Recent weeks have seen a resurgence in my inner Otaku. In modern Japanese slang, the term otaku refers to fan of, or specialist in any particular theme, topic, or hobby. These topics technically could be anything, but in a Japanese context they usually refer to manga, anime, gunpla and cosplay to name but a few.
At the center of Otaku culture is Anime (animated movies and series) and Manga (illustrated books and magazines). These in turn spawn entire armies of toys and merchandise. I’ve always enjoyed Anime, Especially the greats like Shirow Masamune’s Ghost in the Shell, or the Studio Ghibli masterpieces like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, all very well known in the west. Recently I decided to look into the actual manga graphic novel originals from which these great animated movies were make. Usually if you like a movie based on a certain book then you’ll very likely enjoy the book even more. Surely the same would apply to anime?
Anyway, on my search for retailers within South Africa for this kind of thing I have discovered that there are actually quiet a few. Whether you are a manga fundi, hentai perv, gundam geek or cosplay maid outfit connoisseur,between these guys you should find everything and more: