After reading some of the books called Mechademia, I have seen a lot of different articles from the books and it seems that the culture we are trying to explain to ourselves isn't about trying to make ourselves accepted or even if what Otaku is. It is the fact that we are looking a culture in interest and figuring how we could emulate it to the best of our abilities. The problem that I am seeing is that in the case of the, I'm going to stop using Otaku, and just use Anime Fandom, is that we are not all the same in the way we view it. In some cases as seen in the works of one of the articles in Mechademia volume 1: The World of Anime Fandom in America, written by Susan Napier, we are looking at it as though we are still a consumer nation. There is a time when peopel will discuss how much anime we own, how we live through it and how we work with it. Though we as many cultures live with the idea of the taboo or outsider views.
Its kind of like going around saying, "hey, I'm a nerd," or "I'm a jock," we are all in a different volume of fandom. There are many people who live and breath their anime, while there are those who are more like, living and breathing their costumes, but then again, we don't escape the reality that we have to work to make these things, we have to work to get to the conventions. Some of the people I have seen in the case of American Anime Fandom versus any other fandom out there is that we in most cases give more money into the economy when we do buy anime and we do purchase manga. So in truth, we are saying, "Be one of us?" no, we are are in fact telling people, "its okay to be a fan of something."
What is really important is less of what being an Otaku is, is more of who we support economically and also socially. Anime has become more part of our culture because we are discovering that there are characters we relate to. Are we Otaku in a positive sense or a negative sense if we are supporting an open economy.
Sorry, I just thought people should actually read the article, its a shame we have to go on a hunt for the book to get this information. More or less, yes, Otaku is a hot button topic. People look less at it as a type of taboo or more of a fashionable sense. Harajuko bags which are popular are considered to be part of the fandom and so forth. You have to admit, some of the fashion we have from the ideas of Otaku have flown far into our culture and also the cultures of the world. So far the books did go on to talk in depth.
If anyone wants to know where to get the Mechademia books, go to the library and Prospector it, trying to buy it out right is near next to impossible at present. Books are out of print.
