This is my final evaluation of all of the hatemail that I have received from "Otaku's." For those of you who are unfamiliar with the word "Otaku," it is a Japanese word describing a fanatic individual. I will show you the first 4 defintions that I found online. They are screen-shot images that will open in a new window. They are:
These people, who call themselves "Otaku's" have sent me an enormous amount of Hatemail because of a comment that I had made that many Americans who consider themselves "Otaku's" wish that they could be Japanese. If you read the messages that they sent me, you will learn that these "Otaku's" are rather dense. Many of them have made profiles on Myspace as a particular anime character for the purpose of engaging in Anime Roleplaying on a community message board. If you are familiar with Myspace, you will know that this completely defeats the purpose of what Myspace is about.
Or it may not be roleplaying. Maybe it is the fact that they are drawn so deeply into it that they are no longer able to distinguish fact from fiction, imaginary from reality. Since Myspace is designed for real people to communicate amongst each other, I have decided that these "Otaku's" have decided that their lives are not worth sharing, so they are passing themselves off as anime characters. These people are also lovingly referred to as Wapanese, and talk to each other in Japanglish such as using phrases like "You are so Baka". Baka being the Japanese word for stupid. They puke up small and simple Japanese words and use them in everyday english to try and show how anime has enlightened them. They have so little self-esteem of who they are that they have to base themselves around other people's art and imagination and erase their real identity. They have chosen to do so because they are in despair about their real lives. In fact, they have fallen into such despair about who they are that a little criticism has driven them up the wall.
I myself am a fan of fine works of art and imagination, which does include some Japanese anime. But I am only in appreciation, I am not in imitation of them. These "Otaku's" not only dress like them, but also take on the personalities of these characters too, to the point where they have lost their entire individuality, and have emulated their life into someone else's work of art. They have become somebody else's little monkey. Somebody else's tool. If you are an anime fan, and you have seen "Otaku no Video" by all means I would hope that you would know better. This movie shows the social outcasts and unacceptableness behind the word "Otaku." Many of them here are blindly following behind a word and have no idea of what it means. These people embrace anime as if it was the only thing that makes Japan special, and give themselves a title that is socially unacceptable in Japan. "Otaku's" in Japan are socially unacceptable. Cosplayers (dressing up like anime characters) are socially unacceptable in Japan, and are segregated into one specific area because they are not welcome anywhere else. I think these anime fans here call themselves "Otaku's" do it without knowing the meaning of the word, but frankly they don't care. They think it brings them one step closer to being Japanese. Yes, if you consider yourself an "Otaku" in America, you wish you were Japanese. But little do you know that the Japanese would frown upon you. My advice to you: Why don't you grow some balls and self-respect and actually be content with who you are and live your own life instead of trying to live out somebody else's story.
