Anime and manga fandom
The modern slang form, which is distinguished from the older usage by being written only in hiragana (おたく) or katakana (オタク or ヲタク), or rarely in rōmaji, appeared in the 1980s.
Animators like Haruhiko Mikimoto and Shōji Kawamori used the term among themselves as an honorific second-person pronoun since the late 1970s.
According to Japanophile Fred Patten, the very first fan club devoted to Japanese animation was the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization, which began in Los Angeles in 1977.
[5] Its growth was characterized by waves, which Gilles Poitras, Bruce Lewis, and Cathy Sterling describe as distinct 'generations,' often sparked by a singular influential work.
Despite being the first and most popular animated Japanese television series, Astro Boy did not create many hardcore fans, but it exposed viewers to the medium and increased their receptivity towards it later on.
The "Early Fans" or "Old Timers" generation that consumed titles like Speed Racer, Eighth Man, and Battle of the Planets as staples.
Poitras states that this generation was so loyal because Star Blazer's strong narration required viewers to never miss an episode.
Poitras remarked that as of the "Otaku Generation", the influx of fans into the fandom is better characterized by a continuous stream than as waves as it was in the past.
[12] However, most experts agree that the next milestone was in 1992 when U.S. Renditions, a film importer, released the first English-subtitled anime videotape that year, entitled Gunbuster.
After the success of Power Rangers (which first aired in 1993), U.S. television companies began broadcasting Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z in 1995 and 1996 respectively.
However, due to the relative failure of the latter two (both shows brought success when aired at a later time on Cartoon Network), anime did not seem like it would become mainstream.
The streaming service also features a store where you can purchase anime related products such as: figures, Japanese snacks, apparel, posters, video games and manga.
FUNimation's website also has a section created for events related to anime and manga that allows their members to connect at the local and national level.
[16] The beginning of anime and manga fandom in Poland can be traced to the 1990s, few years after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.
There are four conventions in urban areas of Malaysia: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah; Kuching, Sarawak; Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
When narrowed down to American respondents aged between 18 and 24, 44% (approximately 19 million people) stated that they watch viral anime titles.
Researchers noted that since the popularization of video streaming services, the sales of manga have also greatly increased in the U.S. and other countries with Gen Z effecting this trend the most.
[20] A 2022 survey held by Morning Consult showed that 42% of anime fans in the United States are Millennials, 25% are adult Gen-Zs, 21% are Gen Xers and 12% are Baby Boomers.
[23]: 55 An analytical survey held by Forbes in 2014 revealed that half of North American anime convention attendees are female.
When looking specifically at Gen Z anime fan viewing habits, Crunchyroll (58%) came in second overall behind Netflix (76%), followed by Hulu (55%), Prime Video (35%), and Funimation (32%).
[26] Susan J. Napier, a professor of Japanese Language and Literature, stated that anime fans "find refuge in a culture that diverges from the typical American way of life."
[27] And A key characteristic of many anime television shows is serialization, where a continuous story arc stretches over multiple episodes or seasons.
[30] When anime and manga are translated into English by U.S. companies, the original work is often edited to remove some of the fan service to make it more appropriate for U.S. audiences.
Mike Tatsugawa explained this change as a result of a difference between cultural values of Japan and the U.S.[6][11] In fact, some anime seem to feature little else other than fan service as their selling point.
Companies such as Del Rey Manga and GoComi add explanatory notes describing honorifics and other words and concepts that do not translate well between languages.
[41] The desire to simulate all forms of media that anime and manga comes in has caused PyTom to create Ren'Py, an open-source software engine that allows for the creation of visual novels without the need for a programming background.
The Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP, a play on the initials of the former Soviet Union) was originally created for the playback of anime fansubs.
Fansub practices have rapidly declined since the early-2010s due to the advent of legal streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Hidive and Crunchyroll, which simulcast new anime series often within a few hours of their domestic release.
Sites that offer file sharing services are popular and influential where people can gain easy access to anime and manga.
Other popular locations include places where people can enjoy anime-related activities, such as shopping for related merchandise or singing anime theme songs.
