One of my favourite websites, What Japan Thinks, came up with their top 30 ways to find Otaku in the wild. Otaku, for those lucky enough not to know what they are, are people who are so utterly obsessed with anime and video games that they retract from normal social interaction. At least, that’s the Japanese definition of them. Western Otaku are just people who are almost too interested in anime and so forth. There are some nice ones out there, but there are also plenty that justify the ‘dork’ stereotype.
The top 5 ways to spot a male Otaku, then, are;
1. Anime print T-Shirt
This is the big one. If you have one of these, look at it carefully. Is it covered in the remains of meals you ate a long time ago? Is it so worn that it has faded from black to a light grey? Is it XXXXXXL? Any of these signs point to Otakudom. Although just owning it is probably bad enough.2. Anime print paper bag
I’m not totally sure what this means. The voters in these polls are all Japanese but I’m guessing it’s something to do with a bag into which you put many of your ten billion manga magazines. I don’t know and frankly I’m glad I don’t.3. Bum bag/Fanny pack
Not just Japan related at all. If you have one of these and wear it anywhere except on a mountain you deserve anything you get. Including being run over.
4. Wearing a bandana around the head
A Hachimaki (鉢巻) is a bandana, usually red or white, which was traditionally worn to show the wearer is working hard. Now however it is worn to show the wearer is a huge nerd.
5. Bag plastered with anime-related patches & stickers
If you have time to cover your bag in Naruto patches, you probably have time to get showered, shaved and head to a few job interviews.
Now I know what you’re thinking. “Mike, it’s not fair that men alone should suffer this assault. What of lady Otaku?” Well, female otaku (apparently called Otakette according to WJT) also have thirty telltale signs to suggest they have nothing better to do than read tattered copies of Sailor Moon and dream of real human interaction. Quite a few of the things in the list featured in the men’s one (T-shirts, bags ect.) so here are a few of my favourites;
3. Gothic-Lolita Fashion
Oh dear. This one will cause a lot of arguements. Whilst this unique Harajuku does have roots in nerdom, I would argue that nowadays it’s quite apart from geeks. If you agree please don’t hate me, I didn’t make this list. Go tell the 1,101 people who took the survey that spending £900 on a skirt was totally justified. Or something.
5. Big Thick Glasses
Harry Potter likes anime!8. Pink Or Green Hair
I am absoloutly, 100% agreed on this one. Why girls dye their hair these colours I’ll never know. The pink hair makes them look like they’ve recently been injected with serious amounts of nitrogen whilst the green one makes me want to shove them back into the soil and let them grow for another three years.
15. Lots Of Straps On Mobile Phone
One or two is mandatory in Japan. When I had my mobile phone I didn’t put any straps on it at all and people thought that was weird. So I bought one or two and put them on, and it was normal. Then one of my students brought out her phone and it had at least twenty on it. The thing weighed about three stone. Insanity.22. “I *heart shape* something” T-Shirt
That said, I’m considering buying an “I *heart shape* destroying “I *heartshape* things” t-shirt” t-shirt, thus logically destroying myself, and ending the universe.
So there you are. Whilst this list features the more extreme fashions of the dork, there’s something for everyone here. Do not buy anime t-shirts is the golden rule that echoes throughout the ages. There’s nothing wrong with liking anime or liking the culture that surrounds it, but the day you wake up and think you really saw Pikachu walking down your street is the day you need to seriously consider becoming an alcoholic. It’s safer.
January 14th, 2008 at 9:46 am
say this at WJT as well and almost blogged it.
I bbuy nime shirts and have a couple anime memorabilia but I will not overdo it to the point where i look like a “pikachu walking down the street”. A T-shirt or necklace or wallet or book sure…leave the full body costumes for expos and conventions.
January 14th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Jamaipanese: Ooh, you’re borderline Otaku ;) I thought you might blog this and you are of course totally welcome to do so. A link to here would be ace if it’s not too much trouble :)
January 15th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Wow, I buy anime T-shirts all the time. They sell alot of them at a store we have in the US called “Hot Topic”. I recently purchased an Afro Samurai, and a Death Note tee. Plus, I wear them almost everyday. I’ve been collecting anime tees since 2001..I have so many, I lost count of them. ^_^;
January 15th, 2008 at 2:22 am
The red bandana is funny. If you wear that hear it means you are gang affiliated.
January 15th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Sanjo-chan: You also run CEN.TAKU.ME don’t you? I think you may be guiiillltttyyyyy…
Justn: In Japan it means you are anime affiliated ;)
January 15th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Hot Topic is a scary store.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Can i just say I know pleantly of anime over the top fans male and female and the only thing that they have out of that list is 5 so I really don’t think this list can be justified.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
* 5 male
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:15 am
Akkiko: It’s a joke, I’m sure not every single Otaku has exactly the same look ;)