A case study on selected Filipino Otakus on the management of their identity

This paper is a case study on selected Filipino otakus, focusing on their self perceptions and their perceptions on how others see them concerning their identity. The main objective of this thesis was to delve into the mind of the otakus in order to get a better understanding of their perceptions and what drives them to maintain their identity despite negative feedback and how. Recent studies such as the Looking Glass Self by Cooley were briefly examined along with studies concerning the influence of anime and manga from Japan to the Philippines and how this has served as the trigger for the emergence of the otaku subculture. Further research relating to Japanese otakus was also tackled in order to gain a basic knowledge of the concept and to provide a benchmark for our analysis. Inspired by Cooleys Looking glass self theory, the diagram in our conceptual framework illustrated how we studied the otakus and how they affect the perception of other people towards them. The otakus then would note how others perceive them and evaluate themselves. Ultimately, the otakus have the choice of (1) modifying their identity to suit the perception of others, (2) to sustain their identity as it is or (3) to completely abandon it altogether. In choosing to sustain their identity, they engage in activities that enable them to do so. Our instrumentation merely consisted of an interview guide to give avenue for the five (5) otakus to answer freely. The otakus we choose represented various categories, mainly anime and manga, video games, board games, yaoi and tokusatsu. The transcriptions of the interview were then carefully 58 analyzed to flesh out the themes from the interviewees. In our analysis, we focused on the Filipino otakus activities and interests. In the latter part of the discussion, we also contrasted the characteristics of the Japanese otakus and the Filipino otakus in order to provide a deeper discussion on the concept of the Filipino otakus from the Japanese counterparts