TOKYO —

Familiar scenario: you’re going to be marooned on an island and you can only bring X number of books with you. If that island happens to be part of the Japanese archipelago, you could do a lot worse than schlepping a copy of Hiroki Azuma’s “Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals.”

First published in Japanese nine years ago and now available in English translation, this buoyant mishmash of philosophy, theory and pop culture has become a key text for people trying to wrap their heads around the current “otaku” boom, and the state of noughties Japan in general.

Azuma’s work explores “otaku” production and consumption, and what they suggest about man’s search for meaning. He argues that today’s “otaku” no longer crave narratives and wider significance, but are instead gratified by reading for character “elements”—things like cute cat ears, maid uniforms and loose socks. The upside is that you can find the spiky-haired, ramen-slurping protagonist of your dreams with an online search engine. The downside is a “world [that] drifts about materially without giving meaning to lives” and “humanity [functioning] at the level of database.”

The co-director of the Tokyo Institute of Technology Academy of Humanities, Azuma has penned six other books, and won the Suntory Literary Prize in 2000. He speaks about his goals for this one-of-a-kind bestseller, which he says was published as a “cultural intervention.”

Why did you write “Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals” for a general audience?

In the late ’90s, Japan’s market for criticism nosedived. I felt a need to replenish and broaden it. There wasn’t really any criticism dealing with subculture, so I thought an analysis was overdue. Basically, we just had [influential economist and philosopher] Akira Asada’s new academism. New academism promised to explain subculture using postmodern theory, but it was totally biased.

That said, I didn’t go into “Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals” wanting to analyze “otaku” culture. Rather than using a theoretical paradigm to analyze culture, I tried to change theory by using subculture on it. I also hoped to build a common language for discussion. Therefore, it would be a misconstrual to read this book as an analysis of “otaku” culture using postmodern theory.

According to your book, anime narratives and coffee mugs are afforded the same kind of social status. Could you please tell us about this?

We’re now celebrating the 30th anniversary of Gundam. Three decades ago, Gundam’s coloring was chosen at the request of a toy company in order to sell robots. This kind of thing is standard practice. From the beginning, Japan’s anime culture has been based on selling toys. For this reason, there’s hardly any purpose in poring over Japanese anime or game narratives in and of themselves—they’re being produced to sell merchandise. There is a method called “Media Mix,” which was developed by Kadokawa Shoten Publishing. “Media Mix,” meaning to publish a series across different media channels, spurred on the production of manga as both a marketed good and as a vehicle to market goods.

What do you think about your book becoming a bestseller?

Well, I’m pleased that the readership continues to increase each year and that my peers’ ideas, particularly those of Eiji Otsuka and Shinji Miyadai, are gaining exposure from my references. But actually, I didn’t write this for scholars. To be honest, I have no interest in whether or not the book is read by Japanese or American academics. I wrote this book for creative people. I also hope that junior high and high school students read my work. I want younger people to go through it in Japan and abroad. But since this may take years to accomplish, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll be read primarily in universities.

So you aren’t interested in academic acclaim?

I don’t care how scholars interpret “Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals.” American graduate students may read my book and say, “I want to write my PhD dissertation on ‘moe’” or “I’m going to do research on Japanese maid cafes” — but very little good will come of these kinds of research projects. I hope to liberate university knowledge from high culture. In order to achieve this goal, I selected “otaku” because I believed they might become the intellectuals of the next generation. I don’t have any interest in investigating subculture within the university system. I want a new group of readers to engage with theory as well as the creative process.

This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).

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11 Comments

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  kokorocloud at 10:04 AM JST - 10th September

  “I want to write my PhD dissertation on ‘moe’”

  Hahaha! I actually KNOW guys who would do this.

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  Yelnats at 12:03 PM JST - 10th September

  Dumb

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  beowulf at 02:53 PM JST - 10th September

  Nothing about this guy strikes me as dumb, or did read the wrong article and the wrong book?

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  tkoind2 at 04:16 PM JST - 10th September

  Let's really look at Otaku culture. Socially disfunctional individuals with declining interpersonal skills, minimal economic viability, disaffection with reality and real relationships and rabid consumerism of intellectually and culturally empty commercial products.

  So where is this great wealth of creativity? Do most Otaku contribute to the knowledge and development of humanity? Do they contribute to the betterment of others. Do they provide a foundation for Japan's economic future? Could they survive once Mom or Dad cut off the funding? And if so, will that survival be adequate to even sustain Otaku culture?

  I argue that it is one more piece of evidence of the dumbing down of humanity into mindless consumers hell bent on collecting stuff to gratify needs that have been fed to them by marketers. While they may demonstrate some creativity within their world, what good does it do society and what benefift to the welfare of Japan beyond the modest contributions to niche industries?

  If Otaku want to be bastions of creativity, they should forget maid cafes and Shade created virtual cuties and turn their attention to inventing new products for Japan's future, solving global problems or working to be contributors to the development of long term real culture instead of shallow commercial culture and social isolation.

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  bdiego at 08:20 AM JST - 11th September

  In the west they're geeks. You being on the internet and using a PC should be thankful.

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  kokorocloud at 08:48 AM JST - 11th September

  I think it depends on how far you want to take the definition of "otaku". Yes, there are those that are the typical guy holed up in his apartment, surrounded by various figurines of busty and/or cute anime girls, eyes fixed on their computer screens and only leaving their room to run to the nearby conbini for some more cup ramen. These are the people that need help, that aren't contributing to society because they're trapped in their own little fantasy world.

  However, there are plenty of people who aren't like this, and I find that a lot of the people I know who are into this sort of thing are in it because it's like any other hobby. Do people who collect coins/rocks/build model train sets/etc. need to think about solving global problems? You can be creative and into your hobbies while still being an active member of society.

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  LFRAgain at 06:15 PM JST - 11th September

  I aggree in principle with a lot of what this guys has to say, but this part:

  "I selected “otaku” because I believed they might become the intellectuals of the next generation."

  Good gravy, I hope to hell not.

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  lostrune2 at 01:58 PM JST - 12th September

  Well, geeks did inherit the earth. Hahaha!

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  tkoind2 at 09:29 AM JST - 14th September

  kokorocloud. Everyone has a responsiblity to contribute to the development of society. That is why it is a "society." The problem with modern Japanese, and people in most other countries, is that they are too busy consuming and finding ways to entertain themselves to care about the bigger picture. Thus social problems are only addressed by a select few who do not always have the best interests of the people and planet in mind.

  "I selected “otaku” because I believed they might become the intellectuals of the next generation."

  I just don't see where this guy gets this idea. Based upon what? Real intellectuals are engaged in the world. They are exploring science, philosophy, political and social sciences, creating the arts or somehow contributing.

  Sitting in your room collecting dolls or spendin too much time with your head buried in a computer is hardly contributing to anything. Your average Otaku in Japan seems almost unaware that there is a real world out there. So how then could they contribute to reality when they seem so afraid or unaware of it?

  Give me a break. This guy is a pseudoscietist with dreams of glory for a community almost incapable of rudimentary social functionality. The next Einstein will not be some maid cafe guy. It will be someone who is devoted to learning about and exploring the real world of science and not wasting time on obsessive hobbies.

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  Cliffy at 09:24 PM JST - 18th September

  Hummm! I think I can be classified as a part time otaku (I do have wife, kids and job). I do watch anime and build models. I do surf the internet quite often, but only to look for information for my projects (electronics, physics, computers....). However, I have multiple hobbies (too many) and I switch from one to another depends on what I feel like to do. I do not read manga though as I prefer technical books more.

  And, for kokorocloud. I think there is a term for thjose who hole up in their apartments and only venture out for foods - Hikikomori or neet. I have a co-worker had that issue couple of months ago. She had some panic attack and was just afraid to go out in pulic. She is recovering and returned to work, but with help from doctors.

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  bdiego at 06:29 AM JST - 29th September

  Saying you'd only buy/try something on a deserted island is not exactly praise of said item.

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