Otaku Lingo

CEBU, Philippines - A lady walks in with arrogance and confidence; eyes jaded through aquamarine lenses; ruby-red lips in a half-solemn smile as camera flashed from all directions. Scarlet, straight hair held up in a tight ponytail, she knew she was beautiful. The people’s amused stares told her that.

“But who is she?” You might ask.  The answer is a simple “Who knows.” She could be that somebody you randomly greeted “hi” for the sake of courtesy, or a total stranger who sat beside you in a jeepney ride. The thing is, you would not know. Not when her appearance is altered to favor the personification of an anime character.

There is, however, a good way to call these people who dress up and make themselves look like they are someone else from whoever-knows-what universe – the Otakus.

Online, modern definition of the word “otaku” would direct you to “super-fans who eat, drink, shop, collect and obsess over every fact of Japanese comics, animated TV shows, movies, toys and video games”.

So what? Why do they matter?

Cebu teens have been showing symptoms of Otaku culture which is evident on the series of anime related activities this 2013.  The annual OtakuFest celebrated at the University of the Philippines (UP), for one, manifests how Otaku mentality has definitely seep through the confines of the academe.

“But wait a sec!” you protest. “I don’t really care.”

Sure you might not. But if it gets to a point when someone you know begins to manifests symptoms of being an otaku, then you might as well take a step ahead and get familiar with their lingo, before you totally diagnose them as freaks – or vice versa.

It is not CARTOON but ANIME.

In an interview with otakus, the distinction between anime and cartoon is sacred. Not only do the two differ in terms of graphics and story line, anime, as otakus believe, exclusively refers to Japanese animation. It should therefore not be associated with the more generic term “cartoons”, which most likely connotes American and Disney animation.

Do not call it COMIC BOOK but MANGA.

Unless you add the term “Japanese” prior to the word “comic book”, otakus appreciate people who call it by its appropriate and shorter term, “manga”. It will not only disprove your ignorance about anime, but will also give the impression that you have actually seen, skimmed, read, or even touched a paperback copy of it – which psychologically makes you a part of them.

Thou shall not say COSTUME but COSPLAY.

While cosplay has already been a widely known short term for “costume play”, Otakus still find it surprising how a number of people, especially those who came from generations ahead of the present, settle on the term “costume” in reference to the entire activity of dressing up in efforts to look like an anime character. It is not entirely derogatory or insulting, they contend. But if the goal is to materialize into something closer to the real thing, then labeling the activity as “cosplay” in line with the original Japanese term kosupurei, is more appropriate.

GAY is not the right term but SHOUNEN – AI. (shounen = boy + ai = love)

When My Husband’s Lover started to make a buzz in social networking sites, especially Twitter, people who originally are not into the genre started to watch it, as well. Comments on Facebook like “so gay” and “gay empowerment” started to be a part of people’s discussions and reviews. Otakus, who are a tad too familiar with the genre saw it as a leap in Philippine TV but refused to use the term “gay” as a label of the drama series. In otaku lingo, genres like that of My Husband’s Lover are called shounen-ai which literally translates to boy love.

Most importantly, they’re not GEEKS. They’re OTAKUS and very proud.

Geeks and Otakus have a particular degree of similarity in the manner through which they see the acquisition of their material interest as part of their identity. Otakus, however, prefer to be called as such rather than “geeks” primarily because otaku is a Japanese word which directly mirrors their love for Japanese stuff. If “geek” is the general term used for describing a person who is a superfan of anything, otaku’s interest is solely centralized on Japanese things. (especially anime, manga and video games : www.about.com )

While they are prone to stereotypes for having the reputation of being a “social misfit”, (www.about.com) otakus remain proud and happy about their identity.

If you have the feeling that a member of your family, friends, and inner circle is an otaku, who is effectively hiding his interest in Dragon Ball just because the rest finds Spongebob cuter, go ahead and comment about how great Dora the Explorer is as an anime and see how they react.

Once they dart you that glare matched with an amazed arch of a brow, then you have your answer. (FREEMAN)