Riffing Off Gia’s Homework #2: Otaku, Insert Kelts
This post is going to be about Roland Kelt’s Japanamerica more so than any definition of “otaku,” I’m afraid.
I finished reading the book a while ago, and it’s digesting quite nicely. However this book was not what I was looking for. That’s the simple and clean take. The long and dirty take will have to come in pieces, and I think I can bite a piece off with this Gia homework assignment.
Ultimately Japanamerica suffers from a few critical problems–it’s dated (2-3 years is a long time! Especially when it comes to Gonzo/GDH), it reads like a Wired article aiming at a somewhat mainstream audience (more like, douchbagginghip New Yorkers than a librarian living in the country), and it is more a collection of key concepts rather than an exploration of any new notions that I haven’t already grasped. This isn’t to say I know everything the book has to say about whatever it said–actually the book contains a ton of stuff that I didn’t know, or totally forgot. But it tends to state the consensus, and that is something people who follows the scene will have gotten a sniff of even if they’re just a remote fanboy on the other side of the world.
God bless the internet.
What would have tickled my bones, that I wish it was in Japanamerica? More on 2ch, for example (it introduces it briefly, in respect to Train Man). Or more on doujinshi culture (also briefly explained). It talked about porn (focused on manga) but not enough about eroge (it does mention Rapeplay, to its credits) and that emerging form of visual culture (hi Aoi Nishimata!). Well, basically, this “Japanamerican,” “Mobius strip” concept (mutual cultural remix-regurgitation) is rather vast and it includes from airsoft to seeing Nicovideo comments about Ronald McDonald crossplaying. It’s vaaaaast. It’s deeeeep. It’s nuuuuts. It’s GUHRUUGAMESH.
Admittedly, I know it is a lot to ask. There’s too much for just one book. Especially considering we still have organizations like Sakura-con making silly ads that they did, even today. We have people using the word “Japanimation” even today. It’s like that KRAZY Japan exhibition–it’s stuff the very serious fans know about already. We’re still playing catch-up. And who would read this book if they’re not serious about it? I don’t know. Maybe it’s for all the Henry Jenkinses in the world…how many people is that? I hope I’m just underestimating things.
Second, the book at one point comments about the nature of some of its topics may be better covered by blogs and ill-suited for a formal publication. Well he’s got that right. It’s up to him to play it up. And maybe join the cloud of the rest of us.
What Japanamerica does do well, like a subtle tribute to Otaku no Video, is to portray the “real” otaku. Now the word “otaku” gets used in a wide variety of ways in the States. To some extremes, I’ve heard corporate marketing people mention it in interviews with press, saying it interchangeably as the in word for “fans” with us anime/manga people. It felt like he’s gotten the 1-sentence low-down on it and decided to use the word as if it gives him some cred (see: stupid Sakura-con commercial! Sushi! J-rock! Otaku! Etc.) To that end, Japanamerica does have a little bit on the term and its definition over time, of the transformation from its normal verbiage in Japanese to its first, sci-fi, roots. The continuing transformation of the term to today’s uses by the Japanese, is briefly documented in the book. And…it’s all just to point out the delicious irony on how Americans totally watered down the term, despite how some Japanese folks referred to the old school geeks here, who may fill the halls of a SCA meeting or a Leonard Nimoy autograph line, as the first otaku.
But is it really so different? I think some of us (Americans) use the term that way still, and it fits. I find myself using the term “Akiba-kei” or the branched-out/derogatory versions of otaku (fujoshi, kimo-ota, etc) in the place of how some calls plain-vanilla “otaku” more and more, but that’s probably because there grows a necessity to distinguish, and those words became available and acceptable in recent years.
Honestly, I have no claim to any otaku fame compared to those who calls themselves that in Japan and East Asia. They are just that much closer to the source, to the scene, to the culture, that unless you’re like Kelts–a Japanese-American, or perhaps East-Asian-American at best–you’re going to be playing the catch-up game short of taking the full plunge. The full plunge here means you go live and breathe Japan for a while! And by doing so you might just well earn the right to call yourself otaku in the eyes of the world, even to the Japanese. Kelts interviewed a few of these in his book too, and you can tell they are likely to take the term otaku like I do.
Which, if you’d ask me, the word otaku is more like The Scarlet Letter than a Medal of Honor. And I think the problem between these varying definitions of the word otaku arises from that impression–it’s not something to be wore with pride, to some! But alas, this is as “Japanamerican” as it gets–they take our culture, we take it back, and so on, and so forth. The end result is probably not anything we should be worrying about.
However, this leaves people like me in a bind–we’re too “otaku” to call ourselves otaku, but we’re not at all like normal folks, or even like the people who would call themselves otaku! Ah well, I’m not big on labels anyways. I think I’ll live. (Did I ever mention that sometimes I enjoy ambiguity?)
“or the branched-out/derogatory versions of otaku (otagei, kimo-ota, etc)”
Otagei isn’t an otaku version, I’m afraid.
This says it is. http://www.akibanana.com/?q=glossary/term/34
If not, what is it? I guess to clear up a possible misunderstanding, kimo-ota is a type of otaku and otagei is an otaku behavior. Yes, it’s not a type of otaku. I’ll change it just to make it simpler.
Metal -> Medal
Gotcha, thx.
Personally - and this may be partially because I never really got involved in local anime clubs / cons etc - I’ve always resisted the ‘otaku’ label, mainly because I’m quite aware of the actual connotations behind the term’s use in Japan. I guess I probably fit the description pretty well, but I would never refer to myself that way and it’s always puzzled me why other people, especially it seems American anime enthusiasts, would actually refer to themselves that way.
:facepalm: Otagei is a cheering dance (like parapara of sorts) for idol concerts. I think that site explains it pretty well. It most definitely isn’t an otaku behavior or an otaku type.
Our country has a pretty negative (or at least demeaning) opinion of otaku too, so I’m not one to label myself such. But as omo said, I’m also too “otaku” to call myself one!
LOL Miha. NO, otagei is most definitely an otaku behavior. Non-otaku do not do otagei.
You always manage to come up with an explanation for your sometimes weird reasoning or confusing writing, but this one takes the cake. It’s NOT a behavior (whether non-wota do it or not), it most definitely isn’t a wota-type, but an activity.
Behavior and activity are not that different in this context.
Just to take a step back, I just find your strange defense to a loose interpretation of otagei fitting to topic. I think the etymology of the term clearly paints it as something otaku does, and whether or not who does it (just because you watch a lot of anime doesn’t mean you’re an otaku, of course) is beside the point. I don’t even know if what it is matters.
In the context of my post, I referred to otagei as an otaku version of something else. It’s just like how kimo-ota is just another way to call someone creepy, or how Akiba-kei is just someone who follows the stuff and may or may not be a real otaku. Otagei just just another way to call weird fan cheering behavior in an organized manner. I don’t know why you’re making a fuss.
I’ll just leave it at confusing writing then. Oh look, it got changed to fujoshi.
I don’t know. I’ve never liked the term otaku to begin with, but that’s mostly because I’m a contrarian. I tend to think geek works just as well within most American society. Although with the hipsters diluting the meaning of that word, I’m not sure it even fits any more. Pah.
I don’t either. But sometimes that’s the word to use.