Shopping Guide
When you hear the word “otaku,” what image comes to mind? Perhaps you think of a quiet, introverted person who likes anime and manga and spends their time indoors. Or maybe you think of someone who is a bit off and hard to become friends with, or maybe even people connected to a fandom who are biased and strongly opinionated.
However, thinking of otaku in such a way only results in brazen generalizations. The truth is, otaku differ depending on their nationality and the environment they grew up in. If you were to lineup 100 different otaku, they would all have their own likes and details about the culture that fascinate them. Otaku encompass children who watch daytime anime, office workers who work hard at their everyday jobs, and even those similar to Kirino from Oreimo who work as models. In other words, outward appearance and personality have nothing to do with being an otaku. Each individual person has different knowledge on characters and the area of otaku culture they like, as well as shows love for these in different ways.
While on this topic, there is someone who is a good example to explore the question of what otaku means in Japan. This person has completely changed the previous image of otaku and cultivated a more positive one (It can also be said that she unwound the public’s misunderstandings about otaku.). The person we are talking about is Shoko Nakagawa.
“Shokotan” as she is referred to by her adoring fans, is an idol talent. Since 2000, she has extended the breadth of her activities within Japan’s world of show business, and she is loved by fans for her open-hearted personality and friendly air. A popular secret of hers is that she is an otaku. Being recognized by others as an otaku through and through, the amount of anime and manga she likes is too many to count. She is also a talented illustrator, with a high level similar to that of a pro. Fans can check out her activities and otaku style at any time via her official blog, “Shokotan Blog” (Be warned though, due to the blog being updated with several articles every day, it’s quite addictive.).
Even though part of her is an otaku, she is also a gravure idol and singer, as well as a voice actress, TV personality, and manga author. She is the definition of the word multi-talented. As for her involvement in manga, she has a history of work published in trade magazines (Her work Nouko no Koi was serialized six times in the quarterly magazine Hon-Nin beginning in the September 2007 issue.).
Even before she made her debut as a singer, she was a TV personality in Japan who showed off her talented side whenever she could by singing the theme songs to her favorite anime. In 2006, she successfully made her debut as a singer, showing her high singing ability in the single “Brilliant Dream.” Since then, her songs have been used in a variety of anime works, including the movie series for Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and the Pokémon series.
When her best-of album Shokotan Best--(°∀°)--!! was released, it captured the No. 1 spot in the JK-Pop category on Hong Kong’s HMV chart, and the level of attention it received from other overseas countries was also high. In 2012, she held an Asia tour which included five performances in four cities. By June of this year, she had announced her 16th single, and she is currently working on her new single, “Zoku Kondon.”
Another side to this cool beauty is that she is an idol. One can’t help but be inspired by the impressive display of Nakagawa giving her all as an idol, singer, and otaku while giving off the feeling of having a good sense of a gap between each one.
The more Nakagawa is active on TV and online, the more people start to think, “Huh? Otaku are this friendly and interesting?!” and, “Maybe otaku don’t necessarily need to be shy shut-in types.” It is a truly wonderful thing.
If you get to know Nakagawa, you will definitely find a hint to help answer the question “What kind of people are otaku?”!
© Sony Music Entertainment
© Watanabe Entertainment Co. Ltd
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
