Otaku in 5 years time

I have this feeling that in 5 years, it will become like what it was in the 1990's. I really don't see a lot of people buying anime DVDs nowadays and a lot of the translators and licensing companies stopped running their business here... So I can't imagine it will be better in 2015. Perhaps Funimation will run an anime monopoly somehow.

As for merchandise... that seems to be the saving grace. They want to sell anime? Sell it along with the (high quality) figures!

I'm hoping I'm not living in the street in 5 years with boxes of my figures keeping me warm with the way I'm spending these days =/

Wonder what Aoi-chan thinks?^_^

It's intresting what the future may hold. Currently I'm at the part of my life where every decision made will pave my path towards the future. About me being an "Otaku", I could say I have been intrested in amime/manga/japan strongly for at least one year. I wonder what my attitude towards Otakuism will be like in five years, but for the subculture itself, I believe that it will grow and change with time, and that it will always find new ways to attract new people as well as keeping current Otaku intrested for a long while.

In 5 years time, I'm gonna need to build a new room underground. My current room will probably be filled with gunplas and figures by 2015!

I have been Otaku for almost 5 years now and been watching alot of animes ever since then until I came to Japan I still watch them alot in every season even though I'm in a busy mode sometimes but I really can't live without it. However my spending on anime merchandise is really limited due to the fact that I'm still a student and my living expenses isn't much so I have no choice but to wait until I'm working to earn money on my own. Hope I can become a full fledged Otaku in 5 years later.

I believe that second poll is messed up.
"Are you spending more or less on otaku merchandise compared to this time last year?"
I think the responses are meant to be "More" or "Less" rather than "Yes" or "No"

Squeak Squeak

wish i could buy more stuff but am running out of space or rather ran out of space.

Hmmm what will happen to me in 5 years as an otaku.. That is one interesting question. I don't really believe the whole otaku will save the world economically, since the comic book fans aren't doing much for the US economy. Then again it could just be the prices, working in a comic book shop, it is A LOT cheaper to buy manga than it is to WAIT and buy every issue of a limited series/event of what Marvel/DC is doing now. They're usually $3.99 - $4.99 and issue, and there are usually 5-8 issues.
I guess it is whoever is the most dedicated! I personally see myself still be a strong otaku making my kids like Konata or something. LUL.

Interesting. I've been into anime and manga since I was twelve (Now 22) but I don't really think you could start calling me an Otaku untill the last 3-4 years maybe. Even though I try not to use the word.

As for spending... I voted less but Looking back It might just be more... I was more thinking of the future when i voted for some reason. (Still morning here, heh. ^^;)
Spent a lot of money, mainly on figurines and manga, but also on teaching material, Japanese language courses and Visual novels!

My spending for the last months has hit rock bottom though as I'm saving up for an abroad trip to Tokyo and also for Studies there... in a year or two.

As for me being an "Otaku" in 5 years? Yes, certainly I believe so. I've already had an "Otaku graduation" and came back after realizing that was not what I really wanted. ^^

Is it just me, or is there an alien head staring right at me?

hmmmmm....i love anime and some merchandises but i wouldn't call myself an otaku so i guess i can't answer the 1st poll question....but i definitely answered the last question regarding watching more anime...:P

To me in five years Time , Japan will have competition in the Comic field as China , Korea , Malaysia , Singapore and Hong Kong are building up in Manga-style Comics .

South Korea has the potential to compete against Japan in terms of Story telling as their Manhwa ( Korean Manga ) is getting popular even in the overseas . I believe South Korea hasn't untapped their true potential in Manhwa .

As for Otaku in 5 years time , I think it will slowly build up its ways with lots of Moe Animes now to Bring up The Anime Economy .

5 years eh? Dunno what may happen, but i hope i am still how i am now. Still watching anime, reading manga and buying merchandies. I've been an Otaku now since i was about 6-7 when i was influenced by my older bro. Since then, i have progressed up to buying merchandises and covering my room with posters and figures and i really hope i don't change my thoughts of being an Otaku in 5 years.

