Otaku Versus Antaku

There are really two ways to go around writing this Messay Essay. I can either pretend that I know more than I really do and use high brow intellectual language like I use to write real essays in places of higher learning, or I can make it simple, to the point and down to earth so that I don't give you a massive eyesore from the excessive amount of text that is probably going to appear as I write this. Seeing as I only know enough to know that I know nothing, I'm going to take the path more humbly traveled, and delivery the straight goods to you fresh out of a trash bag that is my mind.

The American Otaku community is a great group of people. If I ever wanted to have a fanbase for my own work, I couldn't ask for a better audience than these die hard fans that would do just about anything to show their team colors. Case in point, in the recent years, a very small, but loud type of "Anti-Otaku" have been born into the culture, and it is not hard to have seen them coming a mile away. They are constantly growing, and this has some people concerned.

As with all cultural groups, when a community grows to a certain size, they break into independent sub groups, and if those groups grow large, they split once again, each time with a more minimal difference. There are genre preferences and personal taste among the otaku, but the general mentality is about the same in essence; an enthusiastic zeal for anime/manga/video games and Japanese culture. Until recently, the community functioned as one, but now tthat the North American otaku community has grown to a ripe peachy size, it has split into two different groups of thought, the original otaku, and the "Anti-Otaku" for a lack of a better word.*

Now you probably met your usual anime hater that takes pleasure in vomiting their ignorance in every spew-able direction at least once, you know, the type that you envision look like Beavis and Butthead? These guys are definitely people with opinions, but hey are not the part of the anime fanbase, and they are not the "Anti-Otaku" that I am referring to in this document.

The Anti-Otaku are born out of their name sake, a ridicule for the fanatic fanboy mentality of the most dedicated otaku, while still possessing their love of anime. This may sound hypocritical, but there is method in the madness, at least that's what I like to believe until I read this over again and realize that I have no idea what I am talking about. I am currently lacking solid sources of information to strengthen the foundation of my theory, so the road is very bump from here on. If it gets too rough, feel free to turn back.**

If an otaku believed in their hobby religiously, then "Anti-Otaku" follows their passion logically and with an objective perspective to the scope of the world without rose tinted glasses with a bias towards Japan. These "Antaku", as I like abbreviate it as, are lovers of anime as much as any otaku, however, they distance themselves from the "blind fandom" that the otaku have been known to dwell in and take on a more scholarly, more "mature" attitude. Comparably, if an otaku was a church, then the Antaku would be a college, if the otaku are anime fanboys, then the Antaku are anime scholars. The otaku are fueled by their passion, and the Antaku view it from a distance, enjoying what the anime scene has to offer, but treating it just like any other entertainment.

The most formidable of antaku could be described accurately as a jaded or enlightened former otaku, depending on how you look at it. They typically have seen too many fanboys, too many arguments over trivial tidbits of anime fandom, and too much ignorance thrown into the anime community by people acting as if they reject their own culture in order to adopt another without having a clue what they are getting into, dotting their language with fancy little Japanese words that are anything from practical Japanese.

It is important to know the difference between the old otaku generation and the new. It is perhaps because of a clash of these two that the Antaku is currently forming. In the old days, anime was rare as people who say "hen's teeth" now. Every film was a treasure, and there was no pressure to be a fanboy, it was simply a rare commodity that spanned small fanbases. There were no badges of honor or bragging rights, just foreign entertainment fun for a small group of friends or a lone collector. For a long time, Japanese animation was edited for american television, and many people didn't know that it had originally came from Japan, such shows were Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Star Blazer, Robotech and Transformers. Over the years, the anime fanbase, although mainly a select few, were starting to grow in numbers. However, the real surge of anime fandom started when such shows as Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Card Captors, Pokemon, Gundam Wing were introduced onto North American broadcast. Although some of the older generation embraced the change and the new abundance of anime and manga that they had only been dreaming of receiving from a regular source, a great deal of the old ones met with much angst against the new generation fanbase. What occurred was a value clash. The old generation commonly looked down at the newer generation as being a bunch of spoiled, ungrateful, rude, socially challenged brats with the attention span of a can of tuna. The new generation looked at the old one as a bunch of elitist anime snob bastards who sit around all day and criticize people who don't agree with their views.

