Siyu Fu (付思予)

Siyu Fu (Hank) is a Chinese art student endeavouring in graphic design. Having previously graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) on the other side of the pond, Hank pursues a degree in visual communications at the Royal College of Art. So far, his life has been mostly academics, influenced by his professional academia oriented family. He plans to continue this tradition by contributing to the wider academic community in the form of postgraduate research regarding the intricacies of otaku subcultural visual culture and its potential applications.

Hank's aesthetical style and artistic preferences lean towards minimalism and utilitarianism, speaking of his fascination with commercial Japanese graphic design and extremely brief experience in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Toronto.

In 2021, his current projects are semi illustration based, including multiple works of manga serialised on Chinese online platforms. Nostalgia into his artistic roots: the otaku subculture, has also culminated into full-fledged research endeavours into the nature of the subculture and its unique visual aspects, as well as the implied politics of said aesthetics.

My project introduces the controversial otaku subculture to a wider audience from my personal experience as an otaku. Without the serious academic jargon and outdated speculation from "external professionals" that over-abstract, my motivations are to explain in meticulous chronological detail the true nature of the subculture and both its positive and negative impact on society, clearing up stereotypes and misconceptions from decades past.

In its contemporary form, the otaku subculture is a major entertainment and visual subculture revolving around core media industries such as manga (comics), anime (animation), games, and light-novels (graphic novels). Emerging from post-World War II Japan as an amalgamation of niche interests and obsessions, it has since burgeoned into a transnational, consumerist culture overlapping with popular culture.

This project of mine has been at the back of my mind for some years, and originates from my 2019 undergraduate thesis: "Why does Japanese otaku subcultural media often use biblical and Nordic mythological terminology?" My ultimate conclusion is simply: "because Rule of Cool", a post-modernistic worldview that bypasses any notion of universality and grand narrative, instead preferring the exterior cosmetic over the interior theme.

The result of these emotions is a unique commercial publication format known as "worldview settings", an immensely wide-ranging and sometimes seemingly random archive of official visual and technical information with a target audience towards fans/collectors of a particular franchise. Such archival formats present a perfect representation of otaku sensibilities and priorities, rarely existing outside of the Eastern cultural sphere in such interdisciplinary seriousness. Simultaneously, the transnational content and world-building I have in mind maximises the potential of the format.

In a sense, this project possesses a distorted perception of curiosity. It is interesting to observe how others deal with their worldview being completely obliterated; how do they react to the annihilation of personal values? I believe comprehending the reactions are critical to understanding alternate value systems, vital elements in our contemporary society. Enlarging the scope and post-modern (or maybe post-postmodern), diversified society, this understanding will be even more crucial. In a sense, my project also implores people to question themselves on whether they are truly invested in their "politics" and "personal values" or are merely deceiving themselves with ideological cosmetics.

Book Front — Book front with Obi band.

Book Front from Side — Book front with Obi band from side.

Book Rear Details (with Obi) — Details from the rear of the book, featuring a warning and Minidisc on the Obi band. The Minidisc format was a magneto-optical information storage medium developed by SONY Corp. in the early 1990's as a successor to the compact cassette and digital audio tape (DAT). It mostly failed, but was hugely popular in Japan; another example of the "Big in Japan" phenomenon. Comes in many colours and aesthetical designs, also very small, thus the perfect retro audio medium for otaku.

Book Rear Details — Details from the rear of the book, showing attention to aesthetical realism, including mock ISBN serial number, bar code and price.

Book Front — Book front with Obi slightly removed.

Book Rear — Book rear with Obi slightly removed.

Book Rear — Book rear without Obi band.

Inner Illustrative Teaser 1 — Panel of a newsreel in dire circumstances.

Inner Illustrative Teaser 2 — "Moe-ified" panel of a widely circulated meme known as "Panzer of the Lake". Originally a mystery, its location has since been found thanks to the collective power of the internet community. The Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. D hails from the 31st Panzer Regiment assigned to the 5th Panzer Division commanded by Lt. Heinz Zobel lost on May 13th, 1940. The "lake" is the Meuse River. The man is a German pioneer. Eventually salvaged, the ultimate fate of the panzer remains unknown.

Inner Illustrative Teaser 3 — Panel of the Spear of Longinus on the lunar surface. Indeed, a similar project to erect the famous Neon Genesis Evangelion peripheral on the moon was stated by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). We never heard anything more about it.

Inner Illustrative Teaser 4 — A page on technological miniaturisation and its social effects. Realistically rendered to replicate the aesthetics of SONY Corp. product catalogues from 1983.

Inner Illustrative Teaser 5 — A panel on the ongoing Third Zaire War in central Africa.

The Official Visual Works and Worldview Settings on the Postmodern World of SPECTACLE Vol.1 is a publication in the "settings collection" genre, a peripheral product born of the Japanese animation and manga industry that details in meticulous and interdisciplinary detail the worldview of a particular piece of work.

Being the epitome of otaku subcultural sensibilities, the form of this publication is heavily researched and designed to be as aesthetically close to an original as possible, with fake ISBN serial numbers, pricing, and even the distinctly Japanese Obi band that is unique to their publishing industry. The book reads from right to left, a publishing technique commonly seen in translated manga published in the west. JIS B5 is also used for the dimensions of the publication, which is slightly different compared to ISO standards.

