How does otaku culture affect its followers?

Today the article is a bit more serious, as I will address how otaku culture affects its followers, that is, the way people react to turning the act of reading mangas, watching animes, among many other varieties, into an addiction.

Article made based on the author’s own experiences. Before reading, know that we are only trying to say that everything in excess is harmful.

How does it change your way of thinking and acting?

Surely things change, and even you yourself; what I will say is based on my own experience and that of others.

Right after becoming an otaku, I felt very down; I would say I was becoming depressed. In a way, I feel good like this, but the biggest problem was suddenly changing with other people. Not that I care, but the side of wanting to maintain appearances hasn’t changed, and that definitely affects me due to losing friendships and distancing from important people.

The world around you and me changes. The way of seeing things changes. And this affected me because the world became gray, wanting to see the sad side of things, creating impossible possibilities, and the most beautiful side being exactly that.

The desire to socialize with other people disappears, and the only way to feel confident is through the computer screen. And you realize you are different from others, wanting to be different and having changed; perhaps people become innocent or sensitive to your way of thinking, but they are just different opinions, right?

The desire to live a forbidden romance also disappears, and then a new ideal or goal arises in your life: not falling in love; this is simple. It is a distancing, mainly because there aren’t many people who share the same ideal as you.

The hardest part of all this is living in a fantasy world, even if it is childish; something grows inside us, and that is something that cannot be taken away. I would say this world is the same dream world of other people; we just have bigger ambitions.
Being different is good; dreaming makes you better, but an empty world makes you empty inside.

How does it affect you in social life?

Certainly, addiction brings various problems, even if it makes no difference to otakus. One of the biggest problems is becoming a hikikomori or a NEET.

You can simply exclude yourself from society or not give news saying you are alive, but this only affects you because when this addiction ends or decreases, the only one losing will be you; your friends may replace you with others, and not everything will be as you want.

You will also be missing out on various opportunities, like the job you always dreamed of, the chance to make new friends, and having a relationship with someone, or something that would change your life; exchanging experiences will make you see the world from another perspective, if you want to, of course.

Bullying can also cause irreversible problems, but locking yourself in a room and watching animes can mean wasting your time, as there will be people somewhere who will accept you.

How to stop isolating yourself due to some addiction?

• Try to go out with different people or those who are going through the same problem;
• Date;
• Try to find a job and have a steady income;
• Go out for walks or for something of your interest;
• Look for online articles that can help you;
• Make this addiction a hobby, and not something harmful to you;
• Try to make the addiction something common, where you can share your time and do things you want;
• Do not abandon the addiction; just make it something that doesn’t matter in your life;