Ask John: What’s John’s Opinion on Otaku Status?

Question:
The following editorial is an extended deliberation on characteristics of the American anime fan community first discussed in the “Ask John” article titled “Is Anime Fandom Becoming Too Diluted?”

Answer:
As someone frequently asked to define the characteristics of an “otaku” anime fan, or distinguish the difference between a novice or casual anime fan and an obsessive fanatic, or critique the community which spawns both varieties of anime fans, I often think to myself that a tremendous number of anime fans have misaligned priorities or confused ideas about anime and anime fandom. As ironic as my next statement sounds, it’s also true. I’m not trying to suggest that I’m right and everyone else is wrong (well, actually maybe I am), but I’m certainly not trying to propose that I’m greater or more superior to anyone else. Far more so than anything I personally can take credit for, I believe that I simply recall an old fashioned sensibility that’s been forgotten with time; a sensibility that I’d like to remind others of. It’s a very simple guideline, really: it’s all about the anime.

It’s fun to occasionally refer to myself as an “otaku.” I’ll admit that I’ve done it on more than one occasion. But to me, the utterance has always been just in fun. On the other hand, much of the contemporary American anime fan community takes the status of “otaku” very seriously. “Otaku” is a much revered and much sought after title worthy of only a select few, but self-adopted by many. The origin of this condition is endlessly debatably, and not a debate that I want to argue. Rather, I’d like to point out its innate silliness in hopes of eventually eliminating it.

In essence, I’m an anime fan. I’m honored that others sometimes refer to me as an “otaku,” but at the end of the day, I think of myself as just a devoted anime fan. By that I mean that I’m in love with the art of Japanese animation. Any genre, any style, any age: I love it. I’ll take the good with the bad and eagerly critique both, but I wouldn’t want to give up either. The only difference between myself and someone that’s just been introduced to Cowboy Bebop and Dragonball and Sailormoon and Evangelion and wants to see more is my years of experience. Myself and someone just entering the hobby are both anime fans.

Now it becomes necessary for me to define the typifying conditions of being an anime fan. Especially among people just recently introduced to anime, there are those who adore Dragonball or Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop or Sailormoon who want to see more similar animation; and there are those who adore Dragonball or Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop or Sailormoon and only want to see more of their new favorite program. Someone that proclaims Dragonball is the greatest anime ever and won’t consider anything else isn’t an anime fan. That person is a Dragonball fan. An anime fan is someone interested in the depth and breadth of the art form of Japanese animation. Someone that’s obsessively preoccupied with a single title and not interested in anything else is a fan of that singular title.

As a literal anime fan myself, I may be disappointed that an Evangelion or Sailormoon fan may not be willing to expand his or her attention and appreciation to other anime titles, but I’m not in a position to accuse that Evangelion or Sailormoon fan of being wrong. Such a person may be misguided in calling any given show the ultimate end-all-be-all example of the art form out of lack of experience and excess exuberance, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that person obsessing over only a single series. I don’t have the right to mandate what anyone else should or shouldn’t like. Nor do I have the right to accuse anyone else’s personal tastes of being wrong. Limited or lowbrow, yes. But such pejoratives really serve no purpose. They only insult the Dragonball or Sailormoon fan and give me a fleeting and ultimately useless sense of haughty superiority.

Even if someone I encounter has eyes for only Dragonball or Sailormoon, I’d rather see that person be an obsessive fan of Dragonball or Sailormoon than be singularly obsessed with Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake (no offense intended toward either performer). Anime fandom isn’t like aging. When I am older than someone else, I will always be older than that person. When I meet someone that’s not as experienced in anime appreciation as myself, it’s only because that person just hasn’t had enough time yet to become an experienced and knowledgeable fan like myself. I can label myself an “otaku” and call that person a “newbie,” but what purpose do such labels serve? Neither name accomplishes anything positive nor aids in increasing awareness and appreciation of anime.

As someone that respects and cherishes the artistic and cultural beauty of Japanese animation and wants to see it flourish, instead of name calling, I should try to help that new fan become more familiar with anime. Ultimately, turning that “newbie” into an “otaku” will benefit me by increasing the market for anime by one. As long as there’s a market for it, there will always be new anime produced for me to watch and enjoy. In the same way that anyone becomes frustrated and aggravated by someone that gushes at length over a single subject, whether it be religion or political agenda or him/herself or the reasons why Evangelion is the greatest anime ever made, an experienced anime fan may be angered by the narrow and incessant torrent of statements made by a Dragonball or Sailormoon or Evangelion fan, but such fanatical exposition isn’t cause to attack or become defensive. Rather than label such a person as ignorant or a “noob,” both non-constructive efforts, every Dragonball and Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion fanatic is seed waiting to mature into an oak tree with branches of interest stretching out into multiple genres and titles. It’s up to older and more experienced fans to cultivate new seeds in the anime community, nurture them from the Dragonball or Sailormoon fan stage into fully blossomed anime fans. At the same time, there’s no tree that can’t grow larger. There is no “otaku” that has seen everything and knows everything about anime.

In the end, it’s all about the anime. We watch it. We collect it. We share it. By doing so, we help ensure that there will always be more of it in our future. The expansion of our beloved hobby isn’t a threat. The threat comes not from there being more anime fans. The threat to the existance of anime as we know it comes from an increase in the number of people that aren’t anime fans and who don’t appreciate anime as a wonderful and unique form of contemporary Japanese creative expression. As fans, we don’t need more “otaku.” We don’t need more labels at all, nor do we have time for pointless bickering over status or lables. We need more anime fans; devoted, caring and respectful anime fans. We achieve that by prioritizing the appreciation and awareness of anime itself, not the advancement of our own individual status as better-than-thou “otaku.”