This being a blog that I was running as a class assignment, the time has finally come for us to part. Due to that fact, I decided that I'll kick it up a notch for the last post. Having always been a geek at heart, I would like to expose you to the Japanese "otaku". Literally, the term refers to one's own home and is sometimes used to refer to oneself, but it is often used as a term to refer to obsessive fans of various topics. While in the US, those knowledgeable of the term generally use it only in relation to anime, but its usage is most definitely not restricted to that alone. Games, figurines, trains, photography, guns--otaku specialty knows no bounds. I would say that the anime subgroup is the most visible, but the others are there.
Nakagawa Shouko (aka Shoko-tan) is a geek that hit the mainstream. She loves games, anime, manga...yet she managed to make it into the public eye. Here is a video of her in Akihabara, the major electronics district in Tokyo (and Holy Land for many otaku).
For a bit more on female otaku, since most people picture geeky guys when they think "otaku":
A clip from a cute TV series called Densha Otoko (based on a book and movie by the same name), all about an otaku who falls for a real girl:
I highly recommend checking it out, if you are looking for a really funny show to watch, not to mention vaguely educational! For information about gal-games and moe, click the links.
I don't really like foreign specials on otaku (and this is no exception), but this might be a little more helpful to you since it is in English (I cringe every time they pronounce "cosplay" in English):
A really dedicated idol otaku:
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