The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan (Paperback)

~ (Author), Frederik Schodt (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"You cant possibly be called an otaku without this book." Danny Choo, www.dannychoo.com

"Galbraiths knowledge of Akihabaras history and current manifestations makes the neighborhoods warrens of obscurity feel vivid and layered, like a promising archeological dig." Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica
"Prepare for a wild, educational, and entertaining ride!" from the foreword by Frederik L. Schodt, author of Manga! Manga!

Product Description

Otaku: Nerd; geek or fanboy. Originates from a polite second-person pronoun meaning "your home" in Japanese. Since the 1980s it's been used to refer to people who are really into Japanese pop-culture, such as anime, manga, and videogames. A whole generation, previously marginalized with labels such as geek and nerd, are now calling themselves otaku with pride.

The Otaku Encyclopedia offers fascinating insight into the subculture of Cool Japan. With over 600 entries, including common expressions, people, places, and moments of otaku history, this is the essential A to Z of facts every Japanese pop-culture fan needs to know. Author Patrick W. Galbraith has spent several years researching deep into the otaku heartland and his intimate knowledge of the subject gives the reader an insider's guide to words such as moe, doujinshi, cosplay and maid cafes. In-depth interviews with such key players as Takashi Murakami, otaku expert Okada Toshio, and J-pop idol Shoko Nakagawa are interspersed with the entries, offering an even more penetrating look into the often misunderstood world of otaku. Dozens of lively, colorful images--from portraits of the interview subjects to manga illustrations, film stills and photos of places mentioned in the text--pop up throughout the book, making The Otaku Encyclopedia as entertaining to read as it is informative.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770031017
• ISBN-13: 978-4770031013
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,853 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #7 in	Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > History & Price Guides
  #14 in	Books > History > Asia > Japan
  #60 in	Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Manga

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 stars, August 27, 2009

By	Mr. T. P. (massachusetts, US) - See all my reviews

Although I found this book interesting and useful, for both relative noobs and studied foreign otaku, it had a number of flaws which prevent it from being truly perfect.

My biggest annoyance was the occasionally completely unneeded value judgements, referring to things as "creepy," "pathetic," or "disturbing." Galbraith calls himself an otaku, so I don't see why he feels the need to put down other parts of otaku culture. This only occurs occasionally, but to hardcore otaku, it might leave a bad taste in their mouth.

It also has a number of small oddities, like:
- Even though he slavishly sticks to Japanese titles and pronunciations, like "idoru," in the back of the book he uses a few English title translations that were never used in the official English release. For example, in North America, "Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-Chan" was officially released as "Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan," but he calls it "Club to Death Angel, Dokoro-chan." And he uses "Red-Eyed Shana," though the official North American release was titled "Shakugan no Shana." Why?
- Having an entry on "Web Anime," then an entry on "Web Manga-Comics" right under it, with both basically being copy-pastes of each other.
- Not mentioning the otaku backlash against Murakami Takashi
- Occasional typos, "feel" as "eel," etc.

Despite these nitpicks, it's a generally good book. Some of the best parts are the interviews, which can get extremely insightful, especially the ones with director Yamakan and Toshio "Otaking" Tadashi. If you want to submerge yourself into some really niche and obscure parts of otaku culture/history, from imouto cafes to Aum Shinrikyo to riajyuu, this is the book. The printing is nice...it's printed in Japan by Kodansha, in Japanese style, with dust cover and all.

Also, the cover amuses me by being so bombastically moe.

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting presentation, October 17, 2009

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Any collection interested in Japanese counter-culture will find fascinating THE OTAKU ENCYCLOPEDIA: AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO THE SUBCULTURE OF COOL JAPAN. It covers anime, comics, dolls, manga, video games and all kinds of elements of Japanese pop culture and packs in color photos visuals throughout in an exciting presentation.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good item!! Highly recommended, October 5, 2009

By	Claudia C. Diaz Trevino - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Highly recommended product. If you are an otaku, you can't be considered as one if you don't have this item on your hands.

Gives extra-detailed information of all proper slangs and otaku terms you can't relate to your friends because you don't know them. Trust me you'll like this one at all.