There are many levels to an otaku starting from a person who knows of and watches anime, figure collectors, manga readers, aspiring artists, and even to people who just spend absurd amounts of money on otaku goods. The amount of time that one spends in these types varies from a beginner to the dedicated, however there is always one thing that I think a lot of people will come across eventually: otaku burnout. Hit the jump to read on about my otaku burnout and what I have been upto since my return from the land of kawaii.
Well it’s been a while since I came back to Australia and a few things have certainly happened over the course of 3 months. When I was heading to the airport I thought to myself that I wouldn’t be missing Japan at all and to this day, most of that stands true. I do miss the convenience of being able to walk out onto the main road and get some food or even just simply walking around doing nothing. Here at home I have to drive everywhere which can sometimes be a pain.
The one thing I looked forward to and most dreaded was heading back to work. Having access to email I was able to keep up to date on items from work but it wasn’t until midweek of the 4th week that I found shit had hit the fan, which I won’t go into detail about. So coming back to work I had walked into a total mess and pretty much had to fix up the work of my colleagues which had took a number of weeks. Those weeks were certainly a little stressful and with the winter season of anime starting at that time, I didn’t research about what was premiering. But also in those few weeks, I also found that watching anime didn’t seem as relaxing either. I couldn’t figure out why this was so.
I suppose one reason could be the stress factor from work, but I do remember a friend warning me about staying in Japan for a month would probably kill my otakuism. When I think about it I think that may be true. Having released my limiter on the otaku culture absorption and the merchandise spending had satisfy me so much to a point that eventually it was not enjoyable anymore. But it wasn’t limited to just watching anime. My usual online ordering habits had dropped significantly (much the same with the fall in the Aussie dollar) as I found almost no joy in buying. The mass spending days were probably what killed it. All the merchandise I had brought back from Japan had sat in my lounge room for over 2 months that my sister and her friends had gone through everything before I did. Yes that includes my doujinshi as well.
However this otaku burnout period allowed me to partake in other activities including doing things for the family (I was gone for a month and they want me to do a million things), building a new PC, playing catch up on some gaming, going out fine dining with friends, catching up on projects at work, or simply vegetating in front of the TV. There were times where I wouldn’t even watch anime or anything for a week, including on weekends. But I guess more importantly is that I have also saved quite a bit of money from no spending.
At the start of November when I finally got around to actually sorting through my spoils from Japan, my revival was starting. But what I think really hit it off was when I started watching the original Da Capo series again with the DVDs that I bought (I’m amazed at how much I can understand without subs). Just watching through the first few episodes had reminded me why I loved this series so much but it also reminded me of my BURNING PASSION for all things moé. I guess it’s important to be reminded of things like this especially having been a fan of anime and all things moé for about 10 years. Though I guess I’m also glad I wasn’t in Japan any longer than a month otherwise I fear for what would’ve happened to my enthusiasm.
The past three weeks have seen me catching up on the current season of anime and I have started ordering figures once again (despite the weak aussie dollar) but only in small amounts. My room is still crammed with merchandise but I have managed to sort through things and found storage space, but I’m sure I can still do more. The situation at work has settled down now so instead of juggling between 4-5 projects, it’s down to 2-3 projects. I have also received significant pay rises (yes pay rises) over the course of the otaku burnout period due to the work I have done and I have also began working from home two days a week. I had fears of not being able to work from home but after a few weeks it had turned out quite well. I have also managed to get around buying O’Reillys “Building Scalable Websites”as recommended by Danny Choo when I met him as I plan to read up on this to improve my web developer skills.
And I also bought O’Reillys “High Performance Websites” and sola Volume 1. For some reason Kinokuniya doesn’t stock the sola manga.
So what does this all mean? Well not much really but I thought it’d be interesting for people to know about. I would like to think I can start blogging more on a regular basis but I don’t want to start into the anime episodes just yet. I’m sure I’ll figure something out. Perhaps even some figure photography. Though I suppose I could dig out an underlying message from all of this: don’t go to Japan for a month and spend $5,000 on merchandise. It’ll only kill your passion for anime. Or take a step back to the good old days and remember why you got into the level of otaku that you are.
It’s probably also a good thing I decided not to goto Japan again for at least 4-5 years unless it’s for business or someone pays for my airfare. I’ve had a few people ask me to join them on their endeavors but I simply stated the above sentence. Each wanted someone familiar with Japan (or they are too lazy to do research themselves) but as stated, it’s much more fun discovering things yourself. I know one of my comrades who went with me wants to go again next year but I certainly won’t be joining him.
Work does sometimes kill my otakuism. And I’ll try to keep in mind that 5K in one go might be too insane for mere mortals to handle.
