While I agree wholeheartedly with the otaku portion of your rant, I find myself disagreeing with the second half of it - while it is true that there are an ungodly amount of people out there calling themselves 'furries' that want nothing more than to 'yiff' every fuzzy thing in sight, there are also quite a few people out there that remain part of that first definition - people who like funny animals, and the drawing of anthropormorphic looking animals doesn't necessarily mean that they want to screw everything with four legs and a tail in sight. I think the word you're looking for for the 'yiff' fans out there isn't 'furry', I think it's probably more along the lines of 'pervert'. *g*

Oh furvert! I had forgotten about the existence of that particular phrase. *giggle*

Oh, I generally try to stay away from the vcl nowadays. It's kind of been overrun, to put it mildly.

So I guess you won't be GOHing at Otakon any time soon, then.

Finally, someone who hates all this happy-horseshit as much as I do! Amen Mom!

There used to be a site, done by a twenty-somethign Japanese woman, living in america. She had this monstrous rant about people calling themselves "otaku." It was great. She said Americans have no idea what the word means in Japan, what it's associated with. She shared a story about a guy who was an otaku, who lived near a video store or something. And he'd kidnap girls from in front of the store, bring them back to his place, and rape and kill them. And when the cops finally busted into his place, it was wall to wall anime and manga. And people in Japan, upon hearing the contents of his apartment, were like "Oh, of course." Like, of COURSE anybody who is kidnapping girls and killing them is going to have an apartment full of anime and manga. Like when somebody kills a jew because they're jewish, the killer's house is filled with nazi shit.

Holy crap, I just found the link in google. I didn't get her story exactly right, but close enough. Anyways, here's the link: http://hem.passagen.se/raah/mig/anime/otaku.html

The link is courtesy artgolem, not myself.

You're welcome, nonetheless.

AMEN.

In my opinion furries are the lowest end of the food chain. Amongst my friends a furry con or being around furries is refered to as being "trapped in furgatory".

And on a semi-related note, they don't like being refered to as "Pigfuckers". I guess I'm just insensitive.

I like the term "otaku" despite its orgins of meaning in JAPAN--in AMERICA among the fellow manga/anime fans in the states (and across the pond) calling each other "otaku" has become a "term of endearment". So the term "otaku" has evolved into something "nice" and "fun" -where as you have so clearly pointed out, how the term "furry" has DEvolved into something more derogatory.


love you babe!
ciao
-Saint Otaku

I was brought to this topic by one of my friends. As editor of manga for Mexico, (Gaby Maya from Editorial Toukan & Mango), I've seen how more and more the manga fans, my readers, have coined the word "Otaku" as a word of pride, that separates them from any other comics fans.
I do agree the term in its origin is more to describe an obessed person, or insane person. You could use "Hen" (from hentai) for the same.

But overseas fans have decided to use the word in their own concept. Many times I tried to explain my readers what Otau meant, but more and more they would write and say "I am an Otaku and proud of it". So I understood that despite what I know, they decided to use the word and give it their own meaning and value. There's a very nice (small) mexican fanizne called "Kokoro no Otaku" trying to say it is the "Heart of the Otakus" and in its pages I have read what some of the manga fans in Mexico have gone through. More than many times the attacks from strict parents, intolerant teachers, or elitist friends are what have made this manga fans coin the word "Otaku" as a banner to say "What I like to read is ok, this is who I am and I am proud of it" Is not like the term "gay" or"queer" for the homosexual community, or the word "Chicano" for the Mexican community living in US.
Is a term that has a special meaning for them, one they have adopted and despite that some of us know its true dark Origin, (like some sects or other more obsucre groups are described as "Otaku") fans overseas have decided to purge that "bad karma" from the word. And use it as something that has a different meaning.
I have commented this with some Japanese friends, and acquaintances, and other US artists, and most of the time we all smile and understand that fans will do what they want, and if "Otaku" is a word they like and feel safe and ok with it, little we do is going to change that.

As for the "furries" I understand the term has gone into the mud in US. Agan, I doubt my characters (all with cat features) will fall into the term "furries" I don't call them that, and certainly noone here (in Mexico) has. There might be a reason behind, like "bugs Bunny " or other "talking cartoon animals" are not called "furries" either. Perhaps is just that here, peoel grew to accept the fact Woody Woodpecker can inetract with other speices and humans and still retain some sort of logic. A pretzel one, but logic none the less.

incredibly foolish, all with the nick and all, and while I do agree to the pejorative connotation of the word, I just think maybe it doesn't put the same bees in my head as it seems to do yours, although naturally there's plenty of other stuff that does, puts the bees in my head, I mean.

Too many things to mention.

Actually, I guess one might be the assumption of a certain-online-DVD-reviewer-who-shall-remain-nameless that any line even a little colloquial is automatically written by me. I haven't written for "Inuyasha" since Episode 9 -- and maybe a few, more recently, here and there -- yet apparently I've had my nefarious way with the most current Cartoon Network stuff too.

Watching the latest batch with Mister Toshi at AnimeNext, I couldn't help but self-protectively flinch at one point when Inuyasha said something about the slaying of so-and-so being "at the top of (his) 'to-do' list." They'd have had me up on the cross for that one.

Fans!

I appreciate your saying that. I did -- always do -- try. Song lyrics get such a raw deal in the localization process. Even the most nonsensical-seeming of them mean SOMETHING.

That's part of why it's so hard to come under such fire for "deliberately" not including the lyrics in, say, "Project Arms," which I'm producing. Do they really think I contacted Japan and told them "Nah, don't bother"...? Have they forgotten all the "Ranma" translations already? Maybe it's just that they never saw them? I dunno.

Anyway, so glad to find your journal. Didn't know you had one! Count me in as a regular reader. It's so nice to have another friend -- a female friend -- in the industry.