Fan Culture

It is an understatement to say that the fanculture associated with Manga is a bit complicated. There are countless amounts of official clubs that exist inside and outside of high schools, colleges and some unofficial groups of friends that get together to talk about what they like. Although what constitutes as fan culture is not defined exclusively by categories, there are a certain few overarching groups that can be agreeed upon.

Otaku

The word Otaku is a highly controversial word in the world of Japanese comics and anime. On the surface, “Otaku” is word to describe an individual with more than just a passing interest in manga, anime, and video games. However if one were to dig below the surface, there are multiple connotations of the word that conjure up many different feelings concerning the world and activities of the Otaku culture. Still, one cannot take a peek into the Otaku world without exploring the etymology of the word and where the positive and negative connotations come from. The word “Otaku” can trace its roots back to 1983, in which the term was first used in a magazine.The term started off innocently enough, and was used as a term simply to describe a person attending comic book conventions. In the early 80’s, it seemed as if it was cool to be “Otaku.” People referred to themselves as such with a certain distinction and sense of pride. However, for all its prosperity as a social group in the early 1980’s, the term began to take on a more negative connotation as a dark shadow was cast over the Otaku world. A man by the name of Tsutomu Miyazaki almost single-handedly destroyed the positive image of the Otaku in 1989. Known throughout Japan as “The Little Girl Murderer, ” Miyazaki insisted that his obsession with Japanese Loli and other pornographic anime drove him to kill. In fact, when the police did a search of his apartment and found stacks and stack of gory Japanese comics and Loli porn littering his living space, they immediately labeled an Otaku. In fact, he became known throughout Japan as the “Otaku Murderer.3” Yes, it was a dark day for the Otaku indeed.

It wasn’t until the mid-1990’s that the word found its way to prominence yet again with the introduction of a popular convention named after the Otaku, called Otakon, which is a celebration of all things manga and anime.(4) It is also a way for Americans to gain a better understanding of Japanese culture. Although, held in the U.S., the social group that once felt ashamed to call themselves Otaku can now show their faces yet again and be proud.

Conventions

Cosplayers are people who dress up as their favorite anime and manga characters. Cosplayers range from amateur to professional level workmanship. Some cosplayer even rise to the level of internet idols, such as Ruby Rocket.

Reading Manga

-- CSUSB.joess - 2010-03-15