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Which do you hate more?

Otakus 0.053475935828877 5.3% [ 10 ]
Weeaboos 0.31550802139037 31.6% [ 59 ]
Americans who call themselves Otakus are the same as weeaboos 0.63101604278075 63.1% [ 118 ]
Total Votes:[ 187 ]
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Music Never Sleeps Aru's avatar

Blessed Firestarter

I personally define an otaku as someone who is passionate about anime but is capable of acting mature and civilized about it, rather than acting like a weaboo like most people stereotype otakus as. Weaboos are just... well you know ._. That's why I'm proud to call myself an otaku, I'm really passionate about anime but I don't shove it in anyone else's faces, I just find it stupid ._.
Seigakus
"Otaku" means "freak" so it isn't limited to anime and manga. If you really like something to the point of obsession and collection (say trains for example), you can be labeled an otaku in Japan. It typically has a negative connotation too.

Weeaboos are just annoying. I was probably a weeaboo at sometime in my life, like my early teenage years when I was 12-13.


It means "nerd" 3nodding
Cloaked Scarlet
LegendaryGirlB


Then please tell me...

What does Otaku mean?
What is the REALL japan like.

Please. I have to know

If you read your thread people have said it :/
As for Japan, go do some research.


But you seem...just...so knowledgeable. I need to hear it from someone who says they know - for sure - what it means. I have to know. Please.
Seigakus's avatar

Cutie-Pie

LegendaryGirlB

It means "nerd" 3nodding

Yes, I know this. It's use in the connotation of freak though. It can also mean geek!
Hmmm... if you ever go to Japan, try not to refer to yourself as an otaku, because a lot of people will immediately assume a negative opinion of you.

I read in an article (when I find it again, I will post a reference) that otaku was originally a polite word for someone else's home, but people who recognised each other at conventions in Japan, but didn't know each other's names would address others as otaku. And that is how manga and anime fans became known as otaku. Of course, as people have already said, the term otaku can be applied to anyone with an obsession really, like trains, or idols.

A part of the reason otaku have a very negative image in Japan is because of a man titled the 'Otaku Murderer' by the media in Japan. He kidnapped several young girls, and murdered them. When his room was raided, the police found thousands of manga and anime (and horror movies), and blamed his behaviour on these.

As for your question, I don't hate either. I don't really like to use the word hate if I can avoid it. While I don't agree with the behaviour of some people, unless I have met them personally and decide that I do not like them very much, I remain open minded.
Shirosaki's avatar

Dangerous Sex Symbol

jessifer_dr
Most weeaboos I've met tend to call themselves "otaku" ...
char fashionable's avatar

Fashionable Fatcat

As far as I'm concerned, otakus are just as annoying as weeaboos. :/
RyuShikyo Yagari's avatar

Lonely Phantom

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Nobody really calls them self a "weeaboo" Otaku is usually the name they give themselves.
Well it depends on how you go about being a "Otaku" if you openly act to crazy about it people will get annoyed and man they will get annoyed FAST.
There is a great irony in a person calling themselves an Otaku, as it isn't a compliment in Japan. Sort of like if a Japanese guy found out about Guidos, thought they were cool, and called himself a Douchebag because he had heard them refered to by that term. Now, Otaku refers to "Nerd" and that is a bit far from Douchebag, but as I understand it it isn't some sort of "Lolz, Big Bang Theory, Nerds r so cewl!" Nerd. No, it's like 1990/80s/70s Revenge of the Nerds era "Neeeerd!!!!!" sort of thing... As I understand it, but I digress.

However, based upon the behaviourisms of both groups....

I prefer self-professed Otakus. They are to Weeaboos what someone who happens to like Indie Music is to a Hipster. They are into the fandom, without being obnoxious twats.

As for Weeaboos, I've seen a handful of people call themselves such, but they never reall are. They seem to think Weeaboo is a way to insult people who happen to like Anime.

It is not.

A weeaboo is someone such as the characters in this charming story.

In short: I have no beef with self-professed Otakus, although their choice of a term is a touch strange, but Weeaboos honestly terrify me.

More because I know that stuff like that will inevitably (As we must assume they are a Weeaboo, not just someone who likes Japan/Anime (Again, Hipster v. Like Indie Stuff idea) happen when the fulfil their dream of going to Japan, and it gives us all a bad name.
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Wow, what a downrated thread. *pat-pat*

To me, weaboos are the (most of the time) non-Japanese (most of the time) girls who are overly obsessed and PROUD of the fact that they like anime and love to call themselves otaku. They usually don't know too much about anime/manga actually, just like to act like they do. (desu desu kawaii)

And otaku are the (most of the time) Japanese people who are so very obsessed with anime/manga/etc. that they are pretty much professionals at the subject. They are usually sad shut-in NEET people.

Of course, exceptions can occur, and there are a lot of people who don't fit into either of these categories.
GalavantMan's avatar

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I believe Otaku's goes over a more broad set of various and often obscure hobbies outside anime//manga, while weeaboos are more common in the Anime/Manga selection. Any well rounded Otaku today IMO can even vary from creeper to hipster. Although the two have very similar tastes I ultimately find Weeaboos to be the more annoying representative of the culture.
Susue's avatar

Questionable Smoker

I always thought otaku had a negative connotation.
I still don't understand where the term weeaboo came from...
DatYandereGirl's avatar

Hilarious Member

I hated my own high school anime club because they were weeaboos.

Now it's one thing to LIKE anime, but then it's another to act like you're Japanese and telling everyone how you want to go to Japan for the anime.
I don't get why it makes you any less of an "otaku" or "weeaboo" if you choose Dubs over subs sometimes. For example, I totally prefer the Haruhi Suzumiya dub over the sub. Why? well, there's a few reasons. One, the series is narrated by Kyon, and with that, watching it dubbed makes it much easier to follow. there will be some points in the series where while he's thinking something, another character will be talking, and in some cases, even replying to something he just asked, and you miss it. another thing would be Haruhi's japanese voice is terrible in my opinion. let me say that again. IN MY OPINION. It's too deep, personally. Her english voice, done by Wendee Lee is fantastic and gives a perfect spunky energetic eccentric voice to Haruhi, and even a great sad voice, for example, when she's explaining to Kyon when she realized she wasn't a special person. Also, Kyon. Holy hell, Kyon's english voice actor completely blows the japanese one out of the water. Yuki's fantastic, Koizumi is great, however, the only one that's generic and just whatever is Mikuru, but I could settle for that. Oh, and Tsuruya. my god. I'm in love with her and her english voice. Her laugh is just so crazy and her voice is so cheerful and energetic. I absolutely love her.

Puella Magi Madoka is a half example where I prefer the english dub over sub. Madoka I could do without. her Japanese voice is certainly better, and Sayaka took me a while to get used to, but I could go with the sub on her. Homura's english voice I absolutely love. Cristina Vee I think did a fantastic job giving her a cold personality, yet sympathetic as well. I can personally really feel the frustration in her voice, and think it's wonderful. the show stealer for me however is Kyouko. I may be the only one who thinks this of her however, but I think her english voice is just wonderful. it's so spunky and cute, not to mention, she cusses a bit more in the english version (unless I watched a sub that changed it, but who knows) which I think adds to her personality in a positive way. Everything about Kyouko's voice in the english dub is simply fantastic to me.

why the hell did I type all that? none of you NEED to read that, sorry. I just don't get the segregation of dubbed anime to weeaboo/otakus. maybe it's because it NEEDS to be japanese or you don't feel weeaboo enough, I don't know....
Eternal Marionetta

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