Otaku and the struggle for imagination in japan

From computer games to figurines and maid cafes, men called otaku develop intense fan relationships with cute girl characters from manga, anime, and related media and material in contemporary Japan. While much of the Japanese public considers the forms of character love associated with otaku to be weird and perverse, the Japanese government has endeavored to incorporate otaku culture into its bran...

From computer games to figurines and maid cafes, men called otaku develop intense fan relationships with cute girl characters from manga, anime, and related media and material in contemporary Japan. While much of the Japanese public considers the forms of character love associated with otaku to be weird and perverse, the Japanese government has endeavored to incorporate otaku culture into its bran...

From computer games to figurines and maid cafes, men called otaku develop intense fan relationships with cute girl characters from manga, anime, and related media and material in contemporary Japan. While much of the Japanese public considers the forms of character love associated with otaku to be weird and perverse, the Japanese government has endeavored to incorporate otaku culture into its bran...

From computer games to figurines and maid cafes, men called otaku develop intense fan relationships with cute girl characters from manga, anime, and related media and material in contemporary Japan. While much of the Japanese public considers the forms of character love associated with otaku to be weird and perverse, the Japanese government has endeavored to incorporate otaku culture into its bran...

From computer games to figurines and maid cafes, men called otaku develop intense fan relationships with cute girl characters from manga, anime, and related media and material in contemporary Japan. While much of the Japanese public considers the forms of character love associated with otaku to be weird and perverse, the Japanese government has endeavored to incorporate otaku culture into its bran...

From computer games to figurines and maid cafes, men called otaku develop intense fan relationships with cute girl characters from manga, anime, and related media and material in contemporary Japan. While much of the Japanese public considers the forms of character love associated with otaku to be weird and perverse, the Japanese government has endeavored to incorporate otaku culture into its bran...

Based on ongoing fieldwork in the Akihabara neighborhood of Tokyo, specifically a targeted subproject from 2014 to 2015, this book explores how and to what effect lines are drawn by producers, players and critics of bishojo games. Focusing on interactions with manga/anime-style characters, these adult computer games often feature explicit sex acts. Noting that the bishojo, or cute girl characters,...