otakudom (aka anime geeks.)

[Automata heart]

hello. because I count myself as an otaku (mostly because anime is all I think about now days...) I want to know what you think of us. do we anoy you, irritate you of are you one of us?
thank you very muchly.

 

[spaekle]

As an anime fan myself, I think referring to yourself as an "otaku" raises your "annoying weeaboo" quota by like 50%.

I like anime, but I don't like it just because it's anime.

 

[Dewgong]

i like some anime as well, but not because it's from japan, or as spaekle said, because it's anime.

i think otakus are extremely annoying, especially if somebody actually proclaims that they are one. otaku is not a good thing. in fact, a lot of people in japan look down on otakus.

i don't mind the casual anime fan though.

 

[ultraviolet]

I can honestly say that when you start calling yourself names that other people use to make fun of you it makes yourself look fairly annoying, yeah. Liking anime because it's anime is silly; especially because many 'otakus' I know don't explore art and discover that most of the things that make anime what it is (other than art style) are fairly common in other forms of art. :|

 

[Minish]

I don't find otaku annoying all that much. Liking anime just because it's anime is only bad when that's the only reason you carry on doing so. I look for new manga to read all the time, because I like the style, I like reading something written from another culture's viewpoint, I like Japanese humour. I prefer not to watch anime because it takes too much time -- I can read a few pages of a manga online every once in a while, for example. Someone who would watch anime anyway because it makes them feel all special for watching something Japanese... that would probably maybe lower my opinion of them, but it wouldn't really annoy me. I think most people on the internet go through a 'Japanese stuff is all awesome' phase whether or not they keep thinking that forever.

It does annoy me when people put Japanese in their signature or whatever, like lyrics, with their only reasoning being 'it looks pretty!'. Those people just use Japanese to look like a special snowflake. Seriously, if you like the lyrics, just put the lyrics there in a language we can all read rather than including both or even worse, only Japanese.

Oh yeah, the type of otaku that annoys me is the one that uses Japanese randomly, and acts like they can 'speak another language'. No, you idiot. That's like saying you can speak French when all you did was study it in school for a few years. I don't even mean the 'omg kawaii' people, they're at least tolerable, it's the people who pretend they actually know a lot of Japanese when in reality they don't know a single kanji character.

...um yeah long post ahoy. I... should probably stop doing that.

 

[Storm Earth and Fire]

It's all about context. There are times when it's safe to use the word otaku in a more positive light, like when talking with weeaboos. And times when it's not a good idea, like when one is in Japan. The term more or less means different things in English and Japanese.

That said, I really am one of you. I love anime and visual novels, and like manga a lot too. I've got two wallscrolls, a few posters, and generally plaster anime girls wherever I can. I don't toss the term around very often, but I do go moe. And I need more money for figures and body pillows.

Weeaboos are rather annoying, though.

 

[goldenquagsire]

do we anoy you, irritate you of are you one of us?

you infuriate me beyond words.

using 'otaku' to describe oneself in any sense other than irony is moronic. the implications of the word in Japan aren't exactly positive. :

anyway, I admit to being somewhat of a fan. what attracts me to anime is that it caters to the sort of interests that seem to be either non-existent or incredibly rare in the West (i.e. steampunk, giant robots, etc.). as far as I know, there are very few Western parallels to shows like Gundam or Last Exile.

there's also other small things that I like about anime, such as its relatively short series' length (26 episodes seems to be a common standard, at least for series other than immortal shonen crap like Naruto and Bleach which NEVER DIES) and the fact that you rarely seem to get more than one or two series (at least, within one continuity; massive franchises like Gundam will still have dozens of series but they're usually self-contained and often bear no relation to other continuities).

the thing to remember is that anime is not all the culture there is. sure, proclaim that it can be a viable art form (and I'm not arguing against that), but you're still missing out on a lot if you're not also exposed to Western literature, cinema, music or theatre.

