Series #001: Guiding you through Otaku Life from the very beginning

Join a Culture and Otaku

Making a bond with people can be extremely difficult for people who are socially ostracized for their interest. It can cause social anxiety when people

who have not experienced similar treatment or are on the outside looking in of a fandom culture and new group of people. Many people actually head

over to the culture of Otaku with having an interest in Animanga and find a group afterwards. But consider the social spectrum of entering the

otaku community, then finding a group that's accepting, and the social development associated. Then think about people bonding.

While Fandoms can be sized from Small to Extra Large, depending on the subgroup within the Fandom the Series Group may not be looking out for you

or your interest. They are focused on their group description and keeping the group happy no matter how closely they keep to their written word. It

doesn't always turn out this way, but it does take a good amount of searching or making your own space to make things more catered in your own

experience. Never feel trapped to just join existing groups and think of group alternatives or social media alternatives of where to connect with people,

but if you're lucky a real-life group might be just around the corner.

A interest-based culture offers membership in Otaku without saying, even though it is extremely common to encounter those saying it is not, or claiming

the culture is based in Japan and must be authentic to Japan Society exclusively. But considering the social environment of what it's like to develop

friendships from the ground up with people around the globe through a interest puts things into a perspective of a great social learning benefit.

1) Getting Set Up

Your heading out to hang out with people in the Otaku community and trying to laugh and have a good time. You start off knowing there are Influencer

pre-set sub-communities that help you instantly bond over a personality for a chat space, avatar usage, otaku life discussions, a online residence, and a

group experience. Most other Otaku groups with a guide program should help with this as well in varying degrees and tend to be a bit more friendly to

newcomers, but as everything in life the scary idea is that things are all on you.

Navigating a series can be difficult as majority of people have not taken a deep dive into the content they are consuming and have an even harder time

relating certain things that are purely fictional and what can be related to real life. It takes a certain amount of series and self awareness to have a solid

idea of what's happening in a story, placing yourself in the world, setting up a plan of what you want to get done, what topics to talk about, and to

commit to a interest-based culture can be daunting. Friendly guides make what could be years of understanding compacted into a matter of days.

Homebase

Influencer Streams, Social Media Groups, and Chats can set up your social situation. This is a big gateway into social development and has advantages of

V-tubers compared to other interest-based cultures. The usual situation that is commonly told is your bored at home and you browse a few videos that

are interesting and you click on these Animanga topics and something sparks an interest, or a series that you happen to stumble upon and you start

looking for something to do, but normally in real-life it takes a person to pull in a friend to the culture. As anything in life there is no guarantee that

existing groups will fit your needs as some groups only talk about exclusively canon content or in-world Animanga topics without off topic discussions

that hinder creative growth in their micro-community, but thats why group descriptions are important to read.

Your home base of where to hangout might not be the community of your dreams, but it's a place that you return to in the Otaku community. In most

cases it makes people feel less lonely, less worried, and less awkwardness, but it could be one of those things or none depending on the person.

Don't underestimate the benfit of having a homebase of where to learn, chat, and understand what to know when joining a group. It can be stress

relieving and a great way to feel part of something and a place on the internet to call home before you even commit to Otaku culture.

2) Statusless

For the most part the otaku community self-deprecates to ignore things that may separate us for a common ground that seems socially generous to

those with wonderful social skills and naturally outgoing personalities. This is more of a joke as there is indeed status, but overall it's not polite to really

bring it up, unless relevant to the conversation, explaining problems, dealing with fans, or demand from organizations. With Status not being as

important or even being seen as rude the experience of being in the Otaku community also gives you less to worry about as you enjoy it. While weeb is

someone who knows little of Japan it can also be used as a self-deprecating term in the otaku community to level out the social differences of one

another. Unless you start joining larger groups and seeking out more ways of self-growth and try to rise to the top with great goals, status doesn't matter

all that much in the bigger picture, but rather what a person does.

Social Exemption

When entering in a group there will likely be degenerates and incels galore, but that means there really is not much of a expectation of social skills as

well. Many communities have a understanding that Otaku come from those who are most active as a anime-avatar on the internet and slowly go on into

the real life overtime if they want to. There is still a sort of social responsibility, but that isn't saying much in a place where just about anything is on the

table to discuss no matter how rude, lewd, or weird it may seem to others.

