CATDOLL: Analysis: Are there few “real” otakus in Japan?

When it comes to otaku or otaku, people always think of Japan. But in fact, even in Japan, fanatical otaku are a very small group, and they are not accepted by the public. There are many people who watch comics and animation in Japan, but as a "hobby", it is a very small group.

1. The popularity rate is high but everyone is not professional

As a national industry in Japan, the number of comic readers and the popularity of two-dimensional games in Japan are definitely higher than in other countries. However, most people like it during their school days (before college). You can say that even in Japan, most people only think of the two-dimensional world as "something for children (not children, but before they become independent in society)". Comics are good to read and can be used as a pastime, but if you follow them every day and keep up with the information related to the two-dimensional world in your spare time, the number of people who like the two-dimensional world in our country is so small that it is equivalent to the proportion of people who like the two-dimensional world in our country. Those who go to ACG exhibitions are too professional and can be called "otaku".

Why are Japanese 2D related exhibitions so popular? I think it’s mainly because the market is big and there are many people involved. Most of the Japanese I’ve met are familiar with classic works like Dragon Ball, because they almost all watched them when they were students, just like Slam Dunk is very popular among the post-80s generation, but not all those who have watched Slam Dunk are fans of 2D. 2D culture is indeed deeply rooted in Japanese culture, so even if you don’t become an otaku, you can count the classic works. But because of this, most people’s exposure to 2D is actually very shallow.

To give another example, we all know the Four Great Classics, and every Chinese can tell one or two classic stories from the Four Great Classics. But if you say that there are only a small number of people who have truly studied and are truly interested in the Four Great Classics, there are only a small number of people.

So many people read comics and play games every year, but it can be understood that they just read them and play them when they are bored, just like we heard that there is a good novel recently and bought it to read. They are very receptive to anime, so these behaviors become daily life. In their minds, they are not ACG fans at all.

2. As a "hobby" rarely

In the Japanese society, ACG is not a mainstream hobby, but the society is very tolerant of hobbies, so when someone says that his hobby is ACG, he will not be criticized or looked down upon by others. However, when this person's hobby is really only ACG, that is, when he does not care about worldly things except anime and games, his rating from others, especially men, will be much lower.

I have to say that this is actually a prejudice. If a man is obsessed with sports activities and studies food balance, body shaping and various sports techniques every day, it is actually a kind of charm. But if it is the two-dimensional world, others will secretly admire him less. I think the main reason is that being obsessed with the two-dimensional world will give non-otaku some prejudiced hints: such as being unpopular with the opposite sex, lacking social interaction, poor physical ability and sports, etc. This is not necessarily true, but the otaku wearing rustic clothes and glasses and hanging out in Akihabara with a two-dimensional girl is imprinted in people's minds as a prototype. Compared with anime, hobbies such as sports, travel, red wine, or even just eating are better.

However, for a normal anime-obsessed friend or colleague, if his hobby does not affect his mind or his usual way of dealing with people, people will not have any negative views. At most, they will think he is a cute otaku. But this person will probably be greatly affected in finding a girlfriend.

Another reason is that for Japanese people, the amount of time and energy invested in the word "hobby" is different from the level expressed by Chinese people when they say "hobby". Usually when we talk about hobbies, we mainly say "I like to do something", while Japanese people mean "I am very familiar with a certain field and spend most of my spare time on it." Therefore, many Chinese people who have been in Japan for a while will find that they "really have no hobbies."

For example, if we like to listen to pop songs, we say that our hobbies are music. But when a Japanese person says that his hobby is music, he is probably proficient in various music genres, plays in his own band, or has started to compose his own music. After a period of being crushed by this, we are embarrassed to easily say what our hobbies are. We are too superficial to show off.

So when someone in Japan says that his hobby is comics, he would be embarrassed to say so if he doesn't have five bookshelves full of comics at home. So when someone in Japan says that his hobby is the ACG, I don't need to say much about what everyone will imagine. Most of us would just say that we like to read comics. We wouldn't say that our hobby is comics. So the questioner's guess is very correct. ACG is a very niche hobby in Japan !

To sum up, they watched popular anime when they were children and students, and know the jokes about the scumbag, but when discussing new anime, most people would shake their heads blankly. At most, only when the comics are as popular as "Attack on Titan", have a movie, and become a topic of discussion on the streets, will more people watch them out of interest. But I'm afraid most people only know a little bit about it, and even less than half of the people who have watched it have not.