Otaku Networking Sites: Dating?
Otaku Dating. When one first thinks of an Otaku Date, unfortunately we get images of two nerds with braces, horribly bad skin, glasses and terrible fashion while laughing at some inane thing that only another Otaku would understand. Unfortunately these views are perpetuated by TV shows such as MTV’s Otaku Week, and also shows like Made where they helped an Otaku girl become “normal”. I also don’t want to forget a show like the CW’s Beauty and the Geek. While these shows aren’t completely off the mark, the media tends to forget that watching TV is very passive [or maybe they don’t forget this], and being that it is, most people glaze over the more boring parts of a TV Show, while remembering the more zany, outlandish of displays in Technicolor. So when one thinks of Otaku + Dating, visions abound, and, most likely, devolve into something that is laughable.
When I first sat down to write this article after scouring the web and stumbling on a million porno sites, there was alot I wanted to do: I wanted to include Anime Networking Sites in general. But as I looked at sites, registered, and posted a few questions out there, not many seemed to bite. They seemed, quite frankly, afraid of me. And so, I scoured the web again and decided to narrow this down to dating. It could be argued, that all otaku forums, discussion boards, et al, are networking sites, and so, the list narrowed and narrowed until I analyzed three sites in particular on my own without questioning its members, (for fear that they would believe I was spamming them as the other sites seemed to).
Some sites which had Otaku registered and posting blogs looking for otaku matches were sites like okcupid.com and even eharmony. Other sites which are geared with the hobbyist in mind were http://sqzzy.com and http://thesinglegamer.com – but these sites looked a little dead. So, I was left with:
Otaku booty: http://otakubooty.com
Mai otaku: http://maiotaku.com
Otaku Crush: http://otakucrush.com
Anyone can register for free for all of these sites. While Otaku Crush seems to be completely free, Mai Otaku and Otaku Booty charges a monthly fee for a premium membership. Otaku Booty’s website states that you’ll “get access to all of the site’s features!” for $4 a month. The features are: send comments, get comments, let people know you have a crush, full forum access, chat, and you can see who has been viewing your profile. Mai Otaku’s website states that for the premium membership you can, “Share more pictures, see more matching details, and beyond” there is a breakdown for each service you will receive on the site.
The point of this article isn’t to say whether or not otaku dating is a good or bad thing, it began with one question: Do otaku networking sites work?
I will begin with the pros that I have seen with my admittedly, limited scope of the websites, since I haven’t spent too much time talking with the members, or registering for them all.
- Otaku Booty has been around since 2004. Longevity can mean a lot
in the scope of things. Typically it means they may have worked out the kinks that new sites usually need time to endure. - They have a pretty extensive FAQ barring the description of what you actually get for the $3-4 a month subscription fee. Though I did find the info for the fee once I clicked the tab that asked “Why join?”
- The owner, “John Booty” (I use quotes since I am not sure if this is a real name or simply his moniker) is very active on his site posting reviews, news, and other interesting tidbits of worldwide otaku information.
- The site is very active, boasting almost 21,000 members – though one can never be sure how many are active, versus spam registrations.
- A non-registered member may limitedly peruse member profiles and the forums. As a registered member you can friend other members, have a broader view of profiles and member interests, post on the forums, upload pictures to your personal gallery, plus a few more things I am sure I haven’t explored thoroughly. As a paid member you receive enhanced site benefit {see above}
- The site is pretty open and makes sure that everyone is aware that it is a “FUN” site, so pretty much all things are open to everyone. If there are threads which are racy, they ask members to mark it “Adult”.
- Overall the site seems easy to navigate and loads pretty fast.
- Mai Otaku’s site is simple. The forums aren’t cluttered and overwhelming.
- They feature a few articles on Otaku Dating, as well as boasting its at-convention panel on “otaku speed dating”. You can also check out profiles of members, but of course like Otaku Booty, you can’t see the full range of a profile ,like location of members and other contact information, without registering.
- They offer a matching through a system: “Answer questions about your anime interests and get matched with single Otaku like you. Our matching system emphasizes Otaku that live close to you and have attended the same anime conventions.” (granted that I don’t know how well it works, but I would put this in the category of good since some members may be shy and opposed to simply talking to people randomly).
- [edited and added after reading the about page] As a free member, you are able to message one another, upload photos, comment profiles and get matched for free.
- Otaku Crush has beautiful graphics on opening the page.
- As a nonmember you can read anime, manga, gaming and convention reviews. . Read interviews and articles as well as browse profiles by interest. You can also check out profiles similar to Otaku Booty and Mai Otaku. As a member you will be able to friend, show interest in other members by the click of a button, those who you might be highly interested in, you can add to “favorites”
For the not-so-easy part of the article: the negatives.
- Otaku Booty is not really for the younger otaku. They do say as much, but we all know that those younger than 18 have a tendency to lie when registering for an account. This could be trouble for an unsuspecting older Otaku since most people in general tend to fudge facts in online profiles. And as with any dating site, there are predators. Though Otaku Booty says that they try their best to monitor things, it is a little hard to monitor a free-wheelin’, free-lovin Otaku site where nude pictures are allowed …until something bad happens. (I am not saying that allowing them is good or bad, since some of the pictures are anime, manga and gaming characters)
- They should move the subscription information under FAQ as well. It may be just me, but I am a big fan of having information in one place at the click of a mouse.
- Mai Otaku’s board seems slow, and if you are looking for free-wheelin’ and free-lovin, it seems a little boring. Most posters post a “Looking for Otaku in this city or at this convention.” There is the general chit-chatter on the forums, but nothing overly exciting.
- I wonder, what is this system they use to match people? If I were an actual person looking for a match, I’d still wonder about the system they use. who and what is matching people with me? Though there is some information as to how the matching works, it’s not enough to make me feel that the computer could find me a true match. Besides, people lie on profiles all the time. [the above point has been edited: there were accidentally two FAQ's on the site. One of which has been removed after the owner checked out this article. Originally I thought the FAQ's seemed a bit vague, but it seems that there was an ABOUT and a FAQ page so I missed a few things such as creation date, and owner information]
- The site is pretty new as stated on their about page [since 2009]. It could be why it’s a little slow, so there may be some kinks they will still need to work out.
- Otaku Crush’s registration system is a little crazy. In some ways it is good because it will ward off some spammers, in other ways it’s just annoying. You MUST upload a photo as part of the step in registration. No photo, you aren’t registered. I understand the point of it to some degree, but what if I am simply there to take a spin of the site first, before I begin to put all of my information, plus my face all over their interweb page?
- I didn’t see any forums or a way to just generally interact with everyone. This could be because I am not a registered member. But if the forums are there, they should have a link to it so that if you click it, it simply would tell you that you aren’t a member so you don’t have access to the forums.
- Otaku Crush is new, though the company, Fan Crush Networks LLC owns several other sites such as Dragon Crush (for fantasy hobbyist), Sci Fi Crush (science fiction enthusiasts) and Horror Crush (horror devotees). Even so, they will have to work out the kinks of their moderators, systems, and of course the new community since all fans, are not the same.
- The Company FAQ and Site FAQ is pretty nonexistent. There is a very limited set of questions and answers. But it’s even more limited than Mai Otaku. This would make me wary for a dating site.
Overall, the three sites cater to the otaku community on one level or another. Instead of saying which site I think is best, it would be better if you are truly interested in finding an Otaku through a dating site, to register for each of them and settle on the one(s) you enjoy most.
As for whether or not this type of community should have its own little hub for meeting, talking to and dating other otakus: I’d say why not. It’s no different from meeting someone on any other forum who may or may not be what they say. ALL Networking sites are prone to pedos, scammers, trolls, liars and everything else you can find in the real world. It is the curse of online identities and places like myspace, facebook and twitter.
Of course there are those naysayers of otaku and “nerd” networking sites who say: “They will prorogate the world with little scary otaku children.” or “That they will enable each other to be more obsessed Otaku.”
Honestly, Otaku are on the fringe of a lot of things that can, and sometimes do, bleed over into the darker, stranger, and at times, the more perverse realms of life – but, the general population does it as well. It’s just easier to point out someone running around dressed as Cloud or Tiffa, than someone wearing a suit.
With the economy still on the decline, will online networking sites such as Otaku Booty, Mai Otaku and Otaku crush be the new way to hold a convention? It’s possible.
The land where a lot of Manga comes from, specifically Japan and Korea, has only eight major conventions combined. Japan: Komiket Winter, Komiket Summer, Tokyo International Anime Fair, Jump Festa, World Cosplay Summit, Tokyo Game Show and the International Manga Summit. In Korea there is Comic World. A lot of Otaku in Japan talk via http://2-ch.net, http://2chan.net, or other anonymous BBS boards. (another article for another day)
Conventions are expensive to go to just to find that special hook-up. Perhaps these sites are truly on the right track for the ailing pocket of an otaku… with more sites, and more time, we’ll know soon enough.