As with otaku post-modern values, outer layer aesthetics are important. The form of this book was not randomly decided on a whim.

Medium:

Traditional manga illustration, digital editing (book layout & image editing)

Size:

JIS B5 (182 x 257 mm/page, 364 x 257 mm/spread)

Advanced Modern DAISENRYAKU — Mock commercial spread of hit 1980s grand strategy game "Daisenryaku" (大戦略, Great Strategy), originally released on NEC PC-9800 series computers. There is nothing more thrilling than to take history into your own hands.

"They've got a Type-90!" — The otaku is self-indulgent, but also passionate, steadfast, knowledgable, and strive to contribute to society if not directly, then implicitly.

Spring, 1989 — In reality, humanity was unbelievably lucky during the Cold War. Cherish what the gods of mathematical probability have bestowed upon us.

End of a War — A popular trope amongst alternate historical world-building is the complete victory of Axis powers, however it is interesting that the opposite is barely explored.

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. K — Mock commercial spread for the plastic model of a specific WWII-era German "Panzer IV" medium tank variant that was mass-produced in reality ... or was it? Utilisation of experimental military technology and research into its developmental context has always been a focal point of aesthetical dynamics within the otaku subculture.

The Good Decade — Section spread focusing on the 1990s, The Video Game War, Windows 95, the fall of the Soviet Union, and of course: America Online trial discs bundled with everything possibly available.

"Animalisation" — Page on critical philosophical definitions regarding the worldview and values of otaku post-modernity. No, seriously.

M5A1 Schwarzkopf — Spread infographic on weaponised bipedal locomotion technology, the passion of plastic model/robot anime otaku ... while being the bane of military enthusiasts. Tracked vehicles are clearly the logical and cost-efficient choice ... a king of the land. It is most often forgotten that, according to armoured combat experience accumulated during WWII, the height and silhouette of a combat vehicle greatly impacts its survivability on the field.

Material Science — Page emphasising the critical importance of material science on humanity's social development. However whether we like it or not, all new technology is prioritised towards militarisation, isn't that right, specialist Jenkins? Artificial muscle fibre in particular remains a favourite choice amongst semi-realistic setting driven otaku.

Medium of Imagination — Page focusing on the beginning of otaku subculture ... the Japanese D51 series steam locomotive. This workhorse series of locomotives continues to be in limited service and is a representation of heavy industry, as well as being a medium of imaginative fantasies for the younger generation and source of nostalgia for the old.

Third Zaire War — The Third Zaire War is a tragedy of comical proportions. No alliances, no loyalty, no priorities, only surface-level chaos. A war of all against all (Bellum omnium contra omnes).

The Unthinkable Option (未曾设想的道路) — A page detailing critical historical convergence points. "Hey, I know what's going on! You've all become idiots!" "Hey let's all join the Reform Party!" -Futurama

By nature otaku are supposed to be naturally emerging pioneers of society, but have been misunderstood through the decades by moral panics and "democratisation" of its core industries. The narrative of SPECTACLE is thus set in a carefully hypothesised alternate historical world where warfare, unchecked technological progress, and ideological diversity have led to ruination of the human condition. Otaku subculture is but a footnote in the grand scheme of things, the situation could be far worse. The world-building of SPECTACLE is transnational and assorted, leaving its Japanese roots (similar to how it developed in reality).

As with otaku postmodern values, fractured smaller narratives are more important than modernist grand-narratives. "Lore events" and references have been carefully researched and chosen. Even the fake commercial spreads are a portion of the constructed narrative, reflecting in-universe details. Utilising joking references known as "neta", the otaku philosophical apparatus is revealed. Moreover, an overall red, black, and white colour scheme was adopted, a callback to serial manga magazines of the 20th century where special issues included simple duotone sections.

Medium:

Traditional manga illustration, digital editing (book layout & image editing)

Size:

JIS B5 (182 x 257 mm/page, 364 x 257 mm/spread)

Illustration Nostalgia otaku post-modernism publication Speculative Futures subculture Technology

Launch Project

[ E X P L O S I V E B O L T S ] — The explosive bolt is a special visual signifier of real-robot genre anime and manga, often used in mechanical designs for dramatic action sequences full of hardcore mechanical goodness. Over time, it became overused in all aspects of fictitious mechanical design despite its original purpose. A representation/fetishisation process of commodity, a spectacle, if you will.

Otaku subculture ... and many other popular cultures are in fact supported by open source endeavours and peer-to-peer relationships between industry and individual. While this raises piracy and copyright issues, I believe this a prime example of lax or value differences of otaku and "regular people". It is my design decision to, therefore, offer the entirety of SPECTACLE Vol.1 as downloadable content, just as "scanlation" groups do.

Below you will find the project leading to PIXIV.net, a renown illustration hosting site geared towards anime-like aesthetics. The database and tag structure, combined with the behaviour of its users in uploading fan-work is an example of otaku post-modernist apparatus in action.

Medium:

Traditional manga illustration, digital editing (book layout & image editing)

Size:

JIS B5 (Digital)

Illustration otaku post-modernism publication Speculative Futures subculture Technology

Siyu Fu (付思予)

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