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File:nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn….png (260.73 KB,569x932)

 No.113271

"Weeb" or "Otaku", which would you prefer to be called? How do you feel about one word or the other?

i used to not really care either way, but now i feel like "Weeb" has too much of an ironic "WOW I like ANIME, i'm so TRASH" connotation, which i don't really like.

 No.113272

I've never liked weeb, it was always something used to insult others and that's even apparently where the word originates from.

Whereas Otaku in the west is a word that only people interested in Otaku culture would know about and it's not used insultingly here, or at least I have not seen it used that way.

 No.113273

File:[SubsPlease] Kyokou Suiri ….jpg (309.17 KB,1920x1080)

Neither. I'm part of the old "words have meaning" camp.
A "weeaboo" or "Wapanese" (mocking term that is shorthand for "White Japanese" back when statically everyone online was a white American) was someone obsessed with Japan and wanted to move and live there as he idealized it as the land of milk and honey and he would surely be welcomed as an equal if not a superior. You didn't want to be one of those guys because it meant people found you to be annoying to talk to online as you were very naive and ignorant.
I know you asked about "weeb", but it's that's a term I immediately dismiss and don't find any value in discussing.
Otaku? I'm not nearly as dedicated and obsessive to be one of those. I think the number of people outside of Japan that qualify for such a label are in the five digits today due to the proliferation of the internet, or I guess 6 digits if you include Asia (including SEA)'s gigantic population which has sort of gone through a similar online experience as the US a couple decades ago. I think you need lovingly gathered encyclopedic knowledge of niche things and/or commitment to non-profitable projects of passion to be an otaku. Unfortunately, I think "otaku" has been getting the "geek" treatment and the term is gradually losing meaning outside of Japan. It's not supposed to be "cool" or trendy or something you put on a dating profile.
Generally, though, I find such labels to be meaningless outside of easily understandable character descriptions in media.

 No.113277

>>113273
>Wapanese
We've been over this, it means "wannabe Japanese" in the same ilk as wigger

 No.113278

>>113277
Ohh, yeah, brain fart. I confused it with the other racial stuff

 No.113279


 No.113280

>>113273
>It's not supposed to be "cool" or trendy or something you put on a dating profile.
lots of people put it on their dating profile in japan

 No.113282

Yeah, but in Japan it has a different meaning, this stuff happens with loanwords

 No.113283

That may also be why the birthrates are so low

 No.113284

I guess, but while there's still plenty of people who are private about their otaku interests, the number of people who wear the label on their shoulder and are are openly enthusiastic has been increasing. It's cooler and trendier to be an otaku now that it has even been.

 No.113285

File:72018989_p0.png (7.67 MB,2974x4094)

Neither really, but If I had to choose it would be otaku. Anyone from outside of Japan who uses that term nowadays is at least somewhat familiar with wota culture — I think.

 No.113286

>>113271
>WOW I like ANIME, i'm so TRASH
This has to be a couple years out of date

 No.113287

Why cant westerners just call themselves "anime fans" or "manga aficinadios" or "jrpg pro"

 No.113288

File:1643864376405.jpg (1.12 MB,1949x1350)

"Japanimation extraordinaire"

 No.113289

>>113288
lmfao, i would unironically use that term more then Otaku or Weeb

 No.113290

I'd be flattered to be called an otaku.

 No.113291

weeb is considered an americanism here and hardly ever used, the universal catch-all term is otaku
it doesn't have the connotation of extremity or being too mentally ill
and frankly i think that's for the best

 No.113292

>>113291
But otaku does have a negative connotation in Japan, though. It's like a warning that someone is a little too into their hobby (trains or anime or whatever).

 No.113293

>>113292
yeah what i mean is that it's lighter here

 No.113294

>>113292

true, according to both Oxford languages (the dictionary google uses) and merriam webster, they both define it as an obsession rather then being an normal interest

 No.113295

>>113292
I wonder if transport otaku are as weirdly combative and shitposty as western ones

 No.113296

>>113291
>here
>>113293
>here
just spit it out

 No.113297

>>113296
a galaxy far far away

 No.113298

File:Screenshot_20230829_085544….jpg (14.8 KB,726x108)


 No.113299

>>113295
nip rail fans are detested for being aggressive and breaking laws to get photos

 No.113300

File:bocchi the shock.png (1.97 MB,2160x1080)

>>113288
we might have to try and make "japanimation" a thing again, i've met way too many people, both online and irl, try to tell me that The Last Airbender and The Boondocks are anime...

 No.113301

so is wakfu "franimation"

 No.113302

>>113300
I am SHOCKED at how many people had childhood crushes on Katara

 No.113303

>>113301
Francophone comics and cartoons are distinct enough I do think they should have a name in English but they are unpopular unless you're ouiaboo or learning French

 No.113304

>>113300
I've seen King of the Hill mentioned as anime, in a serious manner

 No.113305

I am shocked, SHOCKED, to find that people had childhood crushes on Katara

 No.113306

>>113301
>>113303
There are a lot of French cartoons that most people probably would not even know are French, like Totally Spies and Arcane. So it's probably less useful than Japanimation.

But then maybe the stuff not aired on western TV is completely different and warrants it's own Label. I don't know I have only seen Wakfu and that was to learn French.

 No.113307

>>113306
I think nowadays you would be able as the raciness is unique when exported outside of Europe.
Certainly in the English speaking world

 No.113308

>>113307
And I mean now as in that people are aware of francophone cartoons being like that, english speakers have always been prudes compared to them

 No.113309

File:6ab30292e1bce2a2cf68fa4da….jpeg (552.35 KB,1984x2031)

I think that "weeb" and "weaboo" have an insincere undertone to it, since I usually hear them being used by people that aren't into anime as much compared to an otaku. Before that I associated it with people like Ken-sama. I think otaku is fine, I wish the word was as versatile in the west as it is in Japan.

