"OTAKU" MAIKO

OTAKU is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly (but not limited to) anime and manga.

The palm-outwards V sign in Japan has evolved since WWII and it's one of the most commonly signs used, especially younger people, when posing for informal photographs.

Although the Japanese knew the sign from the post-World War II allied occupation, it appears that the sign meaning has evolved through time.

Nowadays the sign is credited to American figure skater Janet Lynn that during the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Hokkaido, she fell during a free-skate period, but continued to smile. Her cheerful diligence made her became an overnight foreign celebrity in Japan.

As a peace activist, Lynn frequently flashed the V sign when she was covered in Japanese media. Therefore she is credited by some Japanese for having popularised its use since the 1970s in amateur photographs.
The gesture has been also adopted by OTAKU around the world as a greeting adopted form Manga and Anime characters.