I see this question on various forums, and sometimes I get this too in real life. If you love to watch Anime, you are either a fan or an addict.

According to Merriam-Webster:
Fan (probably short for fanatic) is an enthusiastic devotee usually as a spectator or an ardent admirer or enthusiast.
Addict is to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively.

And let me add this one:
Otaku (おたく or オタク) is a term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly Anime and Manga.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s continue.

If you love to watch Animes and reads a lot of Mangas then you are already considered as an Otaku. Being an Otaku doesn’t really mean that you are already obsessed with Anime and Manga, it just means that you love it and you like it. But there are still some that argues if you are just a fan or already an addict.

Let’s see…

You are a fan if you watched at least 5 or more different Anime titles. You’re already an addict if you watched more than 20 different Anime titles and still counting…
I’ve already watched more than 20 Animes and over 200 episodes. (Fan:0/Addict:1)

You are a fan if you only like a specific genre of Anime (i.e. action, mecha for boys or shoujo, romance for girls). An addict likes all of the genre. Like for example, you are a guy and you like Sailor Moon, or if you are a girl and you watch Dragon Ball Z.
I watch all types of Animes. (Fan:0/Addict:2)

A fan usually watch an Anime on TV stations when they are aired locally either on commercial or cable. An addict already has watched the Anime even before it reaches their country.
Must finish downloading… must finish downloading… (Fan:0/Addict:3)

A fan have watched the Anime version, but haven’t read the Manga (or vise-versa). An addict have seen both adaptations.
I don’t have Mangas yet. (Fan:1/Addict:3)

A fan visits an Anime-related event. An addict not only visits the said event, but also participates by cosplaying.
I don’t cosplay. (Fan:2/Addict:3)

You can still be an Anime fan if you only cosplayed once or twice. An addict already cosplayed on all major, and even minor Anime-related events.
Haven’t cosplayed yet (Fan:2/Addict:3)

A fan likes the Anime they are watching that is already dubbed (translated) to their native language. An addict likes the original Japanese language version, and even without translated subtitles, they can understand it.
I like the Japanese language versions (Fan:2/Addict:4)

Not their native language, a fan knows a few simple Japanese words. An addict already knows how to speak Japanese… fluently.
I’m still learning (Fan:3/Addict:4)

On reading Mangas, a fan likes the version where the text is already translated and written in English letters. Addicts can already read Japanese hiragana or katakana.
I can’t read Kanji, but I like to read translated Mangas. (Fan:4/Addict:4)

An Anime fan has a few soundtracks on their MP3 players from the Animes they like. An addict’s MP3 player contains only songs that comes from Anime, and/or Japanese and nothing else.
45% of the songs on my MP3 player is Japanese. (Fan:5/Addict:4)

A fan likes the Anime because of the characters (how they are drawn) and their personalities. An addict not only have read the Manga version of the Anime, but also seen the live-action (J-dorama) version of it (i.e. Hana Yori Dango, Great Teacher Onizuka, You’re Under Arrest, Sailor Moon, etc.).
I already liked J-doramas. (Fan:5/Addict:5)

Fans join in on various Anime related forums and communities. The addicts are the ones who created these said forums and manages them.
Please join Animeelites.com. I’m just a member BTW. ^_^ (Fan:6/Addict:5)

See I’m not an addict… yet.

Now are you an Anime fan? or an Anime addict?

The image screencap above is from the Anime, Genshiken. It is an Anime adaptation of the Manga of the same title. The cast are otakus with different interests, one likes video games, the other is a cosplayer, and some other likes to draw and create mangas. All of them loves Anime and Manga, well, except one girl. If you are an otaku, you’ll probably like this Anime. There is also a sub-Anime story (which has a separate series) inside this Anime.

The ending theme song (Clubhouse Sandwich by Yuumao) of Genshiken 2 is my phone’s ringtone.

Here is a fan made video created as a birthday present (last year, 2007) for Horikita Maki. It features the Hana Kimi (Japan) ending theme soundtrack Peach by Otsuka Ai. The video is a mash up of various appearances of Maki from game shows and TV shows. The video also includes some behind the scenes from the TV series which she appeared such as; Nobuta wo Produce, Kurosagi, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, and others.

Enjoy the vid.

Peach - Birthday Present for Maki

You can download an MP3 copy of Peach at my post here.

Inoue Mao (井上真央) born January 9, 1987 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. In 1999 she was regarded as a U-15 idol. You may remember her portraying Makino Tsukushi in the live-action drama Hana Yori Dango, based on the anime and manga of the same name.

She started her acting career at the age of 5. Her current hobbies includes basketball, badminton, Japanese dance, music, oil painting.

More photos of her after the gap.
Read the rest of this entry »

So it’s true. Both versions of the series will be played on the same day at a local channel here in the Philippines. Starting March 24, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (Hana Kimi / Japan) will be aired on GMA, while Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (Hana Kimi / Taiwan) is on ABS-CBN.

Both series are based on the Japanese manga Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo. Since both are based on the same story, the plot and characters are essentially the same. The only difference is how both drama portray the story, and of course their names. A rough English translation of the drama is “For You In Full Blossom”.

Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (Hana Kimi / Taiwan) runs in 15 90-minute episodes and is longer than the Japanese version. It was first shown in Taiwan in the late 2006. The three major characters are Lu Rui Xi (Ella Chen; based on Mizuki Ashiya), Zuo Yi Quan (Wu Chun; based on Izumi Sano), and Jin Xiu Yi (Jiro Wang; based on Shuichi Nakatsu).

I can’t comment on this one since I haven’t watched this version, yet. But my girlfriend told me that the leading man on this version is more “cuter” than the Japanese version. I told her that she is biased on the Korean/Chinese dramas. Or maybe “I am” the one who is biased on the Japanese one.

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (Hana Kimi / Japan) uses the exact name of the characters from the manga since it is originally from Japan. This series runs on 12 episodes, with 54 minute each, so it is shorter than the Taiwanese version. The 3 major cast are, the ever cute Horikita Maki as Ashiya Mizuki, Oguri Shun as Sano Izumi, and Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu Shuichi. This series aired in Japan on the 2nd-half of last year (2007).

This is one of the first few J-doramas (Japanese dramas) I’ve watched since last year and the second series I’ve actually recommended to my girlfriend (the other one was Liar Game). The show was full of humor and a little bit of drama. In the last few minutes of the last episode, expect heavy drama (^_^). I liked this series for two reasons; (1) because of the humor and wild antics of the cast, and (2) because of Horikita Maki (this is the first series I’ve known and seen her.)

I wonder which show will have the most viewers…