If OTAKUS are nice guys, why aren’t they loved?

Some of you guys who read the Straits Times might have come across this article published last Saturday (9 Feb). Provocatively titled “Taiwan’s women haters – ‘home boys‘“, this syndicated feed from Associate Press is also available at various online news sites, but posted with a more tempered title “Young Taiwanese Men Hide in Online World”.

“Lovers, Get Lost!” Campaign – 24 Dec 2007, Taipei

“Wearing colorful masks and black T-shirts with women-hating slogans, dozens of young men paraded through an upscale Taipei shopping center one night last December, yelling at startled couples, “Lovers, Go to Hell.” It was a rare moment of public exposure for Taiwan’s so-called “home boys,” a generation of single young men who spend evenings cloistered at home, playing online computer games, reading fantasy comic books and complaining in Internet chat rooms about women.”

“Home Boys” ? It’s the misinformed transliteration of the term “宅男”, the Taiwanese lingo for “OTAKU” (御宅族). Yeah. Once again, otakus have become another topic of ridicule .

The article painted these “so-called home boys” as misogynistic, anti-social losers. It described that the “more rabid home boys” would go public with their complaints, heckling couples on lovey-dovey occasions such as Christmas Eve and Valentine Day. With sound-bites such as “…women are swindlers among swindlers…” “it’s not so much that they hate women; it’s just that women ignore, reject or betray them.”"The more a nice guy tries to act positively, the more he gets turned away” – otakus who experienced unrequited relationships are reduced to women haters.

情侣死ね!

It doesn’t help that these otakus are wearing t-shirts (uniforms) emblazoned with slogans such as “Damn Couples!” ( 情侣死ね! 情侣去死!). Or that they are members of the “Go and Die Regiment” aka 「死ね死ね団」 or 「去死去死团」. With such a name, it’s easy to misunderstand them as an extremist, violent youth group threatening social order.

Hate/Stay night 怨念停留之夜 – 台灣情侶去死去死團於台北 – 士林
舉辦第八次大會

The journalist also failed to understand that the “Go and Die Regiment” is a phenomenon of the Net-related KUSO (parody) culture. Backed up by ‘expert opinions’ from a sociologist, the article carried on to conclude that otakus retreat to the alternate reality of the Internet and computer games, shrugging off domestic responsibilities and the formation of relationships. In other words – they are ‘failed human beings’ – society’s ticking time bombs. With the stroke of a pen, the journalist conveniently tarred hikikomoris (隐蔽青年/家里蹲), NEETs (尼特族) and Otakus (御宅族/宅男) with the same brush. This otaku sub-culture had been taken out of context and grossly misrepresented.

GO AND DIE REGIMENT

The “Go and Die Regiment” aka 「死ね死ね団」 or 「去死去死团」 is a transnational Chinese organisation that reaches across borders of East Asia (China, Taiwan and Hong Kong). They are close cousins of the Japanese “Revolutionary Himote Union” (革命的非モテ同盟).

Go and Die Regiment

The raison d’etre of this Regiment, is to oppose “Love Capitalism”, to support singletons and those who’ve been dealt emotional setbacks in relationships. Rather than opposing love, the members of this regime are seeking pure, unadulterated love – the love that is untainted by material transactions. As mentioned in their introduction, the essence of the regiment:

“我们死死团反对的是“资本主义商品化的虚伪爱情观和情爱文化”。而不是“反对爱情”。恰恰相反，每一个死死团员心中最渴望的，就是纯洁的爱 情，但是往往被 伪货伤的最重最痛的也是我们。因而开始对自己从媒体中学到的所谓“玫瑰花，蛋糕和钻戒的爱情”开始感到不信任，进而发现自己受骗，又或是看到其它的年轻人 深陷在“错误的情爱观”所吹的肥皂泡之中而浑然不觉，而有种使命感。”

Their lofty maxim: “我們獨善其身，為的是要渡化那些誤入歧途的情侶們。” (We care first for our own moral integrity, so as to reform the wayward couples)

康熙来了 情人节去死去死团 (first telecast – 13 Feb 08) Part 1

Telling couples to f**k off and die, is part of the healing process – to let those who met with rejection to vent the resultant extreme emotions. It is not unfounded to say that it was a case of sour-grapes that led to the formation of this regiment. The Regiment can trace its roots to a situation in the Japanese manga Japanese manga “Ping-Pong Club” 「行け!稲中卓球部」, the signature love-comedy work Minoru Furuya (古谷実):

「行け!稲中卓球部」 – Origins of 死ね死ね団

The characters from the manga, Hiromi Izawa and Maeno were envious of the Ping Pong club chairman’s romance. Dressed in dog suits, the two of them hijacked a panda kiddy ride from the amusement park, got between the courting couple and abducted the chairman’s girlfriend. That was the birth of the “Go and Die Brigade”. This namesake was inspired by villainous terrorist organisation from the 70s tokusatsu flick – “Warrior of Love, Rainbowman” 「愛の戦士レインボーマン」. The original “Go and Die Regiment” from the series was constituted from former victims of Imperial Japan’s WW2 aggression, whose purpose is to slaughter all Japanese nationals as payback for their offense.