I hope things will work out as you say Danny, but with extreme censorship over anything slightly ecchi, the overall lack of interest in anime/otaku/moe/Japan things with the general public, and ofcourse the ever-waging war over downloading (without proper legal alternatives to obtain anime) I don't really see otaku 'saving the world' in 5 years....at least not in the Netherlands -____-

Otaku longer than 5 years. It's a bit common in us "older" folk.

As for otaku spendings, I was unemployed for the last half of 2008, but got checks from the state, first half of 2009 was without. So my spendings on anything and everything decreased. Especially since that without time, I started school. Major financial ouch.

Oddly enough, though I was unemployed for 8 months in 2009, I did not watch too much anime. There wasn't much of anything new this year that I was really into. There was typically only 1 or 2 shows for each season. Usually I ended up following 5 times more. (more during spring season).

i have been an OTAKU now 16 YEARS!!! :p i love it and in the next 15 years i will still be an otaku lol :p it is nothing bad but i just started collecting figures :p other than that i will still watch anime from now till the end of time !!! ^^

While more new otakus are born, I think older otakus are buying less stuffs than before. I can feel that way about me as I get older. I used to watch every anime series out there about 10 years ago, now I watch one or two anime series at most :P I guess as you get older, real life stuffs kick in and such, just can't concentrate on your hobbies alone anymore T_T

I've been an Otaku for as long as I can remember, to be quite honest, compared to the years before, the last 3 or so years haven't been the best years for the anime/figure/manga industry. I don't mean that because of the economy, but the creativity of the what we read and watch, there haven't been any real anime that have made a big impact or really sparks up anything worth while within our community which inturn we get less and less anime based products (take Haruhi, their still milking the series).

Sure it can be hard to start something unique, slowly but surly anime series and manga series are becoming more and more redundant and less and less new and creative things are showing up.

I'm not trying to be negative or anything but that's just my opinion on whats going on now. but as for say 5 years in from now? Unless there's something big in-stored by some unknown mangaka just waiting to unleash it, I don't think the Otaku and Anime/manga industry is going anywhere anytime soon, if anything I think were walking through a minefield with a blindfold over our heads.

Despite the saturation of the otaku market in Japan, even though it's a niche market, I believe the potential for overseas expansion is great. In recent years we've seen anime become part of daily children's cartoon programs. This has prompted older audiences to be interested aswell, I've seen the vast collection of manga at Kinokuniya and the many people browsing them.
Also with emissaries such as Danny Choo and the internet, word is spreading and the line "Otaku will save the world" may not be far!
Of course availability currently is the problem.
In 5 years, i'll still be an otaku with hopes that there will be cheaper imports due to high demand. More people to share my interests with too.

Well I hope I'll still be enjoying anime, art and figures 5 years from now! ^^

As for the market evolutions, hard to say, the past year a lot of things have happened but I hope the anime market pulls through.

Congratulation on the TV feature again ^o^

I foresee I'll be spending more on otaku merchandises, never ending~ Doing my part as otaku in saving the world, LOL!

Will I still be an Otaku in 5 years? Only time will tell :}

Have fun at the show... well or i guess you already have had. ;)

Anyhow, where we will be in 5 years? I guess Japan will be fine... internationaly however i see a black hole at the moment.
The main carrier for anime and manga to be known international are fansubs which of course are illegal. With ACTA and whatsonot coming up this will have most likely a huge impact on how we will see the current seasons outside of Japan.
Not to mention this alliance of anime studios which started to check the web recently for their works published illegaly to banhammer em, yea i can see why they do it... but can they see that this will affect future merchandise sales and so on?
While japanese have the chance to preview every anime on TV, we international Otakus are forced to buy the DVDs without knowing whats on them or if we even like the show, thats what my common sense tells me is "unfair".

As for current legal streaming things...
Crunchyroll? Gimme a break, they don't even have To Aru Kagaku no Railgun or other popular ones... in their complete list are a few pearls but nothing which would make me use it.
KeyHole TV? Keeps crashing on my Mac and PC, watching Kouhaku Uta Gassen was a major pain this year, though i guess their server was just crowded just because of that. ^^; Anyhow, the quality and such would kill any show for real.

