Even though I like idols and am a big fan of SKE sometimes I wonder, can I be still be a Wota even though: - I think the wotagei is lame and will never do it? - The no dating rule just seems ridiculous to me? - I don't want to collect anything beyond CD's and Calendars? - Haven't had a chance to meet the group yet? - I could only bring myself to scream my oshi's name at certain times? -Etc. Anyway I wonder if anyone else considers themselves a wota despite not following some of the trends or rather does that mean I just can't be one?
you can be whatever you want you can call yourself whatever you want it doesn't matter anyway (i wish that was a haiku) there are people that like to judge whether you're a "true fan" of anything and i think they're all dumb. you like what you like.
This is an interesting thing to think about particularly as an international Idol fan. Wota can basically be defined as one who "otaku" Idols. They collect things involving the Idols they support, go to their shows to support them, cheer them on during concerts... it's pretty easy to define yourself as a wota when you're actually in the midst of all the action... not so much when you're miles and miles away and your means of "otaku" is limited. For me... I just recently started thinking of myself as a wota. I may not do wotagei or be able to go meet my girls but I love and support them the same. I buy their photos, their CD's, calendars, photobooks, and occassionally magazines (been thinking about concert merch but don't wanna take that step until I at least go to one), and watch shows/concerts whenever I can get the time and patience. I fangirl, squeal, flush, scream a bit when my fave does something moe or cute, I basically only really listen to Idols these days and am always on the look out for new groups to love... and I think that's enough. It's basically all I can do right now and I think I'm as close to a wota as I can get at this point in time.
I dislike trying to define these sorts of labels too narrowly. If you own 59 CDs, does that make you less of a fan than someone with a 60 CD collection? It becomes some dumb competition then. If you love the music and feel your life would be less enjoyable without AKB48, then yes, you're a wota in my books I figure the difference between a 'normal' fan and a wota is that your typical 'normal' person only knows the singles, can only name acchan and yuko, and has no interest in learning more about it. The sort of fan who wants to hear all the songs, watch the stages, and just in general wants to know about ALL of AKB48, and not just the fraction of it presented to the mass media, is a wota.
I say simply doing what you can is already enough to be a Wota. Being a international fan is a bit hard because we can't do what Japanese fans can do.
I've done the same thing before, call someone not a true fan before, but only because they would say things like only these members (sembatsu) are actual members of akb or be willing to call them just the best while having no interest in the rest. I mean i have nothing against those who love only sembatsu, but that's only when they've decided they like them the best after seeing all... not even all but most of what the group is willing to offer.
I can not sympathize with you whatsoever because I do all of those things However though, I find that people are different and they will do something different from you. For example, I think it would be easier if everyone just liked every member from 48Groups like I do, but it's just not gonna happen. I figure that as long as they're not a dick about it, it doesn't really matter.
The term wota is quite subjective.People have varying levels of investment and define that investment differently. You can think your the biggest wota ever and then meet someone that takes it to a whole new level. Alternatively someone could see his/her self as a regular fan and then realize that most people are not nearly as invested as they are. All of them are fans at the end of the day and I think that is the most important aspect. Not the term you call yourself. Personally i would consider someone who is obsessed with idols a Wota. For Example Someone who prioritizes his/her life both financially and socially around idols. Consume anything and everything they can find on their group and oshi. Has extensive knowledge about his/her oshimen and group. Thinks about idols even at work or/and school. Tries to feasibly attend every concert/event his/her group has. ^ I would view someone who does these things as a Wota. Again though someone could do all these things and consider himself a normal fan. I am not at such a level but i think if i lived in Japan i would be. Being a foreign fan complicates things considerably.
yeah, someone gets it i remember when i watched the lakers in 2000-2005 and people would call me out as "not a true fan" because i didn't watch them in the showtime era. wtf man dunno why but there're always some fans that are out there to make themselves out to be a way better fan than you
It's not such an easy question to answer, considering that most here are not in the country. If you were living in Japan but (intentionally) still didn't do the things that you don't participate in or subscribe to now because you're living abroad, then I might have difficulty putting you in that particular "wota" category. But since you aren't here, it's a horse of a different color. I have the principle of being "in the field". There were times I went to handshakes for singles that I had hardly listened to. In any case, nothing is as important in this fandom as taking part. One hasn't seen the theater without being there. Your support for a member only means so much when you keep it to yourself, when you have never showed your face to her, cheered her on in the theater, written her a letter... or voted for her in the sousenkyo. Especially when it comes to members that need it, you're doing only half the job if you don't get your support out there and haven't at least tried letting her know of it. Then again though you have hikikomori and maybe people that aren't even interested in the girls and just like the group for its music (although pretty unrealistic in practice). The former is kind of a difficult issue, but the latter would definitely be seen as a "fan". It's not better or worse, it's simply a different way of following the group. "Wota" isn't the superlative of "fan", nor is it an honorary title for excellent conduct. What I consider relevant for fans living abroad is a level of comprehension, the will to absorb and learn and a sense of the group's history. It's not important to know that Yukirin is from Kagoshima, that Reinyan is cousins with a member from Berryz Koubou or that Miorin is 148 cm tall. Understanding the nature of idol culture, the main group/sister group dynamics, the reason behind and necessecity of the ban on love, the psychology of oshimen, shuffles, surprises, scandals, elections and graduations is far more important. Are you talking about the MIX or wotagei (what you see on YouTube sometimes)? Those are essentially two different things, and the latter is something you hardly see people do anyway so no one would be too surprised if you didn't want to. People/non-fans I've talked to had the impression that fans do wotagei in the theater - which I'm sure you know they don't (unless you consider holding a light stick wotagei). As for the MIX... let's say it would be helpful to make friends with that.
