written bij Ari-Matti Sari (saren @ anime.jyu.fi)

It has been said that anime is not a hobby - it's life-long dedication to poverty.

This is not true.

A man once came to a Zen master saying: 'I own nothing! I am free'. The master answered him: 'Only when you have given up the idea of owning nothing, will you be truly free'.

The True Otaku is not attached to the idea of poverty. To True Otaku monetary situation is like weather; it is constantly changing, it has direct and on-direct effects on one's well-being - but it has no intrisinct meaning or value in itself.

Nor is the True Otaku attached to their collection. What matters to them is not what anime they DO have, but what they DON'T have - yet.

The True Otaku is only attached to the idea of seeing all existing anime - and once they have seen it all, they will be truly free and can reach enlightenment.

Study this well.

There are many schools of Otaku-do.

Some emphasize the material side; the pen pads, the lunch boxes, the trading cards, the posters, the phone cards, the garage kits... If the followers of these schools are not careful, they will become attached to their collection and eventually their collection will be more important to them than anime. They will be no different from any other collectors.

This is not the Way of the True Otaku.

There are Otaku-do schools that say 'you only need tentacles', or 'cute is all there is', or 'thou shall only watch mecha'.

This is not the way to enlightenment.

The True Otaku watches all anime and looks for the Higher Truth hidden under the surface. They understand that everything is part of the Way, and the Way is part of everything. This is the way to enlightenment.

Study this well.

Komori Ryu Zen Otaku-do is the way of the True Otaku. It was originally formulated using many of the techniques of Tetsuwan Atom Ryu and Uchu Senkan Yamato Ryu Tiivii-jutsu, supplemented with those derived from early Ova-do schools. It stresses the importance of watching all available anime. It is practice-oriented; form should never obscure function, nor should quality be in way of quantity. In other words; it doesn't matter HOW you watch anime or WHAT anime you watch as long as you watch LOTS of it.

Komori Ryu means 'the bat style'. The name was chosen to illustrate some typical aspects often seen in dan-level Otaku-do stylists.

• - Nocturnal lifestyle, which tends to produce the tell-tale signs of
• - Red eyes
• - General dislike of bright light and sunshine
• - Limited ability to hold on to money, which leads to;
• - Leathery appearance (from blowing all your food money on anime).
• - Considerable skills in hanging around (around you friends place at meal times that is).
• - Acute hearing (in time it gets so acute you can spot anime references even where there is none).
• - Komori Ryu stylists enjoy gathering in huge flocks to pack themselves tightly into small caves (we call them 'video all-nighters').

For all of the above reasons Komori Ryu stylists - much like our namesakes - are abhored by some narrow minded and ignorant members of the opposite sex.