A person obsessed with all things anime and manga may be referred to as ‘otaku’. Here in the U.S., being otaku is considered a good thing. It is a recognition that you truly appreciate anime and that you know your stuff. But in Japan, the term is derogatory. It refers to people so obsessed with anime, manga, and video games that they barely leave home.
Americans can be just as obsessed with their anime and manga as Japanese consumers. Men are especially vulnerable for some reason. If a Japanese Twitter user with the handle @kiha401740 can be believed, being an otaku man is not good. In a 2017 tweet, she offered the following eight reasons:
1. Otaku Conversations Are One Way
To make things easier, this post will refer to the Twitter user as ‘Kiha’. According to her, the first reason to not be an otaku man is that your conversations will be one way. Kiha says that anime and manga are all that otakus talk about. So if that’s true of you, the people you converse with may not have anything to contribute. That will leave you to dominate the conversation, which is a real downer.
2. Otaku Men Don’t Recognize Boundaries
Next up, Kiha insists that otaku men do not seem to understand personal boundaries. She insists they often go too far; that they can be too forceful. She even says that otaku men can be creepy at times. Without explanation, there is no way to know exactly what she means. Still, do you want people thinking of you in such terms?
3. Otaku Men Have No Fashion Sense
This next point is actually quite observable. According to Kiha, men obsessed with anime and manga tend to not have any fashion sense. They apparently wear whatever they see people on the internet wearing. Look. It is great to own a handful of anime T-shirts and hoodies from UmaiClothing. But you also need some other clothes. You need outfits for formal occasions as well as work and social gatherings.
4. Otaku Men Lack Ambition
Kiha says that otaku men do not push themselves. Rephrased, she is suggesting that they lack ambition. They don’t have the get up and go to go out and do. Instead, their lives consist of watching anime, reading manga, and playing video games.
5. Otaku Men Are Idealists
Being an idealist doesn’t seem to be such a bad thing. Kiha thinks it is. And if she does, other people probably do too. So consider idealism the fifth reason for avoiding becoming an otaku man.
6. Otaku Men Don’t Know How to Flirt
Apparently, Kiha believes that otaku men lack skill in the flirting department. That makes sense. If they don’t get out much, they are probably socially awkward. Social awkwardness makes it difficult for any man to flirt.
7. Otaku Men Lack Confidence
It stands to reason that men who lack ambition, lean toward idealism, and don’t know how to flirt probably lack confidence as well. Kiha seems to think so. She is non-plussed with the confidence levels among the otaku men she’s met.
8. Otaku Men Are Too Nice
This last one is a bit puzzling. Men everywhere have been led to believe that women want them to be nice. Then when they are, people like Kiha come along and tell them it’s no good. Oh well. Such is the life of an otaku man.
Now you know why you shouldn’t become an otaku man. If you already are, it is time to seek professional help. Otherwise, Kiha and her friends might think you’re weird.
