Lights Out would like to invite all Filipino yaoi fans to the the 5th Lights Out: Five Years of Fantasy! The convention will be held on the 6th of September 2008 at Ikeda Hall/Balay Kalinaw (next to Ilang-Ilang Residence Hall), University of the Philippines Diliman Campus, Quezon City. Festivities will start at 1:00 PM and will wrap up at 7:00 PM.

Tickets to the convention are pegged at PhP 150 each (inclusive of single-use event badge and Library pass), while tickets to Cafe Le Mirage are at PhP 80 each (inclusive of one half-hour tea set). Please visit the Events page for more information.

While neither long, in-depth, nor politically correct, the following 1983 article by essayist Nakamori Akio represents a watershed moment in subcultural journalism: the official debut of the word “otaku” as the definition of a then-new social demographic. Prior to its introduction, this anime- and manga-obsessed group was known under a variety of names, including mania (“maniacs”), nekura-zoku (loosely, “the gloomy tribe”), and even byōki (a play on the word “sick”), but none captured the diverse crowd’s distinctive esprit de corps — or lack thereof — symbolized by the word “otaku.”

When this first installment of “Otaku no Kenkyu” (『おたく』の研究,　“Otaku Research”) first appeared in the pages of an obscure weekly soft-core porno comic magazine called Manga Burikko, Nakamori probably had little idea that the word would eventually take a life of its own. It’s important to note that he didn’t coin the actual word, which is nothing more than a politer-than-polite way of saying “you” in Japanese. Perhaps because of this, “otaku” wouldn’t gain widespread popularity until 1989, after a one-two PR punch of Nakamori using the term in his biography of notorious serial killer Miyazaki Tsutomu, combined with the publication of pop-culture commentator Machiyama Tomohiro’s bestselling book Otaku no Hon (“The Otaku Book”) the same year.

From humble roots, “otaku” flowered to become the de facto term for individuals who pursue their hobbies with a single-minded passion bordering on obsession. As part of a series, here is our original translation of Nakamori’s first column in “Otaku no Kenkyu” — which we believe has never before appeared in English.

Otaku Research #1
“This City is Full of Otaku”
by Nakamori Akio
(Translated without Express Permission by Matt Alt)

Ever heard of “Comiket” (also abbreviated as “Comike”)? I only went for the first time myself last year, at the ripe old age of 23, and let me tell you: it was a trip. It’s like a festival for manga freaks. More to the point, it’s a place to sell amateur comic books and fanzines. As to what was so surprising, it wasn’t so much that over ten-thousand young men and women gathered from all over Tokyo, but rather their eccentricities. How can I put this? They’re like those kids — every class has one — who never got enough exercise, who spent recess holed up in the classroom, lurking in the shadows obsessing over a shogi board or whatever. That’s them. Rumpled long hair parted on one side, or a classic kiddie bowl-cut look. Smartly clad in shirts and slacks their mothers bought off the “all ¥980/1980” rack at Ito Yokado or Seiyu [supermarkets], their feet shod in knock-offs of the “R”-branded Regal sneakers that were popular several seasons ago, their shoulder bags bulging and sagging — you know them. The boys were all either skin and bones as if borderline malnourished, or squealing piggies with faces so chubby the arms of their silver-plated eyeglasses were in danger of disappearing into the sides of their brow; all of the girls sported bobbed hair and most were overweight, their tubby, tree-like legs stuffed into long white socks. Now these unassuming classroom corner-dwellers with their perpetually downcast expressions have come out of the woodwork and swelled their ranks into a really rather surprising TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE. And just because they’re here, they’re channeling all of their normal gloominess into freaking out. Some are dressed in costumes of anime characters, others look like a shady character from a Azuma Hideo comic, still others constantly try foisting off their “lolicon” fanzines on unsuspecting girls, the shit-eating grins never leaving their faces all the while. Others just run around aimlessly… Man, it’s enough to make your head explode. The vast majority are in their teens, mostly junior and senior high school students.

Come to think of it, manga freaks and Comiket are only the start of it. There’s those guys who camp out before the opening day of anime movies, dudes who nearly get themselves run over trying to capture photos of the “blue train” as it comes down the tracks, guys with every back issue of SF Magazine and the Hayakawa science-fiction novels lining their bookshelves, science fair types with coke-bottle glasses who station themselves at the local computer shop, guys who get up early to secure space in line for idol singer and actress autograph sessions, boys who spent their childhoods going to the best cram-schools but turn into timid fish-eyed losers, guys who won’t shut up when the topic of audio gear comes around. These people are normally called “maniacs” or “fanatics,” or at best “nekura-zoku” (“the gloomy tribe”), but none of these terms really hit the mark. For whatever reason, it seems like a single umbrella term that covers these people, or the general phenomenon, hasn’t been formally established. So we’ve decided to designate them as the “otaku,” and that’s what we’ll be calling them from now on.

The question of why we’re calling them “otaku,” and the debate over exactly what “otaku” means, we’d like to explore in leisurely detail over subsequent installments. But in the meantime, take a good look around yourself, and we think you’ll see them — that’s right, there they are — the o…ta…ku….

So, what kind of otaku are you?

from NEOJAPONISME.COM

Controversy has marred the otherwise succesful 1st Philippine Cosplay Convention held last 29 March 2008 at the Atrium of Robinsons Place Manila Midtown.

Accusations of fixing and favoritism had been lobbed at COSPLAY.PH by parties identified only by their FILCOSPLAY user names, with regards to the results of the KIDS COSPLAY Category. When called out to give concrete evidence, the forum posters failed to respond in a timely manner, leading to suspicions that these accounts had been created solely for trolling purposes.

Another instance of favoritism had been raised when one of the performers complained in the same forums thread that their band was treated unfairly by the organizers compared to bands connected with local Japanese music organization Ongaku Society. COSPLAY.PH has firmly refuted the claim in the same forums thread; meanwhile, Ongaku Society has not made any comments on the matter.

J-pop supergroup L’ Arc~en~Ciel will be holding their next tour with dates in Paris, Seoul, Taipei, and Hong Kong from the 19th of April to the 24th of May. Filipino fans are especially excited with the Hong Kong gig, as the Chinese territory is only two hours away by plane and does not require a visa to enter.

Tickets to the gig are now available as of 10AM on 01 April 2008.

According HK Ticketing, Manila locals can purchase tickets online and pay via major credit card, and have all tickets purchased shipped to here via insured courier (for an additional HKD 200 fee), or claim the tickets from any ticketing kiosk or at the venue box office when landing in the territory.

For additional information, visit the official tour website.

You can also purchase L’ Arc~en~Ciel CDs and DVDs from the following online retailers:

Details of the upcoming tribute concerts to the late X Japan guitarist hide were announced yesterday. May 2 will be the tenth anniversary of his death at the age of 33, and the two shows at Ajinomoto Stadium, in the western Tokyo suburb of Chofu, will be held May 3&4. In addition to his old bandmates, the concert will feature some 20 acts including Dir En Grey, Luna Sea and T. M. Revolution. The main organizer of the “Hide Memorial Summit” is hide’s younger brother and personal manager, Matsumoto Yuji.

from JAPAN ZONE.

You can also purchase LUNA SEA and DIR EN GREY CDs and DVDs from the following online retailers:

If you are a local, independent yaoi doujinshi circle wishing to promote your work, then Lights Out: Philippine Yaoi Convention is looking for you! This year’s Lights Out Con Market will be bigger than ever, and LO is more than happy to have you there. LO will be renting out selling tables at just PhP 1000 (with an option to share the table with one other circle to split rental costs). Please contact your friendly LO mods for more information.

from LIGHTS OUT.