Japan

Once a little-known subculture, otaku is now popular throughout Japan and even in many Western world parts. But what is an otaku, and how did it change from being a pejorative term used to describe nerds to a mainstream cultural phenomenon? What is Otaku? The term otaku refers to a passion that goes beyond that of the average fan. In the Western world, otaku is associated exclusively with anime, manga, video games, and idols, but there are even more types of otaku in Japan. In fact, the term can apply to just about any area of interest. The Birth of Otaku Culture Otaku began in the 1980s with the anime boom. It was still a negative term due to the perception of otaku being social outcasts. Furthermore, the serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki, who was active between 1988 and 1989, was called the Otaku Murderer by the media. Since then, the stereotypes and negative associations have mostly dissipated. Today, a large number of people, particularly teens, happily self-identify as some type of otaku. Types of Otaku The first researchers to study otaku divided the culture into 12 main affiliations. Since then, other researchers have defined even more classifications. Manga The largest…