Develop Social Skills with People

Many Otaku use their social situations as an opportunity to grow into adulthood socializing. This is a great benefit for those who might be too ashamed

of not being taught and the amount of time and experience it usually takes for people to learn these things. It starts by being treated like a normal-

person and not pitied, then feeling more confident by talking to so many people, and then realizing everyone is just human at the end of the day.

Generally if people start to focus on their own social growth they can grow lots of confidence in four years in a friendly environment.

3) Japanese Language Practice

Animanga gives you a great chance to practice those listening skills and take Japanese from a series that might be things only heard in those series and

start gaining a curiosity of real life Japanese. While it is a great way to start on working on fluency to know as little or as much as you want to, nothing

beats studying and having language exchanges from speakers from Japan itself. So studying Japanese past the level of a series takes some real world

application and practice to make it easy for your brain to remember a foreign language through not only listening, but writing, and talking as well.

International Media Exposure

The influence of Japanese culture within Otaku culture has its pros and cons, but it does offer opportunity to hone skills which makes for a more

international mindset. Thinking of things from the international perspective the idea of what is normal might change to what is normal in a society of a

country and have a very different idea of normal from one country to another. To people who consume media this shows diversification, flexibility,

possibly reading, and willingness to hear multiple forms of storytelling. It can strengthen a person who has a learning mindset and can help build

character in the future.

Sakuru!

Otaku Clubs or a Sakuru are one of the best things or possibly the worst things at school or outside of school. You spend some money going with a

group of like minded individuals and have discussions about things while checking out food places. This can consist of all sorts of unique things like

projects relating to voice, art, organizing, teaching, language, culture, an actual animanga series, but things done in that club. It is a exclusive experience

that can be great depending on how developed the club is. Clubs to avoid are those that gather to watch anime exclusively, overly focus on cosplay, and

those that have no general structure or direction.

4) Seminars

After being involved for awhile there might actually be a reason to attend a seminar where people can sit in chairs and listen as well as discuss.

These are usually at events or conventions. Skill development are some of the most helpful as they are conducted by Otaku Veterans who have lived

experiences of a different era of animanga and the otaku culture as it was for them in the past as well as mentioning the relevance of how those help

today. Open Discussions, Workshops, and Stories help bring out the potential of a person by knowing more and having options of what to do next.

Support Network

People don't always stick around past five years and they tend to float around to another interest at some point, but this is when setting otaku culture

and community as the home base comes in to be a big help. Even when people get older and become more responsible members of society with

working and their relationships there has been a support base built in for real life discussions or even escape. This helps when things get tough and

people in the community want to actual be of some help and otaku veterans offer their thoughts on particular problems or hardships.

Distance Socializing

Distance socializing highlights the importance of social bonds from a distance to lower anxiety, depression, and better mental health. Otaku were always

distance socializing, however during the "Covid Pandemic" there were more businesses that were learning to do that same as well as families who had

to bond from a distance. Most of the time people are far who have the same passion, so talking to them depends on distance socializing.

Long Term Understanding of Foreign Business

For those who are interested in Animation, Japan, or International exchanges of foreign business between the west... this is possibly at the top of the list

for some people to join in on Otaku culture. You can really get into a series and see all its reference sources and then later who and what the people

who made the series had to go through. All the while networking with other fans, inspiration searching for business ideas, and getting acclimated to

really different groups that just happen to like animanga as a art form. Starting to get familiarized with life and a career is hard and finding a bases in a

creative space can be challenging, so otaku culture is a start in knowing what path to take.

5) A Chance to Meet people all over the World

Getting involved in Otaku culture is different then seeing it from the outside, but that should go without saying. Being someone who dives in deep

there and become a Otaku-insider, will open up positives and negatives that are in the culture, society, fandoms, studios, and daily life. When going

off on your own it will meet challenges that make you more resilient in a sort of crunch as the experiences fast forward you through by meeting so

many people and learning so many things with the vast amount of resources out there. Much faster then if you were to try and learn on your own

without that little push from the people or the questions that pop up now and then.

Geek Culture Shock

While there are socially acceptable interest-based cultures out there, many of those that were labeled under "Geek" had to emerge from social

exclusion and crawl to as close as it could to being considered normal. Those who are familiar with geek culture won't notice anything weird about it, but

those who aren't, especially the older crowd will feel personal disorientation that comes with different groups and environments that really depends on

the series groups you decide on. Many opportunities are found with those that might be geniuses in other sorts of intelligence and they are often in

things considered geek, so it is actually a benefit for you when seen for what it is. The gained insight and perspective growth comes in ways little by little

and then transitioning to different groups becomes easier and while painful at first, later on becomes quite fun.

