Nikkei Business discusses the original meaning of 'otaku'

I ran into this recent article on the Japanese magazine Nikkei Business (out of all places) which I feel compelled to share. I know the original meaning of the word otaku has been discussed to death, but this is one interpretation that I find insightful:

We all know that otaku can be a second person pronoun (ie. you) and can also mean the home of the person you are talking to. This interpretation has it that otaku does not refer to the person you are talking to per se, but to the world constructed by the person you are talking to (相手が築いた空間). Think of it this way: the home of the person you are talking to refers not to the physical home, but to where he or she is at home by virtue of his or her special interests.

In that way, there is always an understood sense of polite distance when you meet other fans (同人) - the word otaku reminds you that you are facing a constructed world to which you may be an intruder. There may be cases when your constructed world overlaps with that of another fan (and the two of you may become friends), but otherwise this word is a reminder of the invisible wall that divides one from another in the mental sphere.

Apparently, the article was written partly in response to the bestselling book Otaku Is Dead (which I blogged about earlier). I really must look into this whole controversy more.

Comments

[Ryan A]

Most interesting implications, hmm :)

[Wabisabi]

It makes sense too, considering how one may be more at home at the world constructed out of one's interests than one's physical home per se. I think it is a general trend that we live more and more in the mind.