Born in the 1980s, otaku culture has by now spread to youth all over the world. This book, in which leading experts elucidate the nature of otaku, is a landmark achievement for Otakuology as a field of study. Ecological research using things like Urusei Yatsura and Star Wars for materials paints a picture of otaku as intellectual adventurers who are willing to make an effort and are not afraid to cross genre boundaries. Includes the interview “What Does Gundam Teach Us?” with Gundam’s general director Yoshiyuki Tomino.