So, what do you do, when you’re an otaku but you have no friends who share the same interests as you? Scream at the World about how unfair it is?
Nope, I decided to turn one of my best friends into an otaku – Lady R! >_<
Now, when you’re a sixth former, you find yourself inexplicably more busy than ever before, and as for free time? Let’s just say aside from fangirling, *cough*
so, actually, this ‘club’ would be a great way to stay in touch, and perhaps teach the ways of Japanese culture to a friend.
Since I’d be throwing her into the deep end, I though that I should start with something relatively ‘family-friendly’. (You know, no yaoi, or excessive gore just yet) so I decided on.. Ouran High School Host Club. Okay, the title sounds odd and misleading, but if you know about it, you realise it’s not as bad as it sounds!
Starting a club sounds easy and all, but when you have to face the fact that we were not going to meet up, but use technology (Skype) to video chat and read it together. Yay! -_-
So, we decided on Friday nights, at 6pm, to just call each other, and read together. No, we have to read together, after all Lady R is uneducated in all Japanese references! I just couldn’t throw her in the deep end!
Now, Lady R’s opinion after reading a whole volume in one sitting? (About 3 hours… on Skype). It was very, very funny! And she even has established ships! (So proud). Even though I had to explain (uncondescending, I really wanted her to like it, after all) some things like why Haruhi is a girl, but it’s okay for her to be a boy in this, and the usage of ‘ore’. However, there were things that I see now, were actually weird to her, but not someone exposed to every sort of archetype for a manga plot possible. The ‘rich and poor’ thing, the ‘weird caste system’ <– actual quote, didn’t sit well with her though.
In teaching a friend about otaku culture, I have realised, no, not that I use too many images and gifs in my posts, but that manga is really weird. Now, where was I? The club! It was a success, especially how we agreed over the ships, TamaHaru, of course, MOney (Honey and Mori), and Kyoya x self (we didn’t argue over him, but I guess we’ll have choice words later on). But the obsession they had with ‘peasants’ didn’t seem right to her. I guess? It’s a romantic comedy, so I assumed that was part of the humour – the misunderstood view of the poorer people in rich people’s minds. And the thing some girls have with a possibly incestuous set of twins.
It’s going to be a thing, regardless of the little setbacks. And after I showed her the bloopers to the English dubbed version of the anime, I think that I have officially assimilated her into the fandom. Success!
I mean, how could she not laugh at Tamaki and his sulking in the corner? Or Honey-senpai and his Usa-chan ❤
~ Persephone
Imagination is Infinite 