I have no shame when it comes to anime. Sure, I'm into "Sailor Moon." So what? Bishoujo anime is great. I'd buy all sorts of lame overpriced anime-related merchandise if for no other reason than I think it'd look cool displayed in my room. I see people's reactions when they walk into my room for the first time. A combination of, "Wow, what a large room!" and, "What are these posters of cartoon women doing on the walls?" For the most part, I get left alone on the subject. It's Japanese culture I tell them, and animation is for all ages in Japan. It's a never-ending explanation with some people, trying to get them to understand why anime is so great.

Perhaps I'm getting off track here. All I can really say about an otaku's life is that it's hard to stay perennially otaku all the time. You get all these questions about what exactly you see in these cartoons. How can you listen to music in Japanese when you can't understand a word of it? Why are you wearing two black wristbands all the time and why is your hair blue? And what the heck is a "Nu Gundam" anyway? (I say NU GUNDAM! a lot for some reason.) Well, otaku-ism borders on the words freak or loser or geek, but some people choose to be that way. Some choose to have piercings and tattoos, others prefer funny hair and strange clothes. There's a certain appeal about being on a fringe somewhere in society, a non-conformist attitude that you get when you look at someone else like you and you can just talk to that person like they were a friend because you both know where you're coming from. In a way, it's like being in a club. A really strange, brightly colored, overly eccentric, school girl outfit and long-haired club where everybody wishes they could pilot that huge mecha, or be surrounded by those 5 insane girls all the time, or just be able to kick a lot of butt with ki attacks and martial arts. Welcome to the more fun ideal world where everyone's happier and even Mark Twain speaks perfect Japanese. Welcome to anime.

Absorb and accept all this and maybe you too can be otaku.