The thread subject might sound more heavy handed than I intend, but it is a topic I have been considering as of late. I want to ask /jp/ about what you guys think it means to be an otaku nowadays. Beyond just consuming lots of Japanese content, is there any other part to it? In my eyes, big or small, an aspect of being an otaku is creation. It can be fan works, translating things, etc, but creation to me is what separates a consumer from an otaku. Even if you are not making Derivative works, absorbing all sorts of different creations from different mediums, writers, eras, etc and forming your identity and creations based upon that is important too.At least, that's what I believe. I think being an otaku is a complete sense of self.But in your eyes, does being a western otaku ever have more meaning than simply consuming a lot of Japanese shows, movies, books, etc? Not that consumption is bad, of course not, I just wonder if there's something more we should all strive for.Random touhou image cause why not
>>51052652being an otaku essentially means being a chronically online loser who thinks they are worth something
>>51052653My kind of people >>51052652It's having a backbone of you in your interests
>>51052652Otaku or weeb? There is a bit of a difference.
>>51052691And to clarify, my own take on the difference is:Weeb is an non Japanese person who really enjoys Japanese media and/or culture. They enjoy things in general, for example they like anime or Japanese video games (or at least their favorite genre of game) in general. If it's Japanese and falls under the category of something they enjoy, they will likely consume it. Even if it doesn't, they might still be curious enough to check it out anyways. I don't know if they are still like this because I'm out of touch with modernity but they are, or were, also known for being unabashedly proud of their interests and tended to be seen as a bit cringy by the people around them who don't share their interests. That said, being interested in things like this doesn't seem to be as stigmatized as it was in the past and even younger normies are partaking in it themselves. In many ways they are not too different from their western oriented counterpart, the comic book nerd.What sets an otaku apart from just a regular old weeb is obsession. They don't enjoy things in the same general way that a weeb does. For example, an otaku isn't necessarily interested in all anime or all Japanese games. Their focus is often on a single franchise, sometimes obsessing over a single character. A weeb might have some figures or some posters in his room but an otaku is the kind of person who has a shelves full of merch of a single character, and they are not afraid to spend irresponsible amounts of money on their collection. I'm not sure if western otaku do this too, but at least in the case of Japanese ones they will also buy multiples of the same piece of merch for smaller things like badges or pins. I'm sure there's a reason for this and maybe someone can tell me what it is, but I digress. Some of the more talented ones also express their creative side by creating content like art or music related to their interest too. While doing this isn't unique to otaku, they do it out of love rather than for attention or money, though those things can overlap if they are talented enough for there to be a demand for their works.There's plenty more aspects to both but these are just the things that I can think of off the top of my head.tl;dr version: If a weeb is a nerd then an otaku is an autist.
>>51052652>>51052846I think making something is core to being an otaku, and liking things beyond trends or fads.
>>51052652I think otaku has finally become what it always meant in Japan: a hentai addicted hikki living in a heap of trash and semen-stained dakis. It never had a positive meaning over there. In the West very few people have the power level necessary to be true otaku. This is why it's always been used as a synonym for weeaboo which is the more casual level at which average Japanese people engage with manga or anime.Of course this excludes subhumans like spics and nignogs who only get into Japanese shit because it's free on the web.
>>51054734There's a little more nuance in Japan. While it CAN mean being addicted to hentai and anime, it can also mean having an autistic fixation on something like trains or bird watching. It's really just the Japanese version of calling someone an autist.
>>51052652Being otaku means having long lasting uncompromising autistic interest in some hobby. Typically but not exclusively related to Japanese media and culture.
>>51052652In the West? Porn addiction with extra rules.Look at this board, how many Japan-related hobbies can you find here that don't primarily center around desiring women?I would legitimately be shocked if a Ukiyo-e thread popped and and lasted for more than a week.
>>51055847>I would legitimately be shocked if a Ukiyo-e thread popped and and lasted for more than a week.That gave me a flashback to how in middle school I had a friend whose mom painted Heian era style paintings. Worth noting that she was Japanese herself, but still. I recall them being good paintings.
>>51054678Yes this is what I agree with mostI also feel like there is a different relationship between fan and creator vs a western "fandom" which is more like a clique under the gaize of being fans of a series
>>51055847I wish the chronic masturbators would fuck off to one of the trillion dedicated NSFW boards so I can have a tsumego thread.Black to play.
>>51052652Call me an retard, but do otakus normally have to have some sort of mental depression or suffer from some sort of mental illness to become a True Otaku? Otherwise.... wouldn't they just be a weeaboo?
An otaku is simply an autist. Simple.A train otaku? An autist fascinated by trains.A touhou otaku? An autist fascinated by touhou. An anime otaku? An autist fascinated by anime.It's simple.Don't try to distort the original Japanese meaning.
>>51056019No, but NEETs/hikkikomori typically do.
>>51055975You should go to /tg/ instead.
>>51055847
>>51056394Isn't that board just entirely TTRPGs? I know they have a chess thread, but still. Also, I like the idea of an otaku culture that's more.... cultured. From that general principle, I think there's a lot of untapped potential.
>>51056424No they also play wargames and spam thinly veiled monstergirl porn threads. Go is basically a wargame so it'd fit in.
>>51056424>>51056440Also I think limiting otaku culture to /jp/ was the final thing that killed 4chan. Early on the whole site was otaku culture and the point of boards was to have specific discussions of certain things by the collective userbase, not form "my friends are here" communities.
>>51052652I just view Otaku as an equivalence to the 4chan -fag suffix usually, but with more of an intense focus or passion for their topic. i.e Train Otaku:Tainfag, but I understand there's more actual nuance to it when you start getting into the details of it. Especially given Otaku was originally an in studio means to address each other for uh, some game/movie before it eventually spread? I've forgotten the exact details. Which does lend itself to the idea of having some creative aspect behind it. >>51055847That's just a 4chan problem in general for the longest time now because too many people just see the 18+ label on the site and assume it just refers to turning everything into sex. It does suck though. Too many times have I found myself enjoying a thread with some others in a more lighthearted tone or with a focuses discussion, then sex somehow gets brought up and shifts the tone of the thread entirely. God forbid whoever tried to bring it up takes offense to the idea it's not the right time or place and throws a fit and derails it entirely.
>>51052652playing blue archive and nikke
I just want to share this funny video I found and this is as relevant a thread as anyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSFQHlnnkk8
>>51056455Otaku is a really polite way to address someone. It was used as a way to express that manics, as they used to be called, were also kinda shy and socially awkward. Now as for how it spread, I dunno, and would like more details about the thing you heard.
