Recently, a fragment of the definition of “Otaku”from Wikipedia became trending on social media in Japan, generating an intense debate among users. The excerpt highlights the evolution of the perception of otaku in Japanese society, moving from a negative connotation to greater acceptance today.

• “Otaku” is a term that refers to fans who became popular in Japanese subculture in the 1980s. In 1989, during the discovery of the serial kidnapping and murder case of young girls in Tokyo and Saitama, the media widely reported that the criminal Tsutomu Miyazaki He collected numerous videotapes from anime, tokusatsu, and manga magazines, linking them to the crime. This caused a wave of social criticism of otakus and, paradoxically, made the existence of “otakus” widely known to the general public.
• Therefore, at first, the term was often used negatively to collectively refer to people with hobbies such as manga, anime, video games, and idols, as well as individuals who lacked social skills or were poor at interpersonal communication. The persecution of anime otakus 20 years ago was quite severe. Although now they are accepted.

Below are some comments from social media users who reacted to the statement that “although twenty years ago otakus were persecuted, today they are accepted in society”:

• Will it be around the time of 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'? It really was something that was seen in secret. Although it was in the top sales positions on Oricon, it was completely ignored. There were no anime specials on variety shows».
• «Being an otaku was like being a hidden Christian, we lived in secret. Today's otakus think it's normal to be accepted in society, but This is a big mistake».
• «It's not a question of being accepted or not, it's just that There are practically no people in this era who have not watched anime or manga.».
• «Twenty years ago they already had some recognition, right? When it came time to Miyazaki Tsutomu, being an anime lover has earned you horrible treatment. Maybe it's been since 'Princess Mononoke' when it changed».
• «Our Continuous effort has finally made it infiltrate mainstream society.. It is not easy to guide a crowd that does not know what is good or bad.».
• «They used to say that at Comiket 100,000 guys like Miyazaki gathered together, but they didn't talk about what's good».
• «Otakus who watched 'Samurai Champloo', 'Fafner in the Azure', 'MEZZO' were harassed and called weird. People who watched 'BLEACH' or 'School Rumble' were not considered otakus».
• «Society has become a little more tolerant of diversity and they just walk by with a forced smile when they see peculiar people».
• «Between 2000 and 2004, the number of nighttime animes It has increased dramatically and in 2006, in the period of great prosperity, completely changed phase».
• «It made me laugh when the anime became known even among pachinko fans and the elderly».

Source: Otakomu