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LUJ Professor's New Work Published in the Kyoto Journal
Garrett Speller currently teaches in LUJ's English for Academic Purposes (EAP). But outside of class time, he writes poetry and memoir. One of his more recent works, a personal essay titled "Confessions of an Otaku," is currently available on Kyoto Journal's website. Professor Speller's essay was a part of Kyoto Journal's 108th issue, its theme centered on the concept of Fluidity. "From Japonisme to Nintendo, AI to Hello Kitty," writes the Kyoto Journal, "Fluidity is the nature of culture in the 21st century."
Speller's essay, as the title suggests, is a revelatory trip into what it means to be an otaku, a Japanese word that has multiple interpretations. Speller, at the beginning of his essay, debates what the word means:
"But what is an otaku anyway? Socially awkward, bedroom-dwelling anime enthusiasts? These days, that stereotype is outdated. There are gym otaku who could bench press me without breaking a sweat, and hiking otaku that could clamber up and down a mountain before I could get halfway to the summit. The term ‘otaku’ now includes anyone who has found their thing and pursues it with zealous determination.
But today, as I drip onto the pavement of Akihabara, Tokyo’s electronic heartland, I am thinking of the original otaku, mentioned in a derogatory tone, the infamous anime otaku who pour all their passion into what are essentially Saturday morning cartoons."
Click here to read Speller's essay.
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