Now that we know the evolution of anime and how it came to be, it is time to look at how has this evolution of the industry affected the Japanese culture. For culture defined as the arts of manifestations of the human intellect, it is easy to see the effect that anime had on Japanese culture in this regard. You see anime everywhere you go in Japan and is one of the main selling points of many products (Geek Spending Power).
This advertising, however, is usually directed to a specific group of people. A particular group of people that anime has created. In terms of the second definition of culture, the ideas, customs and social behaviors of a particular group or society, anime has affected Japanese culture, be creating a subculture in Japan, its own group of people to affect and change. This sub-culture is referred to the “Otaku” culture of Japan. In Japanese “otaku” means nerd or geek. These people obsess about anime and manga, they watch and read manga religiously, cosplay as their favorite
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Otaku was created during the anime boom in the 1980’s. The subculture was created due to the “caste system” of Japanese schools. This meant for the male students their ‘power hierarchy’ was based on their athletic skill, much like many schools around the world. Unsuccessful students, who failed either academically, athletically and socially, turned to anime for comfort, especially anime magazines, which appeared because of the fandom surrounding anime at the time. Soon they would have had people who also watched anime at the time and they would have many things in common, not to mention clubs that would have been around at the time. These clubs were a sort of haven from this ‘caste’ system and being judged by their ‘athletic prowesses. Soon their likes would become obsessions, and would draw in more unpopular students. All this contributed to the creation of the Otaku subculture (Kaichiro,