Otaku fashon has changed?
Posted By tok_mari On May 16, 2006 @ 7:04 pm In Youth Culture | Comments Disabled
I love the new ads of the U.S Apple Computer [1]. In networking ad, the Japanese girl talks to Mac "he seems to be Otaku, don’t you think so?"
As a "Toshiro Okada – Otaking" fan [2], I am still a little bit nervous [3] to use the word "Otaku". Yes, I feel Otaku should have very deep knowledge and obsessiveness to the object, actually Wikipedia explains Otaku like this [4].
However it is very true that the word "Otaku" is used very easily for anime fans [5], manga fans [6], maid fans [7], costume play fans [8], especially people who hang around Akihabara. Of course since manga, anime, computer stuffs connects tightly to Otaku culture, Akihabara is a Mecca of Otaku, but in a narrow sense, all people in Akihabara (we call Akiba) are not Otaku. So we call them Akiba-kei [9] (Akiba group). Do I make sense? :-)
This site [10] said the definition of Akiba kei is…
1.Talking about bag, it’s backpack.
2.Splash out for what he likes.
3.Use PC while walking.
4.Porn book in his bag.
5.Moe [11] for maid.
6.He like realistic girl. (even in anime, manga).
7.He thinks "I am Otaku".
8.He thinks "I am no good".
Talking to the fashion style, Akiba Blog [12] added some features more. They say they are identically dressed [13], and having Poster saber [14], Having huggable pillow [15](not really, they are shopping bag). Ha! 12 Otakus came from England [16] and visited Akiba, without showing face, we can’t tell any different. ha ha ha! (This round smile mark which covered people’s face is the "Warai Otoko [17]" mark of Ghost in the Shell [18]) But at any rate, the most remarkable fashion feature of Otaku is backpack. Akiba blog researched it, in front of the entrance of Sofmap [19]. In 2004, there were all backpackers [20], they say 46% of people [21] around there had backpack. I wrote about Train man [22] often last year, of course the train man has backpack at first too, but in the end he changed his fashion style [23] because of her. Actually the hit of train man became a trigger of fashion boom for Otaku, some Get off Otaku fashion guide [24] were published.
So surprisingly enough, in this year the number of backpackers in front of Sofmap entrance decrease a lot. Akiba blog say it was just 22% [25] in this year. Yes, I can find only one backpack [26] in that picture. Still they are identically dressed [27], at least bags are different. Akiba kei got fashionable a little bit? Or more regular people got Akiba-kei?
Article printed from Tokyo Metblogs: http://tokyo.metblogs.com
URL to article: http://tokyo.metblogs.com/2006/05/16/otaku-fashon-has-changed/
URLs in this post:
[1] the U.S Apple Computer: http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/
[2] a "Toshiro Okada – Otaking" fan: http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2005/07/what_is_otaku_.html
[3] a little bit nervous: http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2006/05/the_butler_cafe.html
[4] this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku
[5] anime fans: http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2005/08/moe_moe.html
[6] manga fans: http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2005/06/dont_miss_it_be.html
[7] maid fans: http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2005/10/service_at_maid.html
[8] costume play fans: http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2005/02/animation_fans_.html
[9] Akiba-kei: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiba-kei
[10] This site: http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/9474004.html
[11] Moe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_(slang)
[12] Akiba Blog: http://www.akibablog.net/
[13] they are identically dressed : http://akibablog4.on.arena.ne.jp/2005-06-06-308.html
[14] Poster saber: http://akibablog4.on.arena.ne.jp/2005-06-06-310.html
[15] Having huggable pillow : http://akibablog4.on.arena.ne.jp/2005-06-06-309.html
[16] 12 Otakus came from England: http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/16926545.html
[17] Warai Otoko: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughing_Man_(Ghost_in_the_Shell)
[18] Ghost in the Shell: http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2004/09/ghost_in_the_sh.html
[19] Sofmap: http://www.sofmap.com/tenpo/shop/tokyo_0.htm
[20] all backpackers: http://akibablog4.on.arena.ne.jp/2005-09-12-608.html
[21] 46% of people: http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/20848134.html
[22] Train man: http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2005/05/the_trainman_fr.html
[23] he changed his fashion style: http://www.nifty.com/denshaotoko/html/trailer.htm
[24] Get off Otaku fashion guide: http://www.akibablog.net/archives/2005/10/post_97.html
[25] just 22%: http://www.akibablog.net/archives/2006/05/post_495.html
[26] only one backpack: http://www.akibablog.net/archives/img/2006-05-04-105.html
[27] identically dressed: http://www.akibablog.net/archives/img/2006-05-04-103.html
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