I would like a proper TV streaming from Japan as a legal source of anime worldwide (wouldn't even want subtitles, my japanese is crappy but hey... i love anime - oh and yes i would pay at least 80eur / month for such a service IF they have all currently airing shows or every possible TV station on it, thats of course my personal measurement, i doubt everyone would pay this much but yea... i love anime, the good ones that is).
However due copyrights and those broadcast rights which are sold per country to make more monies of it this wont happen anytime soon, at least not soon enough to catch the fall when ACTA and stuff hits over the next 1-2 years.

Once fansubs are smashed to the point of being useless and even raws without subtitles will be gone, i would guess that the worldwide market will take a big hit from that.
Maybe the hard core will remain, those with enough money to spend it careless on everything they come across...
As for me, i won't, i have a job and am in good standings but i work hard for my cash and i won't spend it on to me unknown shows... not to mention importing DVDs and all to germany is expensive... something has really to be worth it for me to import it. (like the figmas of the shows i have watched ;) )

Anyhow, thats just my point of view... maybe it's not wide enough and someone else has more knowledge about how anime could manage to survive worldwide without fansubs in a legal way, but here in germany right now i see no option for that.
Might as well rent a little space over there enough for a server and setup a TV streaming server ha... yea well. :/

Congratz on being featured on TV again! Do people start noticing you whenever you walk outside, y'know, like saying "Hey! I saw you on TV last night"?

I don't know what would happen when it comes to otakus in Japan but I think the number of otakus outside the country would increase. As for myself, I think I'll be spending more as an otaku. I just hope I enough money left to spend on other stuff XD

今年可能会节制一点，去年花了好多钱在动漫的周边产品和盔甲上。 >.<
会尽量控制自己，只买自己超喜欢的。

I never really figured myself to be much of an otaku but more of an enthusiast for Japanese Pop culture. Not that I associate the term "otaku" with anything negative or demeaning, but more of I have still a ways to go and many more to about the otaku subcultures for me to really get myself involved before I could probably consider myself one. In a nutshell, I guess you can say I'm still just skimming the surface and slowly really digging myself into it.

im seeing it too~~

I've been an otaku or something like since 2007, I guess. I do think I'll consume more otaku stuff in the upcoming years for the sole reason I'll be working and a salary of my own will definitely help my hobbies. XD I guess I'm consuming more these times, but since I'm interested in Japan as a whole, I think I spent a bit less with otaku merchandise these year because figures and manga had to compete with books about Japan and the cost of the Japanese course. ^^;; As for anime, I watched more in 2009, but much less than I wanted, but that's a problem I have with college, last year was just terrible for me.

About what'll become of otaku in a 5 years time, I don't really know for sure. I'm a bit worried about some sense of uniformity that seems to be in place. I mean, what's the greatest innovation in 2009? I guess it was Bakemonogatari and, to be honest, I guess it's the unique series that really stood out in that concept. Not that the other series weren't good, but it seems it's getting more difficult to introduce new themes or histories. That may be a trap in the long-run.

You look waaay younger in here Danny.. Makeup artisits? :P

I thought his japanese sounded like rap, Mr. Choo is too much a mannerish-Uk citizen! LOL
Or just trying to wash the Hackney talk? :)

Good to see people being proud after efforts!

Good 2010.

another interview

AH HA! - i remember that TV interview!
....how many years have i been hanging around here?!?!?!

I think it's somewhat more like "Otaku (with moolah) will save the world"

Delicious~~ A little blurry... but still delicious

Someone make a joke about this pose relating to dolphins and swords

I think they key for many businesses now including the Anime market, is to be able to successfully adapt to both the current internet generation and any innovations which we will see in the near future. As we have seen, the worldwide music industry is only just starting to adapt to the internet and hopefully the other markets will too.

I think Japan is missing a potentially decent market in things like properly subtitled dorama. I download tons of fansubs and would love to buy a proper PAL boxset of them with English subtitles. It's funny in some they even take the mick out of their programs being fansubbed, but don't make an effort to make their programs available to us legally.

ちょｗｗw lawl danny,u have a shitapai behind u^^;;

Will I still be an otaku in 5 years? Yes. I have been since 1995 and I'm in my mid 20's now. I don't let age bother me even though some people will say things like "I need to grow up" and worse.