Though not mentioned in the group’s charter or introduction, the group probably drew its Anti-”Love Capitalism” idealism from the Otaku-pride manifesto “Denpa Otoko”

ANTI-”LOVE CAPITALISM” MANIFESTO: DENPA OTOKO

“Denpa Otoko” 「電波男」 is the Manifesto of otaku Victory, written by an otaku. This manifesto is the work of Tohru Honda (本田透), the contemporary Ota-king and one of the ‘thinkers’ of otaku-culture. This book is an anti-thesis to “Densha Otoko” 「電車男」, the legendary tale of an otaku who saved a gorgeous girl “Hermes” on a train from a drunkard – and succeeded in courting her with the encouragement of his fellow netizens on the popular Japanese bbs 2channel. Honda Tohru argued that the story debased the being of a true otaku – and that if “Densha Otoko” was a true otaku, he wouldn’t have given up on his hobby or transform himself into a dandy-looking guy in order to score with Hermes; rather, he should have assimilated her into his world and turn her into an Otaku. Instead of otaku triumphalism, “Densha Otoko” had capitulated to “Love Capitalism”

Denpa Otoko: Anti-”Densha Otoko”; Anti-”Love Capitalism”

The book is divided into four sections. The first section is dedicated to “Love Capitalism“, followed by “Moé-kei Otaku’s In-Brain Romance (脳内恋愛)“, “The Power of Moé” and “Moé-kei Otaku – The Winners”

“Love Capitalism” is about the commodification of love and romance, the reduction of love and romance into a consumerist activity, influenced by marketing and mass media – love that is predicated by materialism. Men who are “good looking” and who can buy affection and attention with Prada bags rank at the top of the hierarchy, while those without looks and average income drop to the bottom of the pyramid. Women, indoctrinated by the mass media (Idol Dramas – the propaganda for Capitalistic Love), sees men as symbols of exchange denominated by “looks” and “money”, and are willing to pimp their body, emotions and feelings for material gains. According to Tohru, to break out of this ‘oppressive’ system, otakus seeking love should migrate from the 3D world to the 2D realm.

So Ronery

Honda Tohru himself is also one of those typical otaku in his 30s, who had never experienced romance. Not because he didn’t try, but felt that he’s rejected because of his geeky hobbies. Being an otaku in Japan is a social stigma. Before his manifesto became “Denpa Otoko”, he had wanted to write a book for otaku readers titled “Otakus are Losers”. It was supposed to be a self-deprecating critique to explore the unpopularity of otakus, in spite that they have done nothing wrong. After referencing literature about career women in their 30s who are still left on the shelf (in Japan, they are labeled as ‘Underdogs’ or 負け犬), he was struck by the observation that – these women while lamenting that there are no nice guys left, would not even consider otakus.

Tohru exclaimed, the fact that these women remain single, is because all the nice guys of the same generation have become otakus!

NICE GUY

Yet, the label ‘nice guy’ can be such a taboo label in a courtship.

Save for some trolls, most of the otakus are well adjusted, introverted geeks with a good heart. They have a rich inner world, full of thoughts and emotions, yet sometimes they find it difficult to express themselves. At least not in the bold, suave or flashy manner like the dashing heroes do in the pictures.

For a girl that they like, they will do small things like, finish their Calculus homework, repair their computer…or build them a Gunpla model customised to the girl’s favourite colour scheme. They will listen to them go on and on about their hair, how she chipped her nail, why isn’t Aaron answering her calls…They do all the nice things for the girl that they like but…

好人卡

And when they finally confess their feelings for the girl, the girl says,”You’re such a nice guy, but…” By then the otakus can hear the familiar refrain “We’ll be good friends forever….” It’s the ultimate sentence that says GAME OVER when the cruel hand of fate deals the ‘Nice Guy’ card.

You are just a FRIEND

Happy Valentine’s Day! Stay cute and funky. Frens 4ever!!

DO YOU F**KING KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE HANDED A NICE GUY CARD!!!????

How many Nice Guy cards have you collected? I’m a veteran ‘Nice Guy’ card collector.

[Though, the card can be used both ways. I have played that card too. But it's irrelevant now]

As much as “Go and Die Regiment” tries to assist their members to break free from their current single-hood and find true love, its easy for it to become an echo chamber for those rejected in the game of love (to them, love & romance not a game – not unless if its an eroge), reinforcing their perception of the corrupted material world.

Orz

Defending the interest of the down trodden, “Go and Die Regiment” have declared an independent “Nice Guy Republic” (好人共和国) . It’s not like the otakus didn’t try – but they get handed the ‘nice guy’ card all the time. So sometimes all they can do, is to get together and Orz (or 囧rz – that’s the Chinese emoticon for Orz). Hey, they’ve even got a ‘national anthem’ – “The Song of Orz” 《Orz之歌》

好人共和国的国歌——Orz 之歌

词曲作者：Zonble

小姐啊小姐，妳真是美丽。
乌溜溜的秀发，水汪汪的眼睛。
只要一想到妳，我满心都XD。

今天啊今天，我鼓起勇气。
到底心归何处，我想要问问妳。
但妳的答案，真让我 >_< 。
(编按：读音为「大于底线小于」)

（好人）说我是好人，妳说真是对不起。
（好人）说我是好人，就宣判我的命运。
（好人）说我是好人，我挫折俯跪不起。
（好人）说我是好人，我只能orz……。

There's even a Web Drama from 《好人偶像劇》