Otaku

This article is about the subculture and how it exists in Japanese culture. For the internet aesthetic about obsessive anime-viewing, see Animecore. For Otaku in non-Japanese nations, see Weeaboo and Nerd. 
 
Otaku are a subculture in Japan that is characterized by their obsession with anime, manga, and video games, like a Japanese combination of Geek and Nerd. It is similar to Weeaboo, but the distinction is that otaku describes the culture within Japan while weeaboo is used for those outside of Japan. Additionally, the Japanese word can mean fan in a more general sense, and someone can be an "otaku" for literature, computers, and video games. Howoever, anime and manga otakus are the most well known type familiar to Western internet users. What makes Otaku notable is their inability to connect with reality and the social system of Japanese society. This group of people collect an incredibly large amount of merchandise related to their anime/manga of choice. Their bedrooms are filled with the bookshelves full of these manga and doujinshi. 
Their stereotypical fashion is a flannel shirt, glasses, bandana, and jeans. Clothes are typically unironed and ill-fitting; hair is unkempt. Common accessories include backpacks, cameras, and glowsticks. "Otaku coordinate" is the aesthetic of wearing these stereotypical otaku clothes. It became a small trend in Japan to wear these clothes during the 2010s, mostly among teenage girls. The appeal of the aesthetic was wearing unusual and unfashionable clothes to be unique.https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2016-06-18/stereotypical-otaku-fashion-trending-among-teen-girls-in-japan/.103302 
More information: Japanese Fashion Wikia: Otaku Fashion
Akiba-kei () is a Japanese slang term for Otaku who gather in the Akihabara shopping district located in Chiyoda. The district is known as the "capital" of Otaku culture as it contains many stores selling anime, manga, and video games. Akiba-kei is associated with media based around otaku, such as Akiba-Pop.
Hikikomori is an extreme form of otaku, becoming an individual who has withdrawn themselves from society and has become a social recluse. Hikikomori are classified by the Japanese government as individuals who live in their parent'(s) house, do not go to work or school, and isolate themselves from society. 
==Visual==
This group of people collect an incredibly large amount of merchandise related to their anime/manga of choice. Their bedrooms are filled with the bookshelves full of these manga and doujinshi. 
Their stereotypical fashion is a flannel shirt, glasses, bandana, and jeans. "Otaku coordinate" is the aesthetic of wearing these stereotypical otaku clothes. It became a small trend for Japanese teens to wear these clothes during the 2010s. The appeal of the aesthetic was wearing unusual and unfashionable clothes to be unique.https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2016-06-18/stereotypical-otaku-fashion-trending-among-teen-girls-in-japan/.103302
==Media==
=== Manga & Anime ===
*Akiba-chan
*Akiba Maid War
*Bakuman
*Densha Otoko: Train Man
*Genshiken
*Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken
*Lucky Star
*Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers
*Outbreak Company
*Oreimo
*WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!
*Welcome to the N.H.K.
*Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku
==Gallery==
Akibakei.jpg
Otaku2.jpeg
==References==
Category:Subcultures and Stereotypes