Hello!<br /><br />My name is Sara =D.<br />I am currently doing some research for my Master of Education course and would like your help! I am in the process of recruiting interested participants for my study. The research is about the Otaku subculture in Australia. I would like to invite anyone who believes themselves to be an Otaku (whether mild, full, part-time and so on – this will be for you to tell me ;p) in each of the categories of Manga, Anime, Cosplay and Computer/Video games. <br /><br />There are two groups involved:<br />Group 1<br />1. Are you 18 to 30 years old?<br />2. Are you an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia?<br />3. Are you very interested in Japanese popular culture?<br />4. Do you consider yourself an otaku of manga (drawing and reading), anime, cosplay or computer/video games?<br />5. Do you want to provide your views, beliefs about your avid interest in a research study?<br /><br />If you answered “YES!” to all of these questions and would like to receive further information, please contact me via email me and I will send the Explanatory Statement and Consent Forms for my research to you.<br /><br />Group 2<br />I would also like those who would just like to submit manga drawings/sketches and/or have their cosplay photos taken. If you are interested in doing so (and fit the first 4 criterion listed for Group 1), again, please email me and I will also send the Explanatory Statement and Consent Forms to you.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Sara <br /><br />Email: msflorentina84@yahoo.com.au

Social connotations will be explored. My research is to present insiders' perspective(s) of the subculture/neo-tribe in Australia - how people who do identify themselves as Otaku have appropriated it and their opinions of what should be valued, tolerated and/or ignored etc, in order to create a wider discussion.<br /><br />The explanatory statement explains my research in greater detail =D.<br /><br />Sara

I taught at a high school in Japan for 2 years. I did have a few students who told me that they were otaku and loved reading and collecting manga (&quot;One Piece&quot; in particular). They were also well liked by their peers. It was a lovely school though =D...<br /><br />I also remember in Nagoya, the shopping centre in Sakae had large words saying F**K MY BUSINESS (without the asterisks). Some stores also played a lot of loud rap music with swearing.<br /><br />So, in different contexts how things are appropriated and what social meanings and so on are brought in and/or retained is definitely interesting. <br /><br />I do have friends who love games...and i mean, LOVE games, but they say they're not otaku. It's all good =D. <br /><br />However, I hope I can get some great data on the appropriation of the subculture/neo-tribe in Australia by those who do identify themselves as otaku!

[quote:7271c13b99="sara-sensei"]I taught at a high school in Japan for 2 years. I did have a few students who told me that they were otaku and loved reading and collecting manga (&quot;One Piece&quot; in particular). They were also well liked by their peers. It was a lovely school though =D...<br /><br />I also remember in Nagoya, the shopping centre in Sakae had large words saying F**K MY BUSINESS (without the asterisks). Some stores also played a lot of loud rap music with swearing.<br /><br />So, in different contexts how things are appropriated and what social meanings and so on are brought in and/or retained is definitely interesting. <br /><br />I do have friends who love games...and i mean, LOVE games, but they say they're not otaku. It's all good =D. <br /><br />However, I hope I can get some great data on the appropriation of the subculture/neo-tribe in Australia by those who do identify themselves as otaku![/quote:7271c13b99]<br /><br />that's a lot of good points. i &lt;3 games to bits and pieces and one piece too  but i still won't call myself an otaku. maybe it's the stereotype that shits me with it.<br /><br />who did you teach in japan with? i'm on the jet programme and i'm in a small city here. the whole rap and swear words thing here is so weird. most japanese people don't understand them so i don't pay any attention to 'bad words'.