Asian Representation Through Otaku and Anime (Audrey)

 (lowee-addiction.blogspot.com)

Otaku is a Japanese term derived from the honorific word signifying another's house or family. The original meaning was used as a polite personal pronoun addressing someone of uncertain social position in relation to oneself. The second meaning was coined in the early 1980's in response to the increasingly mediatized and detached world. This semantic shift resulted in the initial association of otaku with individuals who were unable or unwilling to communicate with others, and who had an unrelenting fascination with a narrow field of interest, usually computer technology or anime (Japanese animation). As technology developed into a more accessible form of communication, otaku gradually began to take on a normalized role in Japanese society. Nowadays, the term simply refers to those who enjoy reading comics, without any particular derogatory overtones.

 (boingboing.net)

As Japanese popularity spread to the West, otaku began to take on a somewhat different meaning. The term as it is used in the U.S. now refers to a subculture of people who are obsessed with Japanese pop culture, particularly anime and manga (Japanese comics). These otaku are generally stereotyped as Americans who see themselves as Japanese or who want to become Japanese, and who see Japan as a utopian ideal.

 (japanprobe.com)

Otaku therefore present a negative image of Asians, particularly Japanese. With their insistence on speaking and/or acting Japanese, and their obsession with childlike pursuits, they portray a fictional version of Japanese culture that can be off-putting or even offensive to others.

  (techshout.com)

Anime is another lens through which Asians are portrayed. Females in particular are depicted either as childish or as hypersexualized beings. Rarely are characters portrayed as looking 'Asian'; rather, they are drawn with exaggerated White features. This presents the idea that Asian features are undesired, and further strengthens Western cultural hegemony.

 (cosplayful.com)

Tutorials abound on YouTube, giving tips on how to achieve the "anime" look with makeup. These videos are generally aimed at Asian girls, who typically do not have big eyes. The implication is that girls without epicanthic folds in their eyelids need to change this undesirable aspect of their features. Taking this further, products and even surgery exist in many East Asian countries to artificially create a double eyelid.