WeeklyAkibaWords: Wotagei (AkibaBlog)

WeeklyAkibaWords: Wotagei

Wotagei is a performance of Otaku people. Until a vehicle-free street in Akihabara was closed due to the deadly stabbing spree happened ( Akihabara Vehicle-free Street: Under Suspension ), different kinds of Wotagei were performed on the street of Akiba. Nowadays, since a vehicle-free street has been closed, there is no place to perform Wotagei, so we are not able to see it in Akiba.

Wotagei Changes Depending on Street Live

Wotagei looks like fans dancing with a singer/performer in a concert in order to give a boost to the live. However, I guess since Wotagei goes beyond the "limit," Wotagei is treated as a "different kind" of performance. Shaking arms, turning around… violent movements while raising a weird cry bother people.

Also, Otaku people get together and dance together at an event of celebrating the opening of anime. When Otaku people deform the dance from anime, instead of being "cool," it becomes "groce" because human beings can not dance like their loved-characters. Of course, the dance looks like strange and impossible to dance like characters.

Some Otaku people do Wotagei inside a store or in front of a monitor of a store, forgetting where they are. That's why such a warning was written:

"-Request for Customers- Please Do Not Do Wotagei or an Annoyance Inside Our Store or in Front of Monitors"

Wotagei tends to be hated, but when an Otaku idol, Shoko Nakagawa, performs, it's a totally different story. In any case, Shokotan (a nickname of Shoko Nakagawa) herself performs Wotagei. Of course, fans go crazy!


Wotagei by an Otaku Idol, Shoko Nakagawa	Wotagei Performed at Her Live

In front of amusement arcade, with the "god player" of Taiko Master, some Otaku people perform Wotagei.

Wotagei Performed with the "God Player" of Taiko Master

Akiba's vehicle-free street may come back, but it is still considered carefully since if a vehicle-free street comes back, that means, Wotagei or a performance of an almost-naked lady would also come back.

Not that Wotagei itself is bad- the problem is Otaku performers get into their world and can not care about other people. If Otaku people who perform Wotagei can try to be moderate, there will be no problem. So, I hope performers will consider about those things and establish Wotagei as Akiba Culture.

Wujuoedua: Wotagei (Japanese)