>
>   "Psyfire"
>
>
>
> Ok, now Otaku means what? American fanboy or something like that? and what
> exactly is a 'fanboy'?
>
>

Literally, it means "You". It is one of a variety of Japanese variants
of the word "You" (not the one you would want to address your boss
as, BTW ^_^).
It, in recent years, also became a description of an obsessive fan
(of anything, not just anime; Otaku Fisherman (Just GOTTA bring in
the bass of the correct weight), etc.) What put it on the map as an
unpleasant adjective in Japan, was the Miyazaki case (not Hayao),
where this creep who was a child murderer was caught, and they
examined his place, which was crammed with porn and violent
slasher movies; You do not wanna call the average guy on the street
there an Otaku, anymore than you start out with "kisama"....
The current American Otaku movement started with the Gainax
production Otaku no Video (actually a two-parter originally referred
to as "Graphitti of Otaku Generation '82 and '85), a mockumentary
of Gainax itself, interspersed with hilarious "Portrait of an Otaku"
live sequences. Every spot is a lampoon on various Otaku (the
Military Equipment Otaku, the Lolita Otaku, the Cosplay Otaku,
etc.), and is a must view, IMO. So, many American anime fans
seem to identify with various aspects of this film, and have been
referring to themselves (at least some) as Otaku ever since.
Or, as I see it, The Unpleasant-Smelling, 300+ lb. Guy who
can Tell You What Type Bolts Hold Together Noa Izumi's
AV98 "Alphonse" and the Bust Size of Ayanami Rei, yet
Sorta Drools and Asks Stupid Questions if a Real-Live Girl
Passes Them and Soap is a Stranger to Them ^_^
(I do have a copy of Otaku no Video, ironically enough, from
where I won a Protoculture Addicts/Animeigo contest on
"The Ultimate Otaku"...anyone with a copy of PA #25 can
look at the gory details.....). But, yeah, that is, loosely, the
recent history of the term Otaku.
BTW, this is the Relic, coming from the outer reaches of the
Reality that is the Ranma ML......