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Otaku Spaces
" Otaku Spaces sets out to explain the complicated subculture of otaku through the stories of otaku themselves...Galbraith and photographer Androniki Christodoulou allow the otaku subjects they feature to take control of their own narrative." - Wired.com Raw File
"This is a terrain of contested meanings. And 'you' (the original meaning of the word otaku in Japanese) are entering it. Invite otaku into your home and heart, as they have invited you into theirs." - The Huffington Post
"A peek into an otaku's bedroom or living space can be a bit of a surprise for the average person...Patrick W. Galbraith digs even deeper into the way otaku choose to decorate their surroundings, and the reasons why they choose to do so in the way that they do." - CNN "Geek Out!"
"The book is certainly a beautiful object...There's such an intimate air to Christodoulou's photographs that you have to imagine what the subjects are hiding...But the interviews appeal, in the end, to our A few of the subjects gently point out that if people are honest with themselves, everyone is a little bit otaku about something." - The Stranger (Starred Review)
"(Galbraith) clearly knows his stuff, and also has a genuine regard and respect for people that it would be easy to make fun of. Christodoulou has a real eye for capturing the essence of the otaku world, and the large-scale format (9” by 9”) and high-quality color printing in this book show her work off to its best advantage. Even if you’re not an otaku yourself, Galbraith and Christodoulou do such a good job of capturing the flavor of these subcultures that reading Otaku Spaces is the next best thing to a trip to Japan." - PopMatters
Otaku —nerd, über-fan, obsessive collector. Since the 1980s, the term has been used to refer to fans of Japanese anime, manga, and video games. The word appeared with no translation on the cover of the premier issue of Wired magazine in 1993. Patrick W. Galbraith has produced a groundbreaking work of reportage that takes us beyond the stereotypes of "weird Japan" and into the private rooms of self-described otaku . Interviews and more than fifty color photos reveal a seldom seen side of these reclusive Japanese collectors. They talk frankly about their collections of blow-up dolls, comic books, military paraphernalia, anime videos, and more. Galbraith follows the collectors to their favorite shops and shows how public space in Japan is starting to mimic the look and feel of the otaku 's private room. He also interviews Japan's top cultural critics, helping to place otaku culture in wider sociological and economic contexts. Galbraith broadens his interview focus even further to include otaku from the United States and the United Kingdom, forcing those of us who live in any hyper-consumerist culture to admit that we can and do have otaku tendencies. Patrick W. Galbraith —a self-described otaku with the anime tattoos to prove it—is a PhD student at the University of Tokyo and the author of The Otaku Encyclopedia (Kodansha Limited). He also blogs at the popular Otaku2 and is widely considered one of the foremost American experts on Japan's pop culture. Androniki Christodoulou is a freelance photographer based in Tokyo, Japan.
"This is a terrain of contested meanings. And 'you' (the original meaning of the word otaku in Japanese) are entering it. Invite otaku into your home and heart, as they have invited you into theirs." - The Huffington Post
"A peek into an otaku's bedroom or living space can be a bit of a surprise for the average person...Patrick W. Galbraith digs even deeper into the way otaku choose to decorate their surroundings, and the reasons why they choose to do so in the way that they do." - CNN "Geek Out!"
"The book is certainly a beautiful object...There's such an intimate air to Christodoulou's photographs that you have to imagine what the subjects are hiding...But the interviews appeal, in the end, to our A few of the subjects gently point out that if people are honest with themselves, everyone is a little bit otaku about something." - The Stranger (Starred Review)
"(Galbraith) clearly knows his stuff, and also has a genuine regard and respect for people that it would be easy to make fun of. Christodoulou has a real eye for capturing the essence of the otaku world, and the large-scale format (9” by 9”) and high-quality color printing in this book show her work off to its best advantage. Even if you’re not an otaku yourself, Galbraith and Christodoulou do such a good job of capturing the flavor of these subcultures that reading Otaku Spaces is the next best thing to a trip to Japan." - PopMatters
Otaku —nerd, über-fan, obsessive collector. Since the 1980s, the term has been used to refer to fans of Japanese anime, manga, and video games. The word appeared with no translation on the cover of the premier issue of Wired magazine in 1993. Patrick W. Galbraith has produced a groundbreaking work of reportage that takes us beyond the stereotypes of "weird Japan" and into the private rooms of self-described otaku . Interviews and more than fifty color photos reveal a seldom seen side of these reclusive Japanese collectors. They talk frankly about their collections of blow-up dolls, comic books, military paraphernalia, anime videos, and more. Galbraith follows the collectors to their favorite shops and shows how public space in Japan is starting to mimic the look and feel of the otaku 's private room. He also interviews Japan's top cultural critics, helping to place otaku culture in wider sociological and economic contexts. Galbraith broadens his interview focus even further to include otaku from the United States and the United Kingdom, forcing those of us who live in any hyper-consumerist culture to admit that we can and do have otaku tendencies. Patrick W. Galbraith —a self-described otaku with the anime tattoos to prove it—is a PhD student at the University of Tokyo and the author of The Otaku Encyclopedia (Kodansha Limited). He also blogs at the popular Otaku2 and is widely considered one of the foremost American experts on Japan's pop culture. Androniki Christodoulou is a freelance photographer based in Tokyo, Japan.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2012
6 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Patrick W. Galbraith
13 books63 followersPatrick W. Galbraith earned a PhD in Information Studies from the University of Tokyo, and is currently pursuing a second PhD in Cultural Anthropology at Duke University. He is the author of The Otaku Encyclopedia (Kodansha, 2009), Tokyo Realtime: Akihabara (White Rabbit Press, 2010), Otaku Spaces (Chin Music Press, 2012) and The Moe Manifesto (Tuttle, 2014), as well as the co-editor of Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture (Palgrave, 2012) and Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan (Bloomsbury, 2015).
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 15, 2016
I bought this book while visiting Japan, hoping to find out more about the rad newgen sub-culture of otaku. Overall, this is a collection of interviews plus a brief summary. I would recommend skipping this and either reading directly The Otaku Encyclopedia (rather detailed, but also including interviews) or (better, in my view), buying instead the more general A Geek in Japan.
The book has its positives, among which:
+++ Interviews with a broad selection of characters.
+ Excellent production and print value.
Unfortunately, this book abounds in missed opportunities:
- Little analysis to identify cross-threads. For example, that most otaku interviewed for this study are working to support their hobbies is important, because it matches views in other modern societies, but in the West, that one can pursue own dreams rather than struggle to fit in, as long as they do not directly disturb the lives of others.
- No detailed analysis of an otaku space - - what are the main objects? Why are they special? How are they placed in the otaku cultural map and history? What is the layout of the actual living space?
- Interviews with "regular" otaku are very shallow, way less detailed and deep than the interviews with Danny Choo and the university professor (Morinaga Takuro), and a bit the kawaii dojinshi creator (John Hathway). The translated interviews, as presented here, leave the impression that otaku are shallow people.
- No comparison with contemporary people in Japan who are not otaku. The question asked of otaku about whether otaku is just another form of collector is answered very briefly, except for Aki (age 20), who on page 115 is quoted as saying "In terms of fashion, one collects certain brand-name apparel. We otaku collect works by certain authors. The underlying logic is the same, but the difference is whether the objects being collected are socially acceptable or not."
- No analysis of the economics of otaku, except for the brief hints from Morinaga Takuro (pages 90-91), and indirectly by all the (semi-)pro cosplayers who in their interviews say they reinvest most of their earnings into their hobby.
- No analysis, and especially no timeline, of how the core terms of otaku culture have penetrated the Japanese real-world market. For example, on page 152 there is a brief statement about how a bishōjo game inspired the first cosplay cafes, such as Pia Carrot Restaurant, but this idea remains unexplored. The same happens with Gundam and puramo (plastic models), with maid cafes (one sentence about this in the history of Akihabara, page 152), etc.
The book has its positives, among which:
+++ Interviews with a broad selection of characters.
+ Excellent production and print value.
Unfortunately, this book abounds in missed opportunities:
- Little analysis to identify cross-threads. For example, that most otaku interviewed for this study are working to support their hobbies is important, because it matches views in other modern societies, but in the West, that one can pursue own dreams rather than struggle to fit in, as long as they do not directly disturb the lives of others.
- No detailed analysis of an otaku space - - what are the main objects? Why are they special? How are they placed in the otaku cultural map and history? What is the layout of the actual living space?
