Digital Up Magazine DIGITAL PROMO JULIE WATAI BRINGS COOL INTO OTAKU GADGET+GIRLS Contemporary Japanese pop culture is immensely framed by manga and anime. Julie Watai, a Japanese photographer, grew up under these influences and has explored them in her artwork ever since becoming a professional. She believes her mission is to work on Otaku culture, to elaborate it more, thus to make it more accepted. Otaku is often considered a bad thing. It is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, commonly the anime and manga fandom. They are considered geeks, or nerds, but in a more derogatory manner than used in the West. Thanks to the Internet, people outside of Japan are more aware of Otaku now. The Internet made them realize it exists in every culture and country. “My work is about finding ways to showcase its positive aspects,” Julie Watai explains. [ 20 ] DigitalUP