Assumption College, San Lorenzo Makati City
General Education Department
Sociology Area
2nd Semester, SY 2012-2013

“The Effects of Otaku Culture to an Individual’s Study Habit”

A Research Paper to be presented to Ms. Exzie Calubayan
In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements in Sociology

By
Villegas, Claire Bridget R.

March 15, 2013
Chapter One
“It’s not just anime! It’s a way of life!”

Introduction

The real meaning of “Otaku” had a small debate when the US coined it as a term for people who are obsessed with the Japanese culture, with also a considerably large amount of love for anime and manga. However, the real meaning of the word “Otaku” could be viewed as negative for a typical Japanese person because “Otaku” literally means “Social Recluse” (Also note, it is synonymous to “Hikikomori”) specifically speaking, when one speaks of “Otaku Culture”, one’s head would immediately pop out the word “geek” or “nerd”. The culture mainly speaks about Japanese traditions, pop culture, anime, and manga. (Wikipedia, Retrieved 2013)
Otaku culture originated from Akihabara, a district of Tokyo where it mostly sells electronic goods as well as a famous hangout for otaku individuals. Originally, “Otaku” during the old times meant “house” or “family” while giving an emphasis on respect when used as a second-person pronoun. However, as modern Japanese slang continued to grow in the busy streets of Tokyo when fans of well known anime titles such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Hunter x Hunter, people now adopted the new meaning of “Otaku”. (Facts About Japan, retrieved from http://www.facts-about-japan.com/otaku.html, 2013) Subsequently, there have been reports and protests of parents especially in Japan, that everything about Otaku Culture has been nothing but trouble for their children, particularly teenagers undergoing delinquency and using anime