“Otaku” Subculture Cover Image

„Otaku“ Subkultura
“Otaku” Subculture

Author(s): Slavica Radišić
Subject(s): Cultural Essay, Political Essay, Societal Essay
Published by: Zavod za proučavanje kulturnog razvitka
Keywords: Otaku; Japan; subculture; postmodernism; information; databases; comunication; new tehnologies

Summary/Abstract: The article attempts to be a closer look into the otaku subculture, its growing Japanese fan groups and (obsessive) collectors of manga, anima and their accesory products, who address each other as “otaku”. The central question to be answered here is what otaku subculture is, what is its place in the contemporary Japanese society, or more precisely is the otaku culture a result of the general transformation of the Japanese society, and how otaku transforms it, but also how otaku subculture reflects the changes in human behaviour, and communication in the postmodern era in general. The first part of the article is devoted to the analysis of the term itself, origins and emergence of the otaku movement, its status and the way it is perceived in the contemporary Japanese society, but also to its growing popularity and spreading in the USA and Europe. The second part depicts etnographic characterization of this subcultural group and grounds of its cultural mythology.

  • Issue Year: 2009
  • Issue No: 125
  • Page Range: 155-167
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Serbian