Rakuten 's flea market app Rakuma conducted a poll with 1,230 of its female users aged between 15 to 18. The survey was conducted over the internet on April 17 and 18. The results found that over 83.5% of respondents self-identified as an " otaku ."

Moreover, the vast majority have a positive impression of " otaku ." 13.5% believe that they should be looked up to, 67.9% believe that "it is a good thing that otaku have something that they love and are passionate about," 14.6% responded that they did not have a particularly bad impression, 3.2% believe that otaku are in the minority for having special interests, and only 0.8% believe that otaku should be scorned.

It should be noted, however, that of the 1,028 respondents who identified as otaku , only 13.9% identify as "anime" or " voice actor " otaku specifically. 74.1% identify as otaku for idols or musical artists, with the majority being fans of either Japanese artists contracted with Johnny & Associates (Arashi, KAT- TUN , etc.) or K-Pop. Anime and voice actors was the second most popular option on the pie chart, with mobile and home console games at 2.3%, and fashion, Youtubers, and singers hovering at around 1% each. 6% of respondents chose the "other" option.

The results of this particular poll seem to indicate that, at least among the younger generation, the word " otaku " has taken on a broad meaning, much like the English word "geek" has. And it's okay to be an otaku if most people have something that they're prone to geek out about.

The poll also tracked spending habits among music otaku , and their motivations for using the Rakuma app.

Source: PR Times