Cool Japan: Otaku

■ Cool Japan: Otaku

NHK Cool Japan: "Otaku" edition.

The word otaku is said to have been created in the 1980s, and has since become an international word, but even when this program began in 2006, the word still had an image of being a reference to "weird people" and had not yet gained widespread acceptance.

That is clearly turning out to be a positive thing.

"Otaku Affairs"

Otaku-related events, including those related to Japanese anime, are now held all over the world, with the number of participants reaching 20 million per year.

In many cases, events are held by researchers from well-known universities.

So they established something called the "Global Otaku Research Institute" to connect researchers from around the world, but when you ask around, you'll find that the word otaku has become firmly established and is no longer something to be embarrassed about.

Moreover, it is not just pop culture like anime and games that is being referred to; saying "I'm an otaku of ___" has the same meaning as saying "my hobby is ____."

The same is true in Japan.

It's been almost 40 years since the word otaku was coined, and since we original otaku are now old, the term has become mainstream and has become more of a casual term referring to people with a hobby.

The era of 100 million otaku.

"Virtual Idol"

In the past, anime songs were just a supporting role that explained the anime, but from the late 1990s, there was an increase in high-level music by top-class artists that was independent of the anime, and these music began to be distributed around the world.

In 2004, a voice synthesis technology called Vocaloid was developed, and virtual idols became popular, with characters such as Hatsune Miku becoming popular around the world.

It combines the pop expressions of anime and music with cutting-edge technology.

Otaku discovered it, mastered the technology, and took the lead.

As cutting-edge users of technology, otaku also play a role in pioneering culture and markets.

It is also important from an industrial perspective.

For example, compared to the sales of anime itself, the subsequent developments in merchandise and live shows are 10 times larger.

The age of media mix: anime, music, concerts, cosplay, technology.

With so many different ways to get involved, virtual idols will likely develop into a new otaku culture and industry.