Perhaps it could be stated that an antaku is an anime fan without the sentimental attachment to Japanese culture that otaku develop. Analyzing anime and manga at face value like any North American movie or animation and judging accurately. Unfortunately, in describing the antaku, I must antagonizing the otaku, because the very existence of the antaku, as stated by the full name "Anti-Otaku" is based entirely on the concept that the otaku mindset is wrong.

There are exceptions to every rule, but you cannot deny that the otaku community have spawned some pretty hideous stereotypes. Despite the many who are patient, tolerant, knowledgeable, and social, it was inevitable that this hardcore fanbase would achieve a generalization. Unfortunately, all stereotypes are based on a substantial amount of truth. The worst case scenario example of what an otaku is like is the commonly envisioned stereotype of a fat, chunky fanboy in a flimsy cosplay outfit with glasses that wobbles to an anime merchant stand to buy anime girl model kits, knocking over people in the way like bowling pins. On the female stereotype is a shrieky sort of fangirl that tries to squeeze as many incoherent Japanese word into every other sentence as she can, then goes into to a hissy fit when she sees someone else wearing the same cosplay outfit as her at an anime convention. Now, what I just said intentionally was made to have a negative connotation for effect, and truth is, people like this exist, but nobody on this planet is so two dimensional that they can be summarized entirely by a sentence a piece. When an otaku eventually becomes tired of the anime convention floor and loves the entertainment, but not the community, where do they turn to? This is when an otaku becomes an antaku.

One must understand that the original Japanese definition of "Otaku" is very different than the now euphemize North American version. To the Japanese, it means a "no life", one who is isolated and distant, and it even means one that has radical views that can directly conflict with society, and can refer to a fan of just about anything, not necessary anime or manga. As with several other words borrowed by the otaku community, the term has lost much of it's original meaning in the translation.

The antaku believe, and most likely know from first hand experience that the otaku look at Japan through rose tinted glasses as a perfect country. Much as how the very word "Otaku" has been distorted, so are the fan's view of Japan. Their only glimpse into a window of Japanese life is often nothing more than the anime and manga that they watch and read. It is often psychologically accepted that the otaku reject their own society in favor for the euphemize Japanese one, because their society does not accept them the way they are. Whether this is true or not is arguable, but it does explain a valid possibility.

Otaku believe that their ideals and virtues better reflect the value the Japanese have learned to appreciate, yet the reality is, Japan doesn't take too well to foreigners other than a novel fascination. The amount of cultural and ethnic diversity is not as broad as North America, and many of the perks of Japanese society that the North American Otaku sees have strong down points to them.

Although Japan is not particularly religiously suppressed, which allows them to be more sexually liberal and more technically advanced, there are also cultural and traditional ties that limit the flexibility of these very factors. Anime might portray women in powerful roles as a fantasy rush, but the women in Japanese society realistically take on a more traditional wife and mother role than the now more liberal North American mentality is used to.

Take into account the extremely high living costs of living in a city like Tokyo and the never ending school or work days that have spawned the stereotype of the Japanese Salaryman. With a life style full of work and career chasing, it is no huge mystery that Japan has one of the lower birth rates in the world. Japan might also have a low crime rate, but they are anything but immune to terrorist attacks and gang warfare, not to mention natural disasters. The life style of the typical Japanese citizen is so dead set and cramped from the get go, that the freedom and breathing room the North Americans take for granted is only a dream to them. Many an otaku take their North American independence, freedom and individuality for granted. The grass is always greener on the other side as they say. I'm sure that many Japanese dream of coming to America, unaware of it's downsides as well, and perhaps this is how the antaku see themselves, as truth holders.

On one hand, the otaku train of though shows appreciation for another culture, Japan of all for that matter, a country that used to be ridiculed by North America during World War II, as several anti-Japanese cartoons produced in North America will protest, not to mention two very large bombs that said Hiroshima and Nagasaki on them, figuratively at least. Diversity and acceptance is a must for the psyche of North America, it is a beneficial thought evolution that marks the merging of international unity and can only serve to better mankind. So with such a positive message, what could possibly be wrong with it? Could anything potentially bad happen if a small minority of people decided to follow the sway of Japanese culture over North American culture? I really could not say, for the time it is too early, but what many antaku feel is that if the otaku fanbase keeps on trying to push their passionate envelope further, more and more might eventually become just like the Japanese otaku.