Will I still be spending as much? No. I don't drop 70,000 yen on Dollfie Dreams anymore and I only buy the figures which I have a strong attachment to the characters.

Will I watch as much anime? No. I have watched around 5 episodes of the winter season of 2009. I just don't have the time, or rather, I'd rather go outside and walk around. That comment doesn't sound very Otakuish at all but I believe I still am one, just not as extreme as before.

Wow Look at Danny's PECKS!!

The "o-word" aside, because I don't apply it to myself...

Anime, I have been watching considerably less. In 2009, I watched only four or five anime. Well, there were some more, that I didn't finish, but I won't count those, I didn't enjoy them enough.

Merchandise however, I have bought a lot last year. I need to try to slow down on that though, as I've stated on my blog before, I don't want to be 100 percent surrounded by anime goods... XD

But even if I stopped buying stuff, and stopped watching new anime, I'd still love what I have, and I would never, ever get rid of it all.

I have been a otaku for more than 5 years, and i spend more otaku merchandise in 2009 that's for sure, because i went to Japan on the Nov 2009 and bought a whole lot of stuffs in AKihabara XD

As for anime, i have been watching lesser in 2009, not really any many interesting anime compared to 2008, hope 2010 is at least better in 2009 ^^

ITs prolly a little different in other countries.. not sure. But America.. YOu must beware The ' FAD! ' And Otakuism.. and Fandom.. is a Fad to 95% of people. The Teenagers which were gobbling up Anime goods and shows.. are getting out of Anime cause its no longer cool and Edgy. Its become.. Mundane as far as they are concerned.

Sure there will be the 5% of the market which will remain fans.. cause we were fans before it became the 'In' Thing.

I really expect sales for Anime goods and products to tank in the united states, relatively soon. oooh wait, according to the people I know that run shops and sell anime goods.. It already has tanked. its just limping to its funeral.

out of curiosity - in the first trailer, where they're showing the guest appearing on the show, is that momoi haruko at the end?

for anime, I was watching less compare to last year, but for merchandise is increasing....

Last year i was spending less money... but 5 years ago i was expending A LOT MORE compared whit this one, but that's because i have to move so many time in this past year...

i am of the opininon that we will see a lot more sites like jlist.com pop up in our neck of the woods. the moniker otaku might expand to include even the casual of us, since the casual market did wonders for the gaming industry.

Definitely have been spending more, due to the fact that with the mortgage out of the way, there's more money to spend. :) Also, many of the series that I gave a pass on originally are now out in DVD thin-packs, so they're a better price to pick up.
One major beef I have is availability of products, not just DVD's, here in Canada. Some figures you simply can't get from "licensed" distributors, and ordering from overseas is a pain.
Also, with prices for Figmas in the $50.00CDN range, and Nendoroids in the $60's, it's starting to be difficult to justify the cost for other than "really" desired figures.
I've asked my local store to look into BRS w/sword, figure, but I cringe at what the price will be.
There is a HUGE (still) market for anime and Otaku related items outside Japan, but the Japanese vender's need to work at making this market more accessible.

In 5 years eh... I'll probably be like Alice Margatroid..=p

But in all seriousness, been an otaku in like 2 or 3 years by now, and I admit I lost interest in Animes but more geared toward the Doujin community. So now I'm just actively browsing news on Doujin related stuff and music. If its isnt obvious enough, Touhou does count too.

In the next 5 years, we will see an influx of moeblobs and merchandise. Otaku's are staying I guess.

...and they were this big...

I do not forsee losing my interest in anything relate to japan or japanese culture. The only reason I slowed down in watching anime is because school was biding in alittle more than last year. The only thing I can really see in five years is bland ideas, just not as many original ideas, but I suppose that has't stopped me or others.

What time is the broadcast, may be able to KeyholeTV it?

