Otaku Culture: A Foreigner's Perspective in Japan
Anime and manga, while a popular medium enjoyed by many, and known for its pop culture presence in Japan, may not be as beloved as one might think. «Enjoy things in moderation» as they say, and it's not a bad thing to have a hobby, but having it as a passion may be too much, at least in Japan. While passions can lead to obsessions, «otaku culture» is more associated with obsession from the getgo. «Otaku» often refers to someone who has a passion for anime, manga, and video games. Though «otaku» can refer to other passions (ex: 電車オタク or «Train Otaku»), this will mostly focus on the pop culture aspect of otaku culture.
Within Japanese society, this is best kept a secret and any passions can have a negative effect on a person's reputation. After all, anime is not real and surely collecting figurines and cosplaying is not normal? Children are expected to be excitable — not adults. That is one-way Japanese society may look at someone who is an otaku. If the majority are not otaku, then it's expected that no one else is. That is, if you are part of the majority. But if you stand out from the beginning, like a foreigner who's already expected to be different, being an otaku wouldn't carry as much shame.
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In earlier movies in the West, it was the nerd that was the comic relief character. They were the ones what drove the jokes and the second favorite to the main character. This may extend to real life, where liking superheroes and video games was out of the norm until it reached the main stream. Those who grew up in the mid to late 2000s may be unfamiliar with having to watch an anime episode in 3 separate parts on YouTube, subtitled by a small group of people and uploaded in
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