Beaten, taken down, owned, eliminated, with the deed done by my own mascot, no less. Palette sure likes giving me the “dead line”…
Everyone has been talking about the Otaku Elimination Game for quite some time now. And to be frank, I’m having mixed feelings on how the game works. I’m not trolling here, nor am I trying to open fire on everyone on the sphere or the people behind the OEG. I wouldn’t want a reserved seat on OEG’s little round of Russian Roulette, nor would I try to prove myself an otaku by stubborn and biased means. I just… have to assure something to myself about otakuism: How much worth does the word have for it to be used as a criterion for persons who use it or live its way of life?
Hypotheses, and my own understanding, no matter how hard I’ll fail it. Or we can also just say both and be done with it.
Otaku as a Word
In modern Japanese slang, the term otaku refers to a fan of any particular theme, topic, or hobby. Common uses are anime otaku (a fan of anime), cosplay otaku and manga otaku (a fan of Japanese comic books), pasokon otaku (personal computer geeks), gēmu otaku (playing video games), and wota (pronounced ‘ota’, previously referred to as “idol otaku”) that are extreme fans of idols, heavily promoted singing girls. There are also tetsudō otaku or denshamania (railfans) or gunji otaku (military geeks).
After reading a bit on the Wikipedia entry and then throwing it out of the window, I suddenly find myself thinking of an alternate, more powerful definition for the word, and failing to find it after minutes and hours of doing so. It was like finding a definition for something obscure, like the word moe. So I came into this deadlock with myself: Otaku, as a word, is a figment spawned from a collective. It is a composition made from various minds under a single train of thought. A composition subdivided into categories that scream uniqueness and depth even though they cannot escape the fact that they can and must be summarized into one word: Fandom. Now, this is just me trying to find a definition. How you see or define it, that’s you, and you might have to agree to disagree since otakuism is as ambiguous as it is paradoxical.
Otaku as a Criterion
To be an otaku goes beyond merely having a hobby – it’s a way of life. A true otaku cannot claim to be defined by anything more greatly than their otakudom. What is that obsession? The customary use of the phrase is for someone who is obsessed with things revolving around anime. However, as expressed in Otaku no Video, it gets more specific based on your taste. If you aren’t obsessed with all anime, but are completely obsessed with mech shows just as much as any anime otaku might be with anime in general, then you would be a mech otaku. What really matters is the strength of your obsession rather than the thing you are obsessed with.
21stcenturydigitalboy (2009/12/6)
So the word has been defined, and now it must be used according to the definition it was given. But how? The word itself has spawned a community of different tastes, nationalities, and ideas. Now it must spawn another category that will further divide the populace: Depth. How passionate are you for your fandom? Is it enough to be called an obsession (cosplay, roleplay, ecchi), or is it self-destructive to be called an addiction (liking to a genre to the point of pornography/hentai)? Does it drive you to be creative (doujin, memedom, and other creative fan work), or does it drive you to achieve something for yourself (item collection and achievements)? With this in mind, I reached a hypothesis: Depth separates the true children of otakuism from the ones who merely see it as a hobby. Maybe this is one basis in which we can “eliminate” otaku, simply by putting quotation marks on both ends of the word, marking the segregation of the otaku from the “otaku”.
Otaku as a Person
There are too many people out there claiming to be otaku and not being able to back it up. There are hundreds of blogs out there ran by people claiming to be ‘otakus’ but instead posting their awful photos of the same saber figure over again. Please, leave the scene and never come back, you are not otaku and you never will be. Do not ever give people the false impression that you are.
Now, the criterion is given. All that’s left is to designate a person that will personify the word in both body and soul. Of course, even with the criterion and the existence of the word present, it’s going to be difficult. Like fighting one’s evil alter ego, it is a battle of whether you would consider yourself an otaku, or reject it, from the point of being able to simply reduce yourself as someone with a hobby, to the point of passionately categorizing yourself to pointlessness. The perception of the community, the justification of the fandom, the self-questioning, and the warring egos and ideals of oneself; All of these would ultimately decide if one is meant to be an otaku, if one decides to be an otaku, or if one rejects to be an otaku. And the realization, whether by oneself or by others, can be as harsh for the sake of otakudom, be it by acceptance, rejection, or decision.
All in all, the Otaku Elimination Game has been a great help. It made me look at the looking glass, and as if I’m a vampire or some malevolent being, I don’t see a reflection on it. I may be indecisive, stupid, presumptuous, or whatnot, but the paradox that is my status as an otaku may as well apply to the status of the fandom. I have a lot to learn, watch, read, play, and do, and I know that I’ve yet to realize or accept the fact that I may or may not be an otaku. Hopefully, I get to find that out soon. As for otakuism and myself, we’ll see if the word accepts me.
And so, even before my presumed entry to the game, I consider myself eliminated.
Further Reading
Otaku as a Profession:
What Is Our Profession? – Life in Quadrant 4
Self-Flagellation? Why?:
I Invite Everyone To Come In And Critique My Blog – Low On Hit Points
Every Blog Can Have Its Own Little O.E.G. – We Love Maids
Why Does My Blog Suck? – Solaninism
“They have keyboards, and they are angry.”:
The word ‘otaku’ is and will always be illusive and obscure. I don’t expect the debates to conclude any time soon. As far as I can see, OEG’s action causes many people to question and rethink about themselves. self re-evaluation is a good thing. It leads to development. I think it’s a good sign. Actually, the only ones who are stuck with themselves and with fixed definition of a single insignificant word are the OEG.
BTW, are you interested in link exchange? I’m adding you to my blogroll
You know you won’t be eliminated now, right? The game doesn’t eliminate ‘non-otaku’ it eliminates people who use the phrase incorrectly. You have obviously exhibited that you understand the word, so you will pass!
Canne: I totally agree with what you said just now. I mean, being an otaku can be similar to learning martial arts, where mastery is only a title, because there will be an infinite number of things to learn. As for the OEG guys, they are and always will be a constant reminder of otakudom’s evolution, and even possibly, devolution.
And sure, I’ll add you in!
digitalboy: Well, I’ve been using the word, and we never know if OEG finds it as incorrect. All I know is, they’re coming, and I should expect them as much as I expect Anonymous delivering the lulz right on my doorstep.
Let’s settle with the 50-50 ratio for now. Wait, make that 60-40.
hmmmm……
Lol AK. Where’s your OEG post?