I really hate when people make the distinction of being a "true fan" and not. So what if you have differences? I think the things you listed are honestly pretty small issues in the grand scheme of things; it's not like you're asking "can I be a wota if I don't like AKB very much?" or saying you flat out don't listen to the music (though I know some wota/fans who love the variety aspect of idols and not so much the music). I also think that being an international fan makes being a wota much harder, especially regarding merchandise and seeing them live. Idk, my personal opinion is that wota is a term that you use on yourself; if you want to be a wota, you are one.
Interesting analysis made by HRP. I agree with the lot. Since I live very far away from Japan, it is almost impossible to follow each member on TV etc. I also have a life outside the computer. I am most interested in the music and performance on stage and from the beginning the girls was most a colorful mass. After a while I began to recognize each member and could put a name on many but something deeper interest I do not have. I have also come up at that age when you are not dealing with little girls. But I had another question in this case. Do you always use the word "wota" or sometimes "ota"? My friend the Japan expert says that the use of "w" are beginning to vanish.
I've never seen AKB fans do wotagei, aside from the Romeo move (reaching out to the girl during the slow bit of the song). It is/was extremely common with hellopro and indie idol acts but most AKB fans now are too new to the scene to know what it is I suppose. Which is kind of disappointing to me because wotagei was my favourite part of going to hellopro concerts (mikisama mikisama oshioki kibonnu~!) I can't comment on how it is on the ground in Japan recently, but in my experience it has always been with a silent w. The w comes from how it's written in Japanese ヲタ (wota), but the w is silent as it is with を (wo, but almost always pronounced o). Since it comes from otaku, the only reason I've ever come across for the w is "because it's interesting/just because/etc". As in, there's no real reason. The only time I've ever heard it pronounced "wota" is by foreign fans since they've only had the written word to go off.
I don't really see it much at indie concerts, other than the Romeo move as well. I mean, people still do it, but I think it's become a lot less common, especially since the MIX is EVERYWHERE (my favorite use of the mix is for Team Syachihoko's "Pizza desu", where they replace "tiger, fire, etc." with "pizza, pizza, pizza etc."
Thanks, then he was right. I wrote a little unclear, it was of course the pronunciation I meant and not the writing.
to be or not to be, that is the question! I think it's entirely up to your own opinion I mean it's not like an achievement or ranking system, where you have to do something to become wota though it would be fun to see such achievement system haha *going to 10 concerts, promoted to wota captain
^ Ok than i guess i want to ask is if everyone wants to be considered a wota? or would they rather prefer being considered a really big AKB fan?
i don't like being called a wota or identifying myself as wota. being called an otaku in the anime-sense is kinda derogatory in japanese so i assume the same thing applies for wota. actually the opposite is true. in the US we have better internet distribution networks (let's not talk about the legality) so we often get better access here. some japanese fans have remarked that foreign fans are more aware of TV shows than themselves, because programs either broadcast late or don't broadcast in their region. NMB geinin, for example, was only broadcasted in the kanto region so if you were in nagoya or osaka, you couldn't watch it on TV. what you don't get here is the massive advertising blitz, the never-ending billboards, magazine racks full of aks groups, akb goods sold at 7-11, their music played over the radio and tv, etc. it's actually somewhat of a relief to be a fan not in Japan, because over here we can control our dosage; over there it's a nonstop bombardment whether you like it or not, at least in the major cities.
I think, too make it short and different, you can be labelled a wota by being in Stage48. Hey, come on, you won't stay and discussed things here if you're not interested in learning the composite of the group. It takes real effort to be able to go with the flow of the discussion in the forum, and with ideas free flowing from a huge pool of intellects its really difficult to comprehend if you're not verse enough and willing enough to follow a group this vast, with dynamics so erratic. Since we are labeled as foreigners, in a Japanese point of view, we can be forgiven for not being able to match the support our counterparts in the Japan can muster. Like, hell, if I have the luxury of leaving my job for a considerable time, I've long did it, but we got different reasons so don't look down on such people. As for my case, in the the support issue, I really got no interest in buying CD's but I've been selective with AKB. I prefer collecting photobooks and selective magazine issues to complement my already budding library at home, which my mom has been complaining about.
