For my 6th anniversary, I wanted to take a look back at an anime that's more of a historical document than an actual anime. Through a combination self-effacing humor and true love for the medium, a Gainax co-founder made Otaku no Video as a way to poke fun, but also de-mystify the subculture he was a part of. But how does it fare in today's light where otakudom feels more mainstream than ever?

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00:00 1981: The Declaration of a New Anime Century
06:13 Intro
06:44 Otaku no Video: The First Anime About Otaku
10:27 Origins of the Otaking
16:02 Otaku no Video: The Anime
23:06 Otaku no Video: The Documentary (sorta)
28:33 Why Otaku no Video Was Made
36:25 We All Live in Otakuworld Now
40:26 Credits

Works Cited:

Uehara, Tomoyuki. Declaration of a New Anime Century: Our Shinjuku Scramble. Animec Magazine - Nov 2019, 29 Feb. 2020, criesinnewtype.wordpress.com/2020/02/29/declaration-of-a-new-anime-century-our-shinjuku-scramble/.

Clements, Jonathan. “The Day Anime Changed.” All the Anime, 4 Apr. 2019, blog.alltheanime.com/the-day-anime-changed/.

Adler, Renzo. “The Book of Otaku Insects: 1980s Fandom Trapped in the Web of Loathing.” ZIMMERIT, 23 Dec. 2020, www.zimmerit.moe/otaku-insects-1980s-fandom-trapped-in-the-web-of-loathing/.

Takeda, Yasuhiro. Notenki Memoirs: Studio Gainax and the Men Who Created Evangelion. ADV Manga, 2005.

Kinsella, Sharon (1998). "Amateur Manga Subculture and the Otaku Panic". Journal of Japanese Studies. Washington University Press. 24 (2): 308–9.

"Video Release Schedule: Coming Soon in America". Animerica. Viz Media. 1 (1): 18. March 1993. ISSN 1067-0831.

Woodhead, Robert J. Otaku no Video linear notes

“「エヴァ」制作会社は「不倫で誕生」告白　岡田斗司夫「英雄談扱いしてほしくない」.” J, J-CAST ニュース, 10 Oct. 2012, www-j--cast-com.translate.goog/2012/10/09149447.html?p=all&_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp.

Toshio Okada’s “Well, if it’s money, it’s okay” Volume 5-6

Okada, Toshio "Otaku's Lost Path" (1999)


KB is their name and talking about old animation is his game! If you want deep analysis and history on the realm of retro anime and old animation, then you've come to the right place. Be warned though. Being a possum means he loves consuming trash, media-based or otherwise.