 

[Dannichu]

I don't care why someone likes something. If it's making them happy and not hurting/bothering anyone else, I really don't mind. It's none of my business, anyway. :/

 

[Minish]

using 'otaku' to describe oneself in any sense other than irony is moronic. the implications of the word in Japan aren't exactly positive. :

But we're talking about the loanword, not the actual Japanese usage, just like how in Japan the word 'manga' can be used for both anime and manga.

 

[goldenquagsire]

But we're talking about the loanword, not the actual Japanese usage, just like how in Japan the word 'manga' can be used for both anime and manga.

it's still fairly stupid!

besides, it just feels rather pretentious. loan words are appropriate when they describe something that hasn't already got a proper word for it in the other language. thus why the use of je ne sais quoi is justified (though for some reason the phrase irritates me, but that's a different argument).

otaku is just a different way of saying "nerd", "geek", "fanboy" and so on. except it has absolutely horrible connotations in its original language. :/

 

[Dewgong]

immortal shonen crap like Naruto and Bleach which NEVER DIES)

you have no idea how much i wish naruto and bleach would end already.

 

[Tailsy]

it's still fairly stupid!

besides, it just feels rather pretentious. loan words are appropriate when they describe something that hasn't already got a proper word for it in the other language. thus why the use of je ne sais quoi is justified (though for some reason the phrase irritates me, but that's a different argument).

otaku is just a different way of saying "nerd", "geek", "fanboy" and so on. except it has absolutely horrible connotations in its original language. :/

Why is the usage of je ne sais quoi justified? 'I don't know what' or 'A certain something' is perfectly translatable into English.

 

[foreign contaminant]

i don't really consider myself a fan of anime, but it's entertainment. if i like it, i like it. i like neon genesis evangelion a lot, particularly.

 

[Ice tiger]

Well, I like anime, I watch it, and I read manga.
But I am far from being obsessed, obsessing over things isn't healthy.
But err 'otaku' don't bother me, although using random Japanese words can get annoying >.> Unless it's 'Kawaii', it sounds cuter than 'cute' :V

 

[M&F]

Unless it's 'Kawaii', it sounds cuter than 'cute' :V

It doesn't.

And, if my foggy memories of whatever useless Japanese knowledge I picked up aren't failing me, "kawaii" is easily one of the most widely misused terms from the language.

 

[goldenquagsire]

Why is the usage of je ne sais quoi justified? 'I don't know what' or 'A certain something' is perfectly translatable into English.

As far as I know, the English translation isn't in common usage. Many alternative words for otaku are in common usage. Furthermore, je ne sais quoi doesn't have horribly negative connotations in the original French.

 

[hopeandjoy]

"Kawaii" is more like being child-like than "cute". It means cute, yes, but it's a... Different kind of cute. It's hard to explain.

 

[Momoharu]

I like anime, but I don't get why people are always hating on Naruto, Bleach and One Piece =/

They're great manga/anime with a good storyline.

 

[goldenquagsire]

I like anime, but I don't get why people are always hating on Naruto, Bleach and One Piece =/

They're great manga/anime with a good storyline.

Naruto has a crap storyline. It has annoying, intensely dislikeable characters. Its fans are some of the most annoying people on the internet. Bleach has slightly less annoying characters but the ridiculous plot armour on certain characters and the endlessly repeating storyline is boring.

I know that one shouldn't expect too much of shonen, but when you've got stuff like Soul Eater around, there's no excuse for lacklustre series like Bleach and Naruto.

One Piece is apparently alright but I've never seen it and don't know enough about it to comment.

 

[Tailsy]

As far as I know, the English translation isn't in common usage. Many alternative words for otaku are in common usage. Furthermore, je ne sais quoi doesn't have horribly negative connotations in the original French.

Uh, yeah, it is. I hear people say 'a certain something... that I can't put my finger on' far more than they would say 'je ne sais quoi'. Unless they feel like sounding douchey. It might not have a negative connotation in la belle langue, but...

I actually agree with you on 'otaku'.