御宅 (Otaku), 変態 (Hentai)... That's what I've been labeled recently when my profile pics in Facebook were either a naked ヨイツの賢狼 (or ホロ) from 狼と香辛料 and a provocatively sprawled 炎髪灼眼の討ち手 (or シャナ) from 灼眼のシャナ. (See following...)
Very 変態 meh?Don't get me wrong. I'm not offended by the comments but instead, they have fueled a question that I've been asking myself for the longest of time, "Am I a 御宅?"
Wikipedia gives a very simplistic definition of 御宅, calling it "is a term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime and manga". But we know it takes more than that to be one. In 電車男, a 御宅 is someone who not only is obsessed with anime but would go goo-goo ga-ga over the 声優 of the character in the anime. And he should show relative interest in エロゲー too.
And so you see, long ago i've already decided that I'm your atypical 御宅. Or at least I'm on the 御宅 scale of 1 to 10, I'm a 6. But the recent comments have made me reflect on this again. As I read more of Wikipedia's definition on 御宅, I discover that there are actually a few varieties of 御宅 - アニメ御宅, 漫画御宅, パソコン御宅, ゲーム御宅, and ヲタ (御宅). Perhaps I'm not a full fledged 御宅 but only a アニメ御宅? Even so, I'm not a 100% アニメ御宅 as I absolutely do not go after 声優s. I used to collect ガシャポン but that's about the only thing I do other than
Truth is, アニメ is one of my few indulgences into the Japanese culture (apart from watching テレビドラマ and listening to Japanese songs). Not only it's something I enjoy doing during my free time
Then comes my dilemma. Not entirely related to my 御宅 identity-crisis though but still revolves around my love for アニメ. See arh, I love to watch アニメ right? But I realized that my emotions get really affected whenever I watches them. Also, when I start, I can't stop. More often than not, once I start a watching streak, I'd go and download the ENTIRE SERIES of some past アニメ. I need them to improve my Japanese, I totally enjoy watching them but I can't control the urge. That's the problem with
Oh well, I guess life's about finding the balance isn't it? And I'd have to find it within me on this one... Meanwhile, アニメ最高！アニメ万歳!
2 comments:
You know, when I call you an Otaku I don't mean to be an offensive comment:P
On the Otaku scale from 1 to 10, I guess I'm probably on 9...XD I watch anime, read manga, crazy about seiyuu (yes, I AM REALLY into them), collect all sorts of figures, anime goods, TCG cards. AND I could spent A LOT on these stuff--I can spend up to 30000 yen on a set of cards. (Hopeless, right?)
I don't think that Otaku is a negative word anyway; I admit happily that I'm an Otaku. Like you, I do think anime has become part of my life too. There are a lot of good anime with good plots which help me think and reflect on things. The creativity and artwork also give me inspiration in my everyday writing. And of course, I learnt a lot of Japanese language and even society and culture through anime and manga. I really like animeXD
Yes, I also have the problem of watching all episodes in a time. And being an international student here allows me to spend more time watching animeXD...I remember watching D. Gray-man during the end of January until I reached episode 6X--the newest one at that time:P...it is indeed a great addiction, I just hope it won't affect my studies too much:P
hahaha... thanks Amy, that's very reassuring but ya, i knew you didn't meant it that way. the entry's more of a "self-reflection" rather than a whinny complain.
well, i'm glad i have you, a fellow otaku as my friend then. =) especially since you're a 9/10! hahahaha...
truth to be said, i too don't think otaku is a bad word. yes there's some kind of negative connotation to it but that's only because of the stereotypical perception of an otaku. other than that, it's just another socially constructed label, like "metrosexual" or "geek/nerd" or perhaps even "gay".
well who cares? i'm going to happily indulge in my animes. after all they are the ones who's missing out on the good stuff right? ;)
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