Recently, I took a little trip to Kyushu+Kyoto with my partner (eternal fennec of cyan wind etc). Our Airbnb was a hop away from the Imperial Gardens, and upon casually strolling in at night time, we engaged in a heated discussion on the concept of otaku - circling around the old imperial palace. Guess they don't close at night?
I hear stories from a time before me - Ninja scrolls, fansubs, weird old ova's and small conventions for those fond of Japanese Animation. If those 80s survivors are Generation 1, I'd assume I'm generation . . 3 or 4? when it comes to western Otaku. I have a mental map in my head ~ to those who woke up one day surrounded by Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Dragonball (always these 3), you're a part of the Gen 2 Wave. Maybe you had a fansite for Cloud Strife, or surfed around on forums. Manga was beginning to appear here and there - maybe even in your local library. Gen 3 begins with the 2000s of course, where anime sort of took a step into itself, and away from westernisation. Censorship was still prevalent (4Kids moment) but the essential Japaneseらしさ was more heavily tied in to the media itself. FLCL characters call each other with honorifics, Sonic picks up a chao with a "Yoissho!!!", and Elfen Lied characters battle at a Shinto shrine. The counter-culture emo movement of the 00's gets wrapped up in the counter-culture anime fandom due to its frequent depiction of violence and mental illness (contemporarily). This is where anime sort of made a name for itself - when I imagine 'anime' its from around here. Big Clannad eyes, Slayers fantasy clothing, Death Note darkness and Ouran animation quirks. This is what ruled Gaia online, Maplestory, Conventions and MySpace pages. Moving on to the 2010s we can see a (well documented)stylistic change often defined by Kei-On!! and SAO. Anime becomes a household term through Netflix and Twitter. Everyone up to 30 knows it, hears it, maybe even had a taste-test.
Perhaps Gen 5 is beginning as I write. I wouldn't know anymore.
Through my own eyes, I saw a shift in the way people talked about anime/manga/games/otaku media as the 2010's rolled onwards. I think it began in 4Chan, or some other similar escape room.
Best Girl, Waifu, Cute Girls Cute Things etc. You know them, don't you? They don't directly translate over to Japanese Otaku culture, but some concepts like 癒し系 or ツンデレ have made a splash in the west. I can only speak firsthand from the 2000s onwards (though I have delved into old forums far older), but generally when discussing anime the focus was a lot less on... women? Can I say it directly please? Modern western anime culture has so perfectly singled itself around the consumption of women that everything else falls to the wayside. This may come across as reactionary. I'm queer living in Japan, brought over here by the power of friendship and my love for otaku media. When I was younger.
When I was younger anime culture wasnt defined around women. more on plots i felt (researhc...??)
it changed in the 2010s into women databasing. tropes and shit
both japan and the west are sexist