- Interviews with "regular" otaku are very shallow, way less detailed and deep than the interviews with Danny Choo and the university professor (Morinaga Takuro), and a bit the kawaii dojinshi creator (John Hathway). The translated interviews, as presented here, leave the impression that otaku are shallow people.
- No comparison with contemporary people in Japan who are not otaku. The question asked of otaku about whether otaku is just another form of collector is answered very briefly, except for Aki (age 20), who on page 115 is quoted as saying "In terms of fashion, one collects certain brand-name apparel. We otaku collect works by certain authors. The underlying logic is the same, but the difference is whether the objects being collected are socially acceptable or not."
- No analysis of the economics of otaku, except for the brief hints from Morinaga Takuro (pages 90-91), and indirectly by all the (semi-)pro cosplayers who in their interviews say they reinvest most of their earnings into their hobby.
- No analysis, and especially no timeline, of how the core terms of otaku culture have penetrated the Japanese real-world market. For example, on page 152 there is a brief statement about how a bishōjo game inspired the first cosplay cafes, such as Pia Carrot Restaurant, but this idea remains unexplored. The same happens with Gundam and puramo (plastic models), with maid cafes (one sentence about this in the history of Akihabara, page 152), etc.
March 7, 2012
Otaku Spaces
by: Patrick W. Galbraith
I won this book from a Goodreads/First Reads giveaway
This book is about a phenomanon that has been going on in the Japenese culture called Otaku Spaces. Otaku is collecting to an extreme. It's not just collecting "things", it's about collecting one or two particular things, such as Anime items (just as an example). It can go to the extreme as not having anymore room left in their apartments except to sleep and sit in one area.
It started when a murderer and child molester was caught and the press photographed his apartment. He collected so much that he slept and ate in one small area and the rest of the apartment was packed full of boxes that even covered the windows to the ceiling with the stuff he collected. Later there was another man that was a murderer that, when his apartment was photographed, had the same kind of space.
Some how this seemed to spark an interest in younger people to collect even more and Otaku Spaces have become popular in the Japanese culture. It is so widespread that even cities have sections that cater to stores and cafe's and a nightlife just for these fantasy, Otaku type people.
It is very interesting to read about this sub-culture. I also can't help but wonder if we have them here in the US or in other countries around the world. The book has some great pictures of these spaces so you can get a real feeling for what it is and I loved that the book is written in interview form, so you get some real insight into how they think. It's well worth reading.
by: Patrick W. Galbraith
I won this book from a Goodreads/First Reads giveaway
This book is about a phenomanon that has been going on in the Japenese culture called Otaku Spaces. Otaku is collecting to an extreme. It's not just collecting "things", it's about collecting one or two particular things, such as Anime items (just as an example). It can go to the extreme as not having anymore room left in their apartments except to sleep and sit in one area.
It started when a murderer and child molester was caught and the press photographed his apartment. He collected so much that he slept and ate in one small area and the rest of the apartment was packed full of boxes that even covered the windows to the ceiling with the stuff he collected. Later there was another man that was a murderer that, when his apartment was photographed, had the same kind of space.
Some how this seemed to spark an interest in younger people to collect even more and Otaku Spaces have become popular in the Japanese culture. It is so widespread that even cities have sections that cater to stores and cafe's and a nightlife just for these fantasy, Otaku type people.
It is very interesting to read about this sub-culture. I also can't help but wonder if we have them here in the US or in other countries around the world. The book has some great pictures of these spaces so you can get a real feeling for what it is and I loved that the book is written in interview form, so you get some real insight into how they think. It's well worth reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2012
This book was really interesting, although it seems a little haphazard. It starts with a short scholarly introduction to the source of the word "otaku," and is followed by interviews of people who identify as, or are identified by others as, otaku. I was really impressed by the diversity of people they interviewed. There was only one guy who really registered as the textbook stereotype of an otaku. Most of the others seemed relatively sane. Some weren't even into anime or manga--just obsessive about technology or collecting. So that was interesting. I like what they're trying to do--to show that the word "otaku" isn't necessarily a bad one, simply because it is so broad and encompasses so many interest groups.
