Graduating from being an Otaku

Today's post isn't about me being in Japan. Well, it partially has something to do about me being in Japan right now.

Yesterday I was cleaning up my hard disk because I was almost out of memory and I found this photo:

It was a birthday gift from my friends who lived in the same dorm as I did when I was in junior high. Or actually, secondary school, to be exact. It reminded me of how much of an otaku I was. Watching anime and reading manga every day was my routine, and I did like to be called with Japanese honorifics such as "-chan". My sole reason of learning Japanese was to watch anime, read manga and play games in Japanese because I didn't like English-dubbed stuffs and English-translated manga often get released too slow.

My favorite country was Japan for no valid reason, and when I grow up I want to work for Squaresoft (which is Square-Enix right now). I didn't mind being the security guard as long as I work there. After graduating from high school I wanted to study the arts and I wanted to work in the animation industry even though I had zero skills.

Back then, my mind was very narrow-minded. I didn't see any other possibilities.

Somehow after attending college, I gradually changed. For some reason, I picked a major that is totally unrelated to what I had been dreaming of. I knew I was strong in chemistry, and somehow events led me to choose food science. I learned a lot of awesome things, fell in love with my major, and my horizon expanded.

I started seeing more and more interesting things to explore. Things that I knew I love were somehow buried under the spell of anime and manga. Back in secondary school, I knew I like to cook. I knew I like to take pictures of nature, and I knew I like to write songs. I like thrilling stuffs like riding the roller coaster and sky diving. I like to read news about technology. Not so much on politics and stocks/shares. I find psychology interesting, and science amazing. But because I dedicated too much of time for anime and manga and games, I couldn't see that my life is much more than that.

Right now, I still read manga every day, but at a less worrying pace. I watch anime about once or twice in a month, and I could leave my PSP untouched for 3 months. The result? I feel that I used my time much more efficiently, and my life was more exciting and colorful.

I used to think that the world will end without manga or anime, and I had never thought of giving them up. But hey, guess what: I could! And it wasn't something that I decided to do; it happened naturally. Changes are gradual. 

Well, I wouldn't say I really regretted those times I was an otaku because thanks to that I could understand both otaku and non-otaku way of thinking. But hey, it was a good change for me, and I think it's worth celebrating. At least I think it is :)