This consists of individual works, characters, and fan-made creations (doujinshi). These are often "simulacra," copies with no original, where the distinction between official and fan-made content blurs.
Azuma posits that in the postmodern era, the traditional structure of a story (the narrative) is no longer the primary object of consumption. Instead, otaku culture operates through a :
Azuma uses the term "animal" to describe a new mode of human existence that seeks immediate, mechanical satisfaction of desires. Book Review: “Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals”