Paper boasting for the first time
(I like to think that my writing is really great, so I am gonna boast by posting it here)
Otaku’s Infiltrate American Society: A Deviant Subculture On the Rise
What is Otaku? I anticipate this question by many, and by all means intend to answer it in such a way that would portray myself in a favorable light. I consider myself to belong to the American Otaku ranks. I haven’t quite earned all my ‘badges’ if you will, but I am definitely on the path of Otakudom. There is no official club to join, no rules to follow. The only thing required of an Otaku is an extreme love for a hobby. Otaku is a loan word from Japan, and in the English language otaku is a specific variety of geek (characterized as overly obsessive fans) of anime, manga (Japanese comic books), and computer or videogames (particularly Japanese in origin). The number one hobby associated with the word otaku in America is a love for anime. We are a group of people, almost cult-like, who deviate from the norms of American society.
Now I feel the need to defend my beloved anime. Anime is a word derived from the Japanese truncation of the word animation. To the Japanese anime encompasses every animation under the sun. In America it is the short form of Japanimation, and any animation that was created in Japan deserves the title ‘anime’. The average American with no knowledge or understanding of Japanese culture falls victim to the pretense that Anime is violent pornography. This idea was also ingrained in me at a young age and I was deathly afraid to google “Sailor Moon” when the Internet became mainstream. I won’t lie – violent, pornographic animes do exist. I personally don’t know of many, and I think those shows are the Japanese equivalent to “Debbie does Dallas” or the latest “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” slasher flick found in any American video rental store. It is a misconception based on the misunderstanding of another culture.
Anime is not just for children. It is not just for adults. It’s for everyone. It all depends on the specific audience that a show is addressing. The same is true of any live action show in the US. A running joke among American Otakus is that the anime characters can be exploited easier without paying the voice actor as much as a live actor, resulting in an abundance of ‘cartoons’ for the cheaper labor. The American attitude of cartoons is that they are all geared towards children. Cartoons intended for adult audiences in America never really make it very big, an example being the movie “Cool World” which came out in 1992. If you’ve never heard of that movie then I have already proved my point. There was a time when “The Simpsons” was considered a taboo cartoon for children in America, I myself belonging to the scores of kids who were initially banned from watching it. “The Simpsons” was actually breaking ground for animation at the time; we are still in the process of learning cartoons are not for adults. “South Park” serves as recent example of this cartoon boundary testing, as does the Adult Swim lineup on Cartoon Network (when ‘adult only’ cartoons are played). Ironically the Adult Swim lineup also broadcasts quite a bit of anime. Anime has its first roots in Japan and simultaneously in America in the 1960’s, debuting with titles such as “Astro Boy”, or the well-known “Speed Racer”. Fans and historians would agree that Osamu Tezuka was the forefather of Japanese animation, mimicking his love for the Western styles of early Disney cartoons. It was Tezuka who would publish the first full-length comic novel in Japan, later to be known as manga. It was also the genius of Tezuka who was responsible for “Astro Boy”, and “Kimba the White Lion” (the inspiration for Disney’s Lion King). These were both released in America. Kimba the White Lion is arguably the beginning for the Japanese 'plot-driven’ form of anime; Kimba grows from a lion cub to the proverbial king of the jungle during the series. American cartoons are episodic, the plots stand-alone and it doesn’t matter if you miss an episode in-between. Tezuka also mimicked the big eyes of the flapper character Betty Boop, realizing that eyes were more instrumental in expressing feelings. The eyes are mistakenly explained as ‘proof’ that Asians are jealous of Western eyes. Big eyes are now a trademark characteristic of anime. Anime would have its ups and downs on the Japan home front and the international market for a few more decades, the occasional hit making its way into the American culture. During the 80s anime gained momentum in Japan. The real milestone for anime in the United States peeked during the 90s, when anime was finally accepted on an international level as a money market. Shows that were more episodic would be adopted first. Recent movies such as “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki, a man nicknamed the Walt Disney of Japan, are giving anime a better reputation in America.
Anime is still slowly trickling in from Japan; yet there is an explosion of it on the Internet. Downloading programs such as Bittorrent make it easier to share these files. Often times a show that was aired in Japan by the next day or within a week is circulating on the Internet with English subtitles (also in other European languages). This is all done for free by fans, for fans; the groups that are responsible for the subtitles are called fansubbers. Many of them have jobs and other priorities, but still find time to serve a growing community of anime lovers. This fansubbing is a response to the American ‘hacking’ of the original Japanese files, the outrageous DVD costs, and the slow rate at which an anime is licensed in America. There are legal technicalities involved that are still disputable at the moment, yet most groups cease to fansub once an American distributor has licensed the anime. Many deviant people such as myself prefer to watch these pirated versions because the subtitles are more accurate; another common reason is that nudity (which is found even in children’s anime) and scenes considered inappropriate by the American Christian morale (such as homosexual relationships) are not removed in fansubs. The Japanese have a different attitude to nudity in comparison to the Americans, public baths are commonplace in Japan, as the naked body is considered natural. A good fansub is known to add cultural notes to an episode, educating the spectator, and also refusing to translate certain words that fans are expected to know. Fansubs have actually served the unintentional purpose of helping distributors decide which animes to license. The distributor takes note of the popular animes among the fansubbing and downloading community, and then works a deal with the Japanese studios to bring it to a larger American audience.
In Japan Otakus are considered to be the most severe geeks. They are generally male, the type of geek that really never sees light other than the glow of a monitor, the types who are capable of heinous crimes due to lack of socialization. An American Otaku such as myself will always insist that American and Japanese Otaku are very different. The Japanese consider it an insult to be called Otaku; the Americans consider it a compliment. A Japanese Otaku goes beyond the extreme, stalks women, watches anime nonstop for more than 24hrs at a time, etc. An American Otaku is not limited to only male, and they usually pride themselves in their knowledge of Anime and Japanese culture. American Otaku that call themselves ‘hardcore’ actually take the time to understand a different culture, sometimes choose to learn the language, and refuse to watch anime that has been dubbed in an American voice. They often hoard many cds/dvds worth of pirated anime, and share it amongst their fellow otakus. In Japanese the word Otaku literally means ‘house’, and it became slang for a geek in the 80s. The origin of why this word was used is still uncertain. It received its new derogatory meaning in Japan after it was discovered that the then serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki had an expansive collection of over six thousand hentai (pornographic anime) and slasher movies. Miyazaki’s crimes involved murdering 4 pre-school aged girls and sexually abusing them post-mortem. His crimes fueled moral panic among the Japanese. I’m afraid that the same will someday happen in America, since the Columbine massacre sparked controversy over teenagers playing computer/videogames and the rock singer Marilyn Manson for his music.
My start in the world of anime was unconsciously at a younger age. During my Saturday morning or-whenever-I-could-sneak-cartoons-in lineup, shows such as Transformers were played. I didn’t know that some of my cartoons were from other countries. As a kid you didn’t really care that the French-created Smurfs were sexist because there was only one woman in their village, you just wanted to watch the cartoon! During High School I stumbled onto the popular franchise of Sailor Moon. I became addicted to the show because of its plot, the show kept moving forward and progressing. Sailor Moon was actually more episodic than most animes, hence it was adopted quicker by American audiences. I got the courage to look it up on the Internet and was exposed to a whole new world. I learned that whole episodes were cut, a gay relationship was glossed into a heterosexual one, and episodes with intense emotions and deaths were altered for American audiences. I desired to see anime in its original form. I discovered Otakus around me in school, borrowed their animes, and exposed myself to more. Eventually I would take a Japanese language class in High school and watch subtitled anime to force myself to learn quicker. When I tried to ‘grow up’ and leave this little hobby behind, I found that I couldn’t. I was so engrossed in the Japanese culture and the culture of anime that I could not sever my ties. Consequently my second major is Japanese Studies. I have taken the next steps in my obsession, I am going to attend the first ever animecon in Hawaii.
