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xanithofdragonsI think it was in an episode of Kis-My-Ft2 Radio where Miyata was talking about how, being an otaku, it had gone from "wanting to watch" anime to "having to watch" anime. I feel it. I feel it as a Johnnys otaku. Of course, I want to buy their releases and I want to watch the shows they appear in, but I also have this feeling like I have to buy some of the releases and I have to watch the shows they appear in. I was talking with some friends today and said something like, "So I have to spend all my money on them", and one of them who takes on the role of the "sane" person when she's hanging around with fangirls (of various fandoms), said, "You don't have to." And then tonight I ordered Kisumai's calendar and single and album and dvd (3 simultaneous releases, why?), and felt that "have to" feeling.
And when I think about it, that "have to" feeling is sharper in a way with Arashi. I haven't been keeping up with their variety shows pretty much since I got back from Japan. (I watched Arashi's shows regularly while I was in Japan.) On the other hand though, I get the "have to" feeling hyper-strong with each of their releases. When you literally have to preorder their releases right away if you want to get limited editions because the limited editions sell out in preorder within days, it's a bit of a different feeling than with other groups I follow whose limited editions are usually still available for at least a little while after release.
I'm not unhappy about that "have to" feeling. If I couldn't enjoy spending money on them and listening to their songs and watching their dvds and tv shows the appear in, I couldn't be a fan. I think I went from Johnnys fan to Johnnys otaku when one day in Japan, a Japanese friend who was well aware of the extent of my obsession jokingly called me "Jani wota", and I started thinking of myself as that, although my level of fandom didn't particularly change.
I figure a lot of that "have to" feeling comes from otaku culture and fandom culture. We become part of a group when we join a fandom. We want to interact with the other members of the group, and to do that, we "have to" watch every episode or listen to every song. If we think of ourselves as "otakus" or "wotas", that becomes part of our identity. Although last I heard, Kisumai fans don't have a name yet, I do know lots of Johnnys groups do have names to call their fans. "Eighter" "Hyphen" Those become identities too. We get ideas of what an "otaku" is or what a "good fan" or "hardcore fan" is, and we start to want to fit that. A "good fan" buys their favorite group's releases, so if we want to be a "good fan" we "have to" buy the group's releases. That sort of thing.
Ah~, fandom is really interesting. I can see why people want to analyze it and write papers and stuff.
And when I think about it, that "have to" feeling is sharper in a way with Arashi. I haven't been keeping up with their variety shows pretty much since I got back from Japan. (I watched Arashi's shows regularly while I was in Japan.) On the other hand though, I get the "have to" feeling hyper-strong with each of their releases. When you literally have to preorder their releases right away if you want to get limited editions because the limited editions sell out in preorder within days, it's a bit of a different feeling than with other groups I follow whose limited editions are usually still available for at least a little while after release.
I'm not unhappy about that "have to" feeling. If I couldn't enjoy spending money on them and listening to their songs and watching their dvds and tv shows the appear in, I couldn't be a fan. I think I went from Johnnys fan to Johnnys otaku when one day in Japan, a Japanese friend who was well aware of the extent of my obsession jokingly called me "Jani wota", and I started thinking of myself as that, although my level of fandom didn't particularly change.
I figure a lot of that "have to" feeling comes from otaku culture and fandom culture. We become part of a group when we join a fandom. We want to interact with the other members of the group, and to do that, we "have to" watch every episode or listen to every song. If we think of ourselves as "otakus" or "wotas", that becomes part of our identity. Although last I heard, Kisumai fans don't have a name yet, I do know lots of Johnnys groups do have names to call their fans. "Eighter" "Hyphen" Those become identities too. We get ideas of what an "otaku" is or what a "good fan" or "hardcore fan" is, and we start to want to fit that. A "good fan" buys their favorite group's releases, so if we want to be a "good fan" we "have to" buy the group's releases. That sort of thing.
Ah~, fandom is really interesting. I can see why people want to analyze it and write papers and stuff.
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Date: 2013-03-14 02:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-14 03:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-14 10:54 pm (UTC)And I couldn't find that post about that whole research book but if i do, i'll let you know. :)
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Date: 2013-03-15 03:33 pm (UTC)Thank you. It sounds interesting, so I might look around myself too.