I've bitched about them plenty of times in the past. However, can you spot an otaku? Maybe you can, but maybe you can't. Some otakus are more discrete than others. Luckily for you, I will make a handy list right here as a go-to guide for identifying the scourge that is the otaku.
xm0123's guide for recognizing anime otaku. Works in both the real world, and the internet world.
- If you refer to an anime as a "mere" cartoon, the otaku will fly off the handle, insisting that anime is far superior to anything the world outside of Nippon has produced.
- The otaku is never a fan of any anime product that is popular with "normal people," ("normal people" referring to people who don't normally watch Japanese cartoons. Otakus perceive them as being unexceptional and conformist.) and will go about their way claiming that their favorite series or movie is so much better than mainstream fluff like Pokemon and Dragonball, simply because no one outside of serious anime fans and/or otaku can even recognize it. Sometimes, the otaku will make an exception for popular anime if it was made by a "respected" creator, like Tezuka, Miyazaki, Otomo, et cetera, however, they don't always make an exception for them.
- The otaku assumes that all Japanese authors, anime directors, voice actors, et cetera, are always infallible. Always. Infallible. No exceptions. Unless if they created something popular with "normal people", and said popular product was not made by someone "respected." Then it sucks. And fans of said product sucks.
- The otaku is a dub hater. This one's tricky; not everyone who watches subs only is a dub hater. If someone watches anime in Japanese because, "I want to see it in its original format," (A common reason used for live-action foreign films) or because, "I like being able to read subtitles," then they're not dub haters. If someone watches anime in Japanese because, "Japanese sounds better than English! Nay, better than every language that isn't Japanese!" then they're definitely an otaku.
- The otaku finds illustrated women more desirable than the real-life woman. Please don't ask me to go into further detail on this one.
If one of these traits describes you, you are very likely an otaku. If all of these traits describe you . . . then stay the fuck away from me.
However, there is one way to counteract the yin of this blog; the yang of this blog. And what is the yang of this blog? Cute girls and good music! And what franchise supplies cute girls and good music? Touhou! I found a video that is a series of flashes. It's amazing.
Enjoy.
Doesn't that make you feel better? Of course it does. The animation in that first part is amazing. Well, amazing for an internet video, anyways.
And now I present: A remix of Reisen's theme. I may not like her as much as some of the other characters, but her theme song is great.
