[ICON] Julie Watai - Gifted Creator and World Renowned Hard-Core Otaku（2/3）

2012.05.25

My creations are not so popular among hard-core otaku. It’s because the photos are 3 dimensional

ab： What kind of photo collection is your second release "Hardware Girls"?

Julie： After the release of "SAMURAI GIRLS" I continued to take photos, and as I mentioned before, when I released it there was little in the way of otaku culture going around. Murakami Takashi had released some in a 2 dimensional style, but I wanted to do something different, something that enveloped the actual culture – the phenomenon. It was a completely new concept to photographically portray the world of the otaku as fashionable. Nowadays the "Densha Otoko" (Train Man) series has become mainstream and otaku culture has spread throughout the world and is recognized as a major made in Japan product. The Internet has made it possible for those overseas to access information from Japan in real time, with TV anime being uploaded the day after broadcast with subtitles. In this environment "SAMURAI GIRL" and other such easy-to-comprehend otaku culture was not able to ride the wave of the era. This is why I knew that I had to make my second photo collection.

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● "Hardware Girls" is a photo collection with a "computer hardware meets cute teen girls" theme.

Back then I had the chance to make "Hardware Girls." "SAMURAI GIRL" was shot with a broad ranging theme of otaku culture, but "Hardware Girls" was a book filled with a cross of machinery, hardware that tickles your collection fancy as well of toys with young girls. It was a more focused collection. It became a topic of conversation on Twitter. I’m really thankful.

ab： Was the response bigger overseas than in Japan?

Julie： Yes, that’s right. But I can see why. The photos were shot with the theme of otaku, and the photos are 3 dimensional only. They are trying to portray me as 2 dimensional, but it has to be 3 dimensional and that is why the otaku crowd won’t accept it. However, when you look at the demographic of who is looking over the collection, it is those who think that otaku culture is interesting. For this reason, the Japanese who buy the collection are those who like fashionable girls pop photos, designer clothing and enjoy keeping up with all the news, and also the Japanese who live overseas.

ab： So you are saying that your collection is popular with those who look at the otaku culture from an objective perspective?

Julie： Yes, that’s right. Those who are right in the center tend to be 2 dimensional and biased.

I checked out the (Nico Nico Douga) news before going to school.

ab： You profile says that you are a “Chiptune artist.” What is that?

Julie： Yes it is a bit of a mystery (lol). A chiptune is a limited type of sound… putting it simply a chiptune artist creates sounds from an FM frequency. For example, we alter the games in a Famicom or Game Boy to create a tune, and the tune is used in a live performance. This tune is the chiptune. The beeping noise that comes out of video games basically (lol).

ab： What are your influences?

Julie： I like science fiction novels. My starting point are the SF novels "Snow Crash" and "Neuromancer." They are from the steampunk genre and have been around for a long time. I don’t read that much now though. I really want to recreate the world that appears in the novel "Neuromancer."