ESP Biography



NATHAN ARCE, MIT freshman otaku wanting to study Comp Sci.



Major: 6-2

College/Employer: Not available.

Year of Graduation: Not available.

Picture of Nathan Arce

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I've loved math all my life. So, I might double major in that, actually. Anyway, school was too easy. That sums up the first 18 years of my life pretty well.

School is not too easy anymore. This is very nearly a euphemism.

Ignoring school (no, actually, that's impossible, considering I should be studying for a test as I type this), I have continued to pursue my interests as an otaku, which is the majority of my life that is not academics. I took Karate from the time I was 4 until I was a junior in high school, but my interest in the Japanese language, which I had to take night classes as a Dual Enrollment for, since they weren't available in my high school, combined with my recent interest in ballroom dancing, made no more room for that. Ballroom dancing, as well, is something I have all but stopped practicing since I left home. I am now enjoying my time on the Varsity Fencing team, which I hope I will stay on for a while. Regardless of all this, I would still list my main interests as manga and video games.

Well, maybe Facebook, too. It helps me procrastinate (like this is doing).



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

X2658: The Hobbies of a Western-World Otaku. in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
The term otaku is Japanese for one who is obsessed with something, though its origin will be discussed in class. When used standalone in Japan, it generally refers to an obsession with anime and manga (Japanese cartoons and comics). We effectively stole that definition, but for obvious reasons, an American otaku leads a somewhat different life compared to the originals of Japan. How will we learn about the life of one who has adopted the term "otaku," which has become somewhat derogatory in Japan, as an affectionate term for oneself? Why, it must be by the most scientific method possible: observation! ^_^ This class will cover various facets of the otaku culture, including anime and video games of Japanese origin.