Now here is my opinion:

After knowing all this.. I'm still with the otaku.

You can only sit on the fence for so long before your ass hurts and you have to fall down to one side, and I choose to fall down to the otaku side.I might have been theoretically considered as an otaku at one point in time, but I have no loyalty to either, but I choose to support the side that's sole purpose isn't to screw the other one over.

Truth is, anime, video games and manga don't turn people into obsessive compulsive nut jobs, that is a part of their personality. If it didn't come out from loving anime and manga, it would have come out from loving Star Trek, collecting stamps or tossing pipe wrenches at people. There are people like that, that's how the world is. If they want to support their views with a ten inch steel wall, let them, they'll figure out the rest of it with time and maturity, not accusations of stupidity. There are a lot of people in this world who don't know that they are wrong until they look back, but that's called experience. No good ever came from trying to break an individual's personal belief's down. At least this is entertainment we are talking about it, fun, culturally tolerant and nobody pokes each other's eye out. On the convention floor, an otaku might act rude, unrefined or even try to role play as their character, but I think they deserve the right to act as they normally would feel is natural. How many of us can honestly say that we don't put on an act for other people to please them? Some of us have such time inhibitions, that we are afraid to walk into a toy store and browse. Anime and manga is all part of escapism, and it would be a shame if people went to an anime convention with fears of social reservations and judging eyes. It is a place to be yourself and show your team colors, even if you happen to an abnoxious jackass in real life.

If the otaku want to be a bunch of hyper zealous, sugar spastic, stubborn fanboys, let them be, that is there problem, not the antaku's. Yes, the original term otaku has a horrible connotation in Japan, but are we in Japan right now? No, we are not, and since it's just a word, I think they have the right to label themselves if they feel like it, and dot their speech with as many cute little Japanese words as they feel fit. All I recommend is to read a western comic book once in a while, watch some westsern cartoons, and go see a live action movie once in a while, study up on your country's history and diversity and learn to appreciate what you have already got.***

Happy Joyful Foot Notes of Pain:

*The antaku are growing in a very small proportion to the otaku, and will probably always be a small minority, but if the anime scene starts to fade and enthusiasm declines in a similar faith to the fall of the western comic industry, the turnover rate from otaku to antaku will increase dramatically. They will love the entertainment of anime and manga, but not be as culturally into it, opting for a more realistic perspective at their roots. Also, for a lot of people, the otaku fandom is a phase, for many, it can potentially last for an entire person's life, but there may always be a time for others when they find it more convenient to take on views similar to the antaku. Anime and Manga are not end all mediums by any stretch of the imagination. It is withering slightly in Japan and 3D technology is replacing some of anime's more unique qualities, but I personally do not think they will go extinct in the next three decades. They are more likely to evolve into a different technical embodiment and be fragmented or adsorbed, but I doubt it will outright be destroyed.

** Other than personal experience dealing with these people, my sources of information for this document were minimal. I like first hand information, but you can't always trust yourself, because your opinion will always be biased toward your best interests. That is why I cannot write this Messay Essay in a solid fashion. As far as I'm aware, I am the first person to officially label this kind of person as an "Antaku". Antaku are like any other people, there are nice ones, and there are really nasty ones, I have personally run into only nasty ones so far, but I'm sure there are some good ones out there. It might have been this very slight factor that made me side with otaku on this document.

*** There is one last reason, and probably the only real reason why I support the otaku. If my work ever were to become popular and gets produced with royalties and all that jazz, I would want as rabid a fanbase as I possibly could have on the face of this planet, and even another planet if we colonize a couple by then. I apologize to the anti otaku, because although I respect your views and know you are trying to maintain the balance, I simply cannot understand the overall motive for your views other than self reservation and elitism. I myself used to be an otaku, and although I often change my views for argument sake, I will never change my actions in light of a path that I do not believe in, and as such, I wish not to be branded a hypocrite by attacking the otaku fanaticism while expecting them to be fanatic about my work. Still... I do feel guilt for supporting the otaku, knowing that they tend to be prejudice against non-Japanese anime and manga, which could make my work difficult in the future. At this time, I am on the otaku side, but like all things in life, change can happen. For now, I have faith in the otaku.

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