Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan: Historical Perspectives and New Horizons

Description

With the spread of manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese cartoons) around the world, many have adopted the Japanese term ‘otaku’ to identify fans of such media. The connection to manga and anime may seem straightforward, but, when taken for granted, often serves to obscure the debates within and around media fandom in Japan since the term ‘otaku’ appeared in the niche publication Manga Burikko in 1983. Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan disrupts the naturalization and trivialization of ‘otaku’ by examining the historical contingency of the term as a way to identify and contain problematic youth, consumers and fan cultures in Japan. Its chapters, many translated from Japanese and available in English for the first time – and with a foreword by Otsuka Eiji, former editor of Manga Burikko – explore key moments in the evolving discourse of ‘otaku’ in Japan. Rather than presenting a smooth, triumphant narrative of the transition of a subculture to the mainstream, the edited volume repositions ‘otaku’ in specific historical, social and economic contexts, providing new insights into the significance of the ‘otaku’ phenomenon in Japan and the world. By going back to original Japanese documents, translating key contributions by Japanese scholars and offering sustained analysis of these documents and scholars, Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan provides alternative histories of and approaches to ‘otaku’. For all students and scholars of contemporary Japan and the history of Japanese fan and consumer cultures, this volume will be a foundation for understanding how ‘otaku’, at different places and times and to different people, is meaningful. With the spread of Japanese comic and cartoons around the world, many have adopted the term ‘otaku’ to refer to fans of such media. As otaku have become a ‘taken-for-granted feature of the global cultural landscape’, so too have they become a taken-for-granted object of analysis and discourse. This edited volume seeks to disrupt this naturalization and trivialization by examining the historical contingency of ‘otaku’ in contemporary Japan. It is common practice to construct a history of otaku from well-known ‘facts’. Indeed, one can simply relay a series of dates – 1983, 1989, 1996, 2005 – people, and events as shorthand for this history. Original documents most often go untranslated and unread, but are nonetheless cited or collapsed into media moments that are ‘black boxed’. Against this backdrop, this edited volume is intended to open a debate about ‘otaku’. Chapters are discussions of primary Japanese documents and translations of key contributions by Japanese scholars of ‘otaku’, which appear here in English for the first time. Though sustained analysis of Japanese documents and translation of Japanese scholars, this edited volume explores the contingency of ‘otaku’ across time and expose the politics of labelling. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Figures and Tables Notes on Contributors Foreword: Otaku Culture as ‘Conversion Literature’ Acknowledgements Introduction: ‘Otaku’ Research: Past, Present and Future On ‘otaku’ research Otaku/Otaku/OTAKU Taxonomy of fans Social constructionist approach A revised labelling approach Notes References Section One: The 1980s 1 ‘ “Otaku” Research’ and Anxiety About Failed Men Introduction Desire for fictional characters The case of Manga Burikko ‘Otaku’ as failed men Conclusion Notes References 2 Birth of ‘Otaku’: Centring on Discourse Dynamics in Manga Burikko Introduction Nakamori Akio and ‘ “Otaku” Research’ ‘Otaku’ recognized as a discriminatory term The editorial strategy of Ōtsuka Eiji surrounding ‘otaku’ Self-tormenting ‘otaku’ and enlightened activity by the editorial board Conclusion Notes References 3 Opening the Black Box of the 1989 Otaku Discourse Introduction: Assembling otaku Point of entry: Qualitative content analysis Otaku and the mass media Tabloids and the Miyazaki reserve troops Managing otaku Establishing otaku Conclusion: Recursive modes of ordering Notes References Section Two: The 1990s 4 Traversing Otaku Fantasy: Representation of the Otaku Subject, Gaze and Fantasy in Otaku no Video Introduction General representations of otaku in media What are otaku? Otaku no Video (1991) The otaku object in Otaku no Video The otaku subject in Otaku no Video Mockumentary as otaku gaze Traversing fantasy in Otaku no Video Notes References 5 Introduction to Otakuology Translator’s introduction Part 1: Subculture and otaku culture Freedom of otaku culture Part 2: Otaku are the legitimate heirs of Japanese culture Notes Section Three: The 2000s 6 The Construction of Discourses on Otaku: The History of Subcultures from 1983 to 2005 Introduction Birth of the category of ‘otaku’ ‘Otaku’ as a personality problem Theories of ‘otaku’-style consumer society Theories on otaku as fashion In lieu of a conclusion Notes References 7 Train Man and the Gender Politics of Japanese ‘Otaku’ Culture: The Rise of New Media, Nerd Heroes and Consumer Communities Introduction How fans created Train Man and engendered media trends The gender politics of mainstream otaku culture Conclusion Notes References 8 The Transformation and Diffusion of ‘Otaku’ Stereotypes and the Establishment of ‘Akihabara’ as a Place-brand Introduction Akihabara as cutting-edgeelectric town Akihabara as the ‘holy land of otaku’ Competing images of Akihabara The origin and transformations of ‘otaku’ Study of otaku stereotypes Conclusion Notes References 9 The Transition of Otaku and Otaku Translator’s introduction How otaku became otaku The era of otaku before otaku The existence of ‘M’ Introduction to Otakuology Image changing for the better Expansion of otaku Otaku forebears and the first generation The first generation, or the TV generation Second generation and society The cultivated third generation Definition by academia Japan is not limited to Tokyo Notes References 10 ‘Otaku’ as Label: Concerns over Productive Capacities in Contemporary Capitalist Japan Introduction: the common sense on ‘otaku’ The study of ‘otaku’ as a label and its theoretical implications Disgusting excitement at two-dimensionalcharacters (that are not naked) Unproductive and auto-productivedesires Conclusion: Concerns over productive capacities in contemporary capitalism Notes References Index