Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan

With the spread of manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese cartoons) around the world, many have adopted the Japanese term 'otaku' to indicate that they are fans of such media. In the process, the significance of the word otaku has been lost. Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan disrupts this trivialization of otaku by examining the historical contingency of the term as a way to identify and contain problematic youth, consumer and fan cultures in Japan. Its essays, many translated from Japanese for the first time - and with a foreword by Otsuka Eiji, former editor-in-chief of Manga Burikko - explore key moments in the evolving discourse of otaku in Japan. Rather than presenting a smoothed-over, triumphant narrative of otaku's movement from subculture to the mainstream, the volume repositions otaku in its historical, social and economic contexts, providing a fresh and nuanced understanding of this important cultural phenomenon. 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 an alternative history of otaku. For all students and scholars of contemporary Japan and the history of Japanese fan and consumer culture, this volume will be a foundation for understanding how otaku, at different places and times and to different people, is significant and meaningful.