5 years huh...maybe we won't get to see so many stuff like today....

been introduced to figures and merchandises this year and holyshat i began to spend and spend and spend and yea cash-strapped and might end up as a beggar in 5 years time

Now that i work i buy more merchandise but watch less anime cause the lack of time T_T

I think otakudom are here to stay, maybe the USA anime industry is in a bad moment right now but if hollywood start to produce good quality anime/manga based movies (i mean if Cameron actually makes battle angel alita, and Cowboy Bebop doesn't suck) we could see another boom, like the one that had the comic books with the spider-man and x-men movies at the begining of the decade.

I can rightly say that I have been an Otaku since the '70s, before the term came into being. I got fascinated with JP pop culture and history in 2nd grade. At the same time, UHF Channel 52 in Los Angeles was running a lot of super-classic Japanese animated shows: Gigantor (Tetsujin 28), Kimba The White Lion (Junguru Taisei), Speed Racer, (Mach Go Go Go!), Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom), and The Amazing Three. (WTF was the original title of that show?)

LA has always had a big Nikkei population, so the trappings and goodies were also available if you knew to go to Little Tokyo and the Sawtelle Avenue District. I also discovered another UHF channel that ran Japanese programming, and wonder of wonders they often subbed the Jidai Geki/Chambara dorama and cartoons they brought over for Nikkei consumption. Probably because Nisei audiences' Nihongo was universally weak. My first "subbed anime" was Little Ghost Q-Taro. Think Japanese version of Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Very silly theme music here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhVQwpqYA7s

Again, '70s here. I've been riding this train for quite a while.

Anyway, if you look at this poll, there's a significant minority of audience here who have copped to buying less Otaku goodies and watching less Anime. Yet the fact they're here should tell the industry something. They still want to find something to love.

Here comes the cluebat: NOT EVERYONE LIKES MOE. And I think the vast majority of female fans of Japanese pop culture are in that category, along with about half of male fandom. This does not mean that the way to revitalize the flagging appeal of anime is to spice it up with flirtations among bishounen characters, but to get back to the basics of why anime pulled us in in the first place. Even in their bastardized English dubs, anime has been the province of a much richer, more detailed, what modern scholars call "thick" narrative style. Why are Transformers and Robotech and the various American series based on Gatchaman still looked at with such nostalgia? Because the people who cobbled together the Americanizations of the series kept the essential "thickness" of the narrative. Story. Heroic story arcs. Deep characters. Detailed "worlds" the characters interact in.

Galbraith suggests that "moe" is the reason why Neon Genesis Evangelion was such a worldwide hit. I beg to differ. NGE hit because it was an extremely detailed narrative with tons of story and deep characters. And now with the new movies the detail continues to be added. This is a world that can be dived into deeply and is totally immersive.

Moe anime, on the other hand, seems to be the exact opposite. Thin, stereotypical characters, basically designed to a scientific balance of sexy and innocent. Thin, repetitive narrative. Tons of marketing and merch. It's hideously manipulative. You look at it for a bit, you might say "cute character design," or "cute premise...middle school girls start a rock band" but that's where it ends.

The fandom that enjoys the deep, detailed variety of anime is being alienated by this trend. There is yet still time to return at least partially to the "thick" narrative series and features. People like Kon Satoshi and Oshii Mamoru are still working. Ghibli still puts out roughly one feature a year. The Rebuild of Eva movies are coming out roughly once every two years. However, there is one fly that might get stuck in the ointment here, and that is the fact that the infrastructure to make these kind of series and movies is crumbling. Also the manga industry has taken hits, and underpaid and disgruntled Japanese artists are leaving the field, tired of making peanuts for very creative work.

My worry is that the industry as a whole will "take the easy way out" and continue to make thin, moe-driven product, because it is just cheaper and you can employ hacks to do it rather than need creative, imaginative minds. This is what killed the American animation industry outside of Disney/Pixar. Lame kidvid, derivative bastardizations of the classics, and smug pop culture references have taken the place of the creativity that once lived here. The real interesting stuff outside of Disney/Pixar is being made by indies like Nina Paley with her self-made feature <a href="http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/">Sita Sings The Blues</a>.

I would hate to see anime suffer this fate. It really sucks that our animation industry is largely dead.

