Otaku X Popular Books

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Otaku (Japanese: おたく, オタク, or ヲタク) is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in Manga Burikko. Otaku subculture is a central theme of various anime, manga, documentaries, and academic research. The subculture began in the 1980s as changing social mentalities and the nurturing of otaku traits by Japanese schools combined with the resignation of such individuals to what was then seen as inevitably becoming social outcasts. The subculture's birth coincided with the anime boom after the release of works such as Mobile Suit Gundam, before it branched into Comic Market. The otaku culture could also be seen as a refuge from the nanpa culture. In 1980, around the Kabuki-chō district of Shinjuku in Tokyo, there was a boom of nyū fūzoku, or new sex services employing female college or vocational school students. The burusera boom and the compensated dating boom in the 1990s were extensions of this. In this sense, the period from 1980 to the mid-1990s was the "age of sexual love". The higher the sexual love boom rose, the more people were disappointed in sexual love for not giving them that comprehensive acceptance. The advent of information technology and databases, first and foremost, enriched the means for the homeostasis of the self, that is, self-defense; and, secondly, it thereby rapidly weakened the sense that "reality" (or embodied communication) is more fruitful than "fiction" (or virtual reality). The otaku subculture continued to grow with the expansion of the Internet and media, as more anime, video games, shows, and comics were created. The definition of otaku subsequently became more complex, and numerous classifications of otaku emerged. Otaku may be used as a pejorative, with its negativity stemming from a stereotypical view of otaku as social outcasts and the media's reporting on Tsutomu Miyazaki, "The Otaku Murderer", in 1989. Otaku discrimination was particularly intense between 1989 (when the serial murder suspect was arrested) and 1996 (when the compensated dating boom was at its peak). According to studies published in 2013, the term has become less negative, and an increasing number of people now identify themselves as otaku, both in Japan and elsewhere. Out of 137,734 teens surveyed in Japan in 2013, 42.2% self-identified as a type of otaku. According to a nationwide U.S. survey conducted by Dentsu in July 2022, 34% of American Gen-Zs (around 15 million people), acknowledged themselves as anime otaku. In 2005, the Nomura Research Institute divided otaku into twelve groups and estimated the size and market impact of each of these groups. Other institutions have split it further or focused on a single otaku interest. These publications classify distinct groups including anime, manga, camera, automobile, J-idol, and electronics otaku. In 2005, the economic impact of otaku was estimated to be as high as ¥2 trillion (US$18 billion). Etymology Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another person's house or family (お宅, otaku). The word can be used metaphorically as a part of honorific speech in Japanese, as a second-person pronoun. In this usage, its literal translation is "you". It is associated with some dialects of Western Japanese and with housewives, and is less direct and more distant than intimate pronouns, such as anata, and masculine pronouns, such as kimi and omae.The origin of the pronoun's use among 1980s manga and anime fans is unclear. Science fiction fans were using otaku to address owners of books by the late 1960s (in a sense of "Do[es] [your home] own this book?"). Social critic Eiji Ōtsuka posits that otaku was used because it allowed people meeting for the first time, such as at a convention, to interact from a comfortable distance. One theory posits that otaku was popularized as a pronoun by science fiction author Motoko Arai in a 1981 essay in Variety magazine, and another posits that it was popularized by fans of anime studio Gainax, some of whose founders came from Tottori Prefecture in western Japan (where otaku is commonly used). The pronoun was also used in the popular anime Macross, first aired in 1982, by the characters Hikaru Ichijyo and Lynn Minmay, who address each other as otaku until they get to know each other better.The modern slang form, which is distinguished from the older usage by being written in hiragana (おたく), katakana (オタク or, less frequently, ヲタク) or rarely in rōmaji, first appeared in public discourse in the 1980s, through the work of humorist and essayist Akio Nakamori. His 1983 series 'Otaku' Research (『おたく』の研究, "Otaku" no Kenkyū), printed in the lolicon magazine Manga Burikko, applied the term as pejorative for "unpleasant" fans, attacking their supposed poor fashion sense and physical appearance in particular. Nakamori was particularly critical of "manga maniacs" drawn to cute girl characters, and explained his label otaku as the term of address used between junior high school kids at manga and anime conventions.In 1989, the case of Tsutomu Miyazaki, "The Otaku Murderer", brought the fandom, very negatively, to national attention. Miyazaki, who randomly chose and murdered four girls, had a collection of 5,763 video tapes, some containing anime and slasher films that were found interspersed with videos and pictures of his victims. Later that year, the contemporary knowledge magazine Bessatsu Takarajima dedicated its 104th issue to the topic of otaku. It was called Otaku no Hon (おたくの本, lit. The Book of Otaku) and delved into the subculture of otaku with 19 articles by otaku insiders, among them Akio Nakamori. This publication has been claimed by scholar Rudyard Pesimo to have popularized the term. Usage In modern Japanese slang, the term otaku is mostly equivalent to "geek" or "nerd" (both in the broad sense; a technological geek would be a gijutsu otaku (技術オタク) and an academic nerd would be a bunkakei otaku (文化系オタク) or gariben (ガリ勉)), but in a more derogatory manner than used in the West. It is also applied to any fan of any particular theme, topic, hobby or form of entertainment. "When these people are referred to as otaku, they are judged for their behaviors — and people suddenly see an 'otaku' as a person unable to relate to reality." The word entered English as a loanword from the Japanese language. It is typically used to refer to a fan of anime and manga, but can also refer to Japanese video games or even Japanese culture in general. The American magazine Otaku USA popularizes and covers these aspects. The usage of the word is a source of contention among some fans, owing to its negative connotations and stereotyping of the fandom. Widespread English exposure to the term came in 1988 with the release of Gunbuster, which refers to anime fans as otaku. Gunbuster was released officially in English in March 1990. The term's usage spread throughout the .... Discover the Otaku X popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Otaku X books.

