Yo, what's up everyone?!! In this post, I'm going to give my opinion on the difference between being an otaku and being a weeb, and why the difference is important.
An otaku is someone who is passionate to the point of obsessed about something. It's more common to see military history otaku, or model plane otaku, or old movie otaku in Japan.
A weeb, which is short for weeaboo, which is what 4-chan changed wapanese to, is someone who is more than obsessed with Japanese culture. They are obsessed to the point of annoying and not enough to the point of respect. The way in which they appropriate Japanese culture without subtlety and respect rubs many people the wrong way.
An otaku can see manga and anime for what it is and can respect it. A weeb can only respect certain manga and anime, and will only accept animations made by Japanese companies. More importantly, they tend to recognize only the entertainment aspects of Japanese culture to be interesting.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animation that can divide otakus from weeaboos. Otakus can accept and appreciate Avatar: The Last Airbender, but weeaboos refuse its status as an anime.
So yeah, normally, I wouldn't want to do this, but I just went and looked up how to explain what a waifu is. A waifu is a 2D fictional character that animation fans swear to respect and commit to. Basically fans claim that they love a character and if they aren't respected by another fan, then there will be a fight over which one ranks above the other. There are different levels of commitment to waifus, such as being a casual fan, who calls a character his waifu, and then a serious fan who marries a waifu with a wedding band. Weeaboos are likely to get into real fights about their waifus, while otakus can respect another person's choice of waifu.
It is kind of funny. You might be attracted or in awe of a female animated character, but in my opinion, it's just another variation of, "If you love it so much, why don't you marry it?".
Please, be a casual fan, I think joking about waifu wars is pretty funny. I mean when a tier system is set up, to explain why female characters are so popular, it's so over the top that it can entertain you.
My point being, that otakus will discuss their waifus, but weeaboos will marry their waifus... or husbandos (male form of waifu).
The importance of the difference between otakus and weebs is the reputation that lands on cultures. Part of this is me trying to defend myself because I've been called a weeb before, but it is also because it can be used to stereotype people. Just because you watch a lot of anime doesn't make you a weeb. You become a weeb if you start to blur anime with real life. You become a weeb if you think Japan is valuable just because they make animation and great food.
I've had white friends called weebs when they show a lot of respect and try to understand Japanese/Asian culture. I have Japanese American friends who are total weebs, but are also community leaders in the Japanese American community. I don't think they deserve the stereotyping of being a weeb.
I'd like for this blog to be welcoming and accepting, without unnecessary judgments or pressure to "fit the content" of this blog. I just want people to discuss, gain a little new understanding of the things I enjoy so much, and have fun. Anime and manga are great, but they aren't everything.
People who know me will realize that what I just typed sounds so ironic, but I'm serious.
Anyways, sorry for such a strange post. I was working on this for a little over a week, so the pacing must seem weird. I think for the next post I'm gonna share what I've been working on in Pokemon Showdown, which is a Pokemon Battle simulation site. Catch ya later.
An otaku is someone who is passionate to the point of obsessed about something. It's more common to see military history otaku, or model plane otaku, or old movie otaku in Japan.
A weeb, which is short for weeaboo, which is what 4-chan changed wapanese to, is someone who is more than obsessed with Japanese culture. They are obsessed to the point of annoying and not enough to the point of respect. The way in which they appropriate Japanese culture without subtlety and respect rubs many people the wrong way.
An otaku can see manga and anime for what it is and can respect it. A weeb can only respect certain manga and anime, and will only accept animations made by Japanese companies. More importantly, they tend to recognize only the entertainment aspects of Japanese culture to be interesting.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animation that can divide otakus from weeaboos. Otakus can accept and appreciate Avatar: The Last Airbender, but weeaboos refuse its status as an anime.
So yeah, normally, I wouldn't want to do this, but I just went and looked up how to explain what a waifu is. A waifu is a 2D fictional character that animation fans swear to respect and commit to. Basically fans claim that they love a character and if they aren't respected by another fan, then there will be a fight over which one ranks above the other. There are different levels of commitment to waifus, such as being a casual fan, who calls a character his waifu, and then a serious fan who marries a waifu with a wedding band. Weeaboos are likely to get into real fights about their waifus, while otakus can respect another person's choice of waifu.
It is kind of funny. You might be attracted or in awe of a female animated character, but in my opinion, it's just another variation of, "If you love it so much, why don't you marry it?".
Please, be a casual fan, I think joking about waifu wars is pretty funny. I mean when a tier system is set up, to explain why female characters are so popular, it's so over the top that it can entertain you.
My point being, that otakus will discuss their waifus, but weeaboos will marry their waifus... or husbandos (male form of waifu).
The importance of the difference between otakus and weebs is the reputation that lands on cultures. Part of this is me trying to defend myself because I've been called a weeb before, but it is also because it can be used to stereotype people. Just because you watch a lot of anime doesn't make you a weeb. You become a weeb if you start to blur anime with real life. You become a weeb if you think Japan is valuable just because they make animation and great food.
I've had white friends called weebs when they show a lot of respect and try to understand Japanese/Asian culture. I have Japanese American friends who are total weebs, but are also community leaders in the Japanese American community. I don't think they deserve the stereotyping of being a weeb.
I'd like for this blog to be welcoming and accepting, without unnecessary judgments or pressure to "fit the content" of this blog. I just want people to discuss, gain a little new understanding of the things I enjoy so much, and have fun. Anime and manga are great, but they aren't everything.
People who know me will realize that what I just typed sounds so ironic, but I'm serious.
Anyways, sorry for such a strange post. I was working on this for a little over a week, so the pacing must seem weird. I think for the next post I'm gonna share what I've been working on in Pokemon Showdown, which is a Pokemon Battle simulation site. Catch ya later.
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