Otaku Unite (live-action movie)

This is the first documentary to have American otaku culture as the main focal point.

Eric Bresler explain that the reason why he directed this documentary was due to a scenario when he used to host a weekly Japanese-themed radio show in Philadelphia. The radio show was known for playing actual soundtracks by Japanese rock bands such as X-Japan & Melt Banana. During one of the shows, a listener informed Eric of a dance that would be held at the 2000 Otakon in Baltimore, in which Eric was interested in attending the event in hopes of discovering new bands to add to his radio show’s playlist. Upon attending Otakon, he was accompanied with Charles Smith, and was astonished by not only the fans attending the dance, but the sheer number of fans attending the convention as a whole. After attending Otakon, Eric was determined to discover the roots of the otaku fandom by documenting on how it started and how it evolved into what it is now by interviewing not only the fans who cherished it, but as well as the industry people who helped imported it to the western world.

Eric Bresler had to use his own money in order to finance this documentary.

Filming of this documentary began in November 2000 and was then concluded in April 2002.