EWhen leafing through a manga in its French translation, it is not uncommon to come across a Japanese word common in the Archipelago: otaku. Formerly used in Japanese to refer to one’s interlocutor, it literally translates as “the one who takes shelter at home”. The term, in its current meaning, was popularized in 1983 by the essayist Akio Nakamori, who became a spokesperson for the otaku community.
Used in a pejorative way, it defines a man, obsessed with indoor leisure activities linked to Japanese culture and the hypertechnologization of everyday life, causing a sort of “social resignation”as the French researcher Nicolas Oliveri already mentioned, in 2007, in his article “The Japanese phenomenon otaku “, published in the magazine Communication & Languages. Because this character has spread, since the 1980s and 1990s, in the West, and more particularly in France, notably through the youth show “Le Club Dorothée”, broadcast on TF1 from 1987 to 1997. Anime – these series of animations often taken from mangas – had a special place there and lulled an entire generation into this Japanese universe.
Huddled in an artificial reality, the French and Japanese otaku collect anime figurines and have a waifu (derived from English wife, “wife”), a fictional character who represents his feminine ideal and for whom he feels attraction, even love. Subscribed to Weekly Shōnen Jump – a manga pre-publication weekly, which gave birth to publishing successes Dragon Ball Or One Piece –, the French otaku uses it like a relic; written in Japanese, he will never be able to truly understand it.
The latter rarely goes out and blesses teleworking. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, he feels like he has won with the recognition of hybrid work. It was at that moment that he experienced the best period of his life, confined to the house like a caterpillar in its silk cocoon.
Tutorial for making mochi
A great homebody, he can stay at home for weeks at a time. Groceries ? He obviously has them brought to his home. When the fridge is empty, meal delivery apps are its best friends. Yakisoba and chopsticks in hand, he sits cross-legged and watches a video by French YouTuber LeChefOtaku (more than a million subscribers) on his computer screen.
Whenever he can, he follows a tutorial to learn how to make mochi, small cakes made with sticky rice, or ramen, a bowl of soup made with miso broth, noodles and meat. Japanese gastronomy is a passion, so much so that, although he lives in the Paris region, he goes every week to one of the Asian addresses on rue Sainte-Anne, in the heart of the capital, just to taste gourmet dishes. with his group of friends.
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