Otaku

is a person who is addicted to something. Outside Japan,

including Russia, it is usually used in relation to fans of anime and manga. In Japan, this meaning corresponds to the abbreviation aniota (ア ニ オ タ) ← anime (ア ニ メ) + otaku (オ タ ク).

their own kind among amateur photographers - photographers in the

eyes of other people were sociophobes, reclusive, fanatics of their hobby - and gradually the word "otaku" took on a negative meaning: reclusive, fanatic. Usually an otaku is a young man who lives at home, does not go to work, communicates with only 2-3 people not from his “company”.
In Japanese speech, there are also phrases "pasokon otaku" (referring to PC geeks), "geimu otaku" (toward those who play video games), and otaku as extreme idol fans - advertised singers. In a similar way, the word can be used to describe any all-consuming hobby: musical otaku, sports otaku, etc.
The word "otaku" in Japan has a very negative connotation; it is impolite to call the interlocutor so, unless he calls himself that. However, in other countries, fans of anime and manga often call themselves "otaku", meaning by this not an insane fan, but only a devoted fan. However, there are also anime fans who know the Japanese meaning of the word and therefore do not like to be called otaku. In this regard, the word began to be written in katakana to distinguish it from お 宅 otaku, which means the house of the interlocutor in polite speech.