As an anime fan, I have always been passionate about the community and the culture. Growing up, I found it difficult to find like-minded individuals who shared my interests. My school wasn’t really filled with nerds, and most of the anime people in my school were even more socially awkward than I was!
What was worse was that we lived far from the city, so I could not go hang out with friends and watch anime together.
Then eventually I started to go to some awesome anime cons. These events allowed me to connect with other anime fans and I found myself spending a lot of time talking to people about anime and manga. It was during these conversations that I realized there was a need for a dating site specifically for anime fans.
See at some of these conventions I had gotten roped into hosting silly and fun panels like a “dating game” panel, just like the TV show. People would ask silly questions and get to know each other. This later turned into doing even more fun events, like speed dating for anime fans.
This is what led me to create MaiOtaku, the world’s oldest anime dating site.
I wanted to create a safe and welcoming platform where anime fans could connect and find love. From the very beginning, I focused on building a site that prioritized the interests and needs of the anime community. I wanted it to be a place where people could be themselves without fear of judgement, and where they could find others who shared their passions.
I began building MaiOtaku in 2009, while still in college. At first, it was just a small project for me and some of my friends to use. But as we started to invite more people and word began to spread, we saw the potential for MaiOtaku to become something bigger.
Over the years, MaiOtaku has grown to become a thriving community of anime fans from all over the world. We have helped countless people find love and friendship, and we are proud to have played a small part in bringing the anime community closer together.
Over the years, MaiOtaku has grown to become the world’s oldest anime dating site, with thousands of active members from around the globe. We have also expanded to include other features such as anime recommendations, cosplay photo sharing, and forums for discussion.
But our work is not done. As the world continues to change and evolve, so too must MaiOtaku. We are constantly working to improve our site and offer new features that better serve the needs of our users. We want to continue to be a platform where anime fans can come together and find love, friendship, and a sense of belonging.
Since the world of anime is so spread out most people don’t even use the website as a dating website. It’s often more of a friend connection to talk about anime and upcoming series that you’re excited about. 90% of users just use the website to chat with friends and share silly anime memes. So what we were really building was a friend-making network for nerds and anime fans.
MaiOtaku has always been free to join and use. There’s a premium subscription option for people who want to support the site, but all it really does is remove advertisements.
In the end, MaiOtaku is not just a dating site. It is a community of like-minded individuals who share a love of anime and Japanese culture. It is a place where people can come together, be themselves, and connect with others who understand and appreciate them. And I am proud to have created it.
