no growth and rather there was an initial ball or mass of these faces and is now being stretched and pulled upwards. Spiraling upwards as the white substance suggests. Like if you were to take dough and twist and stretch it in the same movement except the mass of faces is doing it consciously and on its own. It appears as if the mass is not only stretching upwards but forwards, into the audiences face. Murakami really depicts a twisted image he is really known for but now also in a literal sense.

Woodblock Print

Shoji Sanpo-in Kyoto
by: Kiyoshi Saito

Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997) is a famous print maker and one of the first Japanese print makers to be awarded for his work. Much of his earlier work depicts the populace with a great deal of realism and three-dimensionality. It is interesting that his more "mature" and famous pieces resort to two-dimensional designs of Architecture with a combination of Japanese tradition.

He shows this sense of tradition in the work above titled "Shoji Sanpo-in Kyoto". As the name implies, it is a depiction of the temple Sanpoin located in the hills of Kyoto. The temple was destroyed in a fire but in 1598, one of Japan's key historical figures, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, sought its reconstruction. The temple now houses important paintings and a garden supposedly designed by Hideyoshi himself.

The above work is so reduced from three-dimensional that it relies mostly on geometrical shapes. The flatness of this image provides a modern abstractness that really allows its viewers to interpret it in numerous ways. This is a level of openness not found in more realistic three-dimensional images. Like other two-dimensional prints it is incapable of presenting depth. However, the illusion of depth is presented by the combination of smaller shapes put side by side. This is seen between the relation of walls in the "background" (term used loosely). The walls vary in the length creating the illusion of one is set further back than the other (depth). An interesting feature of this print is that what appears to be a rock garden that is depicted through the use of a heavy wood grain that Kiyoshi Saito left on the print.

Ukiyo-e

"Lady and Her Attendant Reading, Blossoming Tree"
by: Utagawa Kuniyoshi

First of all, this print is in pretty bad shape. The entire print is has become discolored with a heavy brown tint and appears to have stains in several places. It has severely crumpled and torn edges. The condition it is in now suggests it was handled extensively; probably bought for someone’s collection. The lines in the print vary in thickness but they remain relatively sharp. You can tell by how sharp the lines get by looking at the hairlines of the ladies in the photo. The colors have faded a great deal but Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s skill is still evident in this print. The patterns on the clothes of the women are incredible, especially in comparison to the women’s unimaginative faces. It is hard to tell in the image but in the background you can make out what looks to be a gust of wind. This effect looks to be an element of texture rather than paint or ink.

This print is fairly hard to analyze without knowing the narrative. The blooming cherry blossoms in the background add a lot of appeal to the print. They also suggest warmer weather. It is a simple image. At first glance it appears to be just a woman, possibly a servant reading to another woman. These two women, besides their dress, are completely identical. I believed that the image showed a focus on these two women. The women and their attire remind me of “The Tale of Genji” and the extravagant court life found within its pages. However, the standing woman’s outstretched arm was quite peculiar. Without knowing the narrative I focused a lot on the posture of the two women and what it could suggest. The standing women appeared, to me, as a religious figure. Her open hand hovering above the head of the woman kneeling before her suggests that she is possibly blessing the other. This interpretation I have of the image is shattered by the posture of the other woman. She is not even on one knee. She is still on her feet with her knees bent. Even though I am not able to interpret this image further without knowing the narrative, I am still sensing something from the woman’s outstretched arm and open hand. It looks as if she is reaching for something… or someone?

This print is actually an illustration of a poem by Fujiwara no Michimasu. His poem is titled "Now that my love must die" and is number 63 in the Hyakunin Isshu (a collection of a 100 Japanese poems).

“Now that my love must die” by: Fujiwaru no Michimasu

Now that

My love must die

I just wish

I could tell you

Without a messenger

It turns out that the poet was seeing a princess in secret. The Princess was in charge of a shrine. Because of her relation with the shrine, she was supposed to be celibate. This obviously angered the Emperor a great deal when he found out and as punishment she was put under the surveillance of female guardians and was no longer able to see the poet. The poet wrote to the princess stating that he accepts the Emperor’s decision but he wishes he could express his feelings in person.

The narrative really puts the print into perspective. It explains the outstretched hand that I was trying to analyze. It also makes me believe that the focus of the print is not the women (and their blank faces) but rather the hand. She is reaching towards the words of her lover or more frankly her lover, this time in the medium of one of her female guardians. It is pretty peculiar how Utagawa Kuniyoshi is able to present these emotions through the gesture of a single hand.

Kajima Seizaburo Ainu 1895

I searched the interweb and sadly but obvious, there is no information on the photographer Kajima Seizaburo. Above is a photo of his depicting an older Ainu man. I think the first thing people of any nationality or cultural background (except Ainu of course) would find his attire peculiar. I am not really sure how to describe his “tunic” other than it would be comparable to wearing only shorts during this time. I am not sure if Japanese men would wear something similar to this unless maybe working outside? I am not sure. But I could imagine Japanese of this day referring to him as barbaric. More so that he is Ainu than his clothing. The Ainu man’s gaze is pretty cool. It seems to be a positive gaze. It looks that his eyes are closed (although I can’t tell because of the shading) but you can see that his brow is tense. Looks as though he is focusing on that pipe pretty hard.

A lot of times I hear the Ainu being compared to the Native American Indians and how their histories with invading cultures are pretty similar. So this image of an Ainu man sitting Indian style out in the wilderness (in his case it looks like a wasteland) smoking a pipe reminds me of an image of a native American sitting around a fire enjoying a peace pipe. However I am not sure if this pipe is any different from a Japanese one.

What is pretty cool is how cultural differences really play a part in this photo. A Japanese man or woman of this time would, most likely, would be shocked of his dress and his long grey beard (things that are different, scary) and would most likely view this man as being of at least a lesser nature than themselves An Ainu man or woman however would see this photo and in a calm voice say “Oh hey, its Cletus.”

Kajima Seizaburo Ainu 1895

I searched the interweb and sadly but obvious, there is no information on the photographer Kajima Seizaburo. Above is a photo of his depicting an older Ainu man. I think the first thing people of any nationality or cultural background (except Ainu of course) would find his attire peculiar. I am not really sure how to describe his “tunic” other than it would be comparable to wearing only shorts during this time. I am not sure if Japanese men would wear something similar to this unless maybe working outside? I am not sure. But I could imagine Japanese of this day referring to him as barbaric. More so that he is Ainu than his clothing. The Ainu man’s gaze is pretty cool. It seems to be a positive gaze. It looks that his eyes are closed (although I can’t tell because of the shading) but you can see that his brow is tense. Looks as though he is focusing on that pipe pretty hard.

A lot of times I hear the Ainu being compared to the Native American Indians and how their histories with invading cultures are pretty similar. So this image of an Ainu man sitting Indian style out in the wilderness (in his case it looks like a wasteland) smoking a pipe reminds me of an image of a native American sitting around a fire enjoying a peace pipe. However I am not sure if this pipe is any different from a Japanese one.

What is pretty cool is how cultural differences really play a part in this photo. A Japanese man or woman of this time would, most likely, would be shocked of his dress and his long grey beard (things that are different, scary) and would most likely view this man as being of at least a lesser nature than themselves An Ainu man or woman however would see this photo and in a calm voice say “Oh hey, its Cletus.”