I've always been fascinated and interested in Japanese culture in some form or another my entire life, whether it be Pokemon or Nintendo, but I didn't really start watching anime obsessively until just recently. (About 6 month ago maybe) So I'm a fairly new "otaku." I don't know what will become of "otaku" in the next five years, but I definitely think that anime outside Japan will become more popular as more people discover the medium and it becomes more mainstream. People who feel that for some reason that anime is dying, I don't feel that's the case. There's people like me, who are just getting started. In the next 5 years, I feel that I'm going to be an even bigger otaku, whether I want to or not.

We are the economy's super-stable pillars holding the room of government up. We won't be saving the world soon. We already have. And we continue to do so.

The otaku subculture is a very lucrative target market. Given what it seems with the current trend, we may end up seeing a stagnation in the variety of shows. More and more moeblob shows are being produced simply because it is sure to gain popularity. I think this is just a result of the decline in the economy, but I hope that as soon as the economy picks up again, more animation studios will be willing to produce different types of shows.

I'll most likely be spending more 5 years from now as I'll probably hit a job by then. ^^

It was a bit under ten years ago, when I realized, that I was an otaku. But despite of that I've been some kind of otaku for about twenty years now. Lately I've had this nostalgia-thing going on. I've been searching for otaku things I wanted when I was a kid but didn't have money to buy them. It's been great, but at the same time I've noticed, that those things about otaku culture I've liked the most during the last few years have begun to disappear. I remember how I could buy several manga during a month, but last year I bought only a few. Publishers have gotten more cautious. There are less manga published and most of it is bad shonen fantasy stuff or yaoi. But on the other hand it seems there are more other things like figures etc. available.

The other sad thing is, that there are more and more new local otaku events, but the content is getting worse. The biggest events are really popular, but the problem seems to be, that the big part of the audience coming to events are not interested in content, but they just like to come there to hang around and kiss each other and run around. That has caused older otaku to get bored and they no more care about the events or might even think that it's time to crawl back to the shadows. So, otaku culture is a big thing and has become mainstream, but there are no real content anymore. At least I can't get what I want so easily anymore, but I won't stop to be an otaku, because that's what I love. So, in five years I'll surely be spending even more money on otaku stuff, but it won't be too easy to get the real quality content. That's sad.

Well done Danny!!, 2009 was certainly a busy and full packed year for you and your crew!
It had its share of ups and downs, but seems like it was a successful year for you, building on the things you do well, and creating some new beginnings in other avenues.
One of the reasons I come to this site is to watch it evolve. Not only am I fascinated by Japan and Japanese culture, but also by what makes a site successful.
Watching this site change and hearing about the trials and tribulations of all the events that happen in the back ground to making this site function, is fascinating!
So it’s interesting to log in every day and follow what you, staff and the Tokyo bloggers are up to each day as you work to build something.
Thanks for all your efforts (that means everyone that contributes!!) and all the best for 2010!

People these days want to save up since the recession was pretty bad, if it isn't for otakus that are will to spend and putting money back into the economy all over the world then I'd say things can probably be worse...though I've haven't spent as much as I would have liked the past year, I still like to follow the latest news...

I don't foresee anime DVDs selling well in the future unless it comes with perks...usually something physical like figures, dakimarkura and manga will sell well...focusing the market on those as well as making them more accessible will make things better...

Otaku will be a major world economic force...mark my work ^^.

Nice stuff Danny!
I've been an Otaku for almost 10 years now...
But compared to last year, I'm spending less and watching less anime.
Lack of time and money really.

But I have to stop spending too much money on merchandise, and focus on my objetive of going to Japan to live there for some time...

Yo, Cloud, I'm really happy for you, and Imma let you finish, but I just got to say Sephiroph's sword is one of the best swords there is!

I think we will see an increase in the amount of people beginning to watch anime and buy figures in the next 5 years. I have already noticed many more people that are watching shows like bleach and naruto. Especially since there are finally channels in amreica showing more anime. There are also an increase in otaku magazines on the shelves. However, there are many people who just won't watch it because they still go by "it being a cartoon so it's for kids." idea. The figures are kinda hard to come by here too, you usually have to just get lucky.

Wow, I think I've been an otaku all my life O_O I loved anime since I was a child (watching lots of Sailor Moon haha) and began buying lots of merch once I moved to New York and began going to lots of cons ^^;

I don't know about everywhere else, but in my area I've noticed an increase in otakus. I think the life of an otaku will go from hobbyist to a professional (such as yourself Danny ^^) in five years. Hopefully that's if nothing happens to us in the year 2012 O_O

I want this figure so bad....

lol im spending more, which i shouldn't

have to get that finance/budgeting on track so i can realize bigger and more important stuffs like an awsm HT system so i can enjoy anime better LOL

we came in peace

i think being an otaku can be a mini hobby as long you have an income and you don't spend too much on anime products

Its been almost eleven years since I became OTAKU. While in the past few months my spending has dropped considerably due to an extensive slow period at the fish market I work at and college I do plan to keep buying merchandise as I garner enough cash.

I've been into anime since I was young, and actually started to buy products when I was 11 years old.
Now I'm 15, which means that five years from now I'll be 20.
I don't think I'm gonna stop any time soon!

Mr. Kaname? ^^;

LOL!! Maybe some thought should be instilled into those that only save and not spend! ;P

If heck does not freeze over during 2012, i'll be at Comiket! ;P

hahaha i laughed so hard at the picture of you in your room with that picture in the background XD

What were their impressions of you after that??

will probably become broke in 5 years time since I can't stop spending. Been an otaku for just a year with a few months in or rather when I registered on this site. I don't regret much of anything since I became an otaku, I like all the things I buy. As for anime, I'm watching less as there seems to be mostly moe anime with less than 5 mins for story content at the end of each episode. I usually just about one moe anime for my daily dose of moe and look for one with other contents besides moe.

that's too optimistic of a view...

Few years back not so long ago I enjoyed Vandread, Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X (up till the final deadly duel with Shishio Makoto), Gensomaden Saiyuki and the very recent but not so new the Honey and Clover.... and now... most of the time I stick with Gundam anime stuff and after Haruhi and Lucky Star anime, I think I only like K-On, Canaan and Sengoku Basara... all the rest, feel cautious about it and thus not buying the DVD...

I still look forward for great anime series from Japan and will not give up hope on them... though I also fear that it all will be commercially driven kind of anime (like Gundam)

I've been an Otaku for more than 5 years, actually and still going strong! ^^;

I dislike the technicals, so I'll say I've been an anime enthusiast for about 9 years now.

I'm being Otaku for 15 years now (and may be over than 15 years as far as I can remember).

Me want!!! I love this one ;)

That freaking black hat has to go ASAP!!!
I bet it walks on its own now!!!
LOL!!!

Just as the other guys, I wouldn't be able to concentrate if I had one of these close to me xD.

Well, pretty much, I voted that I have been otaku for more than five years, going on about 12 years now. I voted to less for otaku merch, but I voted more for anime watching. The real world decided to slap me in the face. So now I face apartment rent, a new car, college, and all the other grand expenses one takes one when one leaves the nest. So I am not spending money right now. However, this has forced me to watch loads and loads of anime that I already own again. And it is really enjoyable. I've gone back and watched shows that I really didn't pay much attention to the first time around. I'm going back and watching shows I liked and thinking, "Why did I like this crap?" I also just recently discovered crunchy roll. I know, I know, it has been around forever, but hey better late then never right? And there are some good shows on there for free and it isn't against the law! So yes been an anime fan for a while, but am spending less right now, but watching a lot more! It is really pretty nice. P.S. If you haven't watched Lucky Star OVA yet, your missing out. Just thought I'd throw that out there!

Been watching tons and tons of anime since 2004.. But last year (09) has been really weak for me. I've probably only watched 5 or 6 shows in total, when in '08, I watched at least double that mount.

I hope to go to Otakon this year though :3

BAH! I'm against otaku culture, since u hav notic'd that on 1978, Anno Hideaki, present GAINAX chief director got booted out of the Osaka university of fine arts after receiving prefectural headlines that he was allegatedly participating in all otaku activities

LMAO freezing cold >.> that is NOT freezing cold weather you have GOT to be kidding me. It is minus -39 C right now. I have to plug my car in so the battery won't die. That is like summer weather in Japan's winter.