Sep14

Do you just “like” anime, or are you an OTAKU?

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Do you just “like” anime, or are you a full on otaku?

Like, some people “like” anime and manga but you can’t call yourself a real fan unless you’re obsessed. Seriously. Just “liking” an anime and manga is not fangirling. If you don’t even fangirl, then how does that even count???

Here’s a list of things that makes you an otaku. If you don’t share at least half of the things on the list, you are not an otaku (yet):

-Sing all the songs (OPs etc.) in Japanese

-Fangirl (even if you won’t admit to it)

-Ship like crazy (including getting extremely annoyed at the third wheel in a love triangle and even yelling at the TV)

-Buy things that aren’t just anime and manga merchandise (but those count too) that remind you of a certain manganime you love

-Love Japan as much as your home country and all things Japanese, even Japanese stores like Muji make you happy.

-Constantly open up search engines like Google in your free time and type in manga/anime terms, or search about animes and manga. Or look for pictures. Or look for new animes and mangas to read/watch.

-Sometimes pretend you are a certain character in an anime or manga, or invent yourself as a character in an anime and manga.

-Play with anime figurines of some sort. Talk to them, make adventures with them, and create stories for them.

-Know that there is a HUGE difference between anime and manga (believe me, some people do not).

-This only applies to shoujo fans, so if you don’t do this you can’t call yourself a SHOUJO otaku yet, but still an otaku: know who ends up together right from the beginning and analyze the storyline and characters in your head unconsciously.

-Recognize the different types of characters in anime and manga (tsundere, ditzy heroine, etc.)

-Can watch anime and manga all day long.

I might’ve missed some in the list, so tell me if I did and I will add it. I’m doing this in a rush, I’m super busy. I have a pile of homework waiting for me.

But hey, I’m not saying I’m excluding anyone who aren’t otakus, you guys like anime and manga so that’s great. I totally know what it’s like not being an otaku, too! Lol, that sounds…

I used to just “like” anime and manga when I was in elementary school, which meant I didn’t sing the OPs and the anime songs in Japanese (SHOCK, how could I have not done that) and I didn’t fangirl and I didn’t ship like crazy and insult the annoying extra person in love triangles.

But at the beginning of middle school I started really delving into the anime and manga world. Now I’m a shoujo fan who likes the occasional shounen (especially if it’s CLAMP) and is obsessed with Arina Tanemura.

So if you think you really like anime and manga but you’re aren’t an otaku like us, that’s fine. Keep going and soon you will also be an otaku!

Or you will grow out of anime and manga and mock us otakus as you grow older. Hey, you have options! XD

Maria

26 responses »

  1. Hehe, I do everything (except the “Sometimes pretend you are a certain character in an anime or manga” one), and although I don’t consider myself an otaku (which I reserve for people who have eerily vast knowledge of everything anime/manga), I’m definitely more of a fan than just someone who just “likes” it. *3*

    I try not to do too much of #1 though, as I’m painfully aware of how stupid I must sound, even when alone… |D Anyways, this is a great post, I hope everything reads this~

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  2. When you’ve begun seriously podcasting and blogging about all this stuff, you’ve kind of gone off the deep end. Otaku is the deep end. My co-host and I are off the edge. We can’t talk to normal people. When you start developing social problems, you know you’re a true otaku.

    When you’re looking for fanzines to know more about Votoms, you’re a true otaku.

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    • I have serious social problems. If I didn’t come to America now, I would be never be able to say “hi” to anybody face to face without feeling pressure. XD

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  3. Ahhh, probably the only one I can’t do is singing the songs. I have this pet peeve for asian music >.< I can't stand it.

    But one thing I do do is cry whenever something remotely cute/sad is in the manga. Best example of this was Bokura Ga Ita. I was bawling like a baby the whole time.

    Reply ↓

    • I can respect that. The song thing, I mean. Everyone has a pet peeve. ^_^ Mine is the screechy noise that happens when things are too smooth and you run your fingers after it after like, washing your hands it makes that… eughh, it’s disgusting. XP

      It’s good that your emotionally in touch!!! I used to cry all the time for those things. I’m blocked up this year. I don’t know why. :S

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  4. Weird how I do everything on that list. O_O
    Seriously, one of my Otaku friends and I have two hour conversations on the phone about which character we can’t stand in an anime/manga.
    I can sing the Lucky Star theme, OuranHighSchoolHostClub themes, Melancholy Of Haruh Suzumiya theme, Angel Beats themes, AND Clannad themes. I can sing more too, but this comment is getting long. :U
    I always invent myself in to a series. Like in Sakura Hime, I pretended to be Aoba’s love interest. NOT SAKURA. Haha. /Shot.
    Its not weird that I felt like Konata-chan while writing this comment, is it? ><

    Long comment. -_-

    Reply ↓

    • Lol me too! I created that list based on myself XD
      Hey, we all pretend to be different characters ^_^ No point in hiding it, people! Unless you don’t actually do it…
      We sing all the songs in all our anime, whether we know the lyrics or not XD I used to be able to sing all of Utau’s songs in Shugo Chara without lyrics or anything, but now it’s not as easy (I focused on manga reading for a while)… Love the Tokyo Mew Mew OP, don’t you?? The beginning is awesome, at least. So shoujo ^_^

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      • Yeash~ The Tokyo Mew Mew OP is awesome~

        I can sing all of the songs on Full Moon and KKJ too. XD

    • Well, if you play with GunPla, that makes you a different kind of otaku from me. A male kind. XD Well, no, some girls to play with Gunpla, but not many…
      I play with anime figures (figmaaaaaa) though (talk to, make adventures with XD). I will add that. Figurines are so otaku! I can’t believe I forgot that.

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    • I see her too! >_<
      I love Sugar Sugar Rune. I read the manga and tried to watch the anime but heck, I couldn't find a Japanese version with subs. It was all in Cantonese XD

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      • Its really hard to find SSR subs. You see, it is infamous for the amount of different sub groups that had taken it up as a project and dropped ten or twenty episodes in…
        The manga is better, though, anyways. :) Unless you want to see Chocolat be princess…. x3

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  9. I definitely am fascinated by Japanese culture, but I hate when people take it too far and want to be Japanese themselves or they think everything about Japan is perfect. And I laughed at the part about shojo fans being able to tell who ends up together right away; for some reason I’m really good at that. For example, I don’t know if you’ve read/seen it, but I never got how people seriously thought Miki would end up with Kei in Marmalade Boy – she’s obviously gonna end up with Yuu, the ‘marmalade boy!’

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    • I do not think Japan is perfect, but I love Japan. :) Not for some reason, most people are (able to tell who ends up together right away). Hardcore shoujo fans are very, very good at it. I’m reading Marmalade boy now ^_^

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  15. I never really thought of anime or manga as interesting but now it’s seems pretty cool.Have any suggestions for good anime to read?

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