Learning More about You

You will find out things about you in a roundabout way. You start explaining things that you like and then other people tell you what they like and its not

all going to align with everyone liking the same things and then you realize it could be something you focus on. Otaku culture has a interesting way of

showing you that you like what you like and other people will like what they like and certain things are enjoyed together. This usually leads to some

reflection of sorts where you step back from your own opinion and the other person's opinion and examine the values you have over something and

what the groups values are and then the majority of the fandoms opinion. It's a broader perspective of what things mean to you from your own

perspective and why it's believed to be that way.

The Genres of Animanga

There are some that might be into Romcoms, one person points out the greatness of Ecchi, another into Mecha, or someone likes Isekai. It always turns

into a discussion when talking about what's considered the best genre. This is not as much to do with the genre itself rather than the story telling and

situations that are usually seen as well as the triggered discussions the Animanga genre itself brings. Romcoms bring a otaku romance, ecchi has a ton

of eye candy, and mecha have weapons and mechanical ideas, while isekai has entire worlds of alternative life. Living in the Otaku community enables

you to experience different series and see what people are consuming and understanding their passion for their series.

Reasons Not to Join Otaku Culture

There are so many reasons to join with much that has already been discussed, but how can something that is welcoming turn to be something any less

than a perfect and positive situation of perfect experiences. As with any situation, organization, or opportunities it is not possible for every aspect to be

perfect. The Otaku community has many negatives, information withholding, and haters that pursue a negative atmosphere. Some of this has to do with

the Otaku culture and people conflicting country to country and their own world view, while others might be from group management problems caused

by those running things, or the local community itself (sometimes looking online is better).

A Personalized Experience Is not the Same Experience

You can't prepare for every possibility, especially in the case of a experience that is so personalized. The Otaku community is very large and vast with

people heading towards a group of their choosing, who knows what will happen to you or when something will happen and how ends up. Those who

identify in the community will reinforce the power of the term "Weeb" where in extreme levels this can be used to deny any and all responsibility of

social outcomes from social etiquette and local community expectation. There can be legitimate issues and people might overlook it and not get

involved, because its due to interpretation, but such situations can get out of hand if taken to the next level.

In Real life, Otaku and Weeb are not too different as identity terms from one another as they are both seen as folks who really like Japan related things.

Part of Otaku culture is being on your own in Otaku communities, so in a way your going in knowingly expecting an experience that you have the power

to mold your experience after you have settled in the group that is administered by people who might not see eye to eye in values. You might have a

friendly fandom community with responsive people, or a toxic community full of gatekeepers and haters. You might have met fans who are caring of

one another or those who are aggressive and harsh. You may pick a series that you really like and have found many people who share your love for a

series, or you may end up being one of the only people who likes the existing series. These are all possibilities of the experience and things can get

complicated and change at moments notice.

Catching Up is Boring

When you jump in you want to think and talk about things and then talk about things that can be done and do things. This isn't the case right off at the

start, because catching-up on months to even years of information by reading up and researching can be nothing less than an exhaustive pursuit. Going

through video after video or searching streams that are going through existing topics of discussion and reading top to bottom the websites like the wiki

is how you self-train and learn what much of the community had been through. If you are coming from a previous fandom you might not find it to be as

boring as you know it's the easiest way to know what's interesting to talk about and how to move forward on discussions rather than winning a

discussion. You can't do the doing without the researching and that can be a frustrating thing, but researching is said to be done to develop your own

knowledge basis and done during your own time, but if your lucky some people might be able to help inform you a bit faster.

You'll Most Likely Love a Dead Series

The majority of people may like a few of the most popular series out there who didn't really want anything to do with the culture or the series at a

deeper level, but for those who live it, they are going to go to the series of their picking. And chances are there won't be too many people there and it's

often times compared to a rural village in the countryside where a few people will know quite a lot about the people and the series versus a highly

populated cityscape where tons of people like a series without knowing too much about it at all. A dead series can be used to end a conversation or a

way that makes a series sound less cool or less interesting when really it doesn't mean anything at all. For some it could be a pro instead of a con in their

own preferences of having a community that feels more private than public and fewer groups with the possibility of deeper connections, being one of

the few who are enjoying such a series for its charm.

