ocr: More to the point, most of these anime are based on manga, which have continually attracted a fan base that borders on the fanatical. A new youth culture called the otaku has emerged in Japan, and like the classic American computer nerd who plays Dungeons and Dragons as a weird kind of escapism, their entire lives revolve around the plots of their favorite characters and stories. It's a sentiment that is beginning to spread throughout greater Japanese culture.
