Otaku Helping Others Pt. 10: Are You An Otaku?

Here we are... At the 10th installment of Otaku Helping Others and nearly 2 years after the first installment of OHO. We're at Shabody Archipelago, ready to travel to the New World. We're powered up to the max and there won't be any more time-skips, maybe.

The 10th installment of Otaku Helping Others is about being an Otaku and the medium in which otaku live, anime and manga (and other Japanese media outlets such as jpop or video games).

Anime and manga have the ability to draw people in to them. Think about anime trends like Pokemon, Akira, or Miyazaki movies. Those three have such wide fan bases that it seems like everyone has seen them or heard about them. You don't have to be an otaku to know those anime. In fact, the Deputy Prime Ministor who was once the Prime Minister of Japan, Taro Aso, was an avid manga fan while he was in college. He also reads manga from time to time, as multiple sources suggest. You'd think that most Japanese celebrities would love anime since it's one of Japan's cultural staples. However, once you're a celebrity you have to be conscious of whether coming out and saying you love anime will be good for your career and for anime. To Taro Aso, admitting that he was an avid manga fan was like Barack Obama coming out with his love for things like beer and basketball. That means Taro Aso didn't mind saying that he was an avid fan.

Other celebrities have came out in the open about their interests in anime. Soulja Boy notably for saying that he looked just like Goku and also for liking Death Note. Soulja Boy also has been video'd playing indie games on his Xbox, as in the documentary Indie Game. It's speculated that Gwen Stefani and Zach Efron both like anime from sources like interviews. There are many people out there who do like anime but might not talk about it. I once knew a man who was an original gangsta and also a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh. The point here is that anime does draw people into them.

Let's get to the point. What makes someone say that they are an otaku though? The people mentioned above would probably never admit or come out and say they're an otaku. Being an otaku means that you're obsessed with anime and manga and Japanese media. In America or Japan, it's the same thing as being a comic book nerd. We all know what comic book nerds are like also. They're usually unattractive and never get a date. What would make anyone say they are an otaku?

For us at the Otaku Reviewers we knew we were otaku at a young age. Especially Chansu and Deretsun who embraced being an otaku in high school. Growing up as an otaku or comic book nerd is OK I guess. However, can one be an otaku forever? There's no short answer to this question.

Back to the main question, what makes one an otaku? The short answer is the list below. The more you match the more you are an otaku. If you match all eleven, then the answer is you are an otaku. This list is all or none. Or one for all. The point is... If you match even one, then you may possibly be an otaku. 

Are You an Otaku Quiz!

• 1. You have an anime list on Myanimelist.com
• 2. Your anime list has over 50 anime watched or over 50 days spent watching anime.
• 3. You've been to more than one anime convention. 
• 4. You've been to Japan.
• 5. You own more than 3 video game systems and at least one game that hasn't been translated into English.
• 6. You watch most of your anime in English subs.
• 7. You write fanfiction, write anime/manga, create video games, dojinshi, or draw anime characters.
• 8. You either know who the creator of Astro Boy is or you have watched a movie by Satoshi Kon.
• 9. You own an anime figure.
• 10. You have at least ten manga somewhere.
• 11. You've cosplayed or dressed up as an anime character.

Back to the article. What would make one say they are an otaku? They're usually unattractive and never get a date.... Well the answer to that is: If you've done even one of the things above you know that being an otaku is fun! It probably doesn't matter what other people say about you because you already know that anime and manga is fun. It's not about other people, it's about about being happy. And I'm not really sure about the unattractive part because Ne-yo created his own comic book and in the process of promoting it at the now defunct "New York Anime Festival" (Comic Con) he's crossed more than one thing off that list. But I'm sure that it's fun and it's time consuming. I'm a proud otaku!

Are you an otaku?