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The Great Mirror of Fandom: Reflections of (And On) Otaku and Fujoshi in Anime and Manga

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The Great Mirror of Fandom: Reflections of (And On) Otaku and Fujoshi in Anime and Manga THE GREAT MIRROR OF FANDOM: REFLECTIONS OF (AND ON) OTAKU AND FUJOSHI IN ANIME AND MANGA by CLARISSA GRAFFEO B.A. University of Central Florida, 2006 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of English in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2014 © 2014 Clarissa Graffeo ii ABSTRACT The focus of this thesis is to examine representations of otaku and fujoshi (i.e., dedicated fans of pop culture) in Japanese anime and manga from 1991 until the present. I analyze how these fictional images of fans participate in larger mass media and academic discourses about otaku and fujoshi, and how even self-produced reflections of fan identity are defined by the combination of larger normative discourses and market demands. Although many scholars have addressed fan practices and identities through surveys and participant observation, many of these studies work with Western groups of fans whose identities may not be consistent with those of Japanese otaku and fujoshi, and fewer studies have addressed the way these fans are reflected in the very media (anime and manga) they consume. I examine both negative and positive depictions of otaku and fujoshi, as well as the representations of fan gender identities and sexualities, across a broad range of anime and manga, including Rusanchiman (Ressentiment), Genshiken, N.H.K. ni Yōkoso (Welcome to the N.H.K.), Otaku no Video, Kuragehime (Princess Jellyfish), Oreimo, and Mōsō Shōjo Otakukei (Fujoshi Rumi). The varied depictions of otaku and fujoshi in these works illustrate the tension between otaku and fujoshi identities and normative social roles, the problematic elements of identities defined through consumerism, and the complexities of the interaction between fans’ fictionalized and lived desires. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Anna Maria Jones, without whom I would not have completed this thesis, for her feedback, insights, guidance, and overall tireless support during the course of my research and writing. I would also like to thank my colleagues, whether at work or in the classroom, who provided advice, sounding boards, and encouragement when I needed them. Of course, my thanks to family and friends who provided emotional support and help trying to take other things off my plate or help me relax. Thanks as well to my two cats, Felix and Cubby, for their warmth and companionship, even if they frequently also placed themselves in front of my monitor or tempted me to laze in bed all day rather than writing. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 Defining Otaku and Fujoshi ....................................................................................................... 2 Negative Stereotypes of Otaku ................................................................................................... 6 Reframing and Redeeming the Otaku’s Public Image .............................................................. 10 Overview of Research on Otaku ............................................................................................... 14 Thesis Structure ........................................................................................................................ 22 CHAPTER ONE: DOWN-AND-OUT IN AKIHABARA–NEGATIVE DEPICTIONS OF OTAKU ......................................................................................................................................... 25 The Fan as Failure ..................................................................................................................... 26 The Excessive Fan .................................................................................................................... 41 The Otaku’s Grotesque Body ................................................................................................... 52 CHAPTER TWO: FROM OUTCAST TO OTAKING—POSITIVE DEPICTIONS OF OTAKU ....................................................................................................................................................... 62 Positive (Self) Representation as Normalizing Response ......................................................... 63 The Skilled Otaku ..................................................................................................... 64 Otaku Society and Acceptance ................................................................................. 69 Advertising a New Otaku Masculinity ..................................................................................... 77 v Problematics of Otaku (Self-) Representation: Tensions, False Advertising, and the Otaku as Product ...................................................................................................................................... 83 CHAPTER THREE: “SOMETHING INSIDE ME IS OPENING UP”—EXPLORING FICTIONALIZED AND LIVED GENDERS AND SEXUALITIES .......................................... 88 The Interplay of Fantasy and Reality ........................................................................................ 98 Reconsidering Otaku and Fujoshi Sexuality .......................................................................... 104 Negotiating Identity through Anime and Manga .................................................................... 113 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 124 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 126 vi LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1. Tomoko stares in envy and frustration at classmates participating in an after-school club ....................................................................................................................................................... 59 Fig. 2. From L to R: The actual tie-pulling incident, Ogiue’s fantasy version, and her design for seme Sasahara and uke Madarame .............................................................................................. 102 Fig. 3. Saki and Ohno discuss unorthodox desires and shame ................................................... 110 Fig. 4. Hato relaxes in Madarame’s apartment, as his inner fujoshi gets excited ....................... 116 Fig. 5. As Hato thinks about his cross-dressing and his sexuality, an imagined Kaminaga speaks to him. Her face and breast size are visibly different compared to Hato’s normal inner fujoshi 117 vii INTRODUCTION Since the 1980s in Japan, anime and manga fandom has gained increased visibility and representation—both for better and for worse—in mass media and scholarly discourses; interest and exploration of otaku and fujoshi have also extended beyond Japan’s borders into Western news media (particularly via discourses on Japan as strange and/or futuristic in comparison to normative Western practices) as well as English language scholarship with the popularization of pop culture and fandom studies. Representations of subcultures and marginalized groups, whether created by insiders or outsiders, are important components of how members of these groups define and understand themselves, as well as how individuals outside those groups comprehend and respond to members. Exploration of these discourses also helps in understanding how identity and subcultural practices relate to larger cultural norms and concerns. Fan communities span nations, media, and genres, and can themselves be divided up into smaller subgroups. In Japan, hardcore fans, particularly of anime, manga, and video games, are referred to as otaku. More recently, female fans interested in yaoi and Boys’ Love—romantic and erotic stories of male/male couples—have been referred to separately by the term fujoshi. This thesis traces representations of otaku and fujoshi within a variety of anime and manga titles, created from the early 1990s through today, to explore how various stereotypes and ideas about otaku inform these titles, as well as how images of otaku become assimilated into normative tropes and discourses already occurring in these media. Anime and manga about fans reflect, construct, and capitalize on a subjectivity and social framework based on active consumption in order to market fans to themselves and to mainstream audiences. Within these works is a tension between recognizing and authorizing otaku modes of consumption, socialization, and sexuality 1 while also emphasizing, and pulling otaku back into, heteronormative roles as well as social and economic responsibilities. These fictional (and occasionally more or less auto-biographical) depictions are an important piece of the discussion about otaku behavior, values, and practices but have been largely overlooked within the academic conversation. Defining Otaku and Fujoshi As Azuma Hideo explains, otaku “is a general term referring to those who indulge in forms of subculture strongly linked to anime, video games, computers, science fiction, special- effects films, anime figurines, and so on” (3).1 The term is generally used to refer to male fans and frequently associated with younger, college-age individuals. Sharon Kinsella notes that most participants involved
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