Oh my days.
Okay, let’s just cut to the chase. What exactly is the Otaku: man up hashtag all about? Good question.
It’s about a few things. It’s about a flimsy, non-existent manifesto. It’s about a pointless, ill-conceived philosophy. It’s about angry, knee-jerk rational debate. But mostly it’s about BOTH shits AND giggles.
‘But wait!’ you say, ‘There’s a manifesto?’ Yes. Yes there is. A completely non-existent one:
- Real otaku men treat real women with respect. And by ‘respect’ I do not mean ‘fear’. That is not good enough. Watch all the moe and hug all the body pillows you want, but don’t hide behind them. Get out there and interact with people – both sexes – that are NOT otaku, so that when you go back to your fantasies they are just that. You’ll enjoy them even more, trust me. Perspective is amazing.
- Real otaku men do not cry like a girl if someone disagrees with them. You see, the whole point of otaku is that you are passionate about something. Passionate. Like a fucking warrior. Not a victim. You can man up and just shrug it off. Move on. Or, if you have reached the advanced stage, you can MAN THE FUCK UP and get stuck into the fight. Debate. Reason. Discuss. Don’t whine – educate.
- Real otaku men do the unexpected. Do something you don’t normally do. Get drunk. Watch a movie you wouldn’t normally watch. Smoke something you shouldn’t. Watch some TV that’s not anime. Read a book about politics. Talk to that girl.
- Real otaku men don’t give a fuck what the Otaku Elimination Game says about their blog. They also never pay any attention to retarded ‘manifestos’ on the internet.
- Real otaku men never, EVER use the excuse ‘but it’s only a cartoon’. Really. Don’t shit on the medium you are meant to be championing.
But hey – don’t listen to me. I’m just some shit-stirring, sarcastic Brit. I’m not even – by any stretch of the imagination – what you would call an otaku. What the fuck do I know about any of this stuff?
Luckily, I wasn’t the only person contributing today:
- The REAL meaning of #otakumanup: RT @wintermuted: This is perhaps controversial to some, but I love me a productive argument.
- @serial: Guys, @animealmanac couldn’t take the heat, he needs to #otakumanup
- @janaiblog: If you’re gonna criticize moe or any other large fandom, be prepared to respond to criticism. #otakumanup
- @digiwombat: PSA: @timmaughan is a fantastic cunt with a substance abuse problem. #otakumanboy
- @debaoki: being a passive whiner does not make you inexplicably irresistable to women (e.g. kimi kiss or evangelion)
- @CrusherJ: Is it to early in the course to mention that actual women can be attractive too?
- @RedConfession: Girls like geeks. Not guys who compare everything to geeky things. Show her you’ve at least heard of the real world #otakumanup
- @edsizemore: Don’t forget to have fun too. Cause it’s okay to laugh at yourself. #otakumanup
- @Sheentaku: #otakumanup Role models: Golgo 13, Lupin III, Kenshiro, Archer, Captain Kiichi Goto. You dont have to look manly to be manly.
Follow the people above. They will change – and may even save – your life.
