Date of Award
6-2015
Document Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Asian Studies
First Advisor
Joyce Madancy
Language
English
Keywords
anime, japan, otaku, manga
Abstract
With the international rise in popularity of anime and manga in the 1990s, Japan shattered its image as a nation of soulless salary men and robots and became an entertainment giant. Since then, anime has become an even larger force in the global cultural landscape, growing from a niche tape-trading market at science fiction conventions to inspiring large-scale conventions of its own. The driving force behind this expansion is a group of people known as otaku. Internationally, otaku are often defined simply as enthusiastic fans of Japanese popular culture and of anime and manga in particular. In Japan, however, the term “otaku” has a more negative connotation, denoting enthusiasts whose obsession with their hobbies drives them to seclusion and deviant behavior.
Recommended Citation
O'Branovich, Steven, "Otaku – A Case of Assigned Identities" (2015). Honors Theses. 365.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/365