Since the 2015 Otaku Expo in Japan, social perceptions of otaku culture have gradually shifted from negative to positive. However, this change requires a process of moving beyond mere instinctive wariness to the values of respect and understanding that modern society strives for.
A long time ago, in 2015, I traveled to Japan. On March 30, 2015, the Otaku Expo was held in Japan as a side event of Comiket Special 6. More than 500,000 people participated in the Comiket festival, and more than 50,000 people visited and enjoyed the festival for two days. Especially at the Otaku Expo event, people participated in the festival through cosplay, and at the end of the event, the “Otaku New Century Declaration” stated that “we will continue to expand and support the new otaku culture centered on manga, anime, and games with mutual respect and cooperation. If you were to read this in an article, what would your reaction be? Would it pique your interest at all, or would it sound like fun, or would it make you feel like you don’t understand why they’re doing it, or would it put you off the idea of the event? The average person’s reaction to this article will vary.
The time when Otaku Expo was held was a time when otaku culture was gradually spreading not only in Japan but also around the world. This was because Japanese manga and anime were becoming popular internationally, and otaku culture, a natural part of that culture, was being accepted in various countries. Especially with the development of the internet and social media, otakus from all over the world have been gathering and interacting online, and the concept of otaku has gradually become a global phenomenon. This trend has contributed to making otaku culture no longer a part of Japan, but a culture that is recognized worldwide.
Regardless of what you think of the Otaku Expo event, it’s true that otaku are much better recognized than they used to be. Just a few years ago, the perception of otaku was not favorable. Most of the images that came to mind were negative, and people avoided being referred to as otaku. However, the social climate has changed. Whereas the word used to have the nuance of “a person who stays in their room and indulges in games, manga, and anime,” it now has the connotation of “a person who is more than maniacally devoted to one thing or another.” In this way, the perception of the word otaku is changing positively over time.
Where did the word otaku come from? The word otaku means “you” in Japanese, and is used as an honorific to refer to someone. The word became a noun when people who loved manga and games started calling each other “you” (otaku) as a form of respect in their clubs, and then it was used in magazines to symbolically designate a certain group of people. At the time, the word otaku was used in a negative nuance, and the negative nuance was reinforced when Tsutomu Miyazaki, a serial infant abductor and murderer, was found to fit the characteristics of an otaku. Thus, the word otaku started out with a negative connotation.
The social environment in Japan and the role of the media have also played a large role in the negative perception of the word otaku. Otaku culture was initially seen as a minority taste that deviated from mainstream society, and as a result, mainstream media tended to treat it critically. This was true not only in Japan, but also in other countries around the world. Due to the powerful influence of the media, the term otaku was often used to describe socially isolated, unsocial people, and as a result, the general public’s perception of them was also negative. However, over time, media attitudes began to change. As otaku culture was gradually accepted into mainstream culture and portrayed positively in various media, the perception of otaku slowly changed.
There is another reason for the negative perception of otaku besides the formation of the word otaku. It is the human instinct to be wary of unfamiliar things. This instinct has been around since ancient times when humans hunted. It was better for our survival to be wary of things we didn’t know much about, and to stay away from them until we got to know them better. If we didn’t have this instinct to be wary of the unfamiliar, our ability to survive would be lower.
This instinct is also present in the way we treat the new social phenomenon of otaku. The culture of otaku is common among them, and not only is it not something to be wary of, it’s something to welcome. However, for those who are not familiar with otaku culture, it is a very unfamiliar culture and something that they do not normally encounter, so it is natural to be wary of it.
The phenomenon of people being wary of new cultures is not unique to otaku culture. Most commonly, it happens when two people from different cultures meet, or in other words, when two people who grew up in different countries meet. Two people born in different countries grow up accepting and taking for granted their own culture. When these two people meet and get close, there’s a very high probability that they don’t understand each other’s culture, and they need to go through a process of getting to know each other. Until they do, they’re going to be a little wary of each other.
A good example of this phenomenon is the marriage of two people who grew up in different families. Marriage is a social commitment where two people from different backgrounds decide to live together. The word marriage often implies a happy future for two people who are in love, but that’s not always the case. When two people decide to get married, they don’t always see a happy future because they’re not sure about each other. We are instinctively cautious about marriage because we don’t know if two people from different backgrounds will get along. Marriage is a double-edged sword, as it can be one of the happiest events in a person’s life, but it can also lead to one of the hardest events in life: divorce.
This fear of the unknown, this wariness of the unknown, is natural to humans. Without it, a lot of bad things would happen to us. However, I’m skeptical that this justifies a negative perception of otaku.
The notion that instincts should be respected unconditionally is open to criticism in modern times. A prime example is the instinct to look good. Humans are instinctively attracted to people who have an attractive appearance. Even on a blind date, one of the most common questions asked is about the other person’s appearance, so it’s almost certainly a human instinct. However, if we think about whether or not this unconditional pursuit of physical attractiveness is respected in modern society, we know that the answer to that question is no. It’s human nature to like attractive people, but at the same time, we’re warned against superficiality.
Why are we attracted to attractive looks, but at the same time, we’re told to be wary of appearanceism? It’s because appearanceism is a social phenomenon that can be hurtful to certain individuals. We are wary of it because even though it may be an instinct, if it becomes a legitimate part of our social culture, it can lead to hurtful individuals.
In this way, we don’t unconditionally recognize it as a human instinct. We basically recognize human instincts, but we emphasize that we need to be wary of them when they become socially problematic. This is true not only for instincts, but also for long-standing traditional cultures, such as the caste system in Nepal. In Nepal, the caste system has been around for so long that it’s almost instinctive for Nepalis, but recently they’ve been trying to abolish it. The reason for this is that the caste system hurts certain individuals, causing them to be treated unfairly from birth.
It’s not just the caste system in Nepal, but many traditional customs and cultures around the world are being re-evaluated in the modern world. Many things that were taken for granted in the past are no longer acceptable or are being called out for change. This is a reflection of social progress and modern values that emphasize human dignity. This means that we are in the process of constantly re-examining and changing our traditions and instincts to make sure they are in line with the values of modern society.
As mentioned above, it is a contradiction that people who are not familiar with otaku culture may have a negative perception of otaku, which may be natural but is not justified. However, as described above, the modern trend is to be wary and not to feel justified in having a negative perception of otaku. So what should we do in the face of this modern trend?
I once read a phrase in a book that said, “If lions could talk, would they be able to talk to humans?” The meaning of the phrase is that lions would be able to talk to humans. The meaning of the phrase was that even if lions could speak human language, they probably wouldn’t be able to communicate with each other because of their different mindsets. This doesn’t necessarily only happen between animals and humans. Something similar can happen between humans. We live in the same culture as humans, but we think and judge differently depending on our environment. We have different value systems and feel differently about the same phenomena. In that sense, just as it is difficult to communicate between lions and humans, it is also difficult to communicate between people.
However, modern times tell us to respect each other even if we can’t communicate. You might think, “Why should I do that?” but it might actually be good for you. Just as you may not understand someone else, they may not understand you. It’s a personal choice whether you want to respect that or be wary of it. But right now, the global trend seems to be toward respect. Whatever you choose is also a matter of personal preference, and I can’t say anything about it, but it may become extinct in the global trend. It all depends on your choice.
