Mokuyobi Post - Otaku no Video

This OAV from the beginning of the 90's was produced by Gainax and comically shed light on the varying otaku subcultures as well as offering a warning on their compulsive tendencies.

    Split between an anime story and a mockumentary this 2 part OAV follows Ken Kubo who is first introduced to the world of the otaku by an old school friend and eventually is determined to be the ota-king, ruling over all otaku.  He and his cohorts are met with a mixture of success, failure, betrayal and fantasy on their journey to create the most powerful otaku company in the universe.  Intermixed in the anime portion are mock segments interviewing members of specific otaku sub-cultures.  These segments are live action and each feature one person who is deeply obsessed with a specific hobby; anime, cosplay, war gaming, etc.  These segments also go to show either the shame people have in their otaku tendencies or pride in their obsessions, sometimes bordering on illegal/dangerous activities.

    This anime is from 1991, so it is dated but not too poorly.  Gainax has built a career on producing high quality products for their time periods.  They are also known for controversy and mischievousness.  This is a fun romp into the realm of otaku-hood, if at times somewhat uncomfortable.  The OAV also includes segments of the videos the crew who would eventually become Gainax created for the 1981 and 1983 Sci-fi conventions, Daikon.  This is a mandatory title to see in my opinion.

    This video has been available commercially in North America for a long time in both VHS and DVD format.  Pick it up when you come across it and enjoy.