I do think some things could have been done better, though. I think they need a glossary. Japanese terms are sometimes only explained once, which can be problematic if you happen to forget a term. Also, you really are left to draw your own conclusions, which is fine if you are motivated enough to do so. However, I'm afraid that only people who are already into this culture will be interested in this book--which is a shame, since its focus seems to be on proving to non-otakus that it's okay to be an otaku. I got an ARC copy, though, and it seemed like a lot of things were left out, so hopefully the finished product will be more cohesive.
I do think some things could have been done better, though. I think they need a glossary. Japanese terms are sometimes only explained once, which can be problematic if you happen to forget a term. Also, you really are left to draw your own conclusions, which is fine if you are motivated enough to do so. However, I'm afraid that only people who are already into this culture will be interested in this book--which is a shame, since its focus seems to be on proving to non-otakus that it's okay to be an otaku. I got an ARC copy, though, and it seemed like a lot of things were left out, so hopefully the finished product will be more cohesive.
July 24, 2017
a plethora of information of different subcultures of Japan. Japan always interests me for this reason. The small little subcultures devoted to almost everything, be it, SCIFI, CRIME, FANTASY, ANIME, ETC.
I enjoyed this book.
I enjoyed this book.
August 17, 2024
as with most of his works thus far, he has a lot of good ideas and strong start, amazing production value, but falls flat in the actual information aspect.
May 18, 2012
An interesting look at the lives of various otaku, as told through photos and interviews where Galbraith asks them questions about what they like, what they own, how they started, and what they think an otaku is. I definitely appreciated the academic bent of this work, in the opening and closing essays which contextualized the world the profiled otaku live in and how it came to exist, from a sociological point of view as well as a history lesson. My BS in communications definitely came into play here, as I found myself nodding at the parts where they talk about media saturation and public vs. private space and other such things. If you were looking for a "hey look at those nerds type of book" this is not for you. If you were looking for a book with lots of pretty pictures, this is also not for you, though it does have some nice photos and graphics in it. This is a book that's definitely aimed toward people who like to think about the "why" of otaku in a greater sociological context, what it means for Japan as a country and society than rather what it means for these individuals or even for their generation.
May 28, 2012
The word Otaku has a certain stereotype of the creepy obsessed anime fan living in a basement. The authors set out to go beyond this stereotype to show the real Otaku by connected them to the spaces they
occupy. To do this, these spaces are photographed and various individuals form the Otaku community in Japan are interviewed. The style of the book is easy to read but the gallery copy I received lacked most of the photographs. I assume these will be in the final product. The few pictures presents added another layer of depth to the interviews. I love the wide selection of individual featured who are defined as Otaku. It does help if the reader have some very basic knowledge of Japan modern culture but a novice will not be lost.
occupy. To do this, these spaces are photographed and various individuals form the Otaku community in Japan are interviewed. The style of the book is easy to read but the gallery copy I received lacked most of the photographs. I assume these will be in the final product. The few pictures presents added another layer of depth to the interviews. I love the wide selection of individual featured who are defined as Otaku. It does help if the reader have some very basic knowledge of Japan modern culture but a novice will not be lost.
April 4, 2012
Otaku Spaces is a book about extreme collectors. Extreme collection has become very popular in Japan. The interview layout was easy to read and follow. I appreciate the fact that the write/interviewer asks questions that people want to know. The diversity of the items are from manga to instruments to technology devices. Wheather you're interested in Japan's pop culture or not, this is an interesting book to read.
June 6, 2013
Interesting analysis of private/public space and identity. Some parts are more academic than others, but the interviews are very approachable. It's interesting how american Anime fans have adopted the "otaku" label despite not always knowing its history or implications, which are not always that good.
I would have liked a few more references, as there were a few academics who were quoted; it would have been nice to see citations for that, being the bookworm that I am.
I would have liked a few more references, as there were a few academics who were quoted; it would have been nice to see citations for that, being the bookworm that I am.
December 31, 2012
Several have accused Galbraith of losing objectivity in his treatment of his interviewees. For your information, Henry Jenkins has been accused of the same thing, and Jenkins's work on fandom is really authentic, sincere and the best there is. Do his interviewee's really need to put under an electron microscope and turned into some sort of pathology? I'd much prefer this approach.
November 5, 2021
This book signifies me becoming an anime intellectual as opposed to just another weeb.
Read
January 13, 2019Didn't read all the interviews.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews