Talk:Akihabara/Archives/2014

Tagged for NPOV and references
This article really needs attention for one main reason: It reads like a travel guide. I removed one particularly unencyclopediac paragraph: "Despite the fact that Akihabara does have anime/manga shoppes and technology-based shoppes, keep in mind that it's a shopping district, as well as a popular meeting place and tourist attraction. Do not make the mistake of stereotyping it as simple a 'fan-girl/fan-boy otaku heaven'. It is true that Akihabara was made to look and feel like a city in an anime show; however, it is untrue that it was created as a 'storage' facility for anime-fans." ...But the entirety of the article seems like something of an advertisement or guide to potential tourists. Also, as mentioned in a previous comment, the history section should be in prose format instead of a list. And although the external links section is thorough, there isn't a single citation throughout the article. I'll do my best to help, but I wanted to bring this to the attention of more experienced Wikipedians. Thanks. Tozoku 23:17, 4 December 2006 (UTC)

This is with regards to the NPOV The section on Otaku culture is particularly unencylopediac in that it carries an anti-Otaku, somewhat feminist tone and has a highly opinionated portrayal of both Otaku and Otaku influence on Akihabara.

Read "The influence of otaku culture has shaped Akihabara's businesses and buildings to reflect the interests of otaku and gained the district worldwide fame for its distinctive imagery. Akihabara tries to create an atmosphere as much like the game and anime worlds the customers are used to as is possible. The streets of Akihabara are covered with anime and manga icons, and cosplayers line the sidewalks handing out advertisements, especially for maid cafes. Release events, special events, and conventions in Akihabara give anime and manga fans frequent opportunities to meet the creators of the works they follow so closely and strengthen the connection between the region and otaku culture. Even the design of the buildings serves to create the sort of atmosphere that draws in otaku. Architects are designing the department stores of Akihabara to be more opaque and closed to reflect the general desire of otaku to live in their anime worlds rather than display their obsessions to the world at large.[2][5] Because otaku culture is often considered unusual for an adult, some controversies have sprung up as a result of Akihabara's public display of the culture. Since otaku are primarily male, Akihabara is full of female characters being depicted in sexist or misogynistic contexts. Female anime characters are almost exclusively depicted as sexualized objects and the abundance of cosplay and maid cafes puts young women in a position of taking orders from the male customers they serve.[2]"

These three quotes are particularity opinionated and should not be included in Wikipedia.

"Akihabara tries to create an atmosphere as much like the game and anime worlds the customers are used to as is possible."

"Even the design of the buildings serves to create the sort of atmosphere that draws in otaku. Architects are designing the department stores of Akihabara to be more opaque and closed to reflect the general desire of otaku to live in their anime worlds rather than display their obsessions to the world at large."

"Since otaku are primarily male, Akihabara is full of female characters being depicted in sexist or misogynistic contexts. Female anime characters are almost exclusively depicted as sexualized objects and the abundance of cosplay and maid cafes puts young women in a position of taking orders from the male customers they serve."

I'll leave up the NPOV tag whilst I work on this paragraph to fix it. In the meantime any suggestions as to how we can improve this article are welcome.Iamthyn (talk) 05:46, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
 * I've fixed the issues and removed the tag. 58.35.238.234 (talk) 02:41, 18 January 2014 (UTC)