OTAKU is good or bad?

 If I ask foreigner "which japanese words do you know?" if this case was 30 years ago, the foreigner answered "Oh I know some Japanese words, Ninja, Geisya, Fuji yama, Samurai". But If this case is now, maybe some foreigner answered "I know Otaku".

 Maybe the reader in my blogs know this word.  So, how do you think OTAKU? and do you have possitive image of OTAKU or negative image? 

 In Japan, this word is often negative. For example, OTAKU means the people who likes anime, manga, action figue, teen pop star or any hobbies very deeply. And in this stereotype, OTAKU is a congenitally gloomy person and has a closedness mind. Or the person are not popular around women, because they are not good at communicating with women.

 One of Japanese famous movie and drama (Denshaotoko) is a stereotyple OTAKU is maincharater. If you watch this movie and drama, you can understand this stereotype. And OTAKU are sometimes feared by other people, because their thought proess is strange. As a rule, we have to say this image is bad in Japan.

 On ther other hand, how is OTAKU image in other countries???  When I talked with Italian friend, he insisted on OTAKU is not bad image in Italy. And He said 'If you are OTAKU, many people are appreciated you.'

 I do not know his insistence is right or not. But I think that all foreigner do not think OTAKU is not bad.