 No.113310

I think westerners who insist on being called "otaku" are the exact type of people the word "weeaboo" was meant to describe.

 No.113311

>>113310
Its just the adoption of a loanword at this point

 No.113312

Genuine weeaboo are a very rare sight, part of that I think the LDP becoming more visible internationally, as well as the expat community online made it less appealing as a greener grass country

 No.113313

>>113312
But there's a lot of koreaboo despite Yoon Suk Yeol and the PPP so maybe not

 No.113314

>>113311
A loanword that only niche communities use because they're too cool to use the English version of the term?

 No.113315

>>113314
No because the connotation of the english word changed

 No.113316

>>113310
in english "weeb" has the issue of >>113309 with all the legacy of ironic weebs and right now reddit animemes
while weeaboo has very high standards
>>113314
anglophone communities sure, but hispanic ones uncontroversially use otaku
that's half a billion people right there
the funny way to say it is "otaco" and the general negative nerd is "friki"

 No.113317

>>113316
SEA uses it too

 No.113318

>>113315
What connotation change? That more people call themselves "nerds" and you don't want to be associated with them? That's hipsterism, and choosing the Japanese word as your new, unique alternative is weeabooism.

 No.113319

>>113318
No like it was said, it went from ken-sama to more shitposty people, I'm sure if it was still near slur level it would be used more

 No.113320

Generally, I try not to read too much into whatever labels are (mis-)used by commoners, if I find a broad contradiction in their speech, my attention vanishes instantly or at best I feel amused. It's a privilege to not associate with normals and pseudo-non-normals whatsoever.

 No.113321

Personally I blame early 2010s youtube, desparate for "cringe" content, calling everyone a weeaboo

 No.113322

I'm literally just some guy

 No.113324

File:1498511595139.jpg (237.05 KB,1076x856)

>>113318
pic, the term somehow goes back to 2013/14 and exploded during 2016/17
its usage peaked in 2018
>>113321
yeah, this

 No.113342

File:[SubsPlease] Lv1 Maou to O….jpg (198.91 KB,1920x1080)

>>113316
That's interesting, but I can't say I really agree with it since I retain my opinion that barely anyone outside of Japan would qualify for it. But, words have different meanings in different cultures I suppose. Is there a separate term for an actual obsessive otaku person then?


>>113324
God, images like that are horrendous...

 No.113344

>>113342
>actual obsessive otaku person
not otaku specifically no
just friki, a freak
but in practice it's focused on gamers and japaficionados

 No.113350

>>113316
>while weeaboo has very high standards
I don't get that sense
To me "weeb" means someone who's less of a fan than a "weeaboo", who in turn is less of a fan than an "otaku"
I think >>113310 is historically correct about the type of people the word "weeaboo" was meant to describe. But the intensity of the thing it described went down over time.

 No.113352

>>113320
>It's a privilege to not associate with normals and pseudo-non-normals whatsoever.
then you'll miss out on skibidi toilet

 No.113355

>>113271
I've never been a huge fan of either, but I prefer 'weeb' because it's a bit less serious and a bit more self-aware. I associate 'otaku' with the sort of people who want to move to Japan because they think it'll be like anime in real life.

>>113324
That image pisses me off.

 No.113364

>>113352
You're on a list for liking that

 No.113365

>>113364
you already said that on /secret/

 No.113367

>>113365
It was so pasted I literally copy and pasted it

 No.113368

what do you even do with a list of 100000000 skibidi toilet fans

 No.113372

File:1634937087814.gif (530.71 KB,200x200)


 No.113374

File:cat hand smash.jpg (43.04 KB,640x480)

>which would you prefer to be called?
Your end.

 No.116419

I suppose I'd consider myself a hobbyist?

I don't feel comfortable calling myself either. I feel like these terms equally denote caring about anime, or Japanese media more broadly, to the extent that it's a defining trait about yourself. I've certainly watched lots of anime, read some manga here and there, learned about Japan, and picked up a fraction of the language... But... I don't really care? As in, I certainly know far more than the average person, but I'm not particularly passionate or obsessed, which "weeb" and "otaku" strike me as being. To me, as someone else mentioned, an otaku is someone who has a near encyclopedic knowledge on something, like knowing production dates, studios, VAs, producers and animation directors, and who takes an active role in their hobby like buying merchandise and cosplaying. I'm nowhere close to that. "Ween" on the other hand suggests an almost Dunning-Kruger level of ignorance with shallow interests, but still an intense passion; I feel like battle shounen fans fit this sort of definition. Again, not me...

 No.116420

hehe ween

 No.116421

minor spelling mistake
kill him

 No.116422

There are no mistakes, only the subconscious briefly taking over to share its true thoughts

 No.116427

>>113277
Prior to weeaboo's introduction, people were writing out wapanese and that continued even as weeaboo replaced it. Not sure who you went over this with but they probably weren't around during the early days on 4chan.

 No.116510

File:1695036669163388.jpg (207.45 KB,2048x1354)

>>113316
I prefer to be called friki over otaku because the first still has the degrading tone of freak which describes me perfectly I'm just a disgusting freak from a Spanish speaking country.

 No.116512

friki diki

 No.116513

el frikiao frikiadito

 No.116515

>>116510
but yeah personally i haven't been referred to as such and i even feel the word is actually kinda rare
it still being in use is neat




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