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Good thing, then, that Adun is no mere mortal, or we might never have heard from him again. =P
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yah, having too many things is always not good
that’s why I always try to limit myself when I’m in Japan
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I am starting to get bored of collecting figures, thus am planning to just collect mecha model kits which is 10x the fun than that of collecting completed pvc models.
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If I went to Japan, I’d probably TRY to just stick to purchasing figures and the stuff I know I won’t be able to find easily.
I do go through fazes like this. For awhile I just like doing other things but gaming, and then one day I’ll play a game and go “Oh yeah! This is why I really like games!” and start playing them a whole bunch for awhile. Same with other things like anime, manga, blogging and such. Just go through fazes where I like doing it a lot or don’t want to do it at all.
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*laughs* $5K in merchandise is roughly one doll and couple of box sets of anime. and maybe one or two figurines if you are lucky… so how is that supposed to kill my otaku-ism? O_o
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ron~: There was no limit since I don’t plan to go back anytime soon.
samejima: I’ve had a friend do the exact same thing though he doesn’t buy all that much model kits.
Larein: Well this is the first time I’ve come across something like this though I’m sure I’ll probably go through it again in the future. However I’m glad I’m back into it otherwise I’d be very bored at home.
meows: $5k may not seem a lot to the dollfie collector given the price tag of some, but to many others it would put a big hole in their pocket. But the point isn’t the amount that I spent, it’s the actual method of spending itself is what killed my otakuism.
Well, I suppose being a normal fan of anime and the otaku culture helps in a sense that I am not that deep into the culture enough, so that even when I go to Japan, I am not going to be like “ooh-aah” and buy lots of stuff. I would be more there for discovering culture and other things. Meeting up with my favorite seiyuu though is something I would like to do, but not really as a fan so much as wanting to talk to them a little. Being a normal fan is easy!
By the way, good decision not to go back to Japan for 4-5 years heh. There are indeed other things in life (including work and family) that should be looked at.
Also 5000 in one go is mad. :p
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My situation is actually quite a bit different. My enthusiasm for manga and anime and all things that otakus like to do reaches its peak during school season, the busiest time of the year. As soon as it’s over, I have little desire to do anything except maybe read manga. I found that I couldn’t even stand to watch anime after school ended.
So for me, it’s a form of escape.
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Interesting. I’ve been in Japan for over a year now and I know what you mean about burnout. With anime merchandise now, I look for stuff that is near impossible to find in America only (though I do buy the occasional figure if I’m shipping a package anyways). When I first got here, I bought ALOT of stuff but you can only own so many towels and posters before you go (do I really need another Shuffle! towel). Plus, if you live here long enough, some things will start to bug you a bit. I don’t like how trashcans are so hard to find and restrooms in restaurants are usually one toilet in a closet-like space for example. Also, no soap or paper towels in the head. Things like that. Still, I know that I will miss Japan alot when I’m middle age and may return there to revisit some of my youth.
I am happy to hear that you have not lost your otakuism Adun. I enjoy reading your blog. ^_^
EDIT: Some winter anime I would recommend: Chaos Head, Kannagi, and Index. I think you will like them.
Yeah, when I go to Japan next year, my time will be put between all sorts of things. I’m technically going there for the J-rock concerts, but I’ll hopefully be going to Wonderfest or Comiket also, along with probably buying myself a new wardrobe, and doing touristy things. ^^; I don’t like spending too much time on one thing even on a weekly basis, because when I do too much of one thing, I get burned out, no matter what it is. I tried an art college, and I got burned out of art for a good two years, so I’ve learned my lesson and I divide my time into a lot of things now. It’s always good to do that, so you won’t stop loving the things you’ve loved for a long time already. ~
A couple winter anime I like are Yozakura Quartet (I’ve read the manga, so I really enjoy the anime now, I was excited to hear that it was starting this fall), and Toradora. I’m not fond of Kyou no go no ni, despite how many people seem to love it. I watched a couple episodes and dropped it. There are others I’m watching, but those are the ones I recommend, if you’re looking into watching new series.
I’m confused, aren’t all of those fall anime? :S I thought the incoming one was winter anime..
Well in any case, it’s good to hear what’s going on, and that you haven’t killed your otakuism. ^^ For that would be sad, cos moe moe rabu would no longer be moe moe rabu.
And yeah, 5k is a lot. I can probably safely say I will never spend that much. Have built-in Stingy Mode. -wry- Not such a good thing at times, but I reckon I shall spend when I can…
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Adun It might be, though I understand where you are coming from and the whole effect of OMG they have WHAT?? *____* I actually found it hard to find anime merchandise that i wanted. I had to run around pretty much every store in akiba just to find myself some anime dvds that i wanted, but i am extremely picky collector. t.e. if the casing is not to my taste, it’s not gold foiled/fancy plastic etc. or it’s not first press/collectors edition and so on i wont even look at it. ^^; that jacks up the price by a lot. But ultimately, i guess i guess for me the WOW factor was not there, so most money was spent on things that i wanted, but where hard to get… $200 for a dojinshi book? yeap ^^ So for me trip to jland had an opposite effect. otakuism got worse and a whole lot more expensive ^^
And ZOMG you actually STOOD in the Good Smile line-up at wonderfest? or did you pick up the merchandise the next day at the volks rent-a-cabby store?
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Panther: Well the idea of the trip to Japan for me was cultural experience and photography. The otaku side of things was prioritized after that. I did have a cultural experience of Japan but it was mainly the otaku side of things that burnt me out. I guess in a way, all the extra trips to Akiba is what really did it.
Punynari: There is a huge difference from going to Japan for a holiday and being in Japan for work. The way I see being in Japan for work, you can at least moderate the amount of time spent on otaku hobbies as it’s a form of escaping from work. On a holiday you’re free time is of course limitless and when otaku hobbies has taken majority of that time hence the burnout. But still it affects people differently.
ShadowKit: Moderation is definitely the way to go with things. Hopefully some of my Japan coverage will help you in your journey to Japan.
jenn: You are correct. I don’t know why I was thinking Winter season. Oh I have my stingy modes as well but it rarely veered itself in Japan.
meows: Being a picky collector just means you take your hobby on a different level to others. For me and my friend Roobar, we go under the motto “buy now, regret later” which most holds true. At times I was picky about the items I wanted as well but it worked out well and I’m satisfied with that. The WOW factor had probably worn off towards the end of my trip as knowing the mass spending had satisfied me to that point.
Oh and yes I did stand in the GSC line at Wonderfest. We waited probably a good hour to hour and half in that line.
Thanks god I’m an not otaku obssessed with PVC figures collection.Only kind of merchandis I collect is artbook and doujinshi they don’t cost too much.Moe is important to otaku but Not Critical.After I’ve read certain well writen sci-fi and techno thriller novels attitude toward anime have changed significantly.
Burnout is a tricky thing, and I suppose it becomes increasingly more dangerous with every year added to your fandom. Even for me, I’ve found myself lacking passion for certain genres of anime here and there - or sometimes for anime as a whole - but like you discovered, I’ve found that rewatching some old favourites can bring it all back. Which is a good thing, because I don’t think any of us want to see a comrade fall victim to otaku burnout.
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I think it’s same for everything. If you put too much into it, one day you will burn out. However, if you relax for a while take a rest for couple months and come back you will find it interesting again
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Hmm, I find that I never lose my interest in anime despite going through a huge shopping spree in Japan like you did.
I found instead that I found different new interests that otaku have like building garage kits, playing visual novels and reading light novels. I have to say that I watch less anime nowadays, but these other hobbies keep me quite occupied.
It seems that in the Otaku world, there is always some new trend that I keep discovering each time i visit Japan. At first I’d think it’s really strange or odd.. but then after I come back to Australia and I begin to think that it actually was really cool and that I regretted not finding out more when I was there.
One of those things I was referring to are the dolfie dolls and the others, which are quite borderline for me since i’m a guy.. but they look so cool! It also looks like a very expensive hobby. I’ve decided for now to stick to building garage kits for now.
By the way.. the current exchange rate of the Aussie dollar to yen is really bad. I’ve decided to keep my old spending habits, but it’s become much more than I expected. (T_T)
I still plan to hold my ground and keep up funding my hobby though. It seems you are doing the same too.
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I once did blow tons of money on magazines, figs, and all that other apparel. But it was all done online. Once I actually went to a store and started to buy raw manga to read, it seemed like the novelty was wearing off for me.
I starting watching anime because of Evangelion, it was my first anime, and it’s definetly my favorite (hence the 13 rei figs in my room). But it seems like nothing these days interests me aside from timeless classics for me like eva itself and perhaps baccano!. The only thing I anticipate eagerly is the new rebuild movies and kara no kyoukai. It seems like I’ve burnt out, which is normal for me since my attention span sucks.
But it’s nice you revived your love for anime. KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT SOLDIER.
HisuiIBMPower4: It isn’t only about buying figures, it’s from the hobby overall.
Timothy Koh: Trends are what keeps the market going so people don’t get bored of the latest fad. That also does help in keeping you from burning out, but for me it was more of the shopping spree than what is currently in the market.
Anonymous: I’ll keep fighting the GOOD FIGHT!