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  • Nichijou 10 synopsis, comments

    Nichijou 10

    Keiichi Arawi

    que será surrealitya game of musical chairs takes a sharp turn. nano pulls out all the stops in a battle against a fry thief. a bizarre bodyswap situation occurs in the shinonome h...

  • My Dress-Up Darling 10 synopsis, comments

    My Dress-Up Darling 10

    Shin-ichi Fukuda

    A loner boy and a flashy girl find common ground via cosplay in this sweet and spicy romcom!Upon meeting up with Amanesan and his friends at a cosplay event, Marin and Wakana learn...

  • The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 10 synopsis, comments

    The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 10

    Shinkoshoto, Liver Jam & POPO (Friendly Land) & Huuka Kazabana

    In this manga adaptation of the popular light novel series, the world's strongest sage will stop at nothing to get stronger...not even reincarnation!Is former Strongest Sage Matthi...

  • MPD-Psycho Volume 10 synopsis, comments

    MPD-Psycho Volume 10

    Eiji Otsuka

    "Multiple personality detective" Kobayashi Yosuke seems to live on as a complex personality program inside the young, violent Tetora Nishizonobut the boy is now on a suicidal missi...

  • Beauty and the Feast 10 synopsis, comments

    Beauty and the Feast 10

    Satomi U

    A boy with a bottomless stomach and a lonely widow with room at her dinner table serve up a heaping helping of secret happiness in this delightful foodie romcom!It’s the New Year s...

  • Astro Boy Volume 10 synopsis, comments

    Astro Boy Volume 10

    Osamu Tezuka

    The works of Osamu Tezuka are being enthusiastically discovered and rediscovered by American audiences. Tezuka is the unquestioned creative wellspring for the modern anime and m...

  • Hi Score Girl 10 synopsis, comments

    Hi Score Girl 10

    Rensuke Oshikiri

    Hi Score Girl, Rensuke Oshikiri's love letter to arcade gaming, finally comes to print! Read the manga that inspired the Netflix Original anime series!It took countless Sonic Booms...

  • Ragna Crimson 10 synopsis, comments

    Ragna Crimson 10

    Daiki Kobayashi

    In this actionpacked dark fantasy, humanity lives under the threat of annihilation by immensely powerful dragons. The dragon hunter Ragna embarks on a revengefueled quest to elimi...

  • Black Jack, Volume 10 synopsis, comments

    Black Jack, Volume 10

    Osamu Tezuka

    The Black Jack series is told in short stories. Volume 10 will contain 14 stories, each running approximately 20 pages in length. This tenth volume includes the following stories:T...

  • A Man and His Cat 10 synopsis, comments

    A Man and His Cat 10

    Umi Sakurai

    In this bestselling, heartwarming tale, a lonely older man takes home a petshop kitten that no one else wants. It doesn’t take long for the pair to warm up to each other, and soon,...

  • Blood Blockade Battlefront Volume 10 synopsis, comments

    Blood Blockade Battlefront Volume 10

    Yasuhiro Nightow

    From Yasuhiro Nightow, creator of the international sensation Trigun, comes the final blockbuster chapter of Blood Blockade Battlefront, a titanic typhoon of sciencefantasy madness...

  • Blood on the Tracks 10 synopsis, comments

    Blood on the Tracks 10

    Shuzo Oshimi

    From the creator who brought you notable works such as The Flowers of Evil, Happiness, and Inside Mari, comes his latest suspense drama centering on the theme of a toxic parent.Div...

  • My Isekai Life 10 synopsis, comments

    My Isekai Life 10

    Shinkoshoto, Ponjea (Friendly Land) & Huuka Kazabana

    In this manga adaptation of the popular web novel series, an overworked wage slave finds himself transported to a fantasy world where he quickly becomes the strongest sage in the w...

  • Mob Psycho 100 Volume 10 synopsis, comments

    Mob Psycho 100 Volume 10

    ONE & Kumar Sivasubramanian

    From the creator of OnePunch Man! Mob struggles hard through his first marathon, nearly making it all the way before passing out! He doesn’t feel too bad headed back home…but ...

  • My Neighbor Seki 10 synopsis, comments

    My Neighbor Seki 10

    Takuma Morishige

    The ABC’s of DiversionsSeki’s desktop renovation is fit for a TV show. He adds turf just to create crop circles, and lures beetles and cicadas... until a larger predator shows up. ...

  • Blade of the Immortal Volume 10 synopsis, comments

    Blade of the Immortal Volume 10

    Hiroaki Samura

    Anotsu Kagehisa, murderous leader of the rogue Ittöryü, has journeyed to the mountains far from Edo to the romote Shingyötöryü dojo under invitation to bring the sword school under...

  • A History of Modern Manga synopsis, comments

    A History of Modern Manga

    Insight Editions

    Discover the major events and artists who have shaped the history of modern manga, with this deluxe expanded volume.Amid reconstruction after World War II, Japan saw the emergence ...

  • Berserk Volume 10 synopsis, comments

    Berserk Volume 10

    Kentaro Miura

    Warrior supreme Guts has returned, and just in time to save the weakened Band of the Hawk from certain destruction… and to form an intimate bond with the beautiful warrior Casca. B...

  • The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses 10 synopsis, comments

    The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses 10

    Koume Fujichika

    A delightfully charming romantic comedy about a boy who only has eyes for the girl who always forgets her glasses!To help Mie remember her glasses, Komura and Mie call each other i...