Lexicon Additions: No-taku!

OK this isn't really an addition to the lexicon, but it's sort of a generic term that I started using when describing my state as an anime fan. By and large otaku are thought to be that substrate of anime-geek culture that obsess over the depth and breadth of their knowledge all things pertaining to anime. In Japan itself the term is something of a double edged sword. Many otaku are thought of as the Japanese equivalent of DnD nerds of the US 80's. They may be intelligent, articulate, even wealthy, but they're still 'odd'.

But that got me to thinking, well there's a lot of us who are fans of the genre but aren't really at the otaku level. So what do we call them? For someone like myself who doesn't really speak/read Japanese at all, trying to use an actual Japanese term to identify me would be rather silly, thus I started referring to myself as the no-taku, one who isn't really an otaku.

While some people are zealous in their belief that all anime should be viewed in the original Japanese, with subs, I'm more flexible. I actually watch both, sometimes dub then sub, other times the reverse. There's several reasons for this though. When I listen to a VA, be they the original or the dubbed, I try to key into what the actor is thinking and the type of characteristics they're using in their voice and inflection. Maybe it has to do with my time as a speech and debate person. While I have heard some truly horrible dubs, I've also seen some great work (Full Metal Panic, Hand Maid May, Samurai 7 to name a few). Everyone adds an interpretation to the mix, whether or not you feel that interpretation works for you, is your business.

Can a no-taku become an otaku? Sure, and I think to a degree anyone who's made a substantial investment into anime as a hobby or interest probably has the potential to cross into otaku-dom. For myself though I'm satisfied with being a fan with a voracious appetite. I may not try to immerse myself in everything but like a restaurant patron at a buffet, I certainly don't mind sampling.