My Otaku side

I'm not a big fan of how Wikipedia defines "Otaku" (see below)
"Otaku (おたく / オタク^?) (oh-tah-kooh) is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, or video games."
I feel that the word obsessive is a rather harsh and very negative word. I prefer to think of my "Otaku" status as... "a Japanese term used to refer to people who enjoy (with gusto) the world of anime, manga or video games".
You are pardoned if you have not heard of anime/manga...although that pardon is given with a very open heart.
For most people the penny only drops when you use the words "Dragon Ball Z"; for most South Africans this brings to mind eagerly sitting clued to the television @ 16:00 weekdays to enjoy some entertainment. But as I later discovered I had only tasted the tip of the iceberg that is anime and the more I consumed the better it got.

Giving into peer pressure @ tech I was given a peek into the anime world with "Scryed". While it took a little getting use to to read and follow the action on-screen, I was soon demanding more from my more than willing friends. (I am eternally grateful to them for that)
And the rest as they say "is history". Since then I have consumed countless and sometimes copious amounts of anime, basically watching anything I could get my greedy little hands on.
 When it came to the manga (basically Japanese comics) I was a lot more reluctant to indulge, I didn't want to be too much of a nerd you understand ;)
 But eventually I surrendered to the temptation and I accepted the offers laid before me (once again my friends were there to embrace me). I am however proud to proclaim that my manga consumption is limited to following one 2 series (Naruto and Bleach), I do have some self restraint you see :) Today I sit as a proud "Otaku" and I fully understand why there's an entire county on the other side of the world that is "obsessed" with this industry.
What I now find most amusing is that the rest of the world has finally caught onto this wonderful industry. With the introduction of the Animax channel I now find that I am the supplier to a new generation of hungry hords. However...let me point out that I do not stand by Animax...watching English dubbed anime is like Chinese torture!! I prefer to watch in the way nature intended...in Japaneses with English subtitles :)
I AM PROUD OTAKU...HEAR ME ROAR!