The word otaku first appeared in the early 1980s.
Today, it’s a word we hear on a daily basis, but in the 1980s there was a special sound that refers to the enthusiastic and closed enthusiasts of manga and anime.
However, recently, it has grown into one of the cultures that flourish overseas.
The Japanese cultural event “Japan Expo” is held every year in Paris, France.
In France, Japanese animation has already been imported one after another since the 1980s and has been broadcast on TV. Therefore, in France, there are many people in Europe who are familiar with Japanese animation.
Behind the tremendous leap forward of Japan Expo is the permeation of otaku culture such as anime and manga in Europe.
Their behavior of dancing idol songs and “anison” (animation theme songs) and buying goods at the venue is almost the same as Japanese otaku.
The characteristic of French nerds is that their behavior is sociable and positive.
They do not boast of knowledge and collections like Japanese otaku.
The party-like atmosphere of France’s “Let’s enjoy the event together” is very different from the atmosphere of Japanese stoic otaku events.
The “World Cosplay Summit” is the world’s largest cosplay event held in Japan.
Cosplayers who have won the preliminary rounds from all over the world will gather in Japan.
Originally, the birthplace of culture dressed as characters such as comics and movies is the United States. It is said that the reason why it is widely known as a culture originating in Japan is that the Japanese-made English “Cosplay” has taken root in the world.
It is said that the name “Cosplay” was born at the “Comic Market” held in Japan. This comic market, commonly known as “Comiket,” is the origin of otaku events.
