An admirer of Japanese culture is known as an otaku.
Otaku is a concept of the Japanese language that is not part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) . In Japanese land, an otaku is someone who feels fascination or attraction for a certain subject .
Transcending what happens within this Asian nation, the notion of otaku is used to name the person who admires certain elements of Japanese culture , such as comics known as manga or cartoons called anime .
In the Western world, therefore, an otaku is an individual who likes various traits of Japanese culture. For example. «Tomorrow the otakus of the city will gather in the square to have a party» , «My son says he is an otaku: he loves Japanese animated productions» , «The contest will choose the best-dressed otaku» .
Otakus as an urban tribe
Sometimes, the term otaku is used to refer to an urban tribe that encompasses those who are true fans of anime, manga, cosplay, etc. In these cases, most of the otakus' activities revolve around Japanese culture, and they even often dress up as their favorite characters.
Otakus can therefore be linked to other urban tribes, such as punks or darks . These are dissimilar groups (some more ideological than others) but which share the particularity of bringing together teenagers and young people who have a certain interest in common and who develop a sense of belonging to the whole. In this way, all members of the tribe dress in a similar way, share a slang , etc.
Otakus are often interested in cosplay : the representation of characters through costumes.
Requirements and demands
Otaku culture is characterized by its high level of demand and its lack of flexibility: at the extreme end dominated by fan communities, there are a series of unbreakable rules that make the divergent people less intelligent and not suitable to be considered otaku; for example, it is not well seen to watch a dubbed anime series, but only the use of subtitles is acceptable. While it is true that dubbing causes a large percentage of the original content to be lost, subtitles do not allow the experience to be preserved intact either, and, in addition, everyone should be able to choose how to enjoy their favorite programs.
The Japanese are known for being generally disciplined and perfectionists, and these qualities are often perceived in most otakus. An otaku's dedication to their favorite activities and content is generally greater than that of a person who is interested in other cultures. Japanese cartoons and comics generate a kind of addiction in their followers, a relationship that transcends the limits of fiction and reality.
An otaku is expected to enjoy various aspects of Japanese culture, in addition to the aforementioned artistic creations. Common activities include purchasing Japanese food items from specialty stores , buying utensils and clothing items such as chopsticks and earflaps, meeting up with other otaku to exchange all sorts of information about their favorite country, and cosplay.
Otakus and cosplay
Cosplay (a contraction of the English words costume play ) is a fashion that invites its participants to dress up as their favorite characters , or to represent different ideas through their clothing.
There are cosplay competitions in several countries that are very attractive and challenging: the creation of costumes and accessories can take a lot of time and dedication, but this never makes a true otaku hesitate. Among the most important contests are the World Cosplay Summit in Japan and the Yamato Cosplay Cup in Brazil.