otaku is a japanese slang word, deriving from the honorific "お宅" (otaku), meaning "your house", that has come to mean someone who obsessively exerts time, money, and energy into a hobby. otaku have a deep, complex knowledge around a particular subject or area of study, and is oftentimes (esp. in the west) used to refer to avid consumers of anime and manga. the term can be compared with hikikomori"."