An animecon is another truncation, this time for the words Anime and Convention. As you might guess, this means a convention for lovers of anime. A common thing to do at an anime convention, aside from talking about or selling anime goods, is to dress up as your favorite character. This is called cosplay, a loan word from Japan for “costume” and “play”. Cosplay took the idea of dressing up a little bit further than the people who attend Trekkie (Star Trek fans) conventions in costume. The traditional Japanese cosplayers start at a younger age, generally teens cosplaying their favorite characters. There are actually cafes in Japan where the waitresses are dressed in cosplay costumes. At these cafes the most common cosplay costume is a maid outfit. In America I am aware of online communities devoted to cosplaying a variety of characters. Cosplayers sometimes take professional pictures and offer to sell their costume once they have decided to retire it. Animecons have become quite popular in countries besides Japan. Sometimes the biggest news in anime, such as the licensing of animes, is announced at animecons. An animecon is usually referred to by its official name, some of the biggest animecons in the United States are the Anime Expo, the Sakura Con, and the Otacon to name a few. Cons such as the Anime Expo have been around for over a decade. The Anime Expo counted 1,750 people among their first guests when it began in 1992, and 25,000 at the most recent con held in 2004.
This April 22nd thru 24th marks the date for the first ever animecon in Hawaii. It is going to be held on Oahu at the Ala Moana hotel. It is being called “KawaiiCon”, which translates into “Cute Con” or “Cute Convention”. The Asian Cultural Association (ACA), an excuse for an anime club started this year at UHH, is going to be attending. I am going to go alongside them and experience the first ever animecon in Hawaii, get my first taste of cosplaying (I’m currently making my costume), and meet more anime fans than I knew existed in the state of Hawaii. I am looking forward to it and don’t really know what to expect. I’ve had fun researching the history of my hobby and I am curious to see the future of Otakus in America. I predict that the deviant otaku community will continue to grow and that we will eventually see more anime on our local television stations.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
http://www.cjas.org/~leng/otaku-p.htm
http://www.stanford.edu/~dvliu/mainstream.htm
http://www.animeinfo.org/animeu/hist101-l1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_Miyazaki
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04343/423390.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fansubbing
http://epsilon3.georgetown.edu/~coventrm/asa2000/panel3/hashmi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0406/0625geek.html
http://www.anime-expo.org/2005profile.shtml
http://www.kawaii-kon.org/
Otaku’s Infiltrate American Society: A Deviant Subculture On the Rise
What is Otaku? I anticipate this question by many, and by all means intend to answer it in such a way that would portray myself in a favorable light. I consider myself to belong to the American Otaku ranks. I haven’t quite earned all my ‘badges’ if you will, but I am definitely on the path of Otakudom. There is no official club to join, no rules to follow. The only thing required of an Otaku is an extreme love for a hobby. Otaku is a loan word from Japan, and in the English language otaku is a specific variety of geek (characterized as overly obsessive fans) of anime, manga (Japanese comic books), and computer or videogames (particularly Japanese in origin). The number one hobby associated with the word otaku in America is a love for anime. We are a group of people, almost cult-like, who deviate from the norms of American society.
Now I feel the need to defend my beloved anime. Anime is a word derived from the Japanese truncation of the word animation. To the Japanese anime encompasses every animation under the sun. In America it is the short form of Japanimation, and any animation that was created in Japan deserves the title ‘anime’. The average American with no knowledge or understanding of Japanese culture falls victim to the pretense that Anime is violent pornography. This idea was also ingrained in me at a young age and I was deathly afraid to google “Sailor Moon” when the Internet became mainstream. I won’t lie – violent, pornographic animes do exist. I personally don’t know of many, and I think those shows are the Japanese equivalent to “Debbie does Dallas” or the latest “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” slasher flick found in any American video rental store. It is a misconception based on the misunderstanding of another culture.
Anime is not just for children. It is not just for adults. It’s for everyone. It all depends on the specific audience that a show is addressing. The same is true of any live action show in the US. A running joke among American Otakus is that the anime characters can be exploited easier without paying the voice actor as much as a live actor, resulting in an abundance of ‘cartoons’ for the cheaper labor. The American attitude of cartoons is that they are all geared towards children. Cartoons intended for adult audiences in America never really make it very big, an example being the movie “Cool World” which came out in 1992. If you’ve never heard of that movie then I have already proved my point. There was a time when “The Simpsons” was considered a taboo cartoon for children in America, I myself belonging to the scores of kids who were initially banned from watching it. “The Simpsons” was actually breaking ground for animation at the time; we are still in the process of learning cartoons are not for adults. “South Park” serves as recent example of this cartoon boundary testing, as does the Adult Swim lineup on Cartoon Network (when ‘adult only’ cartoons are played). Ironically the Adult Swim lineup also broadcasts quite a bit of anime. Anime has its first roots in Japan and simultaneously in America in the 1960’s, debuting with titles such as “Astro Boy”, or the well-known “Speed Racer”. Fans and historians would agree that Osamu Tezuka was the forefather of Japanese animation, mimicking his love for the Western styles of early Disney cartoons. It was Tezuka who would publish the first full-length comic novel in Japan, later to be known as manga. It was also the genius of Tezuka who was responsible for “Astro Boy”, and “Kimba the White Lion” (the inspiration for Disney’s Lion King). These were both released in America. Kimba the White Lion is arguably the beginning for the Japanese 'plot-driven’ form of anime; Kimba grows from a lion cub to the proverbial king of the jungle during the series. American cartoons are episodic, the plots stand-alone and it doesn’t matter if you miss an episode in-between. Tezuka also mimicked the big eyes of the flapper character Betty Boop, realizing that eyes were more instrumental in expressing feelings. The eyes are mistakenly explained as ‘proof’ that Asians are jealous of Western eyes. Big eyes are now a trademark characteristic of anime. Anime would have its ups and downs on the Japan home front and the international market for a few more decades, the occasional hit making its way into the American culture. During the 80s anime gained momentum in Japan. The real milestone for anime in the United States peeked during the 90s, when anime was finally accepted on an international level as a money market. Shows that were more episodic would be adopted first. Recent movies such as “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki, a man nicknamed the Walt Disney of Japan, are giving anime a better reputation in America.
Anime is still slowly trickling in from Japan; yet there is an explosion of it on the Internet. Downloading programs such as Bittorrent make it easier to share these files. Often times a show that was aired in Japan by the next day or within a week is circulating on the Internet with English subtitles (also in other European languages). This is all done for free by fans, for fans; the groups that are responsible for the subtitles are called fansubbers. Many of them have jobs and other priorities, but still find time to serve a growing community of anime lovers. This fansubbing is a response to the American ‘hacking’ of the original Japanese files, the outrageous DVD costs, and the slow rate at which an anime is licensed in America. There are legal technicalities involved that are still disputable at the moment, yet most groups cease to fansub once an American distributor has licensed the anime. Many deviant people such as myself prefer to watch these pirated versions because the subtitles are more accurate; another common reason is that nudity (which is found even in children’s anime) and scenes considered inappropriate by the American Christian morale (such as homosexual relationships) are not removed in fansubs. The Japanese have a different attitude to nudity in comparison to the Americans, public baths are commonplace in Japan, as the naked body is considered natural. A good fansub is known to add cultural notes to an episode, educating the spectator, and also refusing to translate certain words that fans are expected to know. Fansubs have actually served the unintentional purpose of helping distributors decide which animes to license. The distributor takes note of the popular animes among the fansubbing and downloading community, and then works a deal with the Japanese studios to bring it to a larger American audience.
In Japan Otakus are considered to be the most severe geeks. They are generally male, the type of geek that really never sees light other than the glow of a monitor, the types who are capable of heinous crimes due to lack of socialization. An American Otaku such as myself will always insist that American and Japanese Otaku are very different. The Japanese consider it an insult to be called Otaku; the Americans consider it a compliment. A Japanese Otaku goes beyond the extreme, stalks women, watches anime nonstop for more than 24hrs at a time, etc. An American Otaku is not limited to only male, and they usually pride themselves in their knowledge of Anime and Japanese culture. American Otaku that call themselves ‘hardcore’ actually take the time to understand a different culture, sometimes choose to learn the language, and refuse to watch anime that has been dubbed in an American voice. They often hoard many cds/dvds worth of pirated anime, and share it amongst their fellow otakus. In Japanese the word Otaku literally means ‘house’, and it became slang for a geek in the 80s. The origin of why this word was used is still uncertain. It received its new derogatory meaning in Japan after it was discovered that the then serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki had an expansive collection of over six thousand hentai (pornographic anime) and slasher movies. Miyazaki’s crimes involved murdering 4 pre-school aged girls and sexually abusing them post-mortem. His crimes fueled moral panic among the Japanese. I’m afraid that the same will someday happen in America, since the Columbine massacre sparked controversy over teenagers playing computer/videogames and the rock singer Marilyn Manson for his music.
My start in the world of anime was unconsciously at a younger age. During my Saturday morning or-whenever-I-could-sneak-cartoons-in lineup, shows such as Transformers were played. I didn’t know that some of my cartoons were from other countries. As a kid you didn’t really care that the French-created Smurfs were sexist because there was only one woman in their village, you just wanted to watch the cartoon! During High School I stumbled onto the popular franchise of Sailor Moon. I became addicted to the show because of its plot, the show kept moving forward and progressing. Sailor Moon was actually more episodic than most animes, hence it was adopted quicker by American audiences. I got the courage to look it up on the Internet and was exposed to a whole new world. I learned that whole episodes were cut, a gay relationship was glossed into a heterosexual one, and episodes with intense emotions and deaths were altered for American audiences. I desired to see anime in its original form. I discovered Otakus around me in school, borrowed their animes, and exposed myself to more. Eventually I would take a Japanese language class in High school and watch subtitled anime to force myself to learn quicker. When I tried to ‘grow up’ and leave this little hobby behind, I found that I couldn’t. I was so engrossed in the Japanese culture and the culture of anime that I could not sever my ties. Consequently my second major is Japanese Studies. I have taken the next steps in my obsession, I am going to attend the first ever animecon in Hawaii.
An animecon is another truncation, this time for the words Anime and Convention. As you might guess, this means a convention for lovers of anime. A common thing to do at an anime convention, aside from talking about or selling anime goods, is to dress up as your favorite character. This is called cosplay, a loan word from Japan for “costume” and “play”. Cosplay took the idea of dressing up a little bit further than the people who attend Trekkie (Star Trek fans) conventions in costume. The traditional Japanese cosplayers start at a younger age, generally teens cosplaying their favorite characters. There are actually cafes in Japan where the waitresses are dressed in cosplay costumes. At these cafes the most common cosplay costume is a maid outfit. In America I am aware of online communities devoted to cosplaying a variety of characters. Cosplayers sometimes take professional pictures and offer to sell their costume once they have decided to retire it. Animecons have become quite popular in countries besides Japan. Sometimes the biggest news in anime, such as the licensing of animes, is announced at animecons. An animecon is usually referred to by its official name, some of the biggest animecons in the United States are the Anime Expo, the Sakura Con, and the Otacon to name a few. Cons such as the Anime Expo have been around for over a decade. The Anime Expo counted 1,750 people among their first guests when it began in 1992, and 25,000 at the most recent con held in 2004.
This April 22nd thru 24th marks the date for the first ever animecon in Hawaii. It is going to be held on Oahu at the Ala Moana hotel. It is being called “KawaiiCon”, which translates into “Cute Con” or “Cute Convention”. The Asian Cultural Association (ACA), an excuse for an anime club started this year at UHH, is going to be attending. I am going to go alongside them and experience the first ever animecon in Hawaii, get my first taste of cosplaying (I’m currently making my costume), and meet more anime fans than I knew existed in the state of Hawaii. I am looking forward to it and don’t really know what to expect. I’ve had fun researching the history of my hobby and I am curious to see the future of Otakus in America. I predict that the deviant otaku community will continue to grow and that we will eventually see more anime on our local television stations.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
http://www.cjas.org/~leng/otaku-p.htm
http://www.stanford.edu/~dvliu/mainstream.htm
http://www.animeinfo.org/animeu/hist101-l1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_Miyazaki
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04343/423390.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fansubbing
http://epsilon3.georgetown.edu/~coventrm/asa2000/panel3/hashmi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0406/0625geek.html
http://www.anime-expo.org/2005profile.shtml
http://www.kawaii-kon.org/
posted by Mia 美亜 @ 3:39 午後
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