Industry Topics

The Anime industry and General Japan Business practice in general has a whole bunch of issues to get into. The Animanga industry has made all sorts of

series for people to get into with a full array of quality as well as not so quality trashy series. There are some things that are strange to someone not

from Japan like understanding the Old Work Culture of forced after work hours and approval systems that elongate things that could happen in a week

to half a year in Japan. Certain things that might just seem like non-issues are actually larger issues in the Anime Industry and it can feel like the

companies providing the series or Japan in general is wanting to self-sabotage their fanbases and place themselves on podiums so far up a ladder that

people within their own company and their fan base can not even hear them. Unfamiliarity with these business practices and processes and their

differences from the way it works in your own country may make things feel immensely irritating and dumb.

Japan Culturally is Intertwined to Otaku Culture

To Understand Otaku culture is like understanding a global community that also happens to celebrate Japan at the same time. Knowing about a series

and the world its in and then taking Japan as a secondary interest can get some getting used to and a lot of time investment. The difference will be

knowing when your talking to the fandom of a particular series, a group that's incorporating a series into real life, or a Japan focused person who really

is not interested in anything not Japan accurate or Japan focused. Understanding Japan and its culture would take an entire website resource itself

"Smileside Japan", but the key points to take note of are: Japan Otaku are the center of the origins, not the evolution of Western Otaku. Japan Otaku are

the geeks of Japan with a focus-interest nearing obsession and Western Otaku take interest in Animanga with a side dish of Japan. This gives the Japan

Otakus a sense of knowing that places like Akihabara and Ikebukuro are sacred to people Internationally. Otaku is a group that has a dynamic that is

different per geographic area or areas, this has started in Japan and it went Global, but the different regional Otaku try to find what are community

needs and separate them from individual needs.

Western Otaku is art focused: Western Otaku have two goals to have fun with their series and explore all things Japan. To do this they need to get

interested in a series and talk with the active community. And if the community is active, they need to have goals from good projects if they desire

more interactions and hype. Western otakus need to be good at actually doing things, learning about the creative process of how an idea came to a

story and examine it, then focus on what that means the the people in the community to make things relatable to a group. This means some or most of

the Animanga series lessons you learn and teach to others have very little practical application until you use it as an example in a lesson of sorts. The

order of study tends to be: (1) pick your chapter, (2) study chapter using observations questions and answers, (3) summarize in a subject and write out its

pros and cons, (4) outline your chapter, (5) develop the subject, (6) develop your lesson from the outline, (7) write the conclusion and introduction.

You are a Community Member, Not exclusively a Consumer

As a community member you are at the heart of the community and its health is correlated to all who live, learn, work, play, and celebrate in the

fandoms. Many can see themselves as product consumers waiting for the next thing to come out, film nerd who watches as much things that they can,

or as a hard core fan that spends all their time on Animanga and Japan, but there are formal roles as well out there. These formal roles are at attended

functions, weekend meet-ups, or gathering at nights, however most communities won't ask their members to do these things, but be aware what you do

matters. Otaku community organizations, friends, and neighbors may not call a person a community member, but rather a person who "Gets things

done".

The Answer to Some Questions is "Canon is Authority"

In communities talking about works of Fiction there is always the idea of Canon being considered before anything is talked about. In a creative space,

sometimes it's about levels of canon that is used in the work and not all official or unofficial content will remain faithful to a authors vision. Authors can

also change anything anytime they want, so even if something was canon they can always change it as they wish. Canon is often used as a term of

authority, but an authority that is unexplained as a way to ignore a conversation. That creative process conversation that has information from artwork

analytics, interview explanations, visual library resources, story deconstruction, design thematics and color numbering, and inspirational references.

Hearing questions like "is it canon?", "canon or its fake", "if it isn't canon I don't want to hear it" are all ways to ignore having a proper understanding

and you will sadly hear it often from hard core in the box thinkers. Fan communities are most of the time public spaces that are not funded by anyone

and run by the public, so if it's not fun why else do it?

For example a friend of mine told her Otaku friend who was into Gundam Wing Fandom and she doesn't think of the series outside the original source

material of the manga, artbooks, and anime. She told her friend she didn't care about doujinshi that wasn't canon, but still continued to complain about

the lack of content from the series creators. The friend responded in disgust "Why not believe in content-creation? they are tired of waiting too!". When

my friend asked "Why should I believe?", the friend replied "Because those are the next generation staff of the series". The knowledge of someone

passionate enough to start expanding on ideas on their own or with a team could be the staff that does the next project of the series and you just might

never know. Canon is only canon for now.