I’ve been interested for a while in how “otaku” (for lack of a better translation, nerds) are perceived in Japan.
The question is complicated by the fact that there really is no set definition of what an “otaku” is. Some experts in Japan, for example – such as psychiatrist Saitou Tamaki – define it in extremely negative terms as a person with a sexual complex surrounding two-dimensional characters. For the sake of this article, however, let’s stick with the conventional definition: an otaku is someone who’s absorbed in some 2D sub-culture, such as anime, manga, or – increasingly – virtual idols.
Given this, how are people with “otaku”-type interest perceived by others? It’s hard to find hard data around this. One source of information that provides some insight is online message boards, where Japanese women go to ask other women for advice. One board in particular, Girl’s Channel, has several threads devoted to the question of how (mostly cis straight) women perceive otaku cis straight men.
The answers to these questions were, at least for me, somewhat surprising.
My Boyfriend’s Love For 2D Idols
One woman wrote to Girl’s Channel with a dilemma: “My boyfriend’s a 2D idol otaku. Once every two months, he blows his salary and goes to a large venue concert. Part of me thinks it’s a harmless hobby, but I can’t shake this ill feeling about it.”[1]
Girl’s Channel uses a Reddit-style voting system for answers. And the top answers in this topic are, surprisingly, pretty tolerant towards the otaku BF:
