[Feature: The Future of Entertainment Business] Mana Kamioka: The Current State of "Oshikatsu," "Otaku," and "Oshi"

2024/04/05

When did we start hearing the term "oshikatsu" (fandom activities) on a daily basis? By 2021, it had apparently gained enough mainstream recognition to be nominated for the "U-Can New Words and Buzzwords Awards." Even if the name "oshikatsu" was coined in the 2020s, the actions now referred to by this name—namely, enjoying specific content as a fan of someone or something, or enjoying interactions with fellow fans derived from that—have likely been practiced for at least 50 years. Academically, there is an accumulation of research originating from audience studies in the field of cultural studies in the 1970s, which evolved into fan (or fandom) studies in the 90s. While media environments have changed, actions similar to "oshikatsu" are not a particularly new phenomenon. However, it feels as though the various things now labeled as "oshikatsu" are bringing about a different trend than before. This may be due to a change in the image of the "otaku," which is clearly different from the era of "otaku bashing" that is said to have occurred following the 1989 serial kidnapping and murder of young girls in Tokyo and Saitama.

What exactly is the "oshikatsu" we are seeing today in 2024? I will reflect on the current state of "oshikatsu" while touching upon specific examples related to the culture surrounding it.

Starting with "shukatsu" (job hunting), which began to be used in the late 1990s, various "-katsu" (activity) terms such as "konkatsu" (marriage hunting), "asakatsu" (morning activities), and "shukatsu" (end-of-life planning) have become established in Japanese society through the media. "Oshikatsu" is undoubtedly a word born from this wave of "-katsu" terms. As mentioned at the beginning, the act of loving, supporting, or enjoying someone or something is not particularly new. However, by collectively referring to the object of affection as an "oshi" and generally describing consumption behavior related to that "oshi" as "osu" (to support/push), and by packaging it as "oshikatsu," I believe it has gained an influence that makes people perceive actions they previously didn't recognize as "supporting" as "oshikatsu," or makes people who don't have an "oshi" want to engage in "oshikatsu." This is reflected in the words of people who call their favorite frequently purchased convenience store sweets their "oshi," or who say they want an "oshi" just like they would want a lover or a friend.

Originally, the word "oshi" was jargon used among fans of specific genres. There are various theories about its origin, but I personally learned of the word around 1999. At that time, among fans of Morning Musume and Hello! Project (initially just Hello!), there was a culture of calling one's favorite member "ichi-oshi" (first choice) and the second favorite "ni-oshi" (second choice). It is possible it was used among fans of other female idols besides Hello! Project, or perhaps earlier idol fan terminology was repurposed. Later, after the opening of the AKB48 Theater in 2005, idol fans who used the word "oshi" became fans of AKB48, leading to the use of "oshi" within the AKB48 fan community.

Subsequently, triggered by the active incorporation of the word "oshi" in AKB48 content and products, it began to be used frequently in the media and gradually permeated the general public. Overseas fans, especially fans of Japanese idols and their sister groups, also use the word "Oshi" for their particularly favorite members. For example, in the Indonesian idol fandom, the phrase "Siapa Oshinya?" (Who is your oshi?) often serves as a conversation starter between fans.

In the 4th edition of the "Daijirin" dictionary revised in 2019, "oshi" is defined as "the act of pushing/supporting. Specifically, youth slang meaning 'supporting' or 'being a fan of'." Before "oshi," I think it was common to simply talk about something as one's favorite or to say one was "hamatteru" (hooked/obsessed) with something, but the word "oshi" is likely very convenient. Depending on the culture, words like "tanto" (person in charge) or "hiiki" (favorite/patronage) are likely used similarly, but currently "oshi" has such comprehensive elements that it is sometimes used to explain "tanto" or "hiiki." Therefore, even if one is not "supporting" or is not a "fan," the word "oshi" is being applied broadly to all objects of interest.

On February 29, 2024, Sanrio Co., Ltd. released "Oshikyun," an oshikatsu support app for smartphones. This app provides functions to "support fan activities (oshikatsu) for all people who support anything and everything, including idols, actors, characters, and content," as part of the "Sanrio Character Enjoy Idol Series," which was first released in May 2019 and has since seen successive new product releases.*1

Within the app, there is a schedule-sharing function called "Community," where users create communities for each "oshi." The categories for each community are diverse, including "Idol," "K-POP," "Band," "Artist," "Theater/Musical," "2.5D," "Actor," "Voice Actor," "Anime/Manga/Movie," "Game," "Character," "Sports," "YouTuber," "Vtuber," "Comedian," "Utaite," "Influencer," "Talent," and "Other." Within "Other," communities for the Metropolitan Expressway and specific soba shops have even been created, showing that the targets of oshikatsu are extremely broad.

Furthermore, the developers of the "Enjoy Idol Series" are themselves idol fans who propose products and services they actually want to use within the company. In other words, the structure is such that the corporate side actively involves itself in the consumer's "oshikatsu" as fans who also engage in "oshikatsu." Fans are no longer just the consuming side, nor is it just a movement of "convergence culture" such as derivative works as pointed out by media researcher Henry Jenkins; they also exist within the "oshikatsu" ecosystem as the side providing content. This trend can be described as not only aiming for commercial revitalization by moving closer to the "otaku" culture and the side that does "oshikatsu" through products, works, and services by fans for fans, but also increasing familiarity and a sense of security to strengthen ties with consumers. And people who do not have an "oshi" may see products and services for "oshikatsu," become interested in "oshikatsu" itself, and come to the idea that they want to do "oshikatsu" or want an "oshi."

In the past, people with an "oshi" were viewed as "otaku" with a gaze that was by no means positive. It was not uncommon to be subjected to unkind words or acts of violence such as slander and bullying just for being recognized as an "otaku." For a long time, being an "otaku" was recognized as something to hide or something shameful (personally, though I limit this strictly to myself, this feeling remains strong even now). However, when I ask the current generation in their teens and early 20s through classes, they say the image of "otaku" is not negative.

In a guest lecture given by Wakako Kashino of the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics at a junior high school in Kanagawa Prefecture, she reportedly discussed the changes in the definition of "otaku" in the 8th edition (published in 2019) of the "Iwanami Japanese Dictionary," for which she served as an editor, compared to the 7th edition (published in 2011). "The definition in the 7th edition of the same dictionary was 'A person (with a dark impression) who shuts themselves into their own narrow world of hobbies and preferences and does not want to socialize with the world,' where the negative meaning is prominent. When I read that aloud, the students let out voices that were neither surprise nor disappointment, like 'Ehh.' In contrast, the definition in the 8th edition has been changed to a modern and positive meaning: 'A person who deeply loves a specific field of interest and possesses or collects knowledge or items in that field more than average, or takes action.' The students all voiced their approval at once, as if to say 'That's it!', and the place became lively."*2

Incidentally, while the expression "oshikatsu" is frequently used in the media, in reality, "oshikatsu" is often called "otakatsu" (otaku activities) or simply "otaku." What was originally supposed to be a second-person pronoun "otaku" (your house/you) has also been turned into a verb, as in "to do otaku" or "want to otaku." As an example, going to live events or concerts, going out to purchase merchandise, or gathering with friends to watch video software falls under "otakatsu" or "doing otaku."

It was also thought that being an "otaku" meant not using time or money for other aspects of daily life because specific interests were given top priority. However, actions such as buying new clothes or going to a hair salon for the sake of being an "otaku" (= "oshikatsu") are no longer rare among "otaku" (= fans). Haruka Tsutsui, who has repeatedly examined the act of supporting (osu), points out that in recent years, especially regarding female otaku, "otaku-like hobbies (anime, manga, games, and idols)" and hobbies such as beauty and cosmetics have come to be discussed quite actively in connection with each other. As a result, items for makeup and fashion have become tools for "supporting," and they themselves have also become objects to be supported (and Tsutsui develops a discussion about the dilemma between being an otaku and the gaze from others and communication).*3

While the change in the "otaku" image is evident, for the author, there is also a sense of discomfort regarding the fact that the expression "otaku"—which had a negative meaning including being a self-deprecating expression for people whose hobbies and preferences defined them, and which certainly had the quality of "shutting oneself into one's own narrow world of hobbies and preferences and not wanting to socialize with the world"—is being accepted simply as something open and positive within the "oshikatsu" package.

As mentioned earlier, the word "oshi" has also spread as a very common vocabulary in recent years. However, isn't the current situation one where the meaning of "oshi" is being overused without much scrutiny, and only the "oshikatsu" culture is diffusing in all directions? The targets are broad, ranging from convenience store sweets to close friends, and there is a tendency to be guided toward the expression "oshi" as long as there is an implication of being favorable.

Regarding the state of being interested, liking, or being obsessed, the emotions that individuals hold are actually very diverse. For example, even if we limit it to idols, whether one is simply "supporting" a state where satisfaction is obtained by watching stages, musical works, or video works depends on the person. For someone who feels an attachment that is almost a part of their life because the target content is at the center of their daily life, the word "fan" might not feel right. Even if one says "oshi," the nuance differs depending on the case, and there are many situations where the word "oshi" is avoided in the first place. Fine nuances that should have been shared when it was used only among specific fans are lost as it becomes generalized, and the current word "oshi" has a tendency to somewhat crudely lump together these different feelings depending on the person.

While the nuance of recommending or nominating can be read into "osu," that too does not necessarily fit every situation. Liking something and recommending it to someone do not always happen simultaneously. However, by erasing such subtleties without conveying them, what is being done and what is happening in the act currently called "oshikatsu" is made slightly difficult to see.

There is also the concern that "osu" is simply being justified. In terms of recommending, of course one might recommend something they like to someone, but when thinking calmly about the act of excessively promoting on behalf of the target or expressing gratitude to people who showed interest just because one likes it, I sometimes feel that it might instead be neglecting the existence of the target. Also, dedicated "oshikatsu" easily becomes a heartwarming story, but are there any perspectives being missed there? Among the actions one might take because of an interest in something, there are those that evoke ethical conflicts. However, people do them without reservation because it's for an "oshi" or because it's "oshikatsu." While there are many such points to be examined in "supporting," the fact that people rarely stop to think might be an issue of it becoming a boom.*4

The author has experience working as an actor and idol in the past and has also been an "otaku" for 30 years. As someone who has been immersed in the various cultures now called "oshikatsu" as a performer, creator, and fan, I have a fear that currently only the bright sides of "oshikatsu" and "otaku" tend to be emphasized. Behind the loud talk of an existence called an "oshi" being indispensable to life with words like "reason for living" or "source of life," many social problems such as fraud, harassment, illegal resale, debt accompanying large payments, and forced prostitution are also emerging. Though rarely looked at, there is also the mental pressure on the side being supported.

Rather than easily lumping the front and back together and criticizing, we need to keep a close eye on what is happening within these pleasant-sounding expressions. Being "supported" (osareru) is essential for commercial success in the entertainment business, but that is, needless to say, structurally natural regardless of the "oshikatsu" boom. Precisely because the boom is also serving as a trigger, I want to closely examine the actual situation and consider what "oshikatsu," "otaku," and "oshi" mean, including the challenges.

*1 Sanrio, February 29, 2024, "Industry First! Oshikatsu Support App 'Oshikyun' Long-awaited Release on 2/29 (